Greetings,
I know I make a big deal about watching shows that are cleverly written and make us, as the viewers, have to think a little. But I also believe that some shows are needed that just let us relax and enjoy. One show that I have always been able to do that with is Mama's Family. Not to say the premise or writing was unintelligent; it was just simple. Simple, mind you, not simplistic. There is a difference. It was just an easy going series that showed how much humor can be found in the everyday lives of everyday people.
Now, for those who don't know the back story, here you go. Mama's Family is the spawn of a sketch from the brilliant Carol Burnett Show, wherein Vicki Lawrence played Thelma Harper a.k.a. Mama, and Carol Burnett played her daughter, Eunice. Also, on Mama's Family, Harvey Korman played Eunice's husband, Ed. He may have done that in the sketches, too, but I just can't remember it specifically. Sorry.
One of the amazing things about this sketch/show was the way that we so easily bought a very young Vicki Lawrence as an old lady. Without special make-up, by the way. No, all she had was a bluish-gray wig, glasses and some padding, then - boom! - instant Mama. And I'm sure it didn't hurt to have Bob Mackie designing your clothes, either, which he did for the entire run of Mama's Family. When you think of the clothes they wore on this show and then the stuff he designed for Cher, you can't really deny the genius versatility of the man. Moving on.
So after The Carol Burnett Show ended, the early eighties brought us this idea for a spin off series. And, thus, began one of the strangest runs for a television show in history, in my opinion, anyway. Initially, the show ran for barely a year and half, or two seasons, before getting cancelled by NBC in 1984. But then, in 1986, it was revamped with a slightly new cast for a run in syndication. I've heard of shows getting a reprieve, but not after two years, as I can recall. But this is why I have to do this in two parts, because there are really two Mama's Family shows. I'll get to 2.0 tomorrow, but, for now, let's get to number one.
In the first two seasons, we had a slightly bigger cast and a bit of a different feel. And here is a quick look at said cast. We have Mama, obviously, her son, Vinton, played by Ken Berry, and his children, Buzz and Sonya (Eric Brown and Karen Argoud), Vinton's second wife, Naomi, played by Dorothy Lyman, and Aunt Fran, Mama's younger sister, played by Rue McClanahan. That was the main cast, who all live in one house, by the way, in a place called Raytown. But we often got visits from Ed and Eunice, as well as Mama's other daughter, Ellen, played by, my favorite and yours, Betty White. Yeah, it annoys me that this seems to be the thing people skip over when they make their video montages of her career. How dare they! And so that is our first wave set up. Now, if I may, let me share with you my top ten favorite episodes from this version of Mama's Family.
#10. "A Grave Mistake" - As fans know, Mama is a widow, her husband, Carl, having died in the bathroom several years earlier. No, seriously. So, as old folks tend to do, she visits his grave. Alone, of course, because youngsters don't do that. As she talks to her deceased husband, she realizes that the plot next to him, which she thought was being saved for her, has been occupied by someone else. And that someone else is a woman. Naturally, Mama is quite upset and goes to the manager, I guess, of the cemetery for some answers. But what she gets is an explanation far worse and far funnier than anyone expected.
#9. "Mama's Birthday" - Surprise! It's Mama's birthday, and all she wants is for someone to help her clean the attic. Well, grandson Buzz wins the honor, but their task parlays itself into Mama telling Buzz what happened on her 30th birthday. Basically, this is a flashback episode. We see a young Mama and a young Ellen, Eunice and Vint. The kids who played Ellen and Vint were good, but the little girl who played young Eunice was fantastic. It was like someone shrank Carol Burnett. It was actually Tanya Fenmore, by the way, who we would later see as Becca's best friend on Life Goes On. We also get to HEAR a living Carl. So this 30th birthday was a bit disappointing to Mama, which makes what her family does for her on this birthday all the more touching.
#8. "Fran's Dress" - I've always considered the character of Fran to be a bit uptight. She likes things done her way, because her way is the best. In this episode, she is up for an award or something, so she buys a brand new dress, which she asks her sister to iron. Mama does so, but ends up accidentally ruining it. She goes to get her a replacement dress that is exactly the same. Well, maybe not exactly. And therein lies the humor of this installment.
#7. "Positive Thinking" - Here's the first on the list with a visit from Eunice, as well as Ed. Now Eunice is a woman who wants to be a star, so after listening to a positive thinking tape, she lands a small role in a play at the infamous Pepper Pot Playhouse. Yeah, you know how you buy potpourri or something like it, and it smells nice for a while, then it doesn't do its job anymore. That's what happened with this tape Eunice bought. It worked for a little bit, but then Eunice remembered that she was Eunice and it just stopped. But with hilarious results, so it's okay.
#6. "Mama For Mayor" - I believe that for the entirety of this series, there were only three two-part episodes, and this is one of them. After the mayor of Raytown, Mayor Tutwiller, riles up some senior citizens, Mama inadvertently ends up running for mayor against him. The big conflict is that Ellen is actually involved romantically with Mayor Tutwiller and is supporting him. Spoiler Alert! Mama wins at the end of the first half and the second half takes us through her attempt to do the job. Spoiler Alert . . . again. She pretty much sucks at it. Well, I didn't see that one coming.
#5. "Ask Aunt Fran" - What I didn't mention about Fran before is that she is a journalist. In this episode, she is filling in for the newspaper's advice columnist. She asks the family for some help, but, of course, it is what Mama tells her that makes it to the paper. Which is interesting since most of the "advice" was nothing more than one liner cliches. Fran is considered for getting the job permanently, but she needs help. Once she puts the offer of money on the table, Mama is happy to help her little sister. Not that it matters, because as it turns out, it's not Fran's writing that her boss is interested in. Speaking of cliches . . . Still funny though.
#4. "The Mama Who Comes To Dinner" - After a dinner party at a snooty friend's house, Naomi decides that she also wants to have a dinner party. Unfortunately, she thinks she can't live up to the high brow existence of her friends. But Naomi and Vint go for it, deciding to have a party, buffet style. Or boo-fay, as they pronounce it. They plan to send Mama, Aunt Fran and the kids to the movies for the night, after Mama cooks all the food, of course, but then - DISASTER! Mama's back goes out and they must lay her on the floor, right in the middle of the party. Okay, it is this incident that Naomi thinks makes her gathering low class, but I disagree. I think when she decided to use TV trays for her guests was the moment that kind of doomed her chances of ever being high society.
#3. "Rashomama" - First, let me say that I cannot believe that one of my favorite Mama's Family episodes has the same title of one of my favorite CSI episodes. What a small world. Anyway, this one begins in the hospital, because Mama was injured in a kitchen fight. Sort of. She got hit in the head with a pot by . . . someone. Who? Well, it depends on who you ask. We get versions of what happened from Naomi, Eunice and Ellen, and they are all very different. Hence the title. It's actually extremely funny to see how each of the women perceive themselves and each other. I can't even get into the descriptions, so I say just watch the episode.
#2. "Mama Learns To Drive" - So, apparently, Mama cannot drive. She relies on the rest of the family to serve as her chauffeurs, but after a wild car trip with Naomi at the helm, they all decide that Mama must learn to drive. Each family member tries, in their own way, to teach her, but it just doesn't work. By the way, the session with Ellen, or should I say the aftermath of it, is absolutely priceless. Eventually, Mama does get her license, after stealing Fran's car and driving herself to the DMV. Pretty sure both of those things are illegal. But what we get when she arrives there is totally worth it!
#1. "The Wedding" - Another two parter for you. Now with some shows, I feel like they make an episode two parts just because it's an event and that is what you do, but then it may drag or seem too long with a lot of filler. Not in this case. Every moment is necessary and hilarious. We get every good character of these first seasons at their absolute best. Generally speaking, you won't get anything unexpected. I mean, if you expect any TV wedding to go off without a hitch, you have clearly never watched TV, ever. Still, we do get a ton of laughs, and they keep coming right up to the ending. So this fantastic episode gets my number one spot.
And that covers Mama's Family episodes, part one. Tomorrow I will delve into the revamped later seasons of the show. Let it be just as fun.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
