

Mama's Family
1983–1990 · Syndication · 30 min · 6 seasons
S06E20 · Bye-Bye -- Baby!
Sun, 25 Feb, 4:00 am
In the series finale, Naomi is upset about her baby being late, so Mama tries to calm her down with a false story about Carl, then later tells Iola what actually happened. Both versions are seen in flashback, featuring Ken Berry as Carl. Later that day, Naomi goes into labor and Mama ends up delivering her granddaughter, Tiffany Thelma Harper.
About
Based on a series of sketches from The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family mined humor from a squabbling family in the Midwestern blue collar suburb of Raytown. The noisy clan was headed by Mama, a buxom, gray-haired widow with sharp opinions and a sharper tongue who shared her small house with her high-strung sister Fran. Mama's lazy, dimwitted son, Vinton, moved in at the start of the series with his troublesome teenage children, Buzz and Sonja, after his wife had run off to become a Las Vegas showgirl. Vint soon became romantically involved with Naomi, Mama's promiscuous next-door neighbor, and the two eventually were married. Further uproar was caused by the periodic visits from Mama's two married daughters, the foul mouthed Eunice and the snobbish Ellen.
Though the series initially ran for only two seasons on NBC, producer Joe Hamilton revived the series for first-run syndication in 1986. The show's "second life" brought about several changes, including the absence of such characters as Aunt Fran (who had died by choking on a toothpick), Buzz and Sonja (who had gone off to college), and Eunice, who had moved with her husband Ed to Florida... without telling their son Bubba, just as he was being released from juvenile hall. As a result, Bubba moved into the household with Mama, Vint and Naomi as a new character. Also joining the cast was Iola, Mama's uptight spinster neighbor with an unrequited crush on Vint. This second run was considerably more successful than the first, ending in 1990.
Episodes
- E01
Mama's Medicine Show
Sun, 24 Sept· 30 minAfter reading about how much it costs to raise a child, Vint and Naomi decide to start a business selling bottles of Mama's mother-in-law's "miracle tonic."
- E02
An Affair to Forget
Sun, 1 Oct· 30 minMama suspects that Vint is having an affair with his new trainee Heather, so she and Iola go to his workplace to investigate.
- E03
Mr. Wrong
Sun, 8 Oct· 30 minMama encourages Iola to find herself a man, but the man she finds turns out to be a domineering blowhard.
- E04
Now Hear This
Sun, 15 Oct· 30 minThe Harpers install an intercom so that Naomi will be able to monitor her baby, but Mama uses it to eavesdrop on the family, and vice versa.
- E05
Tri-State's Most Wanted
Sun, 22 Oct· 30 minMama is attracted to guest actor Leslie Lemoyne, who's appearing in a local play, until she sees him on "Tri-State's Most Wanted".
- E06
Mama Fights Back
Sun, 29 Oct· 30 minWhen Mama lands her own radio show, she gets a chance to do what she does best: criticize.
- E07
A Blast From the Past
Sun, 5 Nov· 30 minA reunion exposes Mama's junior-high reputation.
- E08
Psycho Pheno-Mama
Sun, 12 Nov· 30 minA psychic delivers messages to Mama from her dead husband causing conflict in the house.
- E09
Take My Mama, Please!
Sun, 19 Nov· 30 minMama heckles a comic, who challenges her to do better.
- E10
Bubba's House Band
Sun, 26 Nov· 30 minBubba brings home an all-female heavy-metal band.
- E11
Mama Takes Stock
Sun, 3 Dec· 30 minVint fears that his job is on the chopping block when he learns the Bernice Corporation plans on closing Kwik Keys and opening a frozen yogurt shop in its place. When Thelma learns that she owns stock in an old trolley company that is now owned by the same corporation that plans to fire Vint, she finds a way for her son to keep his job.
- E12
War of the Roses
Sun, 10 Dec· 30 minWhen Iola raises a rose destined for garden-show glory, Mama is green with envy.
- E13
Mama Takes a Dive
Sun, 17 Dec· 30 minMama slips on a roll of pennies and sues the bank.
- E14
Mama Gets Goosed
Sun, 24 Dec· 30 minA live goose, meant to be Christmas dinner, becomes a pet.
- E15
The Big Nap
Sun, 21 Jan· 30 minAfter watching detective movies on TV for a week, and hearing that Iola's mother is missing, Mama dreams that she is a film noir-style detective hired to find her client's mother.
- E16
Pinup Mama
Sun, 28 Jan· 30 minMama's ad for a church dance produces an overwhelming response because of a mix-up at the printing shop.
- E17
Guess Who's Going to Dinner
Sun, 4 Feb· 30 minVint must choose between Mama and Naomi when he wins a dinner for two.
- E18
Look Who's Breathing
Sun, 11 Feb· 30 minMama describes parenthood to Naomi's childbirth class.
- E19
There Is Nothing Like the Dames
Sun, 18 Feb· 30 minVint and Naomi buy an RV and plan to move to a trailer park, but their timing could not be worse: Mama is planning to host a fancy backyard luncheon for a snooty society group called the Dames.
- E20
Bye-Bye -- Baby!
Sun, 25 Feb· 30 minIn the series finale, Naomi is upset about her baby being late, so Mama tries to calm her down with a false story about Carl, then later tells Iola what actually happened. Both versions are seen in flashback, featuring Ken Berry as Carl. Later that day, Naomi goes into labor and Mama ends up delivering her granddaughter, Tiffany Thelma Harper.
Cast

Ken Berry
Vinton Harper

Vicki Lawrence
Thelma Mae "Mama" Harper

Dorothy Lyman
Naomi Oates Harper

Allan Kayser
Bubba Higgins

Beverly Archer
Iola Lucille Boylan

Eric Brown
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.

Karin Argoud
Sonja Harper




















