Not Enough Eunice

[icecream]

I have seen all five episodes now where Eunice appears on screen, played by Carol Burnett. A fantastic character you want to see more of. Would have been nice to be heavily recurring or a regular, but I guess Carol didn't want to be a long term supporting character to someone else.

[BestTVever]

Eunice was never supposed to be part of Mamas Family. The first 2 episodes filmed "Mamas Silver" and "Alien marriage" were filmed without Eunice. Vicki was worried the show would not work because the show had no pilot to explain how Vint and the Kids are living with Mama. They revamped and also calmed Mama's character down a bit. Carol was brought in to give the show some transition from the sketches with Eunice being a cast member for several early episodes. Once the show was on TV with a pilot and several episodes in, Vicki was on her own.

[TheLittleFaerie]

I would have liked to have seen Eunice make a few more appearances through out the series. I'd love to have seen her in a handful of syndicated episodes, maybe appear ONCE each season. Though I don't think she should have been a regular. She usually dominated EVERY episode she was in *except for Rashomama* and it was Mama's show. Had Eunice appeared to often, it would have become Eunice's Family lol

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Eunice was never supposed to be part of Mamas Family. The first 2 episodes filmed "Mamas Silver" and "Alien marriage" were filmed without Eunice. Vicki was worried the show would not work because the show had no pilot to explain how Vint and the Kids are living with Mama. They revamped and also calmed Mama's character down a bit. Carol was brought in to give the show some transition from the sketches with Eunice being a cast member for several early episodes. Once the show was on TV with a pilot and several episodes in, Vicki was on her own.

I guess I thought Vint was NOT living with Mama in Mama's Silver, I thought he was still living elsewhere and just visiting at Mama's BUT it's been forever since I saw that episode.

[stevea]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

I would have liked to have seen Eunice make a few more appearances through out the series. I'd love to have seen her in a handful of syndicated episodes, maybe appear ONCE each season. Though I don't think she should have been a regular. She usually dominated EVERY episode she was in *except for Rashomama* and it was Mama's show. Had Eunice appeared to often, it would have become Eunice's Family lol

Agree! She was referred to a few times in the syndicated years -- too bad she did not guest in those episodes. For instance, Bubba was upset that his parents were not going to be at his graduation -- she could have had at least a cameo in that one.

[BestTVever]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

I guess I thought Vint was NOT living with Mama in Mama's Silver, I thought he was still living elsewhere and just visiting at Mama's BUT it's been forever since I saw that episode.

Vint was living in basement alone. Remember he comes upstairs with Claude Kainmaker. Mama is upset because he is drinking her beer.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by BestTVever

Vint was living in basement alone. Remember he comes upstairs with Claude Kainmaker. Mama is upset because he is drinking her beer.

So I watched that episode on my DVD, and see that it opens with Claude and Vint in the basement chatting, I do not remember that scene when it aired on TV, I remember the episode opening with Mama and Fran coming through the front door arguing about the car situation.

[TheLittleFaerie]

Originally Posted by stevea

Agree! She was referred to a few times in the syndicated years -- too bad she did not guest in those episodes. For instance, Bubba was upset that his parents were not going to be at his graduation -- she could have had at least a cameo in that one.

Of course the real reason she didn't appear is b/c Carol and Vickie were at odds with eachother during that time, otherwise she likely would have.

I think at Bubba's graduation perhaps they could have gotten a stand-in to be Eunice and just briefly showed the back of her head in the audience perhaps.

Also in the episode I Do I Don't. I want to think Ed and Eunice MAY have visited off-screen! When they all come back from the wedding, Vint says to Mr. Hanson, something like, "Well you finally got to meet the ENTIRE Harper clan!" So I wanna think Eunice and Ed may have been there, BUT keeping in the spirit of Eunice and Ed, they probably drove all that way to just stay like an hour or so and had to dash right back, because Ed had some BIG important hardware meeting or something. So I wanna think Bubba got to see his parents for just a few minutes, and but no long getting to know each other again. And Bubba was probably upset because they were too busy to come back to the house for a visit.

I think this is maybe what Bubba meant when he tells Mama in Pomp and Circumstance, "Just once I wish they could visit without you getting mom all upset!" When he also said it'd been forever since he saw them.

When they had to dash off Mama probably scolded Eunice harshly for not visiting with Bubba, and they probably had a quick confrontation, and Eunice stormed off.

[BestTVever]

[QUOTE=TheLittleFaerie;6449985]Of course the real reason she didn't appear is b/c Carol and Vickie were at odds with eachother during that time, otherwise she likely would have.

I think at Bubba's graduation perhaps they could have gotten a stand-in to be Eunice and just briefly showed the back of her head in the audience perhaps.




Its funny you mention the graduation episode. Is this not the episode where the fake Eunice appears by telephone? Or was it another episode? It was not Carol. It was when they had no relationship and had to bring a voice imitator.

[TheLittleFaerie]

[QUOTE=BestTVever;6450097]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFaerie

Of course the real reason she didn't appear is b/c Carol and Vickie were at odds with eachother during that time, otherwise she likely would have.

I think at Bubba's graduation perhaps they could have gotten a stand-in to be Eunice and just briefly showed the back of her head in the audience perhaps.




Its funny you mention the graduation episode. Is this not the episode where the fake Eunice appears by telephone? Or was it another episode? It was not Carol. It was when they had no relationship and had to bring a voice imitator.

Yes, I forget who did the voice. But she calls to tell Mama they can't make it, and asked if a manicure set would be a good enough gift to send Bubba lol