Every other character — Li - zhen's philandering boss, Chow's happy - go - lucky friend,
the nosy landlady («Young wives shouldn't stay out so late — people will start to wonder»)-- is a satellite, and the husband and wife go almost unseen, their offscreen voices used as rhythmic punctuations in a movie that feels less like a narrative than a beautifully drawn - out musical improvisation — Wong Kar - wai's «Blue in Green.»
Leachman's longest running role was the
nosy, self - centered and manipulative
landlady Phyllis Lindstrom on the 1970s TV series Mary Tyler Moore, and later on the spinoff series, Phyllis.