Mama's Family- Page 2

[Calvin]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:42pm

Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman were rarely on Mama's Family except for an occasional guest spot. Once it went into syndication, and Vinton's children and Aunt Fran were written off (or killed off, in Frannie's case), they were never on it again. Bubba was their kid, and in one episode Mama's talking on the phone with "Eunice" -- but it's just a woman trying to do Carol Burnett's voice.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:42pm

I have DVR now, so I don't have to get up at 6am to watch (not that I did before).

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:43pm

I thought it was funny when it was on The Carol Burnett Show. When they moved to their own show, it became stupid.

One of my favorites is when Eunice, Ed & Mama go to a fancy restaurant. Mama bangs a peppermill on the table trying to get the pepper. Eunice screams: "It's a peppermill, Mama. You grind a peppermill." Mama also goes to the bathroom and complains about having to tip the woman in the bathroom, and so to get her money back steals a roll of toilet paper which she later pulls out of her purse. When she gets back, Eunice has ordered her a Pink Lady.

I think it's one of the funniest "Mama" skits ever done.

Updated On: 11/4/05 at 12:43 PM

[Kringas]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:43pm

Jose', I think what you were referring to were the "Mama" sketches from The Carol Burnett Show as opposed to Mama's Family the series proper.

A sublte, yet distinct, difference.

[Calvin]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 12:46pm

Very distinct, considering Mama had almost a completely different set of kids on The Carol Burnett Show.

It was kind of like You Can't Do That on Television. The parents on that show were parents to just about everyone who was ever on the show.

[Kringas]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 1:11pm

Anybody remember the seriocomic teleplay from the early 80s called Eunice?

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 1:44pm

I DO remember watching EUNICE in the 80s...wow...

I believe when it was on Carol Burnett Show, the skits were simply referred to as "The Family," and the characters were loosely based on Burnett's real family. If you've read One More Time, you can kinda see what she's talking about.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 2:08pm

Harvey Korman once said he always thought the Family sketches were a satire on Tennessee Williams' plays.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/4/05 at 8:55pm

The brilliance of those sketchs on The CB Show is that the comedy, writing and performance, is based on human behavior.

Compared to the sophormoric and adolescent crap one sees on television these days they have they stature of Tennessee Williams as viewed against a novice kitchen sink dramatist.