Mama's Family - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Mama Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

Your Vinton Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

Your Naomi Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

Your Iola Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[valdawn]

My favorite episode ever was when mama does dirty dancing and she and her partner Ramon get down. When she tells him to "make my day Ramon" I die laughing every time. Wish I could watch that right now!

[Princess Sparkle]

I think Roshomama is probably my favorite episode; the one where Eunice, Ellen, and Naomi are each telling their version of how Mama got hit with the pot. "Take care Eunice, next time you won't be so lucky" is a regular inside joke with members of my family. Even though the non-syndicated episodes are my least favorite, that one is just hysterical.

I also have a special place for the wrestling episode and the run of Jeopardy episodes. Something about Vicky Lawrence's line reading on "The only other Ed I know is my daughter Eunice's useless husband" sends me into fits of laughter.

[Ubiquitous]

I love Rushomama too!

There was a running joke in this show about Raytown's Southern/Chinese restaurant that I enjoyed. I had a list of their menu items but all I can remember right now is "moo goo gai grits".

[Guest]

Is this currently airing or streaming anywhere? I absolutely loved this show growing up and would love the chance to rewatch it!

[Ananayel]

MeTV, weeknights at 6 and 6:30. It just started, so we're just now 4 eps in. Vint and Naomi just got married and then got scammed out of the trailer park in Arizona, so it's all set up now.

 

It cracked me up to see Betty White and Rue McClanahan together, only this time Rue played Betty's Aunt Fran! I know Fran was Thelma's "baby sister," but dang. Blanche Devereaux would have been horrified!

[Guest]

Thanks!  I will have to set my DVR!

 

Does that mean Vint's original kids are still in it?

[Ananayel]

Yes, Buzz and Sonja are around now, and for a while longer.

[VCRTracking]

The one where Thelma gets addicted to the home shopping network is one of my favorites.

[Ubiquitous]

They played Rushomama tonight. I always forget or find subtle differences in the telling of the story. I'm not sure I noticed they are dressed differently in each story before.

[Guest]

They played Rushomama tonight. I always forget or find subtle differences in the telling of the story. I'm not sure I noticed they are dressed differently in each story before.

 

I saw that one last night. I think it is one of my favorite episodes.  It is so funny how they each exaggerate both themselves and each other.

[Miss Chevious]

I remember Naomi from when she played Opal in All My Children in the late 70's, early 80's. She's a good actress and was great in this show. Loved the way she could get under Mam's skin.

[Miss Chevious]

I just love this show and am so glad it's back on TV. Thanks for clueing me in about the MeTV channel, I didn't know it was available on my cable provider network until I saw this forum and checked it out. Now I'll be happily watching every night!

[Miss Chevious]

Last night was the episode showing the talent contest at the Bigger Jigger and Vint showed off his tap dancing and singing skills. Who knew Ken Barry was so talented.

[Guest]

That is a travesty!

[Ubiquitous]

I had forgotten she and Vint were always fooling around.

[Ubiquitous]

They played the one where Thelma got a job at Food Circus and ended up replacing Naomi as cashier. It's weird remembering that the price scanners were new at the time. This was followed by the one where Vint and Naomi got a room at a cheap hotel for thier belated honeymoon but their slutty matador roleplaying was interupted by Mama, who was sppsd to be visiting Aunt Effy. I remember seeing hotels with "closed circuit TV" signs as a young child and asking my parents what that meant.

[Ubiquitous]

All of Thelma's children could sing and dance (except for Eunice).

[Guest]

The "slutty matador" roleplaying was so strange. What is sexy about a man dressed in a weird bull outfit! :)

[Guest]

I'm watching the mayor race now. So funny. I had completely forgotten most of these episodes and then when I see them, it comes back to me.

[Ubiquitous]

Same here!

 

I just watched the one about Thelma's 30th birthday. I see why she's the way she is, ha ha. Oh yeah, that little girl playing young Eunice NAILED it!

[Ubiquitous]

MEtv must not be playing them in order because they played the one in which Thelma discovered she'd been visiting the wrong grave for many years instead of her dead husband's. This was followed by the appearance of Iola and Bubba and Vint's kids mysteriously vanishing. I think this is when the show went into syndication, which I assume is why everyone from the Carol Burnett Show stopped appearing.

[blaase]

I am so glad they are now airing the syndication episodes. They were so much better than the NBC season. Mama and Iola make me laugh  still after all these years, and even after having watched each episode at least 5 times.

[Ubiquitous]

I enjoy the running gag of having everything in Raytown having "ray" in its name. In last night's ep, Bubba decided to run away after Iola accused him of stealing her pearl necklace and went to the bus station with signage "Rayhound. Leave the driving to Gus!" on the wall.

[Ubiquitous]

In the ep in which Thelma entered the Grandma USA pageant, I could have sworn it was revealed that the winner knew the host or someone who got her to win.

[Ubiquitous]

Iola was supposed to be Vint and Naomi's age, right? It seems weird how she acted more like Thelma's peer than theirs.

[Ubiquitous]

I saw the ep with Raytown's Southern Chinese restaurant Shanghai Ray’s with these menu items:

• Sweet and Sour Okra
• Ray King Duck
• Thousand Year Old Hush Puppies
• Moo Goo Gai Grits

 

I think I forgot one, or maybe there's another ep with additional items...

[Miss Chevious]

But she hung around older people all the time, so it's really no wonder. Didn't she spend most of her time waiting hand and foot on her ancient mother? (when she wasn't knitting afghans or something). Plus she dressed like an old fuddy-duddy too. Those shirtwaist dresses went out in the 50's!

[admiralrodcocker]

Iola must have been in her mid-40s in the present time (since she was Vint's peer), and I'll assume Thelma was mid-60s during the show's run. I actually don't find it all that weird that they'd be close. It's a good 20 year gap in age, but at those two ages, it's hardly severe like it would be with 20 versus 40. Besides, Iola stayed at home and took care of her parents and was a homemaker. She had the same interests as Thelma and her friends. Though they may have been the same age, she had less in common with the married and working Vint and Naomi.

[Ubiquitous]

I watched the ep in which Iola recalled the time Eunice humiliated her mother by showing up drunk to the church mother-daughter luncheon after Bubba came home drunk. The actress playing Eunice didn't look anything like her but she got nailed her behavior well. Apaprently, even as a child, Iola was into arts 'n' crafts things with her felt board rendition of "Mothers Throughout History".

[Snow Apple]

Teenage Eunice was amazing. You'd swear it was Carol Burnett if you close your eyes.

[Miss Chevious]

Love, love, love Mama! Sassy but truthful! Vicky Lawrence did a great job with this character!

[LucyEth]

Why doesn't Iola work?  She is  a healthy young woman.  

[Guest]

I don't think they ever said, but I assumed it was that she was raised to be a housewife. She didn't get married, so she remained in her parents' house doing homemaker type tasks while she waited for Mr. Right. 

[Marsupial]

Just want to chime in to join the MAMA'S love! I started watching this show almost by accident (of course I knew it from the Carol Burnett show but just assumed the spinoff wouldn't be any good). It used to come on every morning as I was getting ready for work and I just became hooked. I don't know where it's showing on my local cable but I will have to find it...right now I could use a good laugh or two!

 

And "thousand year old hush puppies" is a classic.

[Miss Chevious]

Why doesn't Iola work? She is a healthy young woman.

She is busy being a full-time caretaker to her elderly hypochondriac mother. She waits on her hand and foot. I seriously doubt the old harridan would allow Iola to work outside the home.

[lallalla]

I just realized that two different houses were used in the opening credits.  I may have noticed it before and just forgot, but I just started re-watching an episode from season 1 and it immediately jumped out at me. I had to Google it to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. :) I just knew it wasn't the same outside of the house I so nostalgically remember. 

[wallysmommy]

Watching a season 1episode.  Sonya has to be worst character ever created in the history of tv. She's so flat she can't even rise to the level of even mildly annoying 

[WhitneyWhit]

Maybe someone knows the answer to this, but were the episodes "Alien Marriage" and "Mama's Silver" supposed to air prior to Naomi and Vint's marriage?

[Ubiquitous]

I believe those were flashbacks to before their marriage.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Came across these bloopers! 

 

[Miss Chevious]

I've been watching Mama's Family ever since I found out it was on my local MeTV channel and have been enjoying it immensely. I've also been a longtime fan of the Golden Girls as well and I couldn't help but notice some interesting similarities between plot/characters on both shows. Because Mama's Family was on earlier, it looks as if the writers for the Golden Girls "borrowed" some of Mama's plots.

Some examples:

Mama's babysitting a neighbor's baby and sings "Mr. Sandman" to the baby. The Golden Girls babysit a friend's baby and sing same song.

On one episode, Mama appears on Jeopardy!  Ditto for Golden Girls. Dorothy's dying to get on the show and has a dream about competing with Rose.

Mama has a variety show. Ditto for the Golden Girls. (the episode with Bob Hope).

Mama goes to night school to finish getting her H.S. Diploma.  Ditto for Rose, she goes too.

Bubba videotapes Mama, Vint & Naomi for filmmaking project at school.  While working at a TV station, Rose videotapes the Girls for a work project.

And while watching Mama's Family, some of the same actors  are used in both shows. For example:

Mama's Family - Rev. Meecham. Golden Girls' -  the priest officiating at Phil's funeral and Dorothy's wedding.

Mama's Family - Uncle Roy the sailor. On Golden Girls, he was the first Big Daddy.

Mama's Family - in the Hawaiian vacation episode big business tycoon R.W. is the Cheeseman on the Golden Girls.

Mama's Family Vinton Harper was Thor Anderson on the Golden Girls.

And of course, Aunt Fran and Ellen Harper went on to be Blanche and Rose on the Golden Girls.

I'm sure there's probably a few more I couldn't think of offhand. But it sure is fun to spot the similarities between the two. Anyone else know of any others?

[Miss Chevious]

Another actor appearing on both-

Gus the meter man at the electric company reconnecting Mama's electricity was the same actor who portrayed the owner of the diner who went to spend Christmas with his family for while the Golden Girls kept an eye on his place.

[Miss Chevious]

Just saw one the other night. The lawyer that handles Fran's will after her death is the same actor that played Philomena's father in the Golden Girls episode about Dorothy being possibly switched at birth with another Italian's couple's child.

[GHScorpiosRule]

So I just saw the episode where Bubba enlisted in the Army because of some...girl. What shocked me was how did I not remember that Eunice and Ed are his parents! Despite her bitterness over not being the favored one, I never really thought they'd be parents who didn't give a farthing for their son. I say this because they didn't bother to show up for his high school graduation, which really upset Bubba.

But then again, this is the show where those two teens that were Vinton's children disappeared to never have existed when they got rid of them and introduced Bubba. Or did I miss something, and they went off to live with their mama?

[Princess Sparkle]

Nah, you didn't miss anything; they just wrote off Buzz and Sonja. Which honestly, I didn't mind, because I hated those two.