"Missing" characters

[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.

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").

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

[Penny Lane]

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.

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").

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

That is interesting! Thanks!

[PZelda]

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

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.

[I Love Carol Burnett!]

Thats real interesting to know

[TALLguyinKY]

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...

[Dogma66603]

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.

[TALLguyinKY]

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?"

[Penny Lane]

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

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.

Love your avatar Allison!

[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?

[Penny Lane]

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!

[FamilyTiesGOP]

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!

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.

[PZelda]

Originally posted by Penny Lane
Love your avatar Allison!

Thanks

[TALLguyinKY]

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.

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...

[Dogma66603]

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.

[glickmam]

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 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.