Description

On March 16, 1974, a sketch appeared on The Carol Burnett Show featuring Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence and Harvey Korman portraying a “normal” American family -- warts and all. This sketch, known as “The Family”, led by a then 25 year-old Vicki Lawrence playing a gray-haired 63 year-old ‘Mama’, spawned 30 more sketches, a TV Movie (Eunice) and finally a spin-off series of its own (Mama’s Family) which ran for 130 episodes over six seasons both on CBS and in syndication (1983-1990).

In “The Family”, Carol Burnett played the melodramatic, ambitious, brow-beaten daughter of ‘Mama’. Mama, played by Vicki Lawrence, is an exaggeratedly mean-spirited and insult-spitting widow and mother of five children: three sons played by guest stars Roddy McDowell, Alan Alda and Tom Smothers -- and two daughters: Eunice & Ellen (played by Betty White). Eunice’s husband Ed Higgins was played by Harvey Korman.

How did one simple sketch take on such a huge life of its own, creating a sprawling TV empire that some are calling “The Mama-Verse”? Susan and Sharon put on their housecoats and curly gray wigs to find out!

THE CONVERSATION

• Carol Burnett’s career started with a Broadway role starring as the lead in Once Upon a Mattress and then as a rising star on The Garry Moore Show.
• The Carol Burnett Show was hugely successful, running eleven seasons, garnering 70 Emmy nominations and winning 25.
• Carol Burnett was encouraged to “speak up for herself” by another TV comedy legend -- Lucille Ball.
• A fan letter from then 18 year-old Vicki Lawrence to Carol Burnett led to her actually being cast as a regular on the show!
• “HARVARD SCHOOL OF COMEDY”: Lawrence cites Harvey Korman and Carol Burnett as her show business mentors during the 11 years she spent on the show.
• ONE-HIT WONDER: Five years into her run on The Carol Burnett Show, Lawrence had a hit song, recording “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”!
• In the TV movie Eunice, Mama suddenly only has three children instead of five -- what happened to the others? And why is one of them suddenly Ken Berry?
• Vicki Lawrence was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of ‘Mama’ in Eunice.
• The TV series Mama’s Family was aired first as a prime-time network comedy and later as a nationally syndicated series. It originally ran for two years on CBS, was cancelled in 1984 -- and then revived TWO YEARS LATER in 1986 by Lorimar Syndication to run for additional 100 episodes!
• NAME SWITCH: The character Ken Berry played started out as “Phillip” in the TV-movie but then became “Vinton” in the TV series.
• The TV show introduced “Fran” played by future Golden Girl, Rue McClanahan -- playing Betty White’s aunt!
• The TV show also introduced Vinton’s children Buzz and Sonya played by “80’s TV Ladies” alum, Eric Brown and actress Karin Argoud.
• Mama’s neighbor, Naomi Oates, was played by “Another World” “The Nanny” and now “80s TV Ladies” alum, Dorothy Lyman!

So join Susan and Sharon as they talk Lou Grant, social justice, Julie Andrews and the first Live Televised Cinderella musical, “Raytown, Missouri”, Kamala Harris, Matlock, driving your own story -- and “Miss Fireball of Inglewood”!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Watch The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family across many platforms. Not all of them feature all seasons. 

The Carol Burnett Show can be seen for free on Pluto TV. 
Mama’s Family can be seen for free on Pluto TV.


The Carol Burnett Show “The Family” select episodes:
S7, EP23 - Aired 3/16/1974 - Jackson Five and Roddy McDowall.
The first of “The Family” sketches. “The Reunion  - Eunice's brother Phil (Roddy McDowall), a Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author, returns home for a visit. On YouTube.

S8, EP13 - Aired 12/21/1974 - Alan Alda“Home for the Holidays”
Christmas sketch with Alan Alda on YouTube. 

VITAL READING

Get Handbook for A Post-Roe America by Robin Marty at Bookshop.org.
Check out Men In Dark Times by Hannah Ahrendt at Bookshop.org.

Read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson at Bookshop.org.
You can also follow Heather’s substack.

SHOP
LAST WEEK FOR THE “80’s TV LADIES” HOLIDAY SALE!
15% off on all merch at the 8TL Shop. 
Make sure to use promo code “Festive80s”!

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In Honor of President Carter and to learn more about his presidency: Get Susan’s new play about him and his Crisis of Confidence speech: Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing.

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