As the show opens and Mama is dusting, we already see Vint's pic in the background before Mama dusts it and we see a close up.... so if Vint was absent from an episode, Mama would have to start with Naomi's pic, so I wonder if the intro would have been different? lol

I actually thought there were a couple of very early season 1 episodes in which Vint did not appear, but I was wrong, he was in all of them.

As the show opens and Mama is dusting, we already see Vint's pic in the background before Mama dusts it and we see a close up.... so if Vint was absent from an episode, Mama would have to start with Naomi's pic, so I wonder if the intro would have been different? lol

I actually thought there were a couple of very early season 1 episodes in which Vint did not appear, but I was wrong, he was in all of them.
It probably would have just been Thelma dusting or fluffing up the pillow and then instead of dusting Vinton’s picture, she would dust Naomi’s picture.

You know, this might sound crazy, but I always wondered what an episode without Mama would LOOK like. I know she’s the most important part of the show, but what if Vicki Lawrence was unable to appear in a few episodes? Would they create a male cousin of Mama’s to come and take care of the house while she was away?

It probably would have just been Thelma dusting or fluffing up the pillow and then instead of dusting Vinton’s picture, she would dust Naomi’s picture.

You know, this might sound crazy, but I always wondered what an episode without Mama would LOOK like. I know she’s the most important part of the show, but what if Vicki Lawrence was unable to appear in a few episodes? Would they create a male cousin of Mama’s to come and take care of the house while she was away?

If it was just one or 2 episodes, I think the rest of the family could carry the episode just fine. It would probably focus on some outlandish situation Vint got himself into and Naomi ~or possibly Iola~ would save the day. There were times Naomi was shown to have decent intelligence, so in Mama's absence, I could see Naomi taking the led role in the house.