Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
Mama's Family Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 1983 - 1983
Episode 1
Vint and the Kids Move In
Sat, Jan 22, 198321 mins
Mama's in a hurry to get to the mall for a sale and tries to hurry Fran along to finish eating. But before that can happen Fran's boss at the newspaper calls. Telling her she has to come in and re-edit her latest story. Mama is obviously upset because she can't drive and has no way to get to the sale. Meanwhile Vinton, Mama's only son, drops by the house and announces that he and the kids have been evicted from their house. Now he's hoping that he, his daughter Sonja, and his son Buzz, can stay with Mama until he gets back on his feet. Against Fran's wishes Mama agrees. Vint gets the basement, Buzz gets the attic, and Sonja gets Fran's writing studio because she refuses to sleep on the couch. Fran is outraged by this, and her and Mama have a huge argument about it. Fran's mood turns even more sour when she finds out Sonja stumbled up on the book that she'd been working on recently and reads it. Fran says it's an invasion of her privacy and finally makes the decision that she'll move out. Because she can't take the stress anymore. Of course Mama had no idea that Fran was actually writing in her studio. But later as things settle down a bit, her and Mama have a heart to heart and she changes her mind and decides to stay after all.
Episode 2
For Better or Worse
Sat, Jan 29, 1983
Vinton skips out on supper to go to the Bigger Jigger, the local redneck hangout. Before he can leave, Naomi walks in with the news that she's sold her house and is leaving Raytown to manage a trailer park in Arizona. At the Bigger Jigger, Vint admits he's had a crush on Naomi since high school. Turns out she had a crush on him too. He invites her back to his "place" (Mama's basement) to see his TV Guide collection. That morphs into something else very quickly. The next morning, Naomi sneaks out of the cellar right past Mama and Fran. Mama sees her, puts one and one together and has palpitations of shock over "that floozy" spending the night with Vint. Naomi needs a partner to help run the trailer park, and since Vint's chinchilla-farm investment didn't work out so well ("a bad case of the mange"), he decides to go with her. He also proposes marriage and she accepts. When they break the news to Mama, she takes it about as badly as can be expected, particularly when they say they want to get hitched at the county courthouse before they go. Mama REALLY blows her top at this, and insists they get married right there in her house -- much to her own horror.
Episode 3
The Wedding: Part 1
Sat, Feb 5, 198321 mins
'Tis the night before Vint and Naomi's wedding, and the house is a-flurry with the women hanging decorations while Vint goes to his bachelor party (Buzz is sent along to keep Vint in one piece). Ellen arrives late and distressed over her husband's behavior. To cheer her up, Naomi starts pouring wine for herself, Ellen and Fran (Mama settles for beer), and all except Sonja (who's sent upstairs to bed) get roaring drunk. During the happy times, Naomi confides to Fran that Ellen's husband IS having an affair with his secretary. Fran tells Mama. Ellen, still in the dark, calls on her husband to check up on him and is reassured enough to start on her favorite pastime -- dissing Eunice, who's scheduled to sing at the wedding. Eunice walks in and starts a war of words with Ellen, spilling the beans on Ellen's husband in the process. Naomi then vetoes Eunice singing at the wedding. Vint, Buzz and Sonja all arrive to a crescendo of catcalls.
Episode 4
The Wedding: Part 2
Sat, Feb 12, 1983
Vint and Naomi's wedding day arrives with everybody seemingly cooled down -- seemingly. Mama didn't have time to give Vint a wedding gift, so she takes her late husband's blue sapphire ring and gives Vint that to use as a wedding ring, with a stern warning not to let Eunice -- who's coveted the ring since childhood -- know about it. Vint, without telling Naomi, gives the ring to her to wear around her neck. Ellen arrives in a new Cadillac bought by her husband ("What did it cost him to get that?" "His secretary."). Ed and Eunice arrive, and Naomi asks Ed to give her away. Eunice pleads with Vint, Mama and finally Naomi to get back her wedding solo song. Naomi finally agrees. But all is not peaceful for long. While looking for "something old, something borrowed and something blue," Naomi finds the wedding ring and Eunice recognizes it. Eunice goes out and has a few beers to settle her nerves. "It didn't work." She avoids both Mama and Ellen while the ceremony drags on and on. Finally, it's time for Eunice's solo. It's a horrible rendition of "Promise Me," and about eight measures into the song, Eunice turns it into a rant against Mama for breaking an imaginary promise to give Eunice the ring. Finally Ed bodily carries Eunice out the door, the wedding concludes and Vint, Naomi, Buzz and Sonja are off to Arizona. For about a minute. Seems Naomi invested in the "trailer park" with a con man, and the whole family comes back to Mama's doorstep ...
Episode 5
Family Feud
Sat, Feb 19, 1983
Vint's latest money-making scheme is to get on "Family Feud" (the nighttime syndicated edition) and win $10,000 in Fast Money. Somehow, he actually gets the Harper clan (including Ellen, but not Fran or Sonia) on the show, where they play against an obnoxious high-society family. Since the society family is as dimwitted as the Harpers, the game is tied going into the final round and the Harpers have a chance to win by stealing a survey on "Things You Wind Up" -- if they can come up with one answer. This episode features much more game play than most TV sitcoms set on a game-show set.
Episode 6
Cellmates
Sat, Feb 26, 198321 mins
To Celebrate Eunice birthday, Vinton, Ed and Mama hold surprise party at the bigger jigger. It's does not go well and Eunice and mama ends up in jail and finds a way to work out their mother and daughter issues.
Episode 7
Mama Gets a Job
Sat, Mar 5, 198321 mins
Mama's in a funk because she met one of her aunts, "who's three days older than God," but has a job. Mama's never worked outside the house in her life, so Vint and Naomi talk her into applying at an employment agency. Sure enough, she actually gets a position at the Raytown Travel Agency as a "mature" receptionist for travel agents, but it doesn't take long for her personality--and frequent calls from home--to get her into hot water.
Episode 8
Double Standard
Sat, Mar 12, 1983
Vint tells Buzz he can stay out an hour later than Sonja at the homecoming dance.
Episode 9
Mama's Boyfriend
Sat, Mar 19, 1983
Mama's old boyfriend comes into town and invites her to a cabin for the weekend. (This episode was a remake of a Family skit from the Carol Burnett Show.)
Episode 10
Fran's Dress
Sat, Mar 26, 1983
Fran is scheduled to cover a high-society function for her newspaper, and has bought a fancy (and expensive) dress for the occasion. Mama agrees to iron it out. The dress survives Mama taking a phone call and placing the iron down, but it doesn't survive Mama slamming the iron onto it during an argument with Ellen. Mama and Ellen band together to buy another dress which looks the same on the rack, but when Fran comes downstairs the dress is "gathered" in all the wrong places. Fran puts two and two together and accuses Mama of deliberately ruining her dress out of jealousy. That part isn't true, but the argument escalates when Fran correctly accuses Mama of running off to get married and leaving Fran to "get stuck taking care of that old witch" (their own mother). Finally, Fran and Mama patch things up and each learns from their experience.
Episode 11
Alien Marriage
Sat, Apr 2, 198321 mins
Vinton Harper Ken Berry's scheming buddy Claude Cainmaker Geoffrey Lewis talks Vint into a marriage scheme involving a woman from Portugal who hasn't registered as a citizen. The Electric Company (2006) alum Luis Avalos plays her brother, who has offered to pay both Vint and Claude for their participation. Since immigration checks up on marriages between U.S. citizens and people from other countries, Vint's bride-to-be has to be moved into Mama Vicki Lawrence's house. Thelma (Mama) is outraged that her son is being taken for a fool and reminds him that 60 Minutes (1968) did a show on how what he's doing is illegal and he could wind up in jail. Will Vinton go through with it? (Clearly, this episode was produced before The Wedding: Part 1 (1983), since Naomi is still seen living next door and Vint is single.)
Episode 12
Positive Thinking
Sat, Apr 30, 1983
Eunice, in her 40s, feels neglected by her jerk of a husband Ed and that her life has amounted to very little. Vint's son Buzz, tells her about a tape called "The Power Of Positive Thinking". She's skeptical at first but after a few listens, she gets up the nerve to audition at the local playhouse for a small part in an upcoming show. Mama, while glad Eunice is trying to be more positive, realizes it's also making Eunice a doormat for others. Especially the people in the play, when all of Eunice's lines are given to another actress instead.
Episode 13
Mama's Silver
Sat, May 7, 1983
Despite the fact that Vinton's friend Claude Cainmaker does nothing but lead to trouble for him,Vinton still remains his friend. Mama dislikes that he still associates with him,but Vinton wont listen to reason. Claude then calls Vinton from the local jail,where he needs Vint to come up with bail money.Enter Vint's sister Ellen (Betty White)who has just returned her mother's good silverware after borrowing it. He sneaks it out of the closet and down to the pawn shop to bail his buddy out but Mama discovers it gone! How will this effect her and Vinton's relationship?
