Mama's Family - General Discussion

[Guest]

Iola was awesome. One of my favorite episodes is where she runs against Thelma for president of the CLL.  She's usually so easy going that when she has her charts and graphs about Thelma not doing a good job, it just cracks me up.

[Miss Chevious]

I was amazed at the variety of craft projects she did! Cozies for just about anything and that picture made out of dryer lint was hilarious!

[Guest]

Remember the episode where they sold her homemade items?  I felt bad for her but it was also SO FUNNY. 

I miss this show. I switched cable providers and no longer get the station I was watching it on.

[Snow Apple]

Loved the Thanksgiving episode when they had to hide in the basement due to a storm. Iola ate rum balls and when the storm was over, she confessed to Thelma she doesn't remember what happened but her clothes was askew. Cue her disappointment when Thelma told her nothing happened.

Also in the episode when Thelma was dreaming that she was a private eye, I thought dream Iola looked very fashionable and attractive.

I agree about her rage. Remember when she told the story about how she made chili for her daddy and her mother threw it away? 

[ivygirl]

I always loved the episode when she wore her “sexy” dress, which was basically the same as her normal dresses, but it could “convert” to an off-the-shoulder dress.

[Wordsworth]

Oh, I much preferred network Naomi.  She was smarter; she was more mature.  I could easily see her settling down with a man who worshipped the ground she walked on after all the jerks she'd been stuck with.  

[Wordsworth]

What I enjoyed about "Roshomama" was how you could tell what was fake and what wasn't and it gave you an idea of what probably happened.

Ellen is not a malevolent person the way she was in Eunice's version.  It's very likely that Ellen, who is always in a hurry to get in and get out of her mother's house, just didn't notice Eunice on the side of the road.  She would not have tried to run Eunice down, as much as she might like to.

And Ellen has an image of her mother that doesn't exist.  Mama is not the frail old lady Ellen wants to believe she is; hence the constant forgetting in Ellen's version.

Eunice may be difficult, but she's not over-the-top the way she is in Ellen's and Naomi's version and, of course, Naomi is neither the sexpot (except when she's with Vint) nor the idiot (see syndicated episodes) she is in Ellen's and Eunice's versions.

That's just the way they see each other.

My guess is that they all started fighting over the pot and all inadvertently hit Mama.

As for each of them thinking she is Mama's favorite, that's ridiculous.  We all know Mama's favorite is Vint.

[Tenarife60]

This may have been mentioned, but I purchased the Second Season on DVD with the tele-play/movie 'Eunice' on it and, apparently, 'Mama's Family' would be taking place around 1973 because that part of the play fit with the series.  Bubby had ran away and was gone for a year, so I assume he ended up in reform school around this time.  Unfortunately, Bubba's brother Billy, whom Ed called a 'sissy' wasn't in the 'MF' cast but mentioned in 'Eunice' but not shown.  Naomi, a middle-aged drunken floozy, was also mentioned, but not shown.  In 'Eunice' she was Eunice's friend and 'Phil' (played by Ken Berry, as Mama's son, instead of 'Vint') was almost like he was supposed to be gay and living single in New York as a writer.

I always thought 'Mama's Family' seemed like it was set in the '70s like 'All in the Family' even though it was airing through the '80s.  I assumed because it's set in the South that could be why it looked like it was a decade behind the times.

[Tenarife60]

I always thought Mama would be like Iola if she hadn't married Carl.  Possibly living with her elderly parents because remember when she was the Mayor of Raytown and worked at Food Circus as a cashier (Naomi's replacement) and both were disasters that she quit after a short while?  She immediately went back to her housewife role saying it was easier than having a job.  I got the impression she'd never be able to hold down a job if she were single like Iola. 

[Miss Chevious]

Mama was supposed to be in her ‘60s, but she dressed like someone in her ‘80s. Especially those flowered hats. 

[Tenarife60]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 1:52 PM, qtpye said:

 

I never understood how any casting director out there would ever think that Rue could pass for Betty's Aunt.  I love Betty, but in some episodes, she looks older then Mama!

I just remember being shocked that Eunice and Ed produced a son who was so fricken hot.  Bubba was the lone hottie among the Harper men (husbands included).

I thought the same thing about Betty White playing Ellen.  She even looks older in 'Mama's Family' than she does in 'The Golden Girls.'  

Eunice and Ed actually had another son named, Billy, but he was apparently dropped when 'MF' became a series.  He's mentioned in the teleplay 'Eunice', though, but not shown.  In 1978 - when Mama died in the 'Eunice' movie - Billy was in prison and Bubba was a run away. 

[Snow Apple]

Thelma also couldn't hack it when she worked fast food with Bubba.

She was president of the church ladies group so she does have skills. She just needs to find a job where she doesn't have to deal with people or deadlines.

[TaraS1]

And Thelma was briefly awesome as a consumer advocate on the radio before she got a little too full of herself lol.

But I always thought Mama and Iola's friendship was the best part of the show.

Edited August 14, 2018 by TaraS1

[Snow Apple]

Maybe Thelma would be good if she got a job at the reform school. Tough but loving and she won't have to kiss butt like she would for customer service jobs. She DID get through to The Keek.

To stay on topic, Iola can teach arts and crafts. lol 

Edited August 14, 2018 by Snow Apple

[Miss Chevious]

The Keek! That was one of the best episodes. The part where she came through the dining room window, then started stuffing her face at the table in front of Reverend Meecham and his snooty wife was hilarious!

Thelma would so whip those reform school girls into shape.

[Maharincess]

She also had a job at the Raytown Travel Agency (how may I help youuu?)

[ivygirl]

11 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Maybe Thelma would be good if she got a job at the reform school. Tough but loving and she won't have to kiss butt like she would for customer service jobs. She DID get through to The Keek.

She sure did—shortly afterwards, The Keek became ultimate overachiever Lisa Simpson! ;)

[nkotb]

The Keek was my favorite-ever episode of Mama's Family!

My favorite Iola-centric episode was when they all sold her awful crafts at the yard sale, & she came home early & caught them. It was hilarious.

[wallysmommy]

I felt bad for her in the a&c episode because she truly is clueless as to how horrible her crafts are and she puts so much heart and pride into her handiwork.  It would have been a great episode if they ever had her go out and get a job.  

[Tenarife60]

Bubba's House Band was on today, about the female band 'the Bonecrushers', and after looking it up I saw where the actress that played 'Snake' (Lisa Michelson) died in a car crash back in the '90's.  Very sad. She was only about 30 years old. 

[RandomWatcher]

Ken Berry has died.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ken-berry-dead-f-troop-mamas-family-star-was-85-999739?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

[Miss Chevious]

This week MeTV is showing episodes featuring Ken Berry in honor of his passing. Yesterday he was in the gold jumpsuit at the Bigger Jigger, tonight he thought he was adopted. Aww, RIP Ken.

[Twopper]

On 1/11/2018 at 10:58 AM, Wordsworth said:

What I enjoyed about "Roshomama" was how you could tell what was fake and what wasn't and it gave you an idea of what probably happened.

Ellen is not a malevolent person the way she was in Eunice's version.  It's very likely that Ellen, who is always in a hurry to get in and get out of her mother's house, just didn't notice Eunice on the side of the road.  She would not have tried to run Eunice down, as much as she might like to.

And Ellen has an image of her mother that doesn't exist.  Mama is not the frail old lady Ellen wants to believe she is; hence the constant forgetting in Ellen's version.

Eunice may be difficult, but she's not over-the-top the way she is in Ellen's and Naomi's version and, of course, Naomi is neither the sexpot (except when she's with Vint) nor the idiot (see syndicated episodes) she is in Ellen's and Eunice's versions.

That's just the way they see each other.

My guess is that they all started fighting over the pot and all inadvertently hit Mama.

As for each of them thinking she is Mama's favorite, that's ridiculous.  We all know Mama's favorite is Vint.

This has to be my favorite episode ever.   They are showing it on Logo now, and I am so happy to see this show again.  I love this episode, because the facial expressions are so good--especially Eunice and Ellen.     The one with the crystalized cat Midnight, Vint's joining the Cobras, and the tornado are others favorites.  It really isn't a sitcom, it is more like a skit-com, because it transferred over from Carol Burnett's variety show, although it is cast differently.   Betty White is the oldest cast member, and Vicky Lawrence and the women playing Naomi and Iola are almost the same age. 

[BigBingerBro]

I love Mama's Family!   I tend to binge way too much on Golden Girls and MF is refreshing because it's from the same era and there are so many cross-over actors.

I really don't have a preference between the network and syndicated versions.  I loved seeing Carol Burnett and Rue on the network shows but the syndicated version just seems fresher.  They made the characters (esp Mama) more lighthearted.

They did a great job with attention to detail on this show, especially the whole "Raytown" concept.  I watched a cast reunion on You Tube recently and they pointed out that all of the neighboring towns were named after serial killers (Hinckley, Bundy, etc)  They also had a town named "Bump" which may have actually only been a highway warning sign for a bump in the road.  They also mentioned that most of the staff on the show were from the Carol Burnett show, which made production super efficient.

[VCRTracking]

I had seen the syndicated show first so it was weird when I later watched the Carol Burnett "Family" sketches to see how different the character of "Mama" was.

Wikipedia
 

Quote

Vicki Lawrence has stated that at the beginning of Mama's Family, she noticed that the writers had made adjustments to her character from "The Family" skits, significantly toning down Mama's hostilities and nastiness. Lawrence originally disapproved of the change in character, believing that toning down her then-familiar aggression and spite into a less difficult, more agreeable nature, capable of humor and high spirits, would not be funny.

Lawrence has revealed, however, that after counsel from Harvey Korman that the character needed to be reshaped for sitcom television, she came to accept the adjustments made to "Mama". Korman suggested that Mama had to be less one-dimensionally hostile because the entire show would revolve around her — that more characteristics would need to be added into the mix. Korman's opinion was that people could not be expected to come home from work, pop a beer, and put up their feet to a character who was so one-dimensional; she would have to be more than just disagreeable for a whole half hour, or viewers would get bored. According to Korman, silly elements needed to be added to the character.

Lawrence has stated that it took her a while to warm up to this, but that she later came to greatly appreciate how Mama "blossomed" and "matured" from her early years on "The Family". She added that she still favors the adjustments in Mama's character and partly credits Korman with who Thelma Harper is today. "The Family" sketch writers, however, who based "The Family" characters on their own family members, disliked the less aggressive Mama. In February 2013, Lawrence remarked that "The Family" sketch version of Mama was created by writers who hated their mothers

The way I see it the sketches are from Eunice's POV and the show is from Thelma's POV.

[SmithW6079]

9 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I had seen the syndicated show first so it was weird when I later watched the Carol Burnett "Family" sketches to see how different the character of "Mama" was.

Wikipedia
 

The way I see it the sketches are from Eunice's POV and the show is from Thelma's POV.

I hated the "Family" sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show," but I liked "Mama's Family."

[catlover79]

I haven't watched the syndicated episodes in years, but I just checked the DVDs out of the library. What fun it's been watching the episodes. It's so funny how with just a gray wig, glasses, some padding and support hose, Vicki Lawrence channeled such an old lady when she was only in her 30s. Thelma Harper's acid wit reminds me of my own grandmother. Undoubtedly, Mama reminded many people of their own mothers and grandmothers.

Yes, Bubba was definitely an upgrade from Buzz and Sonja. I wasn't sad to see them go the way of Chuck Cunningham.

[TaraS1]

I infinitely prefer the syndicated version of Mama.  Even in the two network seasons, she was still pretty harsh, so I love that they toned her down a bit.  Same for Vint - I actually preferred the super dumb character he became in syndication because Ken Berry was so good at it.

[BigBingerBro]

I thought Buzz and Sonya were the most bland characters, however I did like those years of the show since they included Carol, Rue and Betty.  Bubba and Iola were good additions/replacements and definitely offered variety to the scripts.

[Snow Apple]

Yeah, the Bubba years were much better and the characters funnier and warmer.

However in watching reruns, Buzz and Sonja were better than I remember. I remember Sonja as moody and throwing fits, but I actually like her better now that I'm rewatching decades later.

[sixlets]

Mama's Family is currently on Amazon Prime for only $54.69.  My husband got it for me a few years ago, and this is, by far, the cheapest I've seen it go.  

[catlover79]

😂😂😂😂😂

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 5:24 PM, hoosier80 said:

I wasn't thrilled with how they wrote Fran out.  They could've had her get a job in another town, then Rue could have done guest appearances like Betty did.   Iola was a more interesting character than Fran though.

If memory serves, they wrote Fran (and Eunice) out of the show when it became syndicated b/c of intellectual property issues and a falling out over a misunderstanding. I'll have to check out TVwoP on the Internet Archive and see if I can find the details.

[MSterling]

1 hour ago, Ubiquitous said:

If memory serves, they wrote Fran (and Eunice) out of the show when it became syndicated b/c of intellectual property issues and a falling out over a misunderstanding. I'll have to check out TVwoP on the Internet Archive and see if I can find the details.

White and McClanahan were on Golden Girls when the show was revived.

Carol Burnett and Joe Hamilton got a divorce. Hamilton contacted Vicki Lawrence first and she didn't know Burnett was going to contact her. Lawrence had just signed on with Hamilton. She said Burnett held the grudge for quite some time but eventually they became friends again. Vicki Lawrence book excerpt on Wikipedia

[catlover79]

According to Vicki, Joe Hamilton was a sheer nightmare. In her autobiography, Vicki recounted an incident when she was at her first Hollywood party during the first season of the Burnett show. Carol was in NYC for reasons I can't remember, and the single Vicki's date for the evening was one of the show's dancers. Her date then had trouble with his car and had to get a hold of AAA. Joe got completely bombed, and in a moment alone he was so blotto he mistook Vicki for Carol and tried to have his way with her. Thankfully, Vicki's date reappeared and she begged him to find a way to get her home. On the way back to her apartment, she told her date what had happened. He wasn't surprised, but advised Vicki to not say a word about it because there was no way Joe would remember it. Vicki took his advice and sure enough, Joe had no idea what he had said and tried to do at that party. 

[Miss Chevious]

12 hours ago, catlover79 said:

According to Vicki, Joe Hamilton was a sheer nightmare. In her autobiography, Vicki recounted an incident when she was at her first Hollywood party during the first season of the Burnett show. Carol was in NYC for reasons I can't remember, and the single Vicki's date for the evening was one of the show's dancers. Her date then had trouble with his car and had to get a hold of AAA. Joe got completely bombed, and in a moment alone he was so blotto he mistook Vicki for Carol and tried to have his way with her. Thankfully, Vicki's date reappeared and she begged him to find a way to get her home. On the way back to her apartment, she told her date what had happened. He wasn't surprised, but advised Vicki to not say a word about it because there was no way Joe would remember it. Vicki took his advice and sure enough, Joe had no idea what he had said and tried to do at that party. 

In the words of the immortal Golden Girl Blanche Devereaux,, "Eww. Just Eww.".

[catlover79]

One of the more lighthearted anecdotes Vicki shared in her book was a chat she once had with a female crew member. Vicki had been very sheltered in her home life, and was still living at home for the first couple of years the Burnett show was in production. Anyway, Vicki was totally impressed with how nice, polite, kind, understanding, etc., the show's male dancers were. Vicki didn't understand why any of them weren't married. The female crew member replied, "You do realize they're gay, don't you?" Vicki said she was mortified!!

[Don of Raytown]

I have questions   Yes  i know Mr PFC laywork  Carl.B Harper is just spoken of

  but Thelma an Vinton, Effie and and the harper girls speak about him from time to time

Once speaking about his mother the Rum medinic drink  and him joining the Army and being a shipping dock clerk  .   Im trying to find the  Seasons on Mama's family where Carl walks into the house i know they don't show his face so i can Sap shoot Him ... 

other Question didn't he have brothers?? i know Roy but one who died in the same graveyard as carl   worded in the show Eunice

[Don of Raytown]

On 12/6/2018 at 7:15 PM, Miss Chevious said:

This week MeTV is showing episodes featuring Ken Berry in honor of his passing. Yesterday he was in the gold jumpsuit at the Bigger Jigger, tonight he thought he was adopted. Aww, RIP Ken.

I wanna catch shots of Ken playing as  Carl Harper

i run a facebook group on the harper family

On 11/17/2016 at 9:57 AM, deaja said:

I switched cable providers last week and no longer have Mama's Family.  😞 Luckily, I just watched the whole series as it was on a few months ago, but man.  I love this show!

can you share with me the story thelma told of Carl just before he died in the bathroom

[Don of Raytown]

On 1/26/2017 at 12:20 PM, nkotb said:

@TaraS1, I just said to a friend the other day that I'm dying to see the episode with "The Keek"! That's one of my favorites, too! I also like when Naomi has Tiffany Thelma, the Thelma "Hot Pants" Harper (can't remember her maiden name, Crowley?) episode, & the Thelma dates Leslie LeMoyne episode, to name a few. 

I always think that I hate the Buzz/Sonya episodes, but they showed the one the other night where Naomi, Eunice & Ellen each have a different version of the gooseberry jam/smacking Mama with the pan episode, & it's also one of my favorites. There really were some funny episodes during that time, including Vint & Naomi's wedding, which was hilarious at times, mostly because Eunice & Ellen were hysterical, but for some reason, I always think I hated that time. I can't put my finger on it.

Finally, my 2-year-old calls this show "Grandma & Olaf", because Thelma looks like a grandma, & she heard "Iola", but apparently she actually heard "Olaf", so there you go. She gets so excited when "Olaf" comes on screen, she yells "Olaf"! Yeah, we let her watch with us, we're "those" parents.

i run a facebook group about mama's family   i snap shot all the family members and so foth  can you aid in telling me when i can write what Thelma speaks about her Father i have the story of the chicken Hen and of the son who fought and never made up and the thanksgiving gravy boat 

[Miss Chevious]

MeTv has decided to change the programming for our 6:00pm local time slot. They have dropped Mama's Family and are now showing The Flintstones. I'm boiling mad about it. Who in the hell wants to watch Yabba Dabba Do instead of Mama. Bad decision.

I miss my Mama. <sniff>.

[Fool to cry]

RIP to Thelma Harper's eldest. 

[Egg McMuffin]

Betty was really great on this show, playing a much different character than Sue Ann or Rose. She was practically a series regular during the second season. I missed Betty more in the syndicated years that I did Carol, because Eunice was best in small doses. Betty was already committed to Golden Girls when the show was revived - as was Rue McClanahan - but Betty had more of a history with the show, having played Ellen back on The Carol Burnett Show. And Betty liked her role (Rue disliked playing Fran, who was changed into a much more uptight character after Naomi was created).

Betty did return for a guest appearance right after the show was revived, but never again after that. I’m assuming it was for budgetary reasons, since the budget for a syndicated show is tighter than a network series. But who knows - maybe she got caught in the middle of the politics of the Hamilton/Burnett divorce. Too bad either way.

[Miss Chevious]

I just watched the episode where the Harpers babysit Reverend Meecham’s grandson, Eugene. Little Eugene turns out to be hell on wheels, terrorizing Iola, Vint and especially Mama. A rotten-to-the-core nasty little brat like no other on this show. Fortunately at the end, the Reverend comes back and gives him the spanking he so justly deserves. (Off camera, we only hear audio.)

That got me to wondering if that episode would be filmed nowadays. I’m thinking somebody would be screaming “child abuse!” Was his punishment justified? 

[BigBingerBro]

I saw that episode recently as well.  I kind of cringed at that ending since we don't see that much anymore.  Funny how other more lewd things are shown on current shows, but spanking children is a no go.

[TaraS1]

I am beyond excited because Vicki, Allan Kayser and Dorothy Lyman have been added to a fan convention that's scheduled near me in July!  It's Fanboy Expo Knoxville if anyone else is interested.  Apparently, Vicki will even do photo ops dressed as Mama!

[Egg McMuffin]

Vicki is a fantastic comic actress who has never really gotten her due, primarily because she got stereotyped playing Mama on and off on TV for nearly 20 years. I remember when she did “The Cool Kids” a few years back, our local TV critic was surprised how good she was. I wanted to tell him, “She was always great but you couldn’t see past her part on a show you didn’t like.”

I recently saw her as Laverne & Shirley’s drill sergeant on several episodes of that show. She did a fine job there, with a character much different than Mama.

[TaraS1]

ITA @Egg McMuffin - I definitely consider her to be a living legend of comedy.

[TaraS1]

I met Vicki, Dorothy and Allan on Saturday!  Dorothy and Allan were very chatty and friendly, Vicki was cordial.  I did ask Dorothy if she's still in touch with Beverly Archer and she said yes, from time to time.  She said they used to run into each other in the same small town in upstate NY, and that Beverly is completely retired now and has no interest in doing conventions, even though she's been asked.

I also went to their joint Q&A session, which was fun, I just wish it could've been longer.  They talked about how they had the show down to such a science that it once only took them 27 minutes to shoot an episode.  Allan's favorite episode was "the Keke" with Yeardley Smith (one of mine too), and Dorothy got Yeardley the job because she had previously directed her in a play.  Dorothy also said that one of her favorite episodes was the one where Naomi wants to be a stewardess - just because she thought she looked great in the outfit lol

The sweetest thing was when they talked about Ken Berry, and the love between Vint and Naomi.  Dorothy said she wanted to show real marital love and bring great marital sex back to tv lol.  Allan told a lovely story about how Dorothy and Ken were just as loving during rehearsals as they were during taping, and that Dorothy would hold Ken's "pudgy little hands" and kind of looked after him like Naomi did with Vint.  He got choked up talking about him.

[Blergh]

Ironically enough while Vint started out as being at least a semi-responsible dad to his two soon-to-vanish teens,by the time the show wrapped up Vint's marital bond with Naomi was the only thing separating him from being a total dim-bulb childish dolt!