History Trivia / MyMotherTheCar

** Maggie Pierce, the actress who played the lead character's wife Barbara, had appeared on small roles in films and guest roles in TV shows in the early '60s, but this ended up being her last role on a TV series, as this, alongside ''Film/TheFastestGuitarAlive'', a NonActorVehicle for musician Music/RoyOrbison that was a flop with audiences and critics, seem to have killed Pierce's nascent acting career.[[note]]Ironically, she had stated on interviews that her main motivation to star in the series was because she considered that to succeed in show business she had to be a regular on a TV series.[[/note]] She appears to have become a theatre producer afterwards until her death in 2010.

** Maggie Pierce, the actress who played the lead character's wife Barbara, had appeared on small roles in films and guest roles in TV shows in the early '60s, but this ended up being her last role on a TV series, as this, alongside ''Film/TheFastestGuitarAlive'', a NonActorVehicle for musicial Music/RoyOrbison that was a flop with audiences and critics, seem to have killed Pierce's nascent acting career.[[note]]Ironically, she had stated on interviews that her main motivation to star in the series was because she considered that to succeed in show business she had to be a regular on a TV series.[[/note]] She appears to have become a theatre producer afterwards until her death in 2010.

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and its sheer unpopularity in the States, the only known countries (according with both Wikipedia and [=IMDb=]) which broadcasted this show were France, Italy, Japan and bizarrely enough, the former ''Soviet Union'', of all places. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.[[note]]The Latin American case is worth of mention here, because traditionally Latin America, and especially speaking, Mexico, has being considered as a dumping ground for failed or unpopular U.S. shows, being this one the few exceptions on this rule.[[/note]]

* CreatorBacklash: It's been joked in a ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' DVDCommentary that mentioning James L. Brooks' stint as a writer on this series would get you fired. He and series co-creator Allen Burns later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'', which included several in-jokes about ''My Mother the Car'' such as the WJM program grid featuring reruns of the show several times a day.

* MoneyDearBoy: Ann Sothern's motivation for being in the show: a chance to earn television-level salary for radio-level acting.
* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and its sheer unpopularity in the States, the only known countries (according with both Wikipedia and IMDB) which broadcasted this show were France, Italy, Japan and bizarrely enough, the former ''Soviet Union'', of all places. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.[[note]]The Latin American case is worth of mention here, because traditionally Latin America, and especially speaking, Mexico, has being considered as a dumping ground for failed or unpopular U.S. shows, being this one the few exceptions on this rule.[[/note]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead. He had also been offered a role on Series/TheAndyGriffithShow to replace Don Knotts(Van Dyke appeared in the final episode of season 5, set up to be a returning character) but turned that down as well.

* OldShame: It's been joked in a ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' DVDCommentary that mentioning James L. Brooks' stint as a writer on this series would get you fired. He and series co-creator Allen Burns later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'', which included several in-jokes about ''My Mother the Car'' such as the WJM program grid featuring reruns of the show several times a day.

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and its sheer unpopularity in the States, the only known countries (according with both Wikipedia and Website/InternetMovieDatabase) which broadcasted this show were France, Italy, Japan and bizarrely enough, the former ''Soviet Union'', of all places. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.[[note]]The Latin American case is worth of mention here, because traditionally Latin America, and especially speaking, Mexico, has being considered as a dumping ground for failed or unpopular U.S. shows, being this one the few exceptions on this rule.[[/note]]

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and its sheer unpopularity in the States, the only countries which broadcasted this show were France, Italy and, oddly enough, Japan. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.

* OldShame: It's been joked in a ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' DVDCommentary that mentioning James L. Brooks' stint as a writer on this series would get you fired. He and series co-creator Allen Burns later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'', which included several in-jokes about ''My Mother the Car'' such as the WJM program grid featuring reruns of the show several times a day.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead.

* ''My Mother The Car'' is ranked Number 12 in the 2004 list ''Literature/WhatWereTheyThinkingThe100DumbestEventsInTelevisionHistory''.

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and it's sheer unpopularity in the States, the only countries which broadcasted this show were France, Italy and, oddly enough, Japan. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.

* WeInterruptThisProgram: In its original run, the last episode was interrupted by a special bulletin involving [=NASA=]. When it was over, the show did not resume. It wouldn't be until later that the final episode was shown in its entirety.

* OldShame: The show was co-created by Allen Burns, and Creator/JamesLBrooks was a writer. They later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' together. Brooks also became a successful film director, and was involved in the creation of ''TheSimpsons''. (A ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' DVDCommentary joked that mentioning said involvement around the studio is cause for being fired.)
** (Amusingly, the WJM program grids hanging on the station manager's wall at ''MTM'' list ''My Mother the Car'' several times each day.)
** Burns and his partner on ''My Mother the Car'', Chris Hayward, also went on to create ''Series/TheMunsters'' as well as write episodes of ''Series/GetSmart''. Hayward was later a writer for ''Series/BarneyMiller''.

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and it's sheer unpopularity in the States, the only countries which broadcasted this show were France and, oddly enough, Japan. No other western countries, not even the ones from the geographically close Latin America, got this show.

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and it's sheer unpopularity in the States, this show was never broadcasted anywhere, not even in neighboring countries like Mexico.[[note]]It's not unusual in the American TV industry to dump unpopular shows overseas [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff just to see how they could perfome there compared within the U.S.]], being Mexico an obvious target due to its natural closeness with the States. That was ''not'' the case here, as even Mexicans didn't received this show either.[[/note]]

* NoExportForYou: Due of the premise of the show and it's sheer unpopularity in the States, this show was never broadcasted anywere, not even in neighboring countries like Mexico.[[note]]It's not unusual in the American TV industry to dump unpopular shows overseas [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff just to see how they could perfome there compared within the U.S.]], being Mexico an obvious target due to its natural closeness with the States. That was ''not'' the case here, as even Mexicans didn't received this show either.[[/note]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead.

* OldShame: The show was co-created by Allen Burns, and [[Creator/JamesLBrooks James L. Brooks]] was a writer. They later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' together. Brooks also became a successful film director, and was involved in the creation of ''TheSimpsons''. (A ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' DVDCommentary joked that mentioning said involvement around the studio is cause for being fired.)

** Burns and his partner on ''My Mother the Car'', Chris Hayward, also went on to write episodes of ''Series/GetSmart''. Hayward was later a writer for ''Series/BarneyMiller''.

* We Interrupt This Program: In its original run, the last episode was interrupted by a special bulletin involving [=NASA=]. When it was over, the show did not resume. It wouldn't be until later that the final episode was shown in its entirety.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead.
** Really, the show is no more goofy than similar sitcoms of the era that got long runs like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'', or ''Series/GilligansIsland''. If it had aired at a time when more young viewers it appealed to could have watched, it might have lasted longer, been VindicatedByReruns, and/or even be remembered ''positively''. Then again... maybe not.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead.

** Burns and his partner on ''My Mother the Car'', Chris Hayward, also went on to write episodes of ''Series/GetSmart''.

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* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of [[Series/GilligansIsland Gilligan]] because he thought the concept of that show was too strange. He ended up getting something far more preposterous instead.
----

* OldShame: The show was co-created by Allen Burns, and [[Creator/JamesLBrooks James L. Brooks]] was a writer. They later created ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' together. Brooks also became a successful film director, and was involved in the creation of ''TheSimpsons''.

* OldShame: The show was co-created by Allen Burns, and [[JamesLBrooks James L. Brooks]] was a writer. They later created ''TheMaryTylerMooreShow'' together. Brooks also became a successful film director, and was involved in the creation of ''TheSimpsons''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jerry Van Dyke turned down the role of Gilligan because he thought the concept of ''GilligansIsland'' was too strange. He ended up here instead.