Mama's Family

Mama's in a hurry to get to the mall for a sale and tries to hurry Fran along to finish eating. But before that can happen Fran's boss at the newspaper calls. Telling her she has to come in and re-edit her latest story. Mama is obviously upset because she can't drive and has no way to get to the sale. Meanwhile Vinton, Mama's only son, drops by the house and announces that he and the kids have been evicted from their house. Now he's hoping that he, his daughter Sonja, and his son Buzz, can stay with Mama until he gets back on his feet. Against Fran's wishes Mama agrees. Vint gets the basement, Buzz gets the attic, and Sonja gets Fran's writing studio because she refuses to sleep on the couch. Fran is outraged by this, and her and Mama have a huge argument about it. Fran's mood turns even more sour when she finds out Sonja stumbled up on the book that she'd been working on recently and reads it. Fran says it's an invasion of her privacy and finally makes the decision that she'll move out. Because she can't take the stress anymore. Of course Mama had no idea that Fran was actually writing in her studio. But later as things settle down a bit, her and Mama have a heart to heart and she changes her mind and decides to stay after all.

After many years of not seeing each other, since high school, Vinton and Mama's next door neighbor Naomi Oates are reunited. They become quite close and Vint tells her that he had a big crush on her in high school. After coming home from the Bigger Jigger at 2 in the morning, Naomi and Vint go down to the basement to look at Vint's collection of TV Guides (25 years worth). Naomi remarks on how cute Mr. Ed is because that was her favorite show. They end up sleeping together and the next morning, while Mama and Fran are in the kitchen having breakfast, Naomi attempts to sneak out and is caught. Mama throws a fit and is outraged at Vint. Naomi, who had just sold her house, asks Vint to come with her to Arizona to run a trailer park because the job wants a husband and wife. Vint agrees and lets everyone know that he and Naomi plan on getting married and moving to Arizona. Mama is so shocked that she tells them that they can have the wedding at her house.

Vint and Buzz go to a bachelor party in celebration of Vint's impending marriage to Naomi. Meanwhile back at the house, Fran, Ellen, and Mama are decorating the living room when Naomi arrives with a bottle of wine (which Ellen claims is cheap). They get drunk and learn that Ellen thinks her husband, Bruce, is cheating on her with his secretary Peggy. Everyone pretends to be shocked at the news, but had thought that all along and try to convince Ellen that she is wrong. She phones his office and is surprised that Bruce answers and says that Peggy is a saint for letting him keep her there that late and that Ellen didn't to wait up for him. Ellen remarks that the only thing that could ruin this day is if Eunice showed up. The ladies start taking about how Eunice wants to sing at the wedding and all agree it would be a total disaster. Eunice arrives through the back door and over hears the conversation and obviously becomes upset. Coming into the living room she looses her cool. Blabbing t

The day of the wedding is at hand, and Vint and Naomi are ready to tie the knot. While Eunice still wants to sing her solo, she first asks Vint who says she'll have to talk to Naomi about it. Mama then gives Vint his daddy's ring as a wedding present, problem is Eunice thinks it's her ring, because Carl always wanted her to have it. While Naomi is getting ready she shows Eunice the ring, saying it's something blue and she prepares to wear it around her neck. Vint and Naomi say their vows and Eunice, who is already upset at Mama for giving her ring away and has had a few to many beers, prepares to sing her solo in front of the whole crowd. She starts yelling at Mama half way thru about the ring and Mama yells back and it turns into a free-for-all, with Eunice insulting everyone and eventually Ed has to carry out. Later,Mama and Fran sit on the couch, and enjoy the peace and quiet that they now have. Vint (who decided to take the kids afterall), Naomi, and the kids have left for Arizona.

Vinton gets an idea of taking the family (eveyone except Sonja) on to the game show Family Feud, so that they can have a chance at winning $10,000. He's even selected each person for his team for different reasons: Buzz (the teenage heartthrob), Naomi (the beauty), Mama (the sweet old lady), and Ellen and Vint as the brains of the family and could prolly win the money on their own. Ellen disagrees and says that she is the only one that is smart enough to win the money (meaning that Vint is dumb). Everyone takes a while to convince Mama to go, but she finally gives in. The opposing family is the very snooty Van Courtland's, who win the first round. Vint ends up winning the second match-up and decides to play in order to take the lead. After a short break, the point values are doubled and the Van Courtland's win the face-off and almost win the game, but Mama gets one last chance to steal. The survey question was ""What do you wind up?"" and the Harper's are telling Mama to answer with ""A m

Mama, Vint and Ed throw Eunice a suprise birthday party at the bigger jigger, problem is she's hoping for a trip to the Babalonian Roof Gardens. The birthday party soon turns ugly as Vint mentions Duke Reeves (he has a poster on the bar announcing his run for congress), who came to the house one day with flowers wanting to take Eunice out for a soda. But Mama turned him down and sent him away. Eunice starts making a huge scene about Duke being the only man she's ever loved. Vint goes to pick up Naomi and Ed goes to read the bathroom walls, when the argument escalates into an all out fight, and Eunice ends up punching a cop out and Mama wacks one with her pocket book and Mama and Eunice end up in jail. Scarlet, a hooker, arrives soon after they do and their fighting soon gets on her nerves and she tries to mediate a truce. She then tells them about her Mama and how she hated her every day, until she died and how she wished she was still living. Mama and Eunice make up just as Ed comes t

Buzz and Sonya are the organizers of a dance to raise funds to build a new gym at the high school. They get an idea after finding some of Mama's old stuff from the attic and hearing her stories about the Gym, and the way it was used as the Raytown U.S.O during the War. They wanna use Mama's stuff and have a 40's theme for the dance. But the other member's of the committee decide they would rather have a Punk Rock theme instead and hire a hot new band called Medication. Mama's disappointed and let's them take her stuff to be sold at the junk sale. Only after later talking to Fran does she realize how much the stuff really means to her. So her and Fran hurry to the gym to try and save her stuff from being sold. Only to find out the band got arrested (again) and won't be able to play after all. They need to save the dance, so she plays some of her records and everyone has a surprisingly good time.

Naomi's 2nd ex- husband, Leonard Oates, returns to Raytown after 3 years a wealthy man. Seems he's now the worm king of Tallahassee, Florida. Thanks to his mail order worm business. He's returned with the intention of winning his ex back and taking Naomi back to Tallahasse with him. As Naomi battles with the decision of what to do she gives Mama a permanent. But leaves the solution on to long and Mama's hair comes out looking like a ""Huge Q-tip"". So after Leonard tells Naomi he'll meet her at the Bigger Jigger at noon for her decision. She has a sit down with Fran who tells her ""she has to live with herself."" Mama has to follow her to the jigger to get her to finish her hair and the whole family tags along. Later at the Bigger Jigger, Leonard makes Naomi choose and in the end Naomi chooses Vint and her new life over Leonard, because Vint, as she puts it, trusted her.

Ellen Shows up and announces she's been given the ""Woman of the Year"" award at the Raytown Country Club that night.But what she doesn't know is Mayor Tutwiller has invited Mama and the family along as a surprise for Ellen. In a side plot Vint thinks Mama's lost his bowling ball after she says she put it in a ""Safe Place"".As expected the family arrives at the country club and Ellen is mortified.They ofcourse embarass her with the way they act. Finally after dinner,which Mama complains wasn't done.Mayor Tutwiller starts the ceremony by letting Mama say a few words.It turns out to be more than few as she basically brings the house down with comments.

Naomi's ailing and all the signs point to her the Stork being on the way for her and Vint. A fact that Mama is the first to discover, after administering ""Aunt Ida's Tater Masher Test"". Naomi is hesitant to tell Vint, because he wanted to wait to start their family until they get their own place. Mama accidently spills the beans to Buzz and Sonya, who think it's great. But Fran is worried how they can manage having another person in the house. Vint's surprisingly favorable reaction to the news, prompts a discussion as to were it will be sleeping. A screaming match results as no one wants to give up their room. Naomi,wanting to make sure she is pregnant, makes an appointment.The doctor runs some tests and tells her to wait. One by one the family arrives at the doctor's office, First Mama and then Vint, followed Buzz and Sonya, lastly Fran. All have ideas on what they should do for the baby. Mama settle it by saying the babies bunking with her. Unfortunately come to find out, it was a

The story starts in the hosptal, and Vint comes into the scene with Naomi, Ellen, and Eunice standing the the middle of the lobby, looking worried. As he asks what happened, Naomi is the first one to tell him the story of what happened in the kitchen that day. Mama and the girls were in the kitchen making gooseberry jam, and she was being the perfect daughter-in-law, Ellen was helping a little bit, and Eunice comes into the door late, claiming that her car broke down, and that she was almost run over out on route 5. Ellen said that she was out on route 5 getting the berries, and she didn't see her at all. However, Eunice thinks different.They pick a fight, and then the gooseberries start to stick to the pot. When Mama says: ""Sweetie, Get that pot for me"", they both run to the pot and start to argue for it. They tell Naomi to butt out, and then they fight for the pan. As they are swinging it around, they smack Mama in the afce with it. She is out cold. The next one to tell the story is

Mama finds Naomi at work being overly nice,and she explains to Mama she's trying to win the Food Circus Friendly Employee of the Month.Which she ends up doing in the end,and gets her picture posted on a poster in the front of the store. Naomi soon arrive's home to celebrate and recieves a very disturbing phone call.An obscene phone call.He calls back several times,even asking for Naomi by name when Vint answers the phone.Mama and Fran soon come to the conclusion that it's all Naomi's fault,for the way she dresses and walks.Not to mention her efforts at work to be voted Friendly Employee of the Month. This all changes when Naomi leaves for work and the guy calls back.Not getting Naomi he talks the same way to Mama,then Fran and even Vint.They realize he'll talk to anyone that way and it's not Naomi's fault at all.So they all head down to Food Circus to apologize.

Mama finds Frannie's diary when she goes to get Bubba for breakfast. Inside is a note telling Mama to call the executor of her will, Larwin P. Finstadler. When Mr. Finstadler arrives he informs Mama that Fran was worth $35,000. Fran's will stipulated 10% of that would go to the ""Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls"". But the other $31,500 was to be split evenly between Mama, and Vint and Naomi. Only one stipulation stands between Mama and the money, she has to keep from losing her temper for a period of two weeks and it's totally on her honor. So for the next two weeks Vint and Naomi wait on her hand and foot, trying to keep her from getting upset. Including paying Bubba $10 to do his homework and doing the dishes and most of the other housework. While they begin to bicker among themselves, Mama relaxes and takes it easy.

The family is in the middle of a game of scrabble when Ellen stops by with a gift for Mama and to attempt to once again apologize for missing her Aunt Fran's funeral. Mama refuses to forgive her and throws her out. Later, Naomi comes in and says she heard that Ellen was in the hospital about to under go surgery. With that, Mama drags the rest of the family to the hospital to visit her. The visit soon turns very uncomfortable for Ellen as Mama begins yelling at the family for one and then another. Not able to stand it any longer, Ellen calls for the nurse and orders her to throw the family out and post an armed guard at the door. Mama finally sends everyone home, but sneaks back in herself and stays with Ellen through the night. Mama and Ellen soon forgive one another for all the years of fighting and Ellen finally reveals to Mama why she is the hospital in the first place, she's having a fanny tuck.

Mama is the editor of the years church bazaar cookbook, in it she plans to use her own recipe for Chili. Iola objects thinking it should be hers that Mama uses. Soon Naomi too throws her hat in the ring, saying she makes the best Chili. So the three decide to have to a chili cook-off with the winner getting her recipe in the cookbook. Vint, being stuck in the middle of this brewing argument, is choosen, against his will, as the judge of the contest. All three have identical supplies, with Mama and Iola also have identical ingredients. While Naomi's chili is far different from the other two as it includes two giant cans of store bought chili, plus beer, cheetos and several other items not usually associated with chili. Each bringing back a certain memory from one of her ex-husbands or boyfriends. Each bowl is lettered as the contest begins and Vint decides the 'B' bowl is the best, which belongs to Iola, and she runs home to show her father and dare her mother to throw it out again.

When Mama's dreams start providing the names of winning horses, the family figures they're in the money.

Mama's sister, Frannie, has just passed away, and even if she can't bring herself to tell how Frannie actually died (it was by inhaling a tooth pick in the ladies room at the Bigger Jigger). Mama is never the less determined to give her late sister something she never had, a ""perfect day"". But things soon turn from perfect to terrible as one disaster after another strikes. First Mama finds out Don and Loraine won't be there and ofcourse Buzz and Sonya won't either (for unexplained reasons) and Ed and Eunice have moved to Florida (a blessing). Then Ellen calls and says she's got something more pressing business and can't make it either. Later, as the the family gets home from the funeral, we find out Vint forgot to shut the hearse door, resulting in the coffin flying out of the hearse and down the on-ramp to the free way.

In this Thanksgiving episode, Mama, Bubba, Vinton, Naomi, Iola, and Aunt Effie (Dorothy Van) all go for cover in the basement when an unexpected tornado passes by Raytown.

When Bubba has trouble in high school, it's revealed that Mama failed to graduate as well.

Mama develops an addiction to online shopping.

When Vint is accused of being Raytown's "Courteous Crook", Mama and Iola take action to clear his name.

Vint and Naomi are separated yet living in the same house (and driving Mama crazy in the process).

After nearly being hit by lightning, Mama finds a new outlook on life.

After 50 years, Mama finally gets her chance to sing at Raytown's Founders' Day celebration.After nearly being hit by lightning, Mama finds a new outlook on life.

Mama's reign as the Church Ladies League President only has two weeks to go and being that it's limited to one term Mama needs someone to nominate her for a second term. So she drafts Iola to take on the CCL's power broker in Alberta Meechum. but it doesn't quite go as planned as a very nervous Iola stumbles through her nomination of Mama. Thelma versus Iola Alberta makes it clear that she thinks it's unfair to ask anyone to carry the load of being president for another two years. So in a shocking twist she nominates Iola and it's soon decided to have an election. The campaign turns nasty quick and Mama challenges Iola to a public debate.

Mama and Iola are working hard on a homemade quilt to enter an upcoming contest when Iola comments about the house being so quiet lately. Vint and Naomi arrive home from visiting a friend of their's who just had a baby girl. Which gives Naomi the idea that she wants one too. Mama's dead set against the idea and makes it clear to Vint about her feelings. When that bit of pushing fells to get through. Mama decides to give them a taste of what having a baby is like. So, thinking they have a day off, she sets a little plan into motion to discourage them. Namely asking to babysit for one of her neighbors, who has a baby with a real penchant for high pitched crying. Problem is Naomi and Vint have decided to go into work late, leaving Mama to baby sit little Garth. It's a chore to finally get him to stop crying, but every time Mama gets him to be quiet someone slams a door and he starts again. In the end, Mama is wore out and falls asleep right as Naomi and Vint come in.

Naomi's on top of the world with the news that she has an interview for the now vacant Assistant Manager's job at Food Circus. While Vint worries if she gets the job she'll never be home. All of this is because a new manager (Archie Woods) has taken over and begins to shakes things up, including firing the old Assistant Manager. Naomi arrives for her interview full of new ideas for the store. Problem is there are several job requirements that she didn't count on when she applied. Like, for instance, having to make it with Mr. Woods if she wants the promotion or for that matter to even keep her old checkers job. She's horrified and it takes a while before she can explain to Mama and Iola what exactly happened.

Mama's already annoyed and trying to avoid Roselle so she won't have to head up the latest charity drive. While Bubba's late for dinner, which of course annoys Mama even more. He's learning to use the school video camera as he's planning to make a film about the Harper family for a school project. So to begin he has everyone gather at the dining room table, problem is their all decked out in their best clothes.

It's the day before Mama's birthday and Vint decides to make her a present instead of buying her something. It ends up being a really ugly cocktail belt, which Bubba's not sure what to think of when he sess it. A little later, a knock comes at the front door and it's Vint's boss, Mr. Carstairs. He wants Vint to hold on to a gift he bought for his ""Mother"", his pet name for his wife. A $200 diamond bracelet. The problem's start when Mama finds it and thinks it's for her after she reads the card and it says ""to my darling mother."" So not being able to except such an expensive gift she takes it back to the store and exchanges it. Buying gifts for everyone else in the process. Bubba gets an LP, Naomi gets her bed sheets and Vint's get the watch he wanted.

The mail is late,meaning Mama's pention check is late also,so she has to wait around for the mailman.Come to find out Iola had it the whole time and now it's to late to get to the bank to deposit it.So Iola suggests that Mama use the new Auto-Teller, instead of letting her checks for the bills bounce. Mama deposits the check and asks for $20.00 cash,which the machine deducts from her account,but never gives to her.So she blasts it with her pocket book and it soon starts spitting out money.$800 to be exact. Later at the dinner table,the family and Iola take part in Bubba's survey for his class and all disagree on what people should do with found money.It soon comes out that the teller-matic gave Mama $800 and suddenly everyone agrees that they should keep the money,with everyone having ideas on how best to spend it.But Mama decides to return to the bank the next day and put it in her account instead.

After reading about how much it costs to raise a child, Vint and Naomi decide to start a business selling bottles of Mama's mother-in-law's "miracle tonic."

Mama suspects that Vint is having an affair with his new trainee Heather, so she and Iola go to his workplace to investigate.

Mama encourages Iola to find herself a man, but the man she finds turns out to be a domineering blowhard.

The Harpers install an intercom so that Naomi will be able to monitor her baby, but Mama uses it to eavesdrop on the family, and vice versa.

Mama is attracted to actor Leslie Lemoyne, until she sees him on "Tri-State's Most Wanted" (the local version of America's Most Wanted), and believes that he is the infamous "widow waster".

Mama verbally attacks a radio show's unhelpful consumer advocate, and the station manager offers her his job, with Mama broadcasting from her living room.