How Old Was Vicki Lawrence in Mama's Family

Thelma Mae Crowley Harper
Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper from her kitchen on an episode of Mama's Family unit
Starting time appearance	"Phillip's Visit" (The Family sketch)
Concluding appearance	The Queen Latifah Show (May 20, 2014)
Created by	Dick Clair Jenna McMahon
Portrayed past	Vicki Lawrence
In-universe data
Alias	Thelma Mae Crowley (maiden name)
Nickname	"Mama"
Gender	Female person
Title	Mayor of Raytown President of Church Ladies League
Occupation	Housewife (prior to the show) Secretary at the Raytown Travel Bureau (Flavor 1) Worked for "Meals on Wheels" (Flavour 2) Mayor of Raytown (Season ii) Cashier at McRays Burgers (Season 3) Customer Consultant at Food Circus (Flavor 2) 10% shareholder in Bernice Co. (Flavour six - present)
Family unit	Frank Crowley (begetter; deceased) Grandma Crowley (female parent; deceased) Clyde Crowley (blood brother) Fran Crowley (sister; deceased) Sonja Harper (granddaughter) Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (grandson) Tiffany Thelma Harper (granddaughter) Bubba Higgins (grandson) Billy Joe Higgins (grandson)
Spouse	Carl Harper (1942–1973)
Children	Ellen Jackson Eunice Higgins Vinton Harper
Relatives	Effie Harper (sis-in-law) Oscar (uncle; deceased) Gert Corey (cousin) Lydia (cousin) Ina (aunt; deceased) Leota (cousin) Don (uncle) Lorraine (aunt) Cora (cousin) Ludie (cousin; deceased) Mae (aunt; deceased) Eloise (aunt; deceased) Grandma Harper (mother-in-law; deceased) Grandpa Harper (father-in-police; deceased) Verne (blood brother-in-law; deceased) Ada (sister-in-law; deceased) Sonya (aunt) Roy Harper (brother-in-law) Myrtis (aunt) Bertram (uncle) Willis (uncle) Izzy (cousin) Ida Sue (cousin past marriage) Fern (aunt) Penelope (aunt) Lucille (cousin; deceased) Leroy (cousin) Evelyn (cousin) Minnie (aunt; deceased) Vivian (aunt) Dooley (uncle; deceased)

Thelma Mae Harper (nee Crowley), better known as Mama, is a fictional graphic symbol played by American actress Vicki Lawrence. Mama is a pocketbook-lipped, thickset senior denizen in her mid-to-late 60s. She has lived in an unspecified part of the Southern United States called "Raytown" for her unabridged life, evident from the southern drawl of her speech and customs. Mama is an exaggerated version of a prototype heart twentieth century lower center class grandmother in the Usa South. The character was originally created for Carol Burnett, however, Burnett preferred to play Mama'south daughter Eunice Harper Higgins, resulting in Mama every bit Lawrence's claim to fame.

The Mama grapheme first appeared in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Prove (1974–1978) and Carol Burnett & Company (1979); followed by Eunice (a 1982 made-for-Television set movie expanding on "The Family" sketches); then peaking as lead character on Mama's Family unit (get-go on NBC 1983–84, then revolutionized in first-run syndication 1986–1990); and finally in Lawrence'southward ongoing untelevised stand-up comedy routine, Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Adult female Testify since 2001.^[1]

With Lawrence standing to play the role into the present day, Mama has as well made numerous other post-television show guest appearances, such equally on Hollywood Squares; The Talk;^{[ii] [iii] [four] [five]} "Larry the Cablevision Guy's Christmas Spectacular" (2007); "Betty White's second Annual 90th Birthday" (February 5, 2013); The Queen Latifah Show (May xx, 2014);^[half-dozen] etc.^[7] In the late 1970s, Vicki appeared every bit Mama forth with her girl, Eunice (portrayed by Burnett), in an episode of Password Plus.

In her autobiography, Vicki chosen Thelma "the only role which I got to go to makeup to go ugly!" It is Lawrence's most well-known role.^[8]

Character outline (1970s–present)

Carol Burnett was originally intended to play the "Mama" character while Lawrence was to play her daughter, but because of Burnett'south desire to swap roles, Lawrence played Mama.^[8]

In the seventh flavor of The Ballad Burnett Prove in 1974, "The Family" skit was created, which debuted the "Mama" role. Becoming a major hit with audiences, Lawrence ended upwards performing the graphic symbol on The Ballad Burnett Show 's The Family for the final 5 seasons of the bear witness's eleven season run.^[9] 4 years subsequently The Carol Burnett evidence ended, the TV-movie-special Eunice (the character of Mama's daughter) was broadcast. The special included the fundamental characters from "The Family" sketches, including Mama.^[x] The skit was spun off again with a sitcom that surrounded the "Mama" character. Mama'due south Family has 2 contrasting incarnations. This is equally result of the show's cancellation from NBC after 1 and a half seasons (1983 to 1984) and its subsequent high ratings in reruns.^{[11] [12]} In 1986, the program was relaunched in first-run syndication, where information technology enjoyed a successful revival through to its serial finale in 1990.^{[xiii] [14]}

Past the "Mama" character'southward full development on the second life of Mama'due south Family, Thelma had spent much of her fourth dimension tending to the housework and nurturance of her loved ones, constantly engaged in cooking, cleaning, and providing loving support to her family. She ruled the roost with a smart oral cavity and snappy retorts; an explosively quick temper; and a brash, rough and abrasive manner. Mama often relaxed with a can of beer, and when offended with someone, would frequently incorporate a purse whack, an object slam, a shove, a startling shout, or a healthy dose of wisecracking insults and criticisms at her target."^[15]

Appearance

Mama's appearance is based on that of a stereotypical elderly adult female. She is a thickset, pursed-lipped widow, with silvery blue curls. All of her outfits have consisted of diverse brusque-sleeved, floral-impress dresses that acquit lace collars. As much of Mama's time on Mama'southward Family unit was spent cooking and cleaning, her dresses were often worn with an overlapping apron. Mama's lower legs have been clasped by visible support hose since the outset of Mama's Family; she wore no support hose during "The Family" sketches, but was seen in them by the Eunice picture show.^[xvi] For footwear, Mama regularly wore white orthopedic, colonial shoes that took an oxford heels style.^[17]

Mama regularly wore a few fashion accessories, including a white pearl necklace and white pearl earrings as well as a wristwatch.

Mama'south outerwear worn when visiting public venues always consisted of the aforementioned imperial sweater, draped casually over her shoulders without arms in the sleeves; headpieces made completely of artificial establish petals; and a white purse, which she didn't hesitate to utilise as a weapon when given the opportunity.

Mama's persona

Grapheme evolution and evolution

The character of "Mama" was originally based, at to the lowest degree in part, on the relationship between Carol Burnett'south female parent and grandmother and was intended to exist a maternal, elderly version of Eunice.^[18] Lawrence has noted that she also used her southern ex-mother in law and her own grandmother from Missouri in the genesis of Mama.^[nineteen]

The persona of the "Mama" graphic symbol was redeveloped for Mama's Family after the character's inception on The Family unit skits. Lawrence recognized the modifications early on and disapproved. She has revealed that she originally found the softening of the "Mama" character to be unfunny. However, Lawrence has stated that after counsel about the character needing reshaping to fit sitcom television from Harvey Korman (played the "Ed" character), she came to take and later embrace the adjusted version of Mama. She has stated that to this day, she appreciates how the character has "blossomed" and "matured" from "The Family" sketches. The original writers of the graphic symbol had based Mama on their real-life family members and thus disapproved of the adjustments.^[20]

Mama'due south take hold of phrases

Dissimilar the sketches and the television movie, Mama had several catch phrases in the sitcom. Her most frequently used catch phrase in the serial was "Skilful Lord!" as well occasionally stated in alternate means, such as "Good Lord in sky!" or "Good night Louise!" Amongst her other locutions included "Now hear this!" "Hell's bells!" "God-atrocious!" "The hell you say," "Smut," "For heaven'south sake!" "For crying out loud!" "In a pig's heart," "Shoot!" "Existent good," "Oh I bet the neighbors are simply lovin' this." etc. Thelma likewise had a series of name-calling catch phrases she often used to refer to certain members of her family unit or her family every bit a whole, such equally "Nitwit," "Dimwit," "Goon," "Goober Goon," "Lamebrain," "Dunce," "Tramp," etc.

Evolution of family members' personas

Unlike the ill-tempered and stormy personalities alongside Mama in "The Family unit" sketches and the assertive and forceful personalities in the beginning incarnation of Mama's Family, the supporting characters in the reincarnated offset-run syndicated version of Mama'south Family weren't as quarrelsome or assertive with Mama. Due to the supporting characters' more easily subjugated natures and Mama'southward own adjustments, the reincarnation of Mama's Family was much more than lighthearted, less serious, and less contentious than all previous Thelma & family unit broadcasts. There are some moments, however, in the sitcom's reincarnation in which the supporting characters ring together against Mama with petulant complaints and finger-pointing at her, causing heated arguments to ensue.

Mama's familial and life history

In "The Family" sketches, Thelma and her tardily hubby, Carl Harper, accept 5 children: Ellen, Eunice, Philip Harper, Larry, and Jack. This created marked plotholes as in the "Eunice" TV picture, they take three children: Ellen, Eunice, and Phillip Harper. In Mama's Family, they have three children, just the character of Phillip is replaced past Vinton. Thelma's hubby, Carl, is a deceased character in all 3 broadcasts. He's simply present in flashbacks as an unseen character, portrayed in vocalism only. In the film Eunice Carl was voiced past Dick Clair and was heard from the main flooring bathroom. Thelma is in her late sixties during "Mama's Family." (Vicki Lawrence was in her thirties during this fourth dimension and would not plow 60 until 2009.)

Thelma's squabbles, resulting from her ingratitude and spite for her daughter Eunice and Eunice's husband, Ed, was the ongoing theme of "The Family" sketches.

In Mama's Family, Thelma lived originally with her sister, paper author Fran Crowley. In the start episode, Vinton and his two children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper Jr. and Sonja Harper, move in with Thelma afterwards being evicted from their house. Vinton has only gone through a divorce from a woman named Mitzi, who moved to Las Vegas to go a cocktail waitress.

Vinton soon marries Naomi Harper, Thelma'southward next door neighbor, whom Thelma despises. Thelma becomes so enraptured and relieved to discover out Naomi, Vint and the kids are going to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, that she consents to having them ally in her living room. Following the wedding, they all return to Thelma'south house to stay considering Naomi's partner in the trailer park venture has absconded with every cent of Vint and Naomi's life's savings and had never really endemic a trailer park.

Thelma'southward relationships with her grandchildren are different than those with her children. She gets along rather well with Buzz, since he isn't always worrying her into the grave, the way his older sister does and Thelma'south own children had done when they were younger.

Thelma is best friends with her neighbor beyond the street, Iola Boylan, who is crazy about Vinton and agrees with Thelma that Naomi wasn't the right kind of wife for him. In fact, Iola, who did not appear in the NBC episodes only makes her debut in the first episode of the third season, thinks she would be Vint's perfect mate. Thelma and Iola spend a smashing deal of time together, and Iola often comes over for dinner when she isn't helping her eccentric and infirmed parents. Although they are best friends, Iola and Thelma do have their share of disagreements as well, virtually of which are instigated past outside forces.

Afterwards Buzz and Sonja movement out of the business firm for parts unknown and Fran dies in 1986, Thelma is joined by her other grandson, Bubba, Eunice and Ed's son. Her human relationship with him is vastly different from the 1 she had with Buzz. Bubba is his mother'due south son, and while non equally contentious and selfish equally Eunice was, he is just as headstrong and stubborn, although he matured equally the series progressed. He makes no fan of his Uncle Vint and Aunt Naomi when he is given Fran's old bedroom, meaning their bedchamber will remain in the basement. Thelma did this because she wanted his bedroom to be side by side to hers, enabling her to keep better watch over him. However, with Bubba's parents having left him in Raytown while moving to Florida without telling him, Vint and Naomi were non about to begrudge him a bedroom.

Thelma has a very strong aversion to her grandchildren drinking to excess. In one example, when Bubba comes home drunk later several beers, she punished him harshly. At showtime, nobody in her family understands why, because that she regularly drinks beer, until Iola tells everyone well-nigh a terrible state of affairs with Bubba's mother, Eunice. During a Mother-Daughter banquet several years before, presumably in the 1950s, Eunice showed up quite intoxicated. Then, during a vocal, Eunice and Thelma started having a tearing argument on stage, during which Mama revealed to anybody nowadays the circumstances under which Eunice was conceived. (Mama: "If your daddy hadn't gotten me every bit drunk equally you are now, yous never would have been!") Such a statement might explain the rancor betwixt Thelma and Eunice. Taking the story to heart, Bubba makes a tearful and heartfelt apology to Thelma, swearing off beer from that point frontwards, and Thelma, seeing how remorseful Bubba was for the incident, gladly forgives him and lifts his punishment.

Thelma's embattled relationship with Eunice was non unlike the somewhat contentious relationship she had with her own mother. In her mind, Thelma'southward mother had no liking for anything Thelma did. In an episode where she deals with her ain austere female parent who haunts her for entertaining the idea of selling her brooch, Thelma calls her the same epithet that Eunice sometimes uses on her: "Former lady". At the end of the episode, Thelma'southward mother's haunting ends when Thelma sells the brooch, and so screams at her mother's bogeyman, "Get the hell out of my life!"

Thelma has held various jobs in Raytown. She works with Meals on Wheels; had a short stint as Mayor of Raytown, worked at a travel agency (for less than a day), worked at the local grocery shop, "Nutrient Circus", went to night school and besides worked at a fast nutrient restaurant.

One of Thelma's lifelong dreams is to go to Hawaii. She gets her wish when she appears on Jeopardy! While Thelma loses the main part of the contest, she does win a Hawaiian vacation as a alleviation prize. The adjacent two-function episode features Thelma, Iola, Vint, Naomi and Bubba's adventures in Hawaii.

As a former president of the Church Ladies League, Thelma has to deal with the ladies of the church, including the gossipy pastor'due south wife, Alberta Meechum, who brazenly tries to break up Thelma and Iola'due south friendship by suggesting that Iola run for president of the CLL. (Mrs. Meechum did this because Thelma had helped Alberta's husband spank their grandson, Little Eugene, for causing trouble for the Harpers and for boot her husband in his sore leg. In her mind, Little Eugene was an angel, and helping to hurt him was a huge "no-no".) Neither Thelma nor Iola wins and Thelma's eventual successor is a adult female named Lolly Perdue (first played by Doris Hess and later Marge Redmond), who wins because she was the only person big plenty to split the squabbling Thelma and Iola. Some time later, Lolly is the target of an impeachment attempt by Thelma and Iola, merely they end up backing down when they discover Lolly is illiterate. Thelma also has to debate with Reverend Lloyd Meechum, the man who married Vint and Naomi, although he has no real grudge against her like his wife.. She as well babysat their grandson, a little demon named Eugene, with disastrous results.

Thelma was known for her somewhat uneasy relations with her neighbors, going back to when Naomi lived next door. Most of her neighbors wouldn't mind seeing her and her entire dysfunctional family movement away and never come back. A large part of this animosity came about during an aborted attempt to knock down the neighborhood and replace information technology with a landfill. To Thelma'due south shock, the house she had lived in since she was married had once been a brothel where the town'southward founder, James A. Ray, died. Thus, it was made a Raytown historical landmark, to mayor Alvin Tutweiler'due south chagrin, and her neighbors ire. They wanted a lot of money to leave that neighborhood and lose Thelma as a neighbor, but it was not to exist. Even Iola was irate.

Post-Mama's Family appearances

Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper, 2009

Lawrence has resurrected the graphic symbol of Thelma (still in her late sixties) several times on the game show Hollywood Squares, on phase in her 2-woman show, on her talk show in the early 1990s, on the TNN talk show Primetime Country and in the 2008 TV Land Awards, and on numerous one-act tours.

Thelma "wrote" a book in 2008 entitled Mama for President.^[21]

Thelma besides appeared on Are You lot Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Oct 2, 2009 playing for clemency. She ended up winning $viii,000 USD, getting ix out of ten questions correct, and opted non to answer the eleventh question (the bonus question), as missing that question results in a loss of all the thespian'south winnings.

On October 29, 2012, Thelma was seen once more on Logo'south RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars as the special comedian in which the contestants had to interact and have a comedic sketch. Later seen out of the Thelma persona, Vicki Lawrence played as a special invitee judge to the contestants aslope RuPaul.^[22]

On Feb 5, 2013, Thelma appeared in a special sketch during Betty White's second Annual 90th Birthday in honor of Betty White. The sketch features a Beverly Hills high school class reunion with three of Betty's "classmates" from 1939. The sketch has a run time just over two minutes.^[7]

MeTV's insertion of Mama's Family unit into their 2015–2016 schedule too brought with it several new video spots of Vicki Lawrence as Thelma Harper, used for bumpers and promotional commercials on the network.

References

1. ^ Lawrence, Vicki. "Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show". The Broker Company. Usa. Retrieved Dec 17, 2021.
2. ^ Handleman, Jay (21 February 2003). Vicki Lawrence Presents Her 'Mama', Sarasota Herald-Tribune
3. ^ Kornelis, Chris (4 February 2005). Mama'due south Back and She's Bad, Spokesman-Review
4. ^ Lopez, Rich (26 August 2010). Mama knows best, Dallas Voice
5. ^ Scott, Vernon (ten February 1984). Lawrence: Great American Homemaker, TimesDaily (syndicated United Printing International article)
6. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Motorcar: "Esther Jean Johnson and Mama Give Motherly Advice on The Queen Latifah Show". YouTube.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Video Gallery | Movies & Specials | All Videos : Newest". NBC. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-03-05 .
8. ^ ^{a b} Pendergast, Todd & Sara Pendergast. St. James encyclopedia of pop culture, Book 3, p. 106 (2000) ("One of her ongoing roles — the hilarious, purse-lipped, irascible Southern dame Thelma Harper, the character for which she is best known ...")
9. ^ Burnett, Carol. This Fourth dimension Together: Laughter and Reflection, p. 88-ninety (2010)
10. ^ Ingram, Billy. TVparty!: tv set'south untold tales, p.181-83 (2002)
11. ^ Goodman, Walter (21 January 1983). Vicki Lawrence Is Dorsum in 'Mama's Family' Series', The New York Times
12. ^ Mama's Got A Brand New Bag, Indianapolis Monthly p. 96 (September 2003)
13. ^ Karol, Michael. Sitcom Queens: Divas of the Small Screen, p. 88-89 (2006)
14. ^ Garner, Joe. Made you lot laugh!: the funniest moments in radio, boob tube, stand-up, and pic comedy, pp. 19, 102-03, 156-58 (2004)
15. ^ West, Beverly Westward & Jason Bergund TV therapy: the television guide to life, p. xi-12 (2005)
16. ^ Karol, Michael (March 2004). Funny Ladies - Michael Karol - Google Books. ISBN9780595312993 . Retrieved 2013-03-09 .
17. ^ Indianapolis Monthly – Google Books. September 2003. Retrieved 2013-03-09 .
18. ^ McMahon, Tom (xv November 1986). No sour grapes from Carol Burnett, Montreal Gazette
19. ^ http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/vicki-lawrence#
20. ^ "Vicki Lawrence Interview | Annal of American Television set". Emmytvlegends.org. Retrieved 2013-03-05 .
21. ^ Harper, Thelma with Vicki Lawrence & Monty Aidem. Mama for President: Good Lord, Why Not? (2008)
22. ^ "RuPaul's Drag Race, Eden's World Full Episodes, Reality TV Shows". LogoTV. Retrieved 2013-03-05 .

This page was concluding edited on 24 January 2022, at 10:28

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Source: https://wiki2.org/en/Thelma_Harper

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