Funny / Mama's Family

• In "Mama Takes Three", Vinton and Naomi decide to adopt a child, but are required to see a psychiatrist to determine if they qualify. Unfortunately, they decide to bring Thelma with them and hell breaks loose from there.
  Vinton: (in regards to a chemistry set that he had as a child that she threw away) Mama said that I could have it when I was old enough for them!
  Mama: For God's sake, Vint! Those chemicals only have a shelf life of about fifty years!
  • When trying to invoke a Death Glare at the couple to scare them out of saying anything negative about her, the psychiatrist then responds by placing his notepad in the path of her face.
  • After initially refusing to sit on the Freudian Couch due to a lack of seating, Thelma then lays down on it and makes the interview about her, saying how much she hated her "old pruneface shrew of a mother" and how ungrateful her family is to her.
  • After Vinton gets angry at Mama about the failed interview, announcing that he's moving out and taking the last beer away from her, he learns that Naomi is pregnant after all. To this, he tries to eat crow and act like a bunny.
  Vinton: (as his mouth is dabbled over the can and in a sing-songy, dopey voice) Oh, Mama? Mama? Mama...
  Mama: Is that my beer that you're slobbering all over?
• In "Breaking Up is Hard to Do", Vint and Naomi break up due to him buying a fishing rod instead of a new mattress. When she comes back, they both insist on Mama serving them their dinner separately since neither wants to sit at the dinner table with each other. Angered at their childishness, she eventually begins to pelt them with dinner rolls. She then points out that they're made for each other:
  Mama: Well, we can start with your lack of prospects, lack of money, lack of intelligence and then get on to your really big problems!
  Vinton: I'll have you know that I think that Naomi is as bright as a button!
  Naomi: (pleased) You do?
  Vinton: Yeah, compared to me!
  Mama: (while holding up their dinner) Compared to you, this Crappie is a Rhodes scholar!
• In "I Do, I Don't", the family and Iola all returning from a family wedding and fantasizing about what married life will look like. All of them end up lousy, especially for Thelma:
  • Bubba is married to his then-girlfriend, Amy, is working three jobs, they already have twins and are expecting triplets and Thelma is senile.
  • Iola is married to Vint (and dressed as Naomi), but she and Thelma (who's a lush) don't get along and he's still attracted to their spinster neighbor, Naomi (who's dressed like Iola).
  • Thelma is married to her night school professor and the plot is very much like the film Rebecca.
  • Thelma at one point chastises Naomi for failing to make decent lemonade, saying how she's such a bad cook, she can't even combine lemonade mix with water.
• "The Really Loud Family":
  • Due to a convenient glitch with Bubba's camera, the introspective and sensitive interviews that he had with the family and Iola made it seem like a truly Dysfunctional Family. This includes Naomi being edited to look like she was easy as a young girl when she was really talking about a pet dog she had and for Mama to look like an abusive mother.
  Mama: When I think about my family, and their spouses and their kids—(edit)—it just turns my stomach! Husbands beatin' their wives, wives cheatin' on their husbands, kids all runnin' around! And you know who I place the blame for all this on?—(edit)—right with this old lady here.—(edit)—I know some people would say that I'm a terrible mother—(edit)—and I'd have to agree with them.
  • The fact that she then calls him "Cecil B. De-Moron".
  • Even with the glitchy camera, Bubba's name still appears copiously in the opening credits without interruption.
• "Farewell, Frannie":^note the first episode of the syndicated run
  • Thelma scolding Naomi about her new, curly bouffant hairdo, saying that it's too big and that "You're going to a funeral, not the 'Country Music Awards'".
  • After Bubba accidentally learning from Vinton that Ed and Eunice had left for Florida without telling him, he bursts into the repass in a huff, screaming, "I've been abandoned, just like Punky Brewster!"
  • Aunt Effie receiving the bad news that Frannie had been buried in her heirloom Emerald earrings and in sharing a "memory" of hers, she claims that one conversation she had with her is to make sure if anything happened to her, she she receive the earrings herself.
• "Sins of the Mother" was a truly funny episode, largely in part to Heather Kerr's memorable performance as a younger Eunice:
  Thelma: Those kids are just looking for a patsy to do all the work! They don't really like you!
  Eunice: And just how do you know that, Mama? DID YOU GO DOWN TO RAY'S MALT SHOP AND TAKE A SURVEY?!
  • Later on, when her crush Duke dropped her off and Eunice believes that she still had a chance with him, in spite of him already having a girlfriend, she spills her guts to the crowd:
  Eunice: Duke is the man I wanted to share my life with! My home with! My BED with!
  • This line:
  Eunice: Oh, Mama! This is my chance! My chance to show people thatI could be somebody! My chance to prove that I belong!! (dramatically poses)
  Thelma: Eunice, you've been watching one too many Joan Crawford movies!
  • Also in the flashback, in the Mother-Daughter's dinner young Vinton whines and begs why he can't come to the dinner. She explains to him that it's for mothers and daughters (read:females) only, but he still asks "But why can't I go?"

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