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Mama's Family began as a sketch on The Carol Burnett Show called "The Family" and featured many of the characters that we know from the Mama's Family series. This included Carol Burnett as Eunice Higgins, Harvey Korman as Euncie's husband Ed, Vicki Lawrence as Mama, and Betty White as Ellen. Other guest stars made frequent appearances, such as Roddy McDowall playing Mama's son Phillip, and Tim Conway playing Mickey Hart, Ed's best friend and co-worker at the hardware store.Columbia House released a 31 volume set (2 episodes on each volume) of The Carol Burnett Show on DVD and Guthy-Renker released the first 21 volumes of the previously released Columbia House collection. Some of these volumes contain sketches of "The Family". If a family sketch is available on DVD, it will be noted below on which volume it can be found. Below is a listing of "The Family" sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. If I am missing any information, please contact me and I will add it. 
1. In the first sketch, Mama's son Phillip visits Eunice and the family.Guest Star: Roddy McDowall (Phillip) Aired: March 16, 1974 This sketch is available on the 1st DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
2. "Brotherly Love" - the family learn the meaning of forgiveness and Brotherly love after going to church; Mama reveals that her husband Carl died in the bathroom.Aired: September 14, 1974 This sketch is available on the 21st DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
3. Eunice, Ed, and Mama visit brother Jack in the hospital.Guest star: Tom Smothers (Jack) Aired: October 12, 1974 This sketch is available on the 21st DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
4. Ed and Mama agree to play a game of Sorry! with Eunice.Aired: November 16, 1974 
5. Eunice's brother Larry visits the family for Christmas.Guest star: Alan Alda (Larry) Aired: December 21, 1974 This sketch is available on the 10th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
6. Eunice and Ed meet Mama's new boyfriend.Guest Star: William Conrad (Willy) Aired: January 25, 1975 This sketch is available on the 30th DVD volume from Columbia House. 
7. Eunice and Ed must take care of Mama after she has an accident and ends up in a wheelchair.Aired: February 22, 1975 This sketch is available on the 22nd DVD volume from Columbia House. 
8. The family visit Philip, now a famous movie writer in California; Eunice tries to get her brother to cast her in his movie.Guest star: Roddy McDowall (Philip) Aired: March 15, 1975 This sketch is available on the 7th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
9. Eunice and Mama visit Ed at the hardware store in hopes that he would treat them to lunch; Ed refuses on account of his lamebrain co-worker Mickey Hart (Tim Conway).Aired: April 15, 1975 
10. Eunice decides to leave Ed after catching him at a massage parlor.Guest star: Jim Nabors (Taxi Driver) Aired: September 13, 1975 
11. This sketch features a flashback to when Eunice and Ed were dating; Eunice reveals why she and Ed were forced to get married.Aired: October 4, 1975 This sketch is available on the 8th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
12. Eunice and Mama are partnered against Ed and Mickey (Tim Conway) in a friendly game of charades.Aired: October 25, 1975 This sketch is available on the 29th DVD volume from Columbia House. 
13. Eunice, Ed, and Mama have a conference with Bubba's school teacher; Bubba is not shown in this sketch but is described as the biggest bully in the school.Guest star: Maggie Smith (Bubba's Teacher) Aired: November 15, 1975 This sketch is available on the 23rd DVD volume from Columbia House. 14. Eunice and Ellen celebrate Mama's birthday; Ellen gives Mama a better present than Eunice. Guest star: Betty White (Ellen) Aired: November 22, 1975 This sketch is available on the 23rd DVD volume from Columbia House. 
15. The family grieve over the death of Aunt Mae; Mama feels guilty because she hung up on Mae right before she dies.Aired: unknown to me 
16. The family visit a high class restaurant and are eventually asked to leave after their constant arguing.Aired: unknown to me 
17. Mama gets angry when Eunice reunites with her old pal, Midge Gibson.Guest star: Joanne Woodward (Midge Gibson) Aired: February 14, 1976 This sketch is available on the 18th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
18. Ed wants to go on a vacation with his best friend Mickey (Tim Conway) and refuses to allow Eunice to come along.Aired: March 13, 1976 This sketch is available on the 22nd DVD volume from Columbia House. 
19. Eunice rehearses for a play with co-worker Mavis Danton.Guest star: Madeline Kahn (Mavis Danton) Aired: October 16, 1976 This sketch is available on the 19th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
20. The family are treated to a special Chinese food dinner at Mickey's (Tim Conway) house to celebrate his 5 year anniversary working with Ed at the hardware store.Aired: November 6, 1976 This sketch is available on the 20th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
21. Ed, Eunice, and Ellen help Mama clean out her attic; Eunice discovers that Mama cooked her pet rabbit Fluffy when she was a kid.Guest star: Betty White (Ellen) Aired: December 11, 1976 This sketch is available on the 7th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
22. Eunice appears on The Gong Show.Guest stars: Chuck Barris, Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and Allen Ludden Aired: February 4, 1977 This sketch is available on the 14th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. This sketch is also available on Carol Burnett's My Personal Best VHS. 
23. Mama, Eunice, and Ed play Monopoly; they get a call from Philip who announces his engagement to an Italian movie star.Aired: unknown to me This sketch is available on the 5th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 24. Dick Van Dyke makes what is most likely his first appearance as Ed's old Army buddy. Mama and Eunice are getting dinner ready, Ed is late, and Eunice eventually gets a call from her husband who states he is running off with some floozy at the silver slipper because he wants to grab happiness while he can. He has left half of the hardware store to Mickey Hart. Eunice tries to be graceful about it in front of Mama and Dick Van Dyke's character, but she finally breaks down. Mickey Hart (Tim Conway) comes over sobbing about the boss leaving, and Eunice scolds him for not warning her about this. Mama as usual is not particularly comforting and Dick Van Dyke hints that he wants to crash on the couch at Eunice's house. Mama, who is not happy about this, tells Dick Van Dyke that there is a nice flop house on the other side of town. Aired: unknown to me 25. Dick Van Dyke, who was kicked out of his hotel has now become Eunice's house guest and comes out in one of Ed's old bathrobes. Eunice apparently has a crush on him and decides to flirt a little; Van Dyke however makes it clear that they are just friends "like Batman and Robin". Eunice is flustered and Van Dyke goes off to take a shower. Mama arrives at the door (she was driven by some old lady who is a friend, but can't see well). Eunice is worried that Mama will see Van Dyke and figure out that he is living with her. Mama has brought Eunice a fudgey swirl cake to cheer her up because Ed has left. Eunice tries to rush Mama out of the house to go with her to some picnic, but Mama wants to stay. Van Dyke comes downstairs and all hell breaks loose! Van Dyke gets a phone call from a bar where he applied for a job and gets into an argument with the bar owner and hangs up. Mama is very upset that her daughter is living in sin and the two have a shouting match in front of Van Dyke. Mama says something like, "I no longer have a daughter. Please call me a taxi Eunice. I will wait for it out in the nice clean air." After she leaves, Eunice and Van Dyke talk until Mama angrily returns because the taxi driver wanted too much money. Somehow things calm down a little and Mama stays and visits. Aired: unknown to me 26. Mama wants to move out to a retirement home, Mickey (Tim Conway) and Eunice help her pack. Out of guilt Eunice eventually allows Mama to movie in with her. Note: This sketch and the sketches that follow take place after Harvey Korman's (Ed) departure from The Carol Burnett Show. Aired: unknown to me 
27. Eunice, Mama, and Mickey (Tim Conway) play Password with Dick Van Dyke who is now a regular on The Carol Burnett Show.Aired: November 5, 1977 28. Eunice's brother Philip (Roddy McDowall) makes his third and final appearance, as he visits Eunice and Mama to give them the news of receiving an honorary degree from a local university. Aired: January 8, 1978 This sketch is available on the 13th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 29. Eunice and Mama visit Ellen's fancy house to celebrate her anniversary, and Eunice tries to convince her sister to take Mama off her hands. Ellen eventually throws both of them out of her house. Guest star: Betty White (Ellen) Aired: March 5, 1978 This sketch is available on the 15th DVD volume from Columbia House and Guthy-Renker. 
30. In the final sketch on The Carol Burnett Show, Eunice goes to a shrink and tries to turn her life around. Mama ends the sketch saying that Eunice will "never amount to anything!" Eunice proudly says her final words, "When confronted with a foe, bless them, praise them, and let them go."Aired: March 29, 1978 31. Eunice and Mama visit Carl's grave. This sketch was from an episode of Carol Burnett & Company, a 4 episode series aired in the late 1970s that brought back some of the famous characters from The Carol Burnett Show. Aired: September 8, 1979 If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me at trentlee38@yahoo.com. |