
My Mother the Car
1965–1966 · NBC · 30 min · 1 season
S01E30 · Desperate Minutes
Wed, 6 Apr, 10:30 am
After returning home from a Bridge game, the arguing Crabtrees are held hostage by jewelry store robbers.
About
My Mother the Car may very well be known as the most notorious short-lived sitcom of all time and it's solely due to it's premise, a talking car. The pilot episode introduces us to the world of Dave Crabtree. Dave is your ordinary family man, married to wife Barbara and they have two children, Randy and Cindy. However, it's when he purchases a 1928 Porter, that he discovers that another family member is living with him, his deceased mother. It seems Dave Crabtree's mother has been reincarnated as the car.
Episodes
- E01
Come Honk Your Horn
Wed, 15 Sept· 30 minA lawyer is strangely attracted to a used car and discovers the vehicle is actually a reincarnation of his mother.
- E02
The De-Fenders
Wed, 22 Sept· 30 minDave worries that "Mother" will soon be the target of car strippers and takes great measures in protecting her.
- E03
What Makes Auntie Freeze
Wed, 29 Sept· 30 min"Mom" becomes drunk from antifreeze, causing Dave and Barbara to miss a wedding.
- E04
Lassie, I Mean Mother, Come Home
Wed, 6 Oct· 30 minWhen Dave neglects to set the brake after parking on a hill. Mother rolls into an open van that's bound for Mexico.
- E05
Burned at the Steak
Wed, 13 Oct· 30 minDave attempts to help a bickering couple resolve their problems. Soon after, they file for divorce.
- E06
I'm Through Being a Nice Guy
Wed, 20 Oct· 30 minCapt. Manzini hires thieves to replace Mother with a counterfeit.
- E07
Lights, Camera, Mother
Wed, 27 Oct· 30 minDave agrees to use Mother in a brake commercial.
- E08
The Captain Manzini Grand Prix
Wed, 3 Nov· 30 minManzini challenges Dave to a race, with the winner claiming Mother.
- E09
TV or Not TV
Wed, 10 Nov· 30 minMother wins an appearance on a TV game show.
- E10
My Son, the Ventriloquist
Wed, 17 Nov· 30 minDave impresses a prospective client with ventriloquism.
- E11
My Son, the Judge
Wed, 24 Nov· 30 minCity council members visit to interview Dave for a judgeship.
- E12
And Leave the Drive-In to Us
Wed, 1 Dec· 30 minFor his mother's birthday, Dave decides to take the family to the drive-in, but the evening is mostly a disaster.
- E13
For Whom the Horn Honks
Wed, 8 Dec· 30 minManzini feigns illness to get Dave to sign Mother over to him.
- E14
Hey Lady, Your Slip Isn't Showing
Wed, 15 Dec· 30 minManzini plots to get Barbara to sign Mother over to him.
- E15
Many Happy No-Returns
Wed, 22 Dec· 30 minDave and Barbara enter their art projects in a charity Christmas auction.
- E16
Shine On, Shine On, Honeymoon
Wed, 29 Dec· 30 minDave and Barb decide to finally go on their honeymoon, but Barb's mother goes to ridiculous lengths to ensure they don't leave.
- E17
I Remember Mama, Why Can't You Remember Me?
Wed, 5 Jan· 30 minA bump on the bumper gives Mother amnesia.
- E18
Goldporter
Wed, 12 Jan· 30 minCaptain Manzini uses a hypnotic drug on Dave to get him to agree to sell the Porter.
- E19
The Incredible Shrinking Car
Wed, 19 Jan· 30 minCaptain Manzini uses a molecular compressor on the Porter to render it toy size and useless to Dave.
- E20
I'd Rather Do It Myself, Mother
Wed, 26 Jan· 30 minDave hires a maid to help out with the housework, but she quickly takes charge of the house.
- E21
You Can't Get There from Here
Wed, 2 Feb· 30 minThe Crabtrees get stranded in the backwoods when the local sheriff discovers Dave's driver's license has expired.
- E22
A Riddler on the Roof
Wed, 9 Feb· 30 minDave and his mother try to thwart the assassination of a visiting dignitary.
- E23
My Son, the Criminal
Wed, 16 Feb· 30 minA nosy mailman convinces officials that Dave killed his mother and buried her under the floor of the garage.
- E24
An Unreasonable Facsimile
Wed, 23 Feb· 30 minCaptain Manzini tries to steal the Porter away from the Crabtrees by hiring a Dave lookalike.
- E25
Over the Hill to the Junkyard
Wed, 2 Mar· 30 minNumerous complications ensue when Barbara wins a new car in a supermarket drawing.
- E26
It Might as Well Be Spring as Not
Wed, 9 Mar· 30 minDave's wealthy new client loves the Porter, and offers his limo and chauffeur in exchange for it; Gladys, who's smitten with the client, wants her son to make the deal.
- E27
Absorba the Greek
Wed, 16 Mar· 30 minA prudish building owner hires Dave to close down a nightclub he claims is indecent. Dave and Barbara go to check out the place and end up masquerading as exotic Greek dancers.
- E28
The Blabbermouth
Wed, 23 Mar· 30 minBarbara catches Dave talking to the car and soon the news of the talking car is in the papers. Manzini then tries to convince the car to come away for fame and fortune.
- E29
When You Wish Upon a Car
Wed, 30 Mar· 30 minMother leads Cindy and Randy to believe that she's a genie who makes wishes come true when they rub her with a magic cloth. The Crabtree kids are soon charging other youngsters to rub and make a wish. Mother is basking in the attention, but Dave wants it to stop immediately.
- E30
Desperate Minutes
Wed, 6 Apr· 30 minAfter returning home from a Bridge game, the arguing Crabtrees are held hostage by jewelry store robbers.
Cast

Jerry Van Dyke
Dave Crabtree

Maggie Pierce
Barbara Crabtree

Ann Sothern
Mother the 1928 Porter (formerly Gladys Crabtree)





























