The%20very%20thin%20ghost%20of%20Joyce%20Haber- Who?
25%20year%20old
- I don't think that I would call Vicki Lawrence a big star, but she is certainly very well known to people to listened to pop music in the 1970s and to people who watched The Carol Burnett Show.
- [quote] I wouldn't stand up from my table in a restaurant to see her if someone told me she was sitting across the room, however
OP - No one with good manners would stand up, for anyone.
- Two words. Thelma Harper. Anyone under 25 doesn't deserve to know who she is.
http://www.comicbookreligion.com/img/t/h/Thelma_Harper.jpg
- [quote]she is certainly very well known to people to listened to pop music in the 1970s and to people who watched The Carol Burnett Show.
And Hannah Montana fans!
Nancy McKeon, Demi Lovato's mom
- I wouldn't ....
C.%20Burnett
- She's a Republican.
- I'd call her someone I'd like to fuck in the ass.
Damn%21
- Perhaps calling her a 'big star' in 2012 doesn't apply any longer.
But calling her a well-known celebrity or more precisely 'a well-known television star' of the 1970s-1980s would certainly apply.
- What does it take to impress you people? I was on Battle of the Network Stars, for fuck's sake!!
Vicki
- She was a household name in the 70's and 80's. She was big enough then to be considered a "has been" now.
- I tried Googling "Vicki Lawrence" and I got 1,000,000 hits for "Who the fuck is that?"
- R11. Vicki Lawrence is not a has-been. A has-been is someone who was sort of a big deal at one time and is now trying to steal the spotlight again. That is not Vicki Lawrence.
Plus, there are millions of people of a certain age in all types of professions--notably in the entertainment business in this case--who are not the big names that they once were in their 20s-30s-40s.
- The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family made her a television icon, and since the latter has been in syndication for decades, I'd say she's more well known than people realize. Mama's Family was one of those shows that everyone, regardless of race or class, enjoyed immensely (similar to All In the Family). The Southern humor of that show reminded me of some of the great works from Tennessee Williams and Flannery O'Connor. It holds up very well.
- with due respect to Julia Sugarbaker, THIS is the night that the lights went out in Georgia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DNaTH3a7u8kU
- Vicki was the grandmother in 'Hannah Montana.' Never knew that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicki_Lawrence
- [quote]Mama's Family was one of those shows that everyone, regardless of race or class, enjoyed immensely (similar to All In the Family). The Southern humor of that show reminded me of some of the great works from Tennessee Williams and Flannery O'Connor.
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" ... "A Good Man is Hard to Find" ... "Mama Goes Hawaiian." Yes, I can see it.
- Don't forget 'Ships in the Night'!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFPRkJaMgXQ
- R17, I know that was your cute attempt at being a snarky cunt, but you missed my point. Of course Williams and O'Connor works were more Gothic and tragic than a weekly sitcom, but the sketches of Southern working class community and their cultural absurdities is definitely similar to the kind you find in Mama's Family.
- R1, you could have easily signed yourself "35 year old".
- The night the lights went out in Georgia will live on as the greatest song of the 20th Century!
- Well, she wasn't a looker. If she had been, I suspect her music career would have been more successful and the youngsters might remember her today. Instead, she was a comic actress thanks to being taken under Carol Burnett's wing. She went on to work under heavy make up and a grey wig in a sitcom that grated on people's nerves.
- Her Mamma is one of the funniest turns in comedy.
- No, I would call her a second banana. But not as big of a second banana as Vivian Vance.
- A step below Vivian Vance but a step above Kaye Ballard who never got that one part that would have made her more than a familiar name.
- "Mama's Family" is a true guilty pleasure for me. But I am not embarrassed to say that I bought dvds of the entire series and enjoy them immensely.
- r25
Fuck you, Dolores!
Kaye
- R22 - it's well known Vicki didn't wear makeup as Mama - all she did was put on the grey wig and the character appeared. Go back and watch any of the Carol Burnett Show reunions and they always mention it.
Speaking of: Vicki as Mama will be the celebrity guest judge on this Monday's RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Don't miss it!
AND Vicki will be bringing her one-woman Vicki/Mama Show to the NYC area FOR THE FIRST TIME on November 3 in Rahway, NJ (where the prison is!). See you then and there!
http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/TicketRequest%3FeventId%3D604006%26presenter%3DUNCAC%26venue%26event%23.UInSFHEFz6o.facebook
Bubba%27s%20tightest%20jeans
- I don't think so
Connie%20Stevens
- [quote] I was on Battle of the Network Stars, for fuck's sake!!
And in countless game shows as the guest STAR or host STAR!
Betty White
- She also had a successful daytime talk show and hosted "Win, Lose or Draw."
- I'd call her a bitter d-list has-been. Remember when she attacked that homeless radio announcer who was being given a second chance? She whined that she was a decent upstanding citizen, people should be helping her get work, not homeless "trash" who she considers worthless. Showed her repellent Republican streak there too with her insensitivity about the homeless.
The Carol Burnett show is legendary, but she was only a supporting player on it. And her recording career was a joke, a one-hit-wonder, and it was obvious people liked the song itself, not her weak, nondescript vocal. It was originally written for Cher who would've sung it much better.
Mama's Family was a hit in syndication, but not a big hit by network standards. It's either very cheesy or campy depending how you view it, but many people just consider it one of the worst sitcoms ever. If they remember it at all. It probably hurts her reputation more than anything.
- [quote]I bought dvds of the entire series
I'd be interested in the two episodes where Bubba was shirtless.
- I have all the episodes too (on bootleg). Alan Kayser was such a stud muffin as Bubba.
[quote]She went on to work under heavy make up and a grey wig in a sitcom that grated on people's nerves
No make-up, just a wig and padding. And, as for the "grating", speak for yourself.
- [quote]I'd be interested in the two episodes where Bubba was shirtless.
And in the rolled-waist sweat pants.
Bubba bulge forever!!
R26
- Scroll to the 3:23 mark of this video and start jackin'!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xOgNJq4Lag
- [quote]many people just consider it one of the worst sitcoms ever. If they remember it at all
Aw, Eunice, why don't you SHUDDUP?
Miz%20Harper
- "The Southern humor of that show reminded me of some of the great works from Tennessee Williams and Flannery O'Connor."
The Williams & O'Connor estates will be in touch regarding your slanderous statement.
- Didn't a REAL country singer - I think REBA - do a remake/cover of "The Night the Lights Went Out..." ?
Did it top the charts too?
Kellie%20Pickler%2C%20seeking%20her%20next%20single
- I loved Mama's Family starting with Season 2 when it Bubba and Iola came on.
- tanya tucker sang the Georgia song
- I think she is tremendous.
- This is the Vicki clip I dig the most.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DN76JIVTPnmc
Mary%20Travers%20during%20her%20Jabba%20the%20Hut%20years
- I remember watching her talk show (the one called "Vicki!" which she wasn't even hosting for the longest time) and she had a psychic on. This was right after she'd announced she was going to end the show. I remember the psychic saying Vicki had something very big coming up in her career in the next year and not to worry. Well...Vicki hasn't been seen or heard from since.
- Actually R44 Fox TV hired Vicki to host another version of her talk show to go opposite Live with Regis at 9AM.
She lasted one week before getting cancelled. She moved from LA to NYC to host the show, and barely got unpacked before Fox cancelled the show!
- Vicki is a television icon. Not a has been. Stick to your reality shows if you're that clueless about the history of television.
MAMA'S FAMILY was a giant hit in syndication. (The NBC version even drew in respectable ratings). The show only ended because Vicki didn't want to do another year, but the ratings were good enough to have gone on for a couple of more seasons.
Furthermore, she's touring the country with her one woman show which is drawing sold out audiences.
Broadway would be wise to put her in a theater for a week or two.
- That one is good R43 but I'm partial to this one-
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DLqTmmrFnvRs
- Oh right r46, "respectable" is certainly an accurate way to describe the show's NBC ratings that got it cancelled after 35 episodes. Bad taste and delusional fantasies seem to go hand-in-hand with Mama's Family die-hards.
Comparable%20to%20Tennessee%20Williams%21
- No.
- [quote]A has-been is someone who was sort of a big deal at one time and is now trying to steal the spotlight again. That is not Vicki Lawrence.
Wrong. What dictionary are you using? A has-been is someone who was a biggish star in the past but no longer is. That describes VL perfectly.
- She's been on a few talk shows lately pitching the Carol Burnett Show DVDs (she must be getting a piece of the money) and she seems bitter and more than a little bit nasty.
She should be grateful for her success...she ain't all that.
- Didn't she have a son do porn in the 90's?
- I never watched Mama's Family. Seriously I have NEVER been that bored.
Hercule%20Prono
- [quote]Broadway would be wise to put her in a theater for a week or two.
Oh, hon, don't take up valuable Broadway space with THAT. Just put her in the lobby of the Milford Plaza wearing her Mama wig and charge the Midwestern tourists $20 to gawk at her.
- As R28 noted:
Rahway, New Jersey is the closest Vicki will evet get to Broadway.
- J'adore Mlle Lawrence!
Zizi%20Bader%20Ginsburg
- There is NO ONE like Vicki Lawrence.
THREAD CLOSED.
- Why do we always have to talk about Vicki Lawrence whenever there is a big storm?
- "baby baby don't you cry anymore, mama's gonna make it all better like before, gonna wipe away your tears, wash away the pain, mama's gonna make it all better again."
great%20song%20from%20her%202nd%20album
- I didn't even know she had a FIRST album, let alone a second...
Every%20record%20buyer%20in%20the%20USA
- "Does he hold you 'til you're sleeping softly every night? does he wake you with a kiss to share the morning light? And when he loves you does he close his eyes, reach for you each time you rise, has he told you yet he'll never set you free? He did with me." "He Did With Me" from the "Lights" album.
Harold%20Lloyd-Gloria%20Sklerov
- her records are really quite fun and she has a good singing voice, wish she'd do a concert of the songs she recorded in the 70s, some of which aren't available on cd or download.
- We have a place for her since the Palace closed down.
Branson%2C%20Missouri
- Don't forget when she was on Laverne and Shirley LOL.
-
or Roseanne....
- Mama's Family was one of the most ghetto shows ever. How long did it last and what were the ratings
- My mom always identified with poor Eunice as she had a brother like Vint, a sister like Betty White's "Ellen" and my grandmother could be a bit like Mother Harper.
- Mama's Family might have been good if it had an actual budget. Looks like Vicki and the cast had to make the scenery on their days off.
- True, R68 - Vicki once griped publicly about how ridiculously modest her residual checks from Mama's Family were.
- It was a hit in syndication, where it was a big fish in a little pond. The original syndicated airings were on Sunday afternoons. It must've done ok with minimal competition, but advertisers weren't going to pay much for that time-slot. That's why it looked so cheap. It couldn't compete in the big pond on NBC, a little fish that got gobbled up after 35 episodes.
- When it went into syndication, the set was completely different. The house was smaller and lit much brighter. It always bothered me, though, how whenever they were out on the porch, you could hear the hollowness of the stage floor whenever they walked. That outside set was painfully fake looking, down to the astroturf grass.
- Loved the Carol Burnett Show "Family" sketches, but by the time it hit syndication, "Mama's Family" had devolved into silly, corny drek.
And the bitter, mean-spirited, lazy Bible Belt battle Mama of the Burnett show didn't even sound like the peppy, sweet, high-energy Mama of the syndicated show. They were really two different characters.
- R72, not only did Mama change drastically when the show hit syndication, but so did Naomi and Vint. Vint went from being a chauvanistic jerk in the original run to a bumbling, immature doofus in syndication, and Naomi went from being a deep-voiced sassy vixen to a high-pitch-voiced bubble head. Thelma did retain some of her meanness, even though she was 10 times nicer in the syndicated run than in the original run.
- Whatever happened to her kids? When she had her talk show she used to brag about the daughter Courtney who was at Stanford and her son Garret who came out in tiny swim trunks and painted gold during an Oscars segment.
- I love "Mama's Family." In all incarnations.
- What ever happened to Vint's kids? They were the most annoying cast members of any tv show ever.
- I would call Vicki Lawrence a big star.
Then again, I would call the second Mrs. Kravitz, Sandra Gould, a big star so I'm easy.
- "The Family" sketches are based on Carol's real family. Thelma is based Carol's real grandmother, and Eunice is based on Carol's real mother.
- "Sensual Man" is another good Vicki song, also "Cameo."
- Didn't she do one called 'The Other Woman' too? About getting back her cheating husband?
- She's a known celebrity. As opposed to those like Charo, Joey Heatherton, John Davidson and Mya Hee who were celebrities but no one knew exactly why
- Yes, "The Other Woman" from her 2nd or third album. Those are EXTREMELY rare and expensive. Her third was called "New Birth" I believe. The "Night" cd has three bonus cuts from 2nd album.
- Another creepy story song she did, also by Gloria Sklerov, is "Hollywood 7" - dramatic and sleazy. YouTube has the clip of her singing it on the Burnett show. Hoopy!
- And yet... Charo is a classically trained guitarist (and excellent), Joey Heatherton appeared on Broadway and in a number of films, and Davidson was a leadin man with a fine voice who continue to act onstage, currently off-Broadway in The Fantastiks.
Yes, your argument is a SOLID one.
- Charo never did anything but shake her ass. She may be a trained classic guitarist, but no one knows her for that.
I know six people that were in Broadway shows. Not one of them is known. You don't have to be famous to be in one. And yes, star in one. Especially in the 60s when Broadway was a dime a dozen.
Good grief you're trying to make Broadway out to be big anymore? The only reason it exists is so that Bernadette Peters can have a job.
The argument IS rock solid.
If you're going to try to refute someone use a good example, not a half assed argument. Or at least try using your WHOLE ASS.
- Shake you're groove thing
Shake you're groove thing yeah yeah yeah
Show me how it's done....
Shake you're groove thing
Shake you're groove thing
- What the hell is a groove thing.
Mr%20Woodman
- No
charlie
- [quote]The bitter, mean-spirited, lazy Bible Belt battle axe Mama of the Burnett show didn't even sound like the peppy, sweet, high-energy Mama of the syndicated show. They were really two different characters.
Mama's voice even changed with Vicki's interpretation of her. The lovable grump from the syndicated show sounded high-pitched and nasal, whereas the hateful old cow of the Carol Burnett skits and the NBC version sounded lower and huskier.
James%20Lipton
- As compared to Susan Olsen, yes.
- Ships in the night, eyes that are flashin', you're a ship in the night...and nobody's taking my man." -sic, loved this song from her second album.
Mr.%20Allison
- Terms like "star" or "superstar" are bandied about like potato chips. Today you can be in one CGI filled movie and be known as a "superstar" or act in a humorless network comedy and be declared a "Star". There is no training or paying of dues anymore. Ms. Lawrence is an actress. She worked consistently in one form of show business or another for over 30 yrs. She has paid her dues sometimes as a lead, sometimes as second banana and sometimes as a guest on another show. She is not a star but a celebrity who works at her craft and has done so for many years.
- no, but I'd call her a chinless one.
- My answer was a resounding YES, but that was when I thought the post read "Would you call someone like Vicki Lawrence a pig star?".
- [quote] the sketches of Southern working class community and their cultural absurdities is definitely similar to the kind you find in Mama's Family.
And "Moose Murders" is definitely similar to that other comedy, "As You Like It."
- She was just a guest judge on Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars, which surprised me since she's supposed to be such a big Republican. Must be gay-friendly and/or really needs what little money RuPaul pays.
http://www.hewlett.org/about-the-william-and-flora-hewlett-foundation/foundation-staff/eric-brown
- Didn't mean to leave that link in there but anyway that is Eric Brown who played Vint Jr. in the early years of Mama's Family.
r96
- Whis is this thread still fucking here!!!! GET.THE.FUCK.OFF.THE.INTERNET!!!
NebraskaAttitude%21
- Vicki Lawrence isn't a star, she's a MEGA-STAR.
- I loved her talk show!
Wouldn't it be great if her and Bonnie Franklin did a sitcom together?
Dammit%2C%20Vicki%21
- Bonnie Franklin ought to do a talk show called FRANKLY, BONNIE.
- I'd call Bonnie Franklin's talk show BONNIE'S WORLD.
Maybe Gale Gordon could be her acerbic yet loveable sidekick?
1965
- She was until the lights went out in Georgia.
- [quote] She was until the lights went out in Georgia
But if the lights went out, wouldn't that have made her a bigger star?!?
- Dolly rocks
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DZ9U_R9RGB_o
- Dolly does not rock, in fact I would say her voice is twee and weak. I like Vicki Lawrence's recorded work better than the overrated Parton.
