As anyone who remembers The Carol Burnett Show, one of her funniest -- and most poignant -- recurring skits was called The Family, with Carol as Eunice Higgins, Harvey Korman as her husband, Ed, and Vicki Lawrence as Eunice's mother, Thelma Harper. Eunice was a raging, desperately unhappy and unsatisfied housewife, saddled with a dunce failure for a husband, and an insulting, mocking, degrading shrew for a mother. These skits were brilliant in that the comedy came in direct proportion to the suffering and humiliation that Eunice suffered, becoming at times quite uncomfortable to watch -- the truths expressed in the disappointments and hopelessness of Eunice's life came uncomfortably close to many people's real life (I remember the gradual quieting of the live studio audiences, when one of Eunice's futile cries for help finally hit home with them).

The popularity of The Family skits wasn't lost on network executives, and a few years after the cancellation of Burnett's show, CBS ordered a live special to air in March, 1982, called Eunice. It was a four act play featuring all the characters from The Family, with Ken Berry and Betty White also featured. It did well enough in the ratings for NBC to take a chance on a 13 show order for Mama's Family for the 1983 season.

The focus of Mama's Family would obviously now be on Mama Harper. Widowed, and living with her rent-paying sister, Fran (Rue McClanahan), smart mouthed Thelma is beset by constant family problems, exacerbated by her divorced son Vint's (Ken Berry) move back home with his two teenaged children, Buzz (Eric Brown) and Sonja (Karin Argoud). Vint is a locksmith and would-be "literary man" (he proudly collects all the TV Guides -- hey, Seinfeld!) who lost his home after his wife left him. Living next door to Mama is Naomi Oates, a vivacious supermarket checker at the Food Circus, who went to school with Vin, and who winds up marrying him in the third and fourth episode. Also making occasional appearances this season are Ellen (Betty White), Mama's other daughter, as well as Burnett and Korman as Eunice and Ed Higgins.

Premiering in January, 1983 as a mid-season replacement on NBC, Mama's Family didn't set any ratings records, but it was so cheaply produced that more episodes were ordered for the 1984 season; it was subsequently canceled that summer. But reruns proved popular with audiences, and syndication became a viable option for continuing the series. In 1986, CBS bought the series, and started producing first-run episodes for syndication until 1990.

Watching Mama's Family: The Complete First Season, I was quite surprised at how funny I found it. I remember occasionally tuning into it when it first aired on NBC (usually whenever Carol Burnett guest starred), but I wasn't a steady viewer. So I hadn't seen it in awhile. The first thing that struck me was what a garish, ugly-looking show it was. Shot on the crudest video possible, with the harshest lighting I've seen in quite some time, it makes Sanford and Son look like something shot by Gregg Toland. The sound is terrible, too; it's shot much like a filmed stage play (the cameras seem like they're placed way, way back in the seats) and the boom mics pick up the sound like a Donald Duck orange juice can. As well, there's a distinct audio feedback hum that gets annoying fast --although not nearly as annoying as that gawd awful, phony laugh track that sounds like inmates in an insane asylum. It's one of the worst I've ever heard.

Technical problems aside, Mama's Family is funny. Created and produced by alumni from The Carol Burnett Show (Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon, who also write for the series, created the show), Mama's Family is straight-ahead farce with no apologies for its obviousness or crudeness (of construction, not language). Perhaps more importantly, Mama's Family still provides a glimpse into family dynamics (as The Family skits did), with an emphasis on mothers and daughters, that's commendable if only because that was rarely seen on television in the 1980s. There is a poignancy that's palpable, during the episode Cellmates, when Mama and Eunice discuss disappointments in love and men, and the way mothers and daughters fight and push each other away -- when really that's the last thing they want to do. And the fact that this unabashed, unashamed sentimentality is melded successfully with broad farce, makes it much more palatable than the phony David E. Kelley/Aaron Sorkin-inspired, pseudo-hip mush that passes for "real" comedy-drama today.

Vicki Lawrence (totally unbelievable as the mother of Betty White -- that's what makes it funny) was never the highlight of The Family; the spotlight was always on Burnett. But here, she's center stage, and she's appropriately annoying and funny as beer-drinking, no-nonsense Mama. When she lets out a string of invectives at a terrified target, it's broad, and mostly silly, but you find yourself laughing at the performance. Ken Berry isn't asked to be anything more than backward, and he's fine at that. Dorothy Lyman has some nice moments as Naomi Oates, a tall, gangly comedienne who can really belt out a funny line. Betty White, Rue McClanahan, and Harvey Korman are all seasoned professionals who can make even bad lines (and there are plenty in Mama's Family) sound funny. And of course, Carol Burnett, who guest-stars several times this season, is nothing short of inspired as Eunice. There's real danger in her face when she's going off the hook on someone; she's 100 percent committed to the role, and her intensity is amazing -- and hilarious. It's just a let down that she only appears four times during this first season.

Here are the episodes, in air date order, from Mama's Family: The Complete First Season, followed by their episode summaries (just a small note -- no, you're not crazy if you watch these episodes in air date order, and realize suddenly half-way through that Ken Berry hasn't married Naomi yet. Evidently, NBC jumbled the sequence of the episodes when aired, disrupting the continuity of the story arcs):

DISC ONE:

Vint and the Kids Move In
As soon as Vint's chinchillas start breeding, he'll move up in the world. In the meantime, he'll move in...with Mama.

For Better or for Worse
Gasp! Wheeze! Mama hyperventilates when she discovers that Vint and Naomi spent the night together.

The Wedding: Part 1
Too much booze and way too much Eunice threaten to ruin Vint and Naomi's nuptials.

The Wedding: Part 2
It's that special day -- and possibly doomsday unless Eunice gets to sing O Promise Me at the wedding.

Family Feud
Is Mama's mind as sharp as her tongue? The Harpers appear on Family Feud against a clan of know-it-alls.

Cellmates
Now that'sa surprise. Mama throws a surprise party for Eunice, and they both end up in the slammer.

Mama Gets a Job
The American economy has withstood depression and wars. Now its days may be numbered: Mama gets a job.

DISC TWO:

Double Standard
It's a guy thing. For Homecoming, Vint give Sonja a midnight curfew, but Buzz gets to stay out until 1 AM.

Mama's Boyfriend
Red-hot Mama. The family is in a dither when Mama goes out to dinner...with a man.

Fran's Dress
Fran has the dress for an awards banquet: pink, beaded, slinky...and scorched after Mama gives it a quick pressing.

Alien Marriage
How do you say "dumb idea" in Portuguese? Vint agrees to wed an immigrant who wants a fast track to a green card.

Positive Thinking
The power of positive Eunice. Will motivational tapes make her a new and better woman?

Mama's Silver
Stick a silver fork in this mother-son relationship -- it's done! Vint pawns Mama's cherished sterling.

The DVDs:

The Video:
Don't adjust your set: there's nothing wrong with your transmission. The problem with Mama's Family's picture quality lies not with the DVD transfer, but with the original source elements. Shot on garish video, the image is sharp and overbearing (and looks like it was lit on the surface of the sun), but the DVD transfer is as a good as it could be, considering what it had to work with.

The Audio:
That hum you hear comes from the original audio track, so.... The English Dolby Surround Stereo is pretty loud -- particularly when everyone is screaming. There's French and Spanish subtitles available.

The Extras:
There are no extras, which will really tick off the incredibly loyal fans that Mama's Family has (don't believe me? Check out the internet and she how many people write about this show).

Final Thoughts:
I'm sure there are viewers out there who, once having found out what Mama's Family is about (Gasp! Lower income Southerners who aren't well-spoken, and who drink beer, and yell at each often), will be genetically predisposed to hating this show. While not as funny or meaningful as The Family skits from The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family: The Complete First Season does offer some amusing farcical moments (and some insightful commentaries on family) from a well-chosen cast. Owing its lower middle-class "comedy of deprivation" lineage to shows like The Honeymooners and All in the Family, Mama's Family: The Complete First Season at least has the gumption to show, with affection and allowance, TV's most neglected members of society: average Americans. Before Roseanne, this show gave us a glimpse into the workings of an average family of underperformers who constantly worried about money, about finding love, and about getting some respect in a world that basically didn't want to hear from them. Some poignant moments come and go amid the laughs in Mama's Family: The Complete First Season (as well a fair share of bad jokes, inane plots and misguided performances); it's nowhere near a classic, but it's also not the pop culture disaster that some people would like you to think. You should give it a try and rent it if you've never seen it. Or buy it if you're a fan. Recommended.