Alien Marriage episode

[Wawwie]

It's the episode where Vint's friend Claude Canemaker tries to get him to marry some Portuguese lady so she can get a green card. In this episode, Vint is not married to Naomi, but this is episode #11, and Vint and Naomi had their wedding episodes ago, so I am very confused with this convoluted episode.

[quincywagstaff]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

It's the episode where Vint's friend Claude Canemaker tries to get him to marry some Portuguese lady so she can get a green card. In this episode, Vint is not married to Naomi, but this is episode #11, and Vint and Naomi had their wedding episodes ago, so I am very confused with this convoluted episode.

The Alien Marriage and Mama's Silver episodes were actually flashback episodes but because the show has been edited to allow for more commercials, that explanation is missing. Originally, all of the season 1 episodes opened with an introduction by Alistair Quince (Harvey Korman), but these were all cut in syndication to allow more commercial time. In the intros to these two episodes, he explains that these are flashbacks to a time before Vint had married Naomi. The Season 1 DVDs have the complete, unedited version of these episodes, including the Harvey Korman openings.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

The Alien Marriage and Mama's Silver episodes were actually flashback episodes but because the show has been edited to allow for more commercials, that explanation is missing. Originally, all of the season 1 episodes opened with an introduction by Alistair Quince (Harvey Korman), but these were all cut in syndication to allow more commercial time. In the intros to these two episodes, he explains that these are flashbacks to a time before Vint had married Naomi. The Season 1 DVDs have the complete, unedited version of these episodes, including the Harvey Korman openings.

That is so interesting to know. I never knew that Harvey Korman introduced all of the season one episodes. I would love to see that. I also never knew that Alien Marriage and Mama's Silver were just flashbacks.

['80sSitcoms]

Yeah, after taping those first two episodes and Vicki halted production to figure out what was "going wrong" with the show (Mama didn't feel "right" to her), they just aired those two later on and explained them through Alistair Quince as being flashbacks. I'm so grateful they did that instead of just scrapping those 2 episodes altogether!

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Yeah, after taping those first two episodes and Vicki halted production to figure out what was "going wrong" with the show (Mama didn't feel "right" to her), they just aired those two later on and explained them through Alistair Quince as being flashbacks. I'm so grateful they did that instead of just scrapping those 2 episodes altogether!

Yeah, I loved the "Mama's Silver" episode. I didn't care all too much for "Alien Marriage" though.

[TheLittleFaerie]

When I used to watch the show on Fox during it's first run of re-runs, I remember they always showed Mama's Silver as the FIRST episode, followed by Alien Marriage and then Fran's Dress.....then the marriage episodes. It was funny b/c Mama mentions Vint being married to Naomi in Fran's Dress episode.

[quincywagstaff]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

When I used to watch the show on Fox during it's first run of re-runs, I remember they always showed Mama's Silver as the FIRST episode, followed by Alien Marriage and then Fran's Dress.....then the marriage episodes. It was funny b/c Mama mentions Vint being married to Naomi in Fran's Dress episode.

They must have been showing the episodes in production order, rather than broadcast order, which is how it was usually run. "Fran's Dress" was the third episode that was produced, but the first after Vicky shut down production so that she could bring in Harvey Korman to direct and to retool the show more to her liking. My guess is that the script for "Fran's Dress" was originally written before the shut-down, and when they started up production again, they tweaked the script to include a reference to Naomi since they decided to hold back that episode to air later in the season.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

They must have been showing the episodes in production order, rather than broadcast order, which is how it was usually run. "Fran's Dress" was the third episode that was produced, but the first after Vicky shut down production so that she could bring in Harvey Korman to direct and to retool the show more to her liking. My guess is that the script for "Fran's Dress" was originally written before the shut-down, and when they started up production again, they tweaked the script to include a reference to Naomi since they decided to hold back that episode to air later in the season.

It seems like Vint and the Kids Move in MAY have been shown as the second episode, come to think of it, then Fran's Dress, and THEN Alien Marriage.... B/c at that time it seems like I had the idea that Vint was NOT yet living with Mama in the Mama's Silver episode but was just visiting.

[stopnswop]

Thank you. I watched this episode yesterday on LOGO and was so confused.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by stopnswop

Thank you. I watched this episode yesterday on LOGO and was so confused.

I too was confused for a very long time until someone answered this thread.

[tlc38tlc38]

My favorite part from this episode is when Mama says “sit-a, sit-a”. Cracks me up everytime!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by tlc38tlc38

My favorite part from this episode is when Mama says “sit-a, sit-a”. Cracks me up everytime!

Haha, that is good---and I love how Fran gets such an extended studio audience laugh with, "Thelma, she's a Portuguese, not a Pekingese!"

One of my favorite parts is later in the living room in Mama's "tirade scene" where she goes to Zenada (sp) and says, "Marriage no good, Zenada. Bad---bad! Go back home, worky worky, come back next year!" LOL!! The "charades" she does of digging or whatever while goin' "worky worky" is hilarious!

[Road Dog]

Originally Posted by quincywagstaff

They must have been showing the episodes in production order, rather than broadcast order, which is how it was usually run. "Fran's Dress" was the third episode that was produced, but the first after Vicky shut down production so that she could bring in Harvey Korman to direct and to retool the show more to her liking. My guess is that the script for "Fran's Dress" was originally written before the shut-down, and when they started up production again, they tweaked the script to include a reference to Naomi since they decided to hold back that episode to air later in the season.

You are correct. On the imdb site it explains that "Mama's Silver" was the 1st episode taped and "Alien Marriage" was the 2nd. But NBC didn't like these 2 epsides at all, so the decision was made to halt production of the series while changes were made to the production team and the cast. The result was that Dorothy Lyman was added to the cast and Harvey Korman was added as co-director with Roger Beatty. They then decided to film an episode to show why Vint and his kids are living with Mama (Vint And The Kids Move In).

[JR1]

Naomi was in the "Alien Marriage" episode, though, but maybe the plan was to have her just be a neighbor for a time? Then, of course, the opening/Allistair Quince made those seem like flashbacks to when Vint wasn't married to Naomi.

Can definitely see the difference in those two episodes and the others. Vicki didn't think it was funny, so in came Harvey Korman to co-direct. And it worked.

"Fran's Dress" is my favorite of those first three shows to be filmed. It was also the first time Mama uttered 'Well, what the..." The first time audiences saw that on the show, though, was when Mama got the job at the Raytown Travel Agency.

[BestTVever]

The odd part is the woman was supposedly from Portugal but her relative and Buz spoke to her in Spanish not Portugese.

Mama's Family was not going to have Vint married and the mother in law live with them and be the friction. The original premise was her sister Fran was supposed to be Mama's counter character who would put her in her place. Rue signed to do the show but when shooting came around, they changed the premise and made Naomi take over the Mamas' counter punch. They would have cut Fran from the show because that character was not needed. However, Rue was under contract for the show and NBC figured to just keep her. This is why the role of Fran is odd. She just has no purpose on the show. I have always believed the Silver and Alien marriage shows were shot prior to the change. Since they were already shot, NBC aired them but the sequence never made sense.