Mama's
Family: The Mama's Family Favorites Collection
(1983 - 1990/Star Vista/Time Life DVD Set)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: B
Mama's
Family, a spinoff
sitcom from The
Carol Burnett Show,
is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time for reasons I'm still not
sure of, but have noted before. It's so genuine to me and showcases
simple comedy amongst a dysfunctional redneck family. The show stars
Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Dorothy Lyman, Allan Kayser, and Beverly
Archer. Be sure to check other reviews of individual seasons
elsewhere on this site as well.
For
those not familiar (and shame on you if you're not!) Thelma "Mama"
Harper (Lawrence) is the quick-tempered, blue-haired Queen of the
Harper family who lives under a big roof with her son Vint (Berry)
and his saucy wife, Naomi (Lyman), who were forced to move into
Mama's basement after losing money in a business deal gone awry.
Though she has a bad temper, Mama has a soft side and always puts her
family first even when often times insane acts of comedy ensue.
After
Vint's kids from a previous marriage leave the house, Mama's
delinquent grandson Bubba (Kayser) is ordered to live with his
grandmother after being released from juvenile hall and placed on
probation - also residing under Mama's roof. Let's not forget Lola
Boylen (Archer), Thelma's friend and neighbor, who is a frequent
visitor to the Harper household and usually helps stir the pot and
amp up the comedy. All of these bizarre characters form the perfect
sitcom comedy that is still funny after all these years, though at
times slightly dated.
This
set features highlights from each season, handpicked by Vicki
Lawrence herself, and include:
Season
One: Vint and the
Kids Move In, The Wedding - Parts 1 and 2, Cellmates, Family Feud,
Positive Thinking,
and Mama's
Boyfriend
Season
Two: Country Club,
Rashomama, Gert Rides Again, Mama Learns to Drive, Mama Buys a Car,
and Dear Aunt Fran
Season
Three: Soup to
Nuts, Cat's Meow, Steal One, Pearl Two, Where There's Smoke,
Birthright, and
It Takes Two to
Watusi
Season
Four: Zirconia's Are a Girl's Best Friend, Educating Mama, The
Sins of the Mother, Mama on Jeopardy!, Mama Goes Hawaiian Parts One
and Two
Season
Five: The Really
Loud Family, Naomi's New Position, Found Money, Mama's Layaway Plan,
Mama in One, and
Dependence Day
Season
Six: Mama Fights
Back, Bubba's House Band, The Big Nap, Pinup Mama, Look Who's
Breathing, and
the series finale, Bye-Bye
Baby
The
show has never looked better than it does here (coming from the
original video masters) as it does on DVD with a standard definition
image that captures the original 4:3/1.33 X 1 aspect ratio of the
original television broadcast. The sound is fine with a simple,
lossy Dolby 2.0 Stereo benefitting from improving TV audio standards
of the time, with a surround mix in Pro Logic mode (or its variants).
No additional extras.
This
is a nice box set and definitely worth it if you're just looking for
the highlights of the series and don't want to dive in completely.
There is another set that features every episode and is a complete
edition, also available from Time Life. I certainly do love this
show and it's nice to see it get a new release in this form!
To
look into the box set for the entire series, try this link...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12399/Mama%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2s+Famil
We
have also covered single seasons from both sets elsewhere on this
site.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
