Mama's
Family - The Complete Series
(1983 - 1990/Star Vista/Time Life DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: B- Episodes: B-
The
genius of The
Carol Burnett Show
cannot be expressed enough. So genius in fact that it managed to not
only jump start the careers of many comedy greats, but concurrently
create a spinoff series that holds merits of its own. The series
under review here is Mama's
House: The Complete Series from
Time Life Video.
Mama's
Family started
its life (as previously mentioned) on The
Carol Burnett Show
(reviewed in several volumes elsewhere on this site) under the name
The
Family
during the 1974 to 1978 series run. The
Family
was
revived as a standalone series in January of 1983 as Mama's
Family
after Mama died in the Eunice
TV special on CBS. The new series had initial success that
eventually floundered at NBC once its timeslot was altered
(apparently more than once); ultimately being canceled in 1984 after
only 1 and a half seasons, landing itself into constant reruns.
After
a period of time (perhaps due to favorable ratings on reruns)
Lorimar-Telepictures saw the potentially Mama's
Family had
and revived it once again; albeit short a few characters and new cast
members written into the series. The revamping seemed to work for
Mama's
Family and
went on to run for a total of six seasons (including the original 1.5
seasons, as the first season was a mid-season replacement on
then-struggling NBC) that garnered a huge fan base and pop culture
significance.
The
star and mastermind behind the series was Vicki Lawrence. Though
Lawrence at first had her reservations about headlining an
independent series that was only intended to be short sketches; with
encouragement from the likes of her fellow Carol
Burnett Show
cast and the success of the standalone TV film Eunice,
Lawrence reversed her original hesitations. Though accepting the
role in Mama's
Family
created a long standing rift between Burnett and Lawrence that would
last into the early 1990s. Lawrence starred as Thelma Harper,
matriarch of the Harper household. She was a quick witted, snappy,
snarky, somewhat curmudgeonly old woman who had little time for
nonsense, but deep down inside had a heart of gold and lives for her
family.
Other
members of the cast who were in it for the long haul included Ken
Berry (Vinton Harper) and Dorothy Lyman (Naomi Harper). Those that
were lost (artistically not mortally) were the likes of Eric Brown
(Buzz Harper), Karen Argoud (Sonja Harper), Ellen Harper-Jackson
(Betty White), Fran Crowley (Rue McClanahan), and the great Carol
Burnett (Eunice Harper). Then were those added once the series was
resurrected such as Allan Kayser (Bubba Higgins) and Beverly Archer
(Iola Boylan). All of this with the understanding that there were a
host of other great comedic actors making appearances as recurring
characters; just not part of primary cast.
The
First
& (short)
Second
Seasons
(originally issued in shorter syndicated versions on DVD years ago)
definitely have a different vibe than the later seasons with most of
the cast being gone for Seasons
3 - 6;
having been killed off, moved, or simply never mentioned again. The
only remaining actors were Lawrence, Berry, and Lyman; White and
McClanahan had moved onto to star in Golden
Girls and
Burnett having bigger aspirations than being a sidekick on a series
she had helped create. The comedy style was the same, though
somewhat more light hearted for Seasons
3 - 6 with
many reoccurring zingers, tag lines, and quips that made the series
very popular.
In
the early episodes (and those familiar with Carol
Burnett Shows - The
Family)
Mama [Thelma] was played much older and naïve. Mama often times got
herself into trouble, was absent minded, and often put herself into
situations that would end in embarrassment. By the time the
revamped series premiered not only had the cast been overhauled, but
their personalities as well. We would now see Mama playing a wise
cracking, intelligent woman that at times seemed out of touch with
the times but was no longer the bumbling naïve character she had
been in the past; that role now being passed onto Vinton.
The
most apparent change, as somewhat previously mentioned, was the
lighter feel of Seasons
3 - 6 when
compared to Seasons
1 & 2.
Lawrence's Mama character was much darker, spiteful, and
disagreeable on The
Carol Burnett Show as
well as in Seasons
1 & 2.
Once the series came back writers and producers wanted Mama to be
more likeable for longevity purposes. They (smartly) realized that
audiences may get tired of the cranky Mama character (kind of a
downer) and would be more excepting of her if she was emotionally
multifaceted. Lawrence had her reservations, but eventually would
give in, which was the right call and would lead to the series
success as the curmudgeonly comedy remained, but concurrently showed
Mama had values and a heart.
Overall,
the early episodes (Seasons
1 - 4)
are the better episodes as even Lawrence states by Season
6 she
was bored with the character. The ratings were good even at the end,
but Lawrence had enough and (smartly) was ready to move on. The
comedy in the early seasons was fun, edgy (for the time), and still
brings laughs to this day. Mama's
Family is
a fun series that most definitely is worth watching and will hold a
place in television history.
The
technical features of this HUGE complete series set are not the best
(having somewhat of an analog tape quality), but are adequate and at
least the complete series is now available for all to view. The
picture is presented in a 1.33 X 1 Full Screen that has solid colors
and not many light dark issues; but the contrast is off and does have
a somewhat gritty quality about it, again like an analog tape. Color
on the first two seasons is still impressive, being saved off of the
final NTSC master tapes before they went bad and the rest are
comparatively more refiined, but color is not as strong.
The
sound is a simple, lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono that gets the job
done as this is mainly a dialogue driven series, but comes wholly
from the front; something that is not heard much these days.
The
not only includes a large cardboard keep case with magnetic strips,
but also a nice pamphlet/book that includes cast bios, a family tree,
and other interesting tidbits. The video extras are all nicely
housed on an independent disc:
Cast
Reunion Roundtable
Lawrence,
Berry, Lyman, Archer, and Kayser all divulge some interesting info
and reminisce on good times and fond memories
Cast
Interviews with all those mentioned above and additionally Betty
White
Carol
Burnett and Vicki Lawrence Interview
Lawrence
interviewing Mama
Crew
Interviews
Eunice
(1982 TV Movie)
Key
Carol
Burnett Show sketches
featuring The
Family
For
our exclusive interview with Vicki Lawrence on the show and her
amazing, enduring career, try this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/interview/12364/An+Interview+With+Vicki+Lawrenc
To
order the
Mama's
Family: The Complete Series
DVD box set, you can order the set, Carol Burnett Show sets and much
more at this link:
http://timelife.com/products/mama-s-family-the-complete-series?utm_source=mama-LF&utm_medium=TV_PR&utm_campaign=Y13GTLWBUS
- Michael P.
Dougherty II
