History Series / MamasFamily

* ParanormalEpisode: In "My Mama, Myself", Mama is haunted by the spirit of ''her'' late mother after she considers selling a family heirloom. Iola later gives a logical explanation (Mama is seeing things!). The fact that no one else interacts with the old lady helps keep the episode in MaybeMagicalMaybeMundane territory.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: In a SeriesContinuityError, despite it being well-established in his first appearance that Bubba cannot leave the state until his 21st birthday due to his probation, no mention of this is made in the next season’s GameShowAppearance on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' (filmed in Los Angeles since 1984) or the following [[spoiler: two-parter set in Hawaii.]]

** Thelma may yell, criticize, mock, and embarrass her kids, but she does genuinely love them in her own JerkWithAHeartOfGold ways. The same could not be said of her parents. Especially her mother who had all of Thelma's negative aspect but with none of her positives. In fact, an apparition of Thelma's mother actually causes her to be afraid of it as she starts criticizing everything Thelma does.

* PlayingGertrude: Mama was played by Vicki Lawrence, who was only 34 when the show started. PlayedForComedy.

* ChattyHairdresser: In "Psycho Pheno-Mama". Mama and her family meet a psychic who can supposedly channel a spirit that knows all of the family's secrets. The "psychic" is actually a hairdresser who got all the information from her customers at a local beauty salon. And she knew everything she did about about Thelma's husband because [[WhatAnIdiot Vint told her all about him when he picked her up for the seances]].

* PostRobberyTrauma: In "Black Belt Mama", Thelma gets mugged and takes a self-defense class. Also used in "The Key to the Crime" quite humorously when Thelma saw that the burglar [[ItMakesSenseInContext cleaned the bathroom]]:
-->Thelma: I ain't gonna be able to sit in there again!

* HollywoodDressCode: Subverted by Bubba, who favored some combination of sweater vests, striped polo/t-shirts, and suspenders. On anyone without that bod, he'd be a dork.

The show was about Thelma "Mama" Harper, née Crowley (Vicki Lawrence) and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin her family]]: sharing the house with Thelma were her son, Vinton (Ken Berry); Naomi (Dorothy Lyman), Vinton's girlfriend and later wife; Vinton "Buzz" Jr. (Eric Brown) and Sonja (Karin Argoud), Vinton's two kids from a previous marriage; and Thelma's spinster sister, Frances "Aunt Fran" Crowley (Rue [=McClanahan=]). Meanwhile, Thelma's daughters Ellen (Creator/BettyWhite) and Eunice (Creator/CarolBurnett) visited frequently, along with Eunice's husband Ed Higgins (Creator/HarveyKorman).

* ScreamingBirth: Naomi.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Thelma, Aunt Effie, and Thelma's one-shot cousin Gert (played by Imogene Coca).

* AlohaHawaii: Thelma's dream vacation for most of the series. The family finally visits Hawaii after Thelma [[spoiler:wins a trip on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'']].

* EveryEpisodeEnding: Every episode ends with a view of the outside of the Harper house, along with a final comedic line from Thelma. The series finale, where Naomi finally has her baby, ends with a parting shot of Vint's and Naomi's RV. Also, the first part of the [[AlohaHawaii Hawaii two-parter]] featured a shot of the resort's beach.

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WMdIVKytE an interview discussing the beginning of the show]], Vicki Lawrence explains that Mama's characterization wasn't quite right in the first few episodes and that they brought in Creator/HarveyKorman) to tweak things. This might explain why these episodes end up airing later, since "Vint and The Kids Move In" [[{{Pilot}} established the central plot]] and really couldn't be rescheduled.

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WMdIVKytE an interview discussing the beginning of the show]], Vicki Lawrence explains that Mama's characterization wasn't quite right in the first few episodes and that they brought in Creator/HarveyKorman) to tweak things. This might explain why these episodes end up airing later, since "Vint and The Kids Move In" [[Pilot established the central plot]] and really couldn't be rescheduled.

** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WMdIVKytE an interview discussing the beginning of the show]], Vicki Lawrence explains that Mama's characterization wasn't quite right in the first few episodes and that they brought in Harvey Korman to tweak things. This might explain why these episodes end up airing later, since "Vint and The Kids Move In" established the central plot and really couldn't be rescheduled.

* DramaQueen: Eunice. [[HamAndCheese Dear God Eunice]].

* TreasureHuntEpisode: "Mama Gets the Bird", where Thelma inherits Captain Petey, a parrot, from her Uncle Oscar who dressed and talked like a pirate as part of his boat rental gimmick. As soon as she hears him mentioning gold bars, the amily searches the house from top to bottom, with Vinton finding nothing in the yard, and Thelma tells Vinton to throw out the bird cage, Afterwards Petey flies out of his cage to the office of Uncle Oscar's attorney, and she gets a letter from Uncle Oscar's lawyer one week later, telling them that the bars of Petey's cage were solid gold covered with black paint worth more than $50,000... which Vinton threw in the garbage. Sadly, when Thelma tries to call Frank the garbage collector, he has found out what the bird cage is actually worth and moved to Tahiti at least $50,000 richer.

** In [[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WMdIVKytE an interview discussing the show]], Vicki Lawrence explains that Mama's characterization wasn't quite right in the first few episodes and that they brought in Harvey Korman to tweak things. This might explain why these episodes end up airing later, since "Vint and The Kids Move In" established the central plot and really couldn't be rescheduled.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** When working as an assistant on Thelma's short-lived radio show, he explains some silent gestures he came up with to tell Thelma when they're about to begin airing. He holds up three fingers and explains that means three minutes to air. Then he puts down his index finger and explains that this means two minutes. Just before he shows the gesture for one minute[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke which could only be his middle finger]][[/note]], Thelma shoves his hand aside and says she can guess what comes next.
** In the April Fool's episode, when Vinton picks up the phone and gets shaving cream on his mouth and ear for his troubles, you can hear him blurt out "Oh, shit!" Unfortunately, this has been done away with in the years since with the "shit" being blanked out.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: When working as an assistant on Thelma's short-lived radio show, he explains some silent gestures he came up with to tell Thelma when they're about to begin airing. He holds up three fingers and explains that means three minutes to air. Then he puts down his index finger and explains that this means two minutes. Just before he shows the gesture for one minute[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke which could only be his middle finger]][[/note]], Thelma shoves his hand aside and says she can guess what comes next.

** Thelma may yell, criticize, mock, and embarrass her kids, she does genuinely love them in her own JerkWithAHeartOfGold ways. The same could not be said of her parents. Especially her mother who had all of Thelma's negative aspect but with none of her positives. In fact, an apparition of Thelma's mother actually causes her to be afraid of it as she starts criticizing everything Thelma does.

* WeddingDay: Vinton and Naomi's wedding had crazy vows and a drunken half-performance of "Oh Promise Me" by Eunice.
---> '''Vinton''' (to Naomi): "I promise to stay together with you for as long as we both shall think it's a good idea."

* FlintstonesTheming: Many sites and businesses in Raytown have the name "Ray" in it, especially when the show went to first run syndication. There's even a "Rayhound Busline" ("Take the bus and leave the driving to Gus") and a Ray River where you can cruise on the paddle-wheel riverboat, the Ray Queen!