Mama's Family
| Mama's Family | |
|---|---|
| File:Mamasfamily.jpg Mama's Family title card | |
| Created by | Dick Clair Jenna McMahon |
| Starring | Vicki Lawrence Ken Berry Dorothy Lyman Rue McClanahan Eric Brown Karin Argoud Beverly Archer Allan Kayser |
| Theme music composer | Peter Matz |
| Opening theme | "Bless My Happy Home" |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 130 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Joe Hamilton |
| Producers | Jim Evering Dave Powers |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC (1983-1984) CBS (Syndicated) (1986-1990) |
| Release | January 22, 1983 – March 12, 1990 |
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom which premiered on January 22, 1983, on the NBC television network, where it aired for two seasons, until its cancellation in May 1984. (NBC would air reruns until September 1985.) In 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it would run for four more new seasons on CBS. The final episode aired on March 12, 1990.
Reruns currently air on weeknights at 8pm Eastern Time on ION Television.
Setting
Mama's Family (a spinoff of a series of comedy sketches called “The Family” which appeared on The Carol Burnett Show) was set in a fictitious small town called Raytown. According to Vicki Lawrence, the town was based on the city of Raytown, Missouri. An episode of Mama’s Family, meanwhile, featured cars with Missouri license plates on them. Character speech, however, has a tendency throughout the series to slant toward Southern accents.
Premise
The show centered around a squabbling family, headed by Thelma Harper—a gray-haired, sharp-tongued, hot-tempered widow. Living with her originally was only her high-strung, stick-in-the-mud spinster sister Fran—a journalist for a local paper. At the start of the series, Thelma’s son, Vinton (whose wife, Mitzi, had left him to become a Las Vegas cocktail waitress) and his two children, Sonja and Buzz, moved in with her.
During the first season, Vinton forged a relationship with the Harper’s flirtatious next-door neighbor Naomi Oates—whom Thelma had a distaste for—and soon married her. Also seen on a recurring basis were Thelma’s two daughters: the snobbish Ellen (Betty White), and the ornery Eunice (Carol Burnett). Harvey Korman, who directed many of the earlier episodes, made featured appearances as Eunice’s husband, Ed Higgins. He also appeared at the beginning of each episode as the stuffed shirt Alistair Quince, who would soberly introduce the program in the style of Masterpiece Theatre. These monologues were cut out of the later syndicated reruns.
The syndicated years
After Mama’s Family was cancelled by NBC in 1984, it was picked up by the CBS television network in 1986. CBS—in conjunction with Lorimar Telepictures and Warner Bros. Domestic Television— then sold new episodes in national, first-run syndication. Major cast changes occurred during the convert, with only Vicki Lawrence (Thelma), Ken Berry (Vinton), and Dorothy Lyman (Naomi) returning as regulars from the NBC run. Eric Brown and Karin Argoud, who played Buzz and Sonja in seasons one and two, did not reprise their roles; their characters (though mentioned briefly in the first episode of the third season), subsequently, were never to be spoken of again. During Mama's Family’s' hiatus, Rue McClanahan (Aunt Fran) and Betty White (Ellen Jackson) had both gone on to star in the sitcom The Golden Girls, rendering them unavailable to return, although in 1986 White returned as Ellen for one episode. Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman, meanwhile, did not reprise their roles either—resulting in their characters, Eunice and Ed, being written to have moved to Florida.
To fill the void, Allan Kayser was cast as Thelma’s delinquent teenaged grandson, Bubba Higgins (Ed and Eunice’s often mentioned, but never seen, young son from the “Family” sketches on The Carol Burnett Show)—who was ordered to stay with the Harper’s after his having just been released from Juvenile Hall, and placed on probation. Also added to the cast was Beverly Archer, who played the new character of Iola Boyland—the family’s prissy neighbor, who was known for her catchphrase: “Knock, Knock!” As the series continued, more new characters were sporadically brought in to evoke comedic situations.
A recurring theme throughout the syndicated seasons was Naomi’s desire to become a mother. Following through with this, the penultimate season concluded with Naomi’s announcement that she was pregnant. Preparation for the baby became a central theme in the final season. The series finale featured Naomi giving birth to a baby girl, whom was named Tiffany Thelma.
Episodes
Continuity errors
Several continuity errors occurred during the run of the series; most notably the issue of the number of rooms the house had, and the order in which Thelma’s children were born.
The disappearing bedroom
During the first two seasons, there were three bedrooms upstairs: one for Thelma, one for Aunt Fran, and one for Sonja. Buzz, meanwhile, slept in the attic (also upstairs.) In one episode, however, Buzz and Mama are seen cleaning out the attic—during which no indication of Buzz sleeping there is mentioned.
After Buzz and Sonja move out, and Aunt Fran dies, Bubba moved in and is given Aunt Fran’s bedroom. This upsets Vinton and Naomi, who had been forced to sleep in the basement, and wanted the newly vacant room—but now couldn’t have it. Fans of the show have since frequently wondered whatever happened to the bedroom Sonja had slept in…which had been mentioned to be Eunice and Ellen’s childhood bedroom, which posed another question of where Vinton had slept as a child.
The set used on the NBC phase had a larger living room, with windows behind the sofa between the stairway and the closet. In the set used on the syndicated series, these windows have disappeared making the room slightly smaller.
The number and order of Mama’s children
Another point of inconsistency within the show is the number, and order of birth, of Thelma’s children. The general consensus was that Ellen was the oldest, Eunice was the middle, and Vinton was the youngest. This is supported a number of times throughout the run of the series, as several episodes featured flashbacks of the Thelma’s kids as children, where Vinton is seen noticeably younger than his sisters. In episode “Rashomama,” however, Thelma refers to Eunice as her third born. Some have presumed that this was an intentional plot device by writers, who perhaps wanted to leave open the possibility of Thelma having another child. To add to this confusion, in episode “Fran’s Dress,” Thelma claims that she once had “four kids” screaming around under her feet.
These inconsistencies can usually be rationalized by the changing of the Harper family structure between their introduction on The Carol Burnett Show and their inception on Mama's Family.
NOTE: In the original “Family” sketches, Thelma had five children. Eunice’s brothers were Larry, Phillip, and Jack (played by Alan Alda, Roddy McDowall, and Tommy Smothers, respectively.) Neither Ken Berry nor the character Vinton appeared in those original "Family" sketches on the Carol Burnett Show. Berry did, however, play Phillip in the 1982 made-for-TV movie Eunice (which was the precursor to Mama's Family.)
Characters
Principal cast
| Character | Actor | Year Span | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thelma-Mae Crowley Harper | Vicki Lawrence | 1983-1984 1986-1990 | The sharp-tongued, hot-tempered widowed matriarch of the Harper family who begrudgingly takes in her various family members when they come to her with no other place to go. |
| Vinton Harper | Ken Berry | 1983-1984 1986-1990 | The youngest of Thelma's three children; buffoonish and accident prone, Vint regularly makes a fool out of himself—particularly when he attempts to be assertive or knowledgeable. Works at Kwik Keys as a locksmith. |
| Naomi Oates Harper | Dorothy Lyman | 1983-1984 1986-1990 | Vinton’s flirtatious second wife, who is often at odds with Thelma over his loyalty. Works as a checker (later becoming the assistant manager) at Food Circus, a local supermarket. Vinton’s pet-name for her is “Skeeter.” |
| Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. | Eric Brown | 1983-1984 | Vint’s teenage son with his first wife, Mitzi. Buzz is very patient, head strong, and is always willing to help. He later moved out, presumably going off to college |
| Sonja Harper | Karin Argoud | 1983-1984 | Vint's teenage daughter with his first wife, Mitzi. Sonya is moody, whiny, lazy, and rather oblivious. Like her brother, she later moved out, presumably going off to college. |
| Tiffany Thelma Harper | Actor unknown | 1990 | Vint and Naomi’s newborn daughter. Born in the series finale. |
| Ellen Harper Jackson | Betty White | 1983-1984 1986 | The eldest of Thelma's three children; Ellen is a pretentious social elitist, who often avoids fraternizing with the rest of the family, unless it suits her purpose. |
| Eunice Harper Higgins | Carol Burnett | 1983-1984 | The second of Thelma's three children; Eunice is extremely tempestuous, emotional, and has a combative relationship with Thelma. |
| Ed Higgins | Harvey Korman | 1983-1984 | Eunice’s bumbling husband. |
| Bubba Higgins | Allan Kayser | 1986-1990 | Ed and Eunice’s teenage son who is forced to live with Thelma upon being released from juvenile hall, after his parents had moved to Florida. Initially depicted as a silly, hyperactive prankster—over time he evolved into a calm and commonsensical “every” teen. |
| Frances Marie “Aunt Fran” Crowley | Rue McClanahan | 1983-1984 | Thelma’s younger, uptight spinster sister. Works as a newspaper reporter and free-lance writer. She later passed away by choking on a toothpick at The Bigger Jigger. |
| Iola Lucille Boyland | Beverly Archer | 1986-1990 | The Harpers’ prissy and intrusive neighbor who lives with her overbearing aging parents, and seeks escape by spending as much time at the Harper home as possible. Best friends with Thelma, Iola also regularly flirts with Vint, causing she and Naomi to often have an adversarial relationship. |
Harper family tree
| Unknown parents* | Unknown parents | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frances Crowley | Thelma Crowley | Carl Harper | Effie Harper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bruce Jackson | Ellen Harper | Eunice Harper | Ed Higgins | Vinton Harper | Naomi Oates | Mitzi (div.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bubba Higgins | Tiffany Thelma Harper | Sonja Harper | Buzz Harper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Magenta = Crowleys
- Orange = Harpers
- Blue = Harper children
- Red = Harper in-laws
- Green = Harper grandchildren
*Note: Thelma's mother was shown on two occasions on the show (once in a flashback and once as a ghost, played both times by Vicki Lawrence), but her name was never revealed.
Recurring characters
- Aunt Effie Harper, Thelma’s sister-in-law. Played by Dorothy Van. Note: that Effie is originally named Effie Crowley. In later episodes it is mentioned that she is Thelma’s sister-in-law. In some earlier episodes, however, she was referred to as “Cousin Effie.”
- Reverend Lloyd Meechum, the Harper’s henpecked minister. Played by Earl Boen.
- Alberta Meechum, Reverend Meechum’s catty wife and a perennial thorn in the side of Thelma Harper. Played by Anne Haney.
- Mayor Alvin Tutweiler, the mayor of Raytown. Played by Alan Oppenheimer.
- Luann Fayette, Naomi Harper’s flamboyant and flirtatious best friend. Played by Jennifer Richards. More spoken of than ever seen.
- Roselle Huplander, an obese associate of Thelma and Iola. Never actually seen on an episode, but frequently referred to.
- Dwayne and T-Boy, Bubba’s best friends. Played by Beau Bishop and Grant Heslov respectively. More spoken of than ever seen.
- Mr. Alan Hanson, night-school teacher of Thelma and Bubba, and love interest of Thelma Harper. Played by Joseph Campanella.
- Amy Johnson, girlfriend of Bubba Higgins. Played by Amy Benedict.
- Lolly Purdue, member and later head of the Church Ladies League. Played first by Doris Hess, then Marge Redmond.
- Officer Sneed, an extremely youthful looking police officer. Played by Allan David Fox
- Claude Cainmaker, Vint’s seedy friend, who is always thinking up schemes. Played by Geoffrey Lewis
- Grandma Crowley, Thelma’s departed mother (in flashback sequences.) She was grim, belittling, overbearing and regularly tried to control Thelma’s life. Was said to have died of a heart attack. Played by Vicki Lawrence.
DVD Release
| DVD cover | DVD information |
|---|---|
Mama's Family—The Complete First Season
|
On September 26, 2006, Warner Bros. Television released Season 1 of Mama's Family on DVD. While the feedback from fans has generally been positive, some were disappointed to learn that the DVD release features the syndicated versions of the episodes—which edits roughly three minutes from what originally aired. In response, Warner Bros. claimed to only own the rights to the syndicated form. It is currently unknown if any of the following seasons will be released on DVD.
External links
