Here's a li'l trivia for ya:

Did y'all know that Mama and Vinton are the only two characters to have appeared in all 130 episodes?

Okay, you're such big "Mama" fans, ya probably did, lol. :blush:

Anyway, here's the scoop if ya've never really noticed or thought about it before...

Well, o' course Ed, Eunice, Ellen, Frannie, Buzz, 'n Sonja (Sonya?) weren't in every show.

But neither was Naomi! ;)

Naomi is absent from the followin' episodes:


"Cellmates" (NBC) (Mama 'n Eunice in jail)
"Mama's Boyfriend" (NBC) (Mama 'n Woody go to a cabin)
"Fran's Dress" (NBC) (Mama burns Fran's dress)
"Mama's Silver" (NBC) (Vint pawns Mama's silver)
"Mama's Cousin" (Cousin Lydia visits)
"Reading the Riot Act" (Mama teaches Lolly Purdue to read)



And as for Bubba 'n Iola, Bubba appeared in ev'ry syndicated show, but Iola didn't! ;) She is absent from:


"Where There's a Will" (Frannie's will)
"National Mama" (Mama's dreams predict horserace winners)


The 2 "non-Iola" episodes were written by different writers, but both of the "non-Naomi" ones were written by Rick Hawkins...interesting...

I do love it though how, in the episodes without Naomi, she is mentioned so as to explain her absence (the only exception bein' "Mama's Silver"). :cool:

So do y'all really notice when Naomi or Iola aren't there?

I really notice when Naomi isn't, cause she's one o' my absolute favorite characters on the show---especially back in her NBC days. However, I think I notice it even a bit more in the NBC shows, since the characters for each show were so varied and unbalanced---compared to the syndicated shows, where just about every show had all 5 main characters.

I love late night thoughts...lol :crazy: :D

Originally posted by TALLguyinKY
Here's a li'l trivia for ya:

Did y'all know that Mama and Vinton are the only two characters to have appeared in all 130 episodes?

Okay, you're such big "Mama" fans, ya probably did, lol. :blush:

Anyway, here's the scoop if ya've never really noticed or thought about it before...

Well, o' course Ed, Eunice, Ellen, Frannie, Buzz, 'n Sonja (Sonya?) weren't in every show.

But neither was Naomi! ;)

Naomi is absent from the followin' episodes:


"Cellmates" (NBC) (Mama 'n Eunice in jail)
"Mama's Boyfriend" (NBC) (Mama 'n Woody go to a cabin)
"Fran's Dress" (NBC) (Mama burns Fran's dress)
"Mama's Silver" (NBC) (Vint pawns Mama's silver)
"Mama's Cousin" (Cousin Lydia visits)
"Reading the Riot Act" (Mama teaches Lolly Purdue to read)



And as for Bubba 'n Iola, Bubba appeared in ev'ry syndicated show, but Iola didn't! ;) She is absent from:


"Where There's a Will" (Frannie's will)
"National Mama" (Mama's dreams predict horserace winners)


The 2 "non-Iola" episodes were written by different writers, but both of the "non-Naomi" ones were written by Rick Hawkins...interesting...

I do love it though how, in the episodes without Naomi, she is mentioned so as to explain her absence (the only exception bein' "Mama's Silver"). :cool:

So do y'all really notice when Naomi or Iola aren't there?

I really notice when Naomi isn't, cause she's one o' my absolute favorite characters on the show---especially back in her NBC days. However, I think I notice it even a bit more in the NBC shows, since the characters for each show were so varied and unbalanced---compared to the syndicated shows, where just about every show had all 5 main characters.

I love late night thoughts...lol :crazy: :D

:lol: That is interesting! Thanks!:happyface

LOL, I noticed Mama was in every ep because it's her TV show and she's my fave! :loveya: :biglove: GO, THELMA HARPER!!!!! :woohoo:

Now that you mention it, about Naomi -- I know when MF first started, it was on NBC and Vinton hadn't yet married Naomi...So that's one reason for ya. :)

Thats real interesting to know

Originally posted by PZelda: VICKI!!
Now that you mention it, about Naomi -- I know when MF first started, it was on NBC and Vinton hadn't yet married Naomi...So that's one reason for ya. :)

Ahh, but if you'll notice, the only "non-Naomi" episode where they weren't married was "Mama's Silver"!

Interesting... ;)

Originally posted by TALLguyinKY

So do y'all really notice when Naomi or Iola aren't there?


I just noticed from your list that Naomi wasn't in Reading the Riot Act. I guess I didn't notice when I was watching the episode. What was the explanation for Naomi's absense?

I really noticed when Iola was gone in the Will episode though. I like her, but it wasn't a big bother, she wouldn't have had a large effect on the plot anyway.

Originally posted by Dogma66603
I just noticed from your list that Naomi wasn't in Reading the Riot Act. I guess I didn't notice when I was watching the episode. What was the explanation for Naomi's absense?

She was at a supermarket convetion in Hinkley, at which she had to chair a day's panel discussion called "What'll it be, paper or plastic?" :D

Originally posted by Miss Vicki
LOL, I noticed Mama was in every ep because it's her TV show and she's my fave! :loveya: :biglove: GO, THELMA HARPER!!!!! :woohoo:

Now that you mention it, about Naomi -- I know when MF first started, it was on NBC and Vinton hadn't yet married Naomi...So that's one reason for ya. :)


offtopic: Love your avatar Allison!:D

Iola also does not appear in "Where There's Smoke."

And have you noticed that in the episodes where Iola doesn't appear she doesn't appear in the opening credits?

Originally posted by Dogma66603
Iola also does not appear in "Where There's Smoke."

And have you noticed that in the episodes where Iola doesn't appear she doesn't appear in the opening credits?

I have noticed in the NBC eps that whenever a character is absent they do not appear in the opening credits! But I don't think that I ever noticed it in the Syndies! :D

Originally posted by Penny Lane
I have noticed in the NBC eps that whenever a character is absent they do not appear in the opening credits! But I don't think that I ever noticed it in the Syndies! :D

Yeah, I always thought how odd that was to exclude the characters that didn't happen to appear in that show. I know of no other comedy that ever did that. I never did notice it in the syndicated eps either. I will have to see that episode and pay extra close attention. Iola appeared in most of them anyway.

Originally posted by Penny Lane
offtopic: Love your avatar Allison!:D

Thanks :D

Originally posted by FamilyTiesGOP
Yeah, I always thought how odd that was to exclude the characters that didn't happen to appear in that show. I know of no other comedy that ever did that. I never did notice it in the syndicated eps either.

I think it's pretty clever, and appropriate. Kinda like they just put the picture in a drawer since they're not in that episode, lol. :p

And I always noticed Iola out of the opening in the shows she was absent in, but I swear in "Cousin Lydia" recently Naomi was in the openin' credits...

Yeah, Naomi stays in the credits even in the episodes that she's not in.

Maybe those 3 eps werent in Beverly Archer's contract.

Yeah, I always thought how odd that was to exclude the characters that didn't happen to appear in that show. I know of no other comedy that ever did that. I never did notice it in the syndicated eps either. I will have to see that episode and pay extra close attention. Iola appeared in most of them anyway.

Well, Mama's Family is not the only show to have done this. Other shows have done this, too. Two primary examples of this are Baywatch and Cheers. On Baywatch, during the final seasons, Jeremy Jackson was only credited on episodes which Hobie Buchanan appeared in. Similarly, during the eleventh season of Cheers, Bebe Neuwirth was only credited on episodes which Lilith Sternin appeared in.

Ahh, but if you'll notice, the only "non-Naomi" episode where they weren't married was "Mama's Silver"!

Interesting... ;)

I think Mama's Silver, was the first or second episode, and Vint & Naomi may not have met yet. He took Mama's silver right after he and the kids moved in. Come to think of it, Naomi (a neighbor at the time) walked in when they were moving boxes, but they certainly werent married yet.

Well, Mama's Family is not the only show to have done this. Other shows have done this, too. Two primary examples of this are Baywatch and Cheers. On Baywatch, during the final seasons, Jeremy Jackson was only credited on episodes which Hobie Buchanan appeared in. Similarly, during the eleventh season of Cheers, Bebe Neuwirth was only credited on episodes which Lilith Sternin appeared in.

Dynasty only had the stars that were on the episode that was airing.

I could have sworn that I saw Naomi in Mama's Silver. That was the episode with Vint's friend "Claude Kanemaker" right? I thought I saw Naomi outside in her backyard talking to Thelma.

I could have sworn that I saw Naomi in Mama's Silver. That was the episode with Vint's friend "Claude Kanemaker" right? I thought I saw Naomi outside in her backyard talking to Thelma.

I think you're thinking of the episode "Alien Marriage" where Mama and Naomi talk in the backyard while Mama is hanging laundry on the line. Vint's friend Claude were in both "Mama's Silver" & "Alien Marriage".

You are right! Thanks for clearing that up!

You are right! Thanks for clearing that up!

I always wondered how the show would have opened IF Vint had not been in an episode, b/c you can see Vint's picture in the distance as Mama dusts it before it shows a close up of it, Mama would have to be in a different pose to start with.

I have noticed in the NBC eps that whenever a character is absent they do not appear in the opening credits! But I don't think that I ever noticed it in the Syndies! :D
An additional note, when Betty White (Ellen) returned for 1 syndicated episode, she was in the opening credits just like the network episodes.

An additional note, when Betty White (Ellen) returned to 1 syndicated episode, she was in the opening credits just like the network episodes.

The same happened in the syndis. Naomi was NOT in the credits in the episodes she was not in, same for Iola.

That's why I'm wondering how it would have played out if Vint had been absent from an episode.

I know Dorothy Lyman was busy on a soap opera at the time of Mama's Family so that's prolly why she coudln't make it on some of the shows.

And Mama's Silver is usually shown as the first episodes, but the actual first episode to be made was Vint and the Kids move in, the early episodes are NOT shown in the order in which they were made.

In Fran's Dress Mama mentions Vint being married to Naomi but they were not married yet at that time, so it gets confusing.

Dynasty (and its spinoff The Colbys) had a roll call for credits. Sometimes the credits changed from episode to episode depending upon who was in a particular episode.

Yeah, I always thought how odd that was to exclude the characters that didn't happen to appear in that show. I know of no other comedy that ever did that.

Gimme A Break did that too. And a lot of times they would include the episodes guest stars in the opening credits (Rue Mcclanahan, Don Rickles, Andy Gibb etc). I thought that was kind of strange.

Iola was also absent from Where's There's Smoke

There are other shows as well:

Family Matters. The credits would include Michelle Thomas in the episodes she was in only. Telma Hopkins the same during the middle/end of season four. I think, in part was due to her being on contract to do another sitcom that was a mid season replacement on ABC's TGIF (Getting By) that aired 1 hour after Family Matters.

Boy Meets World. Danielle Fishel was credited for only the eps she was in.

Marin Hinkle, Conchata Farell and Holland Taylor for Two and a half men.

and...

Any cast member on a Tyler Perry sitcom. :lol:

Dynasty (and its spinoff The Colbys) had a roll call for credits. Sometimes the credits changed from episode to episode depending upon who was in a particular episode.

I remember watching Dynasty. Half the fun was the opening credits, to see who was on that week. Heather Locklear was usually absent until the spring of each season (she was on the series TJ Hooker simultaniously), and it was always fun when Sammy Jo returned!!!