studioboy69
Mama's Family is most certainly a brilliant overlooked sitcom of yesteryear. I cannot fathom how it has gone unnoticed in current day. It has a huge cult-following, mainly due to it being cleverly re-aired as an after-school show in the mid and late 90's. It gained a new and very valued fan-base. If it were put on a stable network again (lets say Lifetime) it would gain the attention it deserves and possibly even establish a re-union show that its current fans are dying for. Add-in all the old veterans of the beginning series- Carol Burnett, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan and you've got a smash hit! What is great about Mama's Family is its satirical nature. It was way way way ahead of its time. And is most certainly a live action comedy in the vein of cartoons that get away with beautiful murder such as The Simpsons and The Family Guy (no I didn't mention King of the Hill, as it is a horrid and crude example of a rip-off to say the least). The low-budget feel of the sitcom is part of its charm. The costumes are tacky and brilliant (way better executed than The Nanny, who no doubt got its idea from Mama's Family and The Carol Burnett Show), the location and actual stills of the house are grand, the pink flamingo yard sale grandmother look of the decor is right on target, and the writing is simple and effective. Change it and you've got an over-glossed bomb. This is why shows that strive to hush-hush duplicate Mama's Family's success (and you hear nothing about it) fail miserably. It pains me to see no one critically accepting its very old school John Waters feel. Except one critic in EW that apparently has to battle to get even the smallest article of praise into the magazine. The show has been blocked from its release of the full DVD set for reasons that big high-brow executives don't look further into the profit they would be making in the long run in they socked the advertising into this show. THIS IS WHY when the first season didn't go over as planned (go sigh the online petition even if you are unfamiliar with this series in order to get it released on DVD). First of all it was in syndication. That can even be over-looked except- The first season wasn't even why the show is a classic anyway.. nor the 2nd. It only hit its stride GRANDLY when the cast was reworked with the likes of Dorthy Lyman and Beverly Archer (however sad not forcing Carol Burnett back onto the show is but oh well). These "big high-brow" (dumb as a bunch of lack of common sense rocks) executives didn't do their homework on the series... pawning it off as just a lackluster TV show to be under rug swept. Fortunately its fan-base is most certainly still breathing. AND if you look hard enough you can find this series (the whole series) on the internet... lets say per Japan or China (gotta love em- they are even smart enough to catch the U.S. flaws of the economy). Back to the rating.... this show gets an excellent rating of "10". Because it hung in there and found its niche and boy does it ever have one. If I were Vicki Lawrence I would be fighting for a reunion show as fast as I could. She was absolutely brilliant as Mama and has showed up on TV land and other networks dressed as Mama in hopes to kick a reunion show into gear! IT WILL WORK! Do it! High-market the DVD's and get the damn revamped thing on wheels! Much like 1980/70's horror films- there is a reason why these low-budget masterpieces are better than million dollar Nanny's and a pack of Friends- its because raw-talent is something hard to come by. And Mama's Family is a beautiful patchwork quilt of it!
jricci9
Very simply, they are all the syndicated episodes and NOT the original uncut/unedited NBC episodes. It is NOT the complete first season, all eps are edited to conform to 21:00 for syndication meaning jokes are cut, an extra commercial fade is included, all of the Harvey Korman intros are not here...very poorly done! Shame on a series I've been waiting for....booooooooooooooooo! If you're a true die hard Mama fan, don't buy this and go to http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/main/help/whv/customer_service.jsp and send them comments on why we're unhappy on this butcher job to a classic sitcom!
cenn_carol
I have not heard anyone say that they noticed this, but it was very obvious to me. The character of Naomi in the first season when she became engaged to Vint seemed a lot harder and brittle than in following seasons. Even Dorothy Lyman's facial features seemed to change, along with the Naomi character. In the beginning, Naomi was much more serious and no-nonsense; also tough-talking. Later, Naomi became more flaky and silly. Did Dorothy Lyman purposely soften her character? I wish I knew. Naomi's voice also went through a change. In the beginning, her voice was much more hard-bitten. Later, it became more comedic along with her facial expressions. Am I right?
Studioart81
Before "Roseanne" and during the height of "The Golden Girls", one perhaps lesser known sitcom made it big. It was none other than "Mama's Family." I was a die-hard fan of this show when it aired in syndication in the late 80s and early 90s. While not as realistically funny as say "Roseanne", I liked "Mama's Family" for its down-home Southern humor. My grandmother and I seemed to never tire of this show. I taped nearly all episodes in syndication. Naturally, I am pleased that the first season has finally been released on DVD. Yet, it needs more in the way of special features, even if the original uncut episodes are not available.The series concerned the Harper family situated in Raytown, part of the "tri-state area" as Mama often said. Presumably, it was based on the real-life city of Raytown, Missouri. Vicki Lawrence is Mama, better known as Thelma Harper. Thelma is an unemployed, widowed, sarcastic, but lovable person who, in the original NBC series, shares her small house with her journalist sister Fran, played by Rue McClanahan. Ken Berry is her dim-witted, locksmith son Vinton, who moves into her house with his children Buzz and Sonja from his first marriage. He soon marries next-door neighbor Naomi, whom he knew in high school but never dated. Naomi is a cashier at the local store Food Circus, and like Vinton, has been married before. Plans to live on their own do not work out, so Vint and Naomi move into Thelma's house and live in her basement. Adding more tension and humor to the plot are Mama's daughters: the drunken, argumentative Eunice, played by Carol Burnett, and rich, stuck-up Ellen, played by Betty White. Harvey Korman is Eunice's husband Ed. Ellen's husband Bruce is mentioned but never seen; they eventually divorce. Thelma is often seen as manipulative, bossy, and difficult to work and live with. Fortunately though, she has a caring anf loving side. This makes her a humorous and likable character. On a side note, "Mama's Family" was originally based on characters and stories from "The Carol Burnett Show."The NBC series ran for two seasons (35 episodes) from early 1983 to mid 1985, and was then canceled. Initially, it looked like the end of the series, but that was short-lived. In 1986, an updated version of "Mama's Family" was picked up by CBS and sold into first-run syndication for four seasons. Only Thelma, Vint, and Naomi from the NBC cast remained in the syndicated series. Fran was written out as having passed away, Buzz and Sonja had graduated high school and moved out (no explanation was given as to their whereabouts, but they may have gone out West to be closer to their mother), and Ed and Eunice had relocated to Florida. Ellen makes one guest appearance, but otherwise fades. Ed and Eunice's son Bubba is in reform school in Raytown for stealing a car, and moves in with Mama after serving his sentence. Neighbor Iola Boyland makes frequent appearances at Mama's house and has a crush on Vint. Iola is unemployed, not married, and lives with her domineering parents. She is also very into arts and crafts, and designs many treasures. Later on, Vint and Naomi have a baby girl named Tiffany Thelma.In my opinion, the syndicated edition of "Mama's Family" was much better than the NBC edition. The first edition, while good, was too dramatic and tense at times (i.e. they do a lot of yelling and screaming). The house interior also has a different design, with a large window between the stairs and the closet, darker wallpaper, and darker stage lighting as well. Mama, Vint, and Naomi are not as funny either, as all three have a tougher edge to their characters. They are made funnier and grow into themselves much more in the syndicated series. In syndication, the interior design of the house is better. The window between the stairs and the closet is removed, the wallpaper is a much brighter flower-like color, the doors are painted yellow, and the lighting is much brighter. The symbolism here I believe is that the show was supposed to be funnier in syndication, and it definitely was! My only hope is that enough consumers purchase the first season DVD set, and future seasons are released and have special features. Live on "Mama's Family"!
