That's My Mama
Encyclopedia
That's My Mama is an American
television
sitcom
that was originally broadcast on the ABC
network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.
in Washington, D.C.
, the program revolved around the character Clifton Curtis (played by Clifton Davis
), a man in his mid-20s who worked as a barber
at Oscar's Barber Shop, the family barber shop he had inherited from his late father. While Clifton enjoyed being a bachelor
, his loving, but tart-tongued and opinionated mother Eloise "Mama" Curtis, played by Theresa Merritt
, wanted him to settle down and find a nice wife. Additional characters - such as Clifton's two best friends--Earl, played by Teddy Wilson
, an easy-going mailman and Junior, played by Ted Lange
, a suave and good-humored ladies' man--came and went over the course of a typical day at Oscar's Barber Shop. Other characters included, Tracy, Clifton's little sister, played by Lynne Moody
and later by Joan Pringle
and her husband, Leonard, played by Lisle Wilson
, as well as local seniors Josh and Wildcat, played by DeForest Covan and Jester Hairston
. Clifton Davis and Hairston would work together again years later in the hit sitcom, Amen
.
That's My Mama was never a ratings success. It was not one of the top 30 most-watched U.S. programs in the Nielsen ratings
for either the 1974-75 or 1975-76 television seasons.
In 1986, Columbia Pictures Television
produced a pilot for a sequel series called That's My Mama Now! with Ted Lange
as the star. It lacked enough stations signing up to ensure revival. It had been inspired by the success of What's Happening Now!!
has released both Seasons on DVD in Region 1 on August 23, 2005. The majority of episodes are presented on both DVD releases in their edited-for-syndication form. Only a handful of episodes are presented in their original unedited form.
, Eddie Murphy
has a brief role as Randy Watson, who is explained by Arsenio Hall
’s character, Reverend Brown, to have played “Joe the Policeman”, in the “What’s Going Down” episode of That's My Mama
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that was originally broadcast on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.
Synopsis
Set in a middle-class African American neighborhoodAfrican American neighborhood
African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American. Some of the earliest African American...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the program revolved around the character Clifton Curtis (played by Clifton Davis
Clifton Davis
Clifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
), a man in his mid-20s who worked as a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
at Oscar's Barber Shop, the family barber shop he had inherited from his late father. While Clifton enjoyed being a bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
, his loving, but tart-tongued and opinionated mother Eloise "Mama" Curtis, played by Theresa Merritt
Theresa Merritt
Theresa Merritt Hines was an American stage, film and television actress and singer.-Career:Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Wiz Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24,...
, wanted him to settle down and find a nice wife. Additional characters - such as Clifton's two best friends--Earl, played by Teddy Wilson
Theodore Wilson
Theodore "Teddy" Wilson was an American character actor best known for his recurring role as Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times.-Career:...
, an easy-going mailman and Junior, played by Ted Lange
Ted Lange
Theodore William "Ted" Lange is an American actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his role as the bartender, Isaac Washington, in the 1970s TV series The Love Boat...
, a suave and good-humored ladies' man--came and went over the course of a typical day at Oscar's Barber Shop. Other characters included, Tracy, Clifton's little sister, played by Lynne Moody
Lynne Moody
Lynne Moody is an American actress who has made many appearances in television.Her most prominent roles include Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama from 1974–1975 and was replaced by Joan Pringle in the second season; she also played Irene Harvey in Roots, Polly Dawson in Soap, Nurse Julie...
and later by Joan Pringle
Joan Pringle
Joan Pringle is an American actress best known for playing vice principal "Sybil Buchanan" in the TV series The White Shadow. During the third and final season her character was promoted to principal...
and her husband, Leonard, played by Lisle Wilson
Lisle Wilson
Lisle Astor Wilson was an American actor known for playing Leonard Taylor on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama which ran from 1974 to 1975. He was also widely recognized for his guest appearances on television shows such as Lou Grant, The White Shadow, and Falcon Crest, to name a few...
, as well as local seniors Josh and Wildcat, played by DeForest Covan and Jester Hairston
Jester Hairston
Jester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
. Clifton Davis and Hairston would work together again years later in the hit sitcom, Amen
Amen (TV series)
Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s...
.
That's My Mama was never a ratings success. It was not one of the top 30 most-watched U.S. programs in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for either the 1974-75 or 1975-76 television seasons.
In 1986, Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
produced a pilot for a sequel series called That's My Mama Now! with Ted Lange
Ted Lange
Theodore William "Ted" Lange is an American actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his role as the bartender, Isaac Washington, in the 1970s TV series The Love Boat...
as the star. It lacked enough stations signing up to ensure revival. It had been inspired by the success of What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
Cast
- Clifton Curtis...Clifton DavisClifton DavisClifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
- "Mama" Eloise Curtis...Theresa MerrittTheresa MerrittTheresa Merritt Hines was an American stage, film and television actress and singer.-Career:Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Wiz Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24,...
- Earl Chambers #1 (1974)...Ed BernardEd Bernard----Ed Bernard born July 4, 1939 in Philadelphia, USA, is an American actor.- Career :Most of his career was made on television, standing for playing the role of Det. Joe Styles, in the classic TV series Police Woman. He played the character in 91 episodes between...
(first two episodes) - Earl Chambers #2 (1974–1975)...Theodore WilsonTheodore WilsonTheodore "Teddy" Wilson was an American character actor best known for his recurring role as Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times.-Career:...
- Tracy Curtis Taylor #1 (1974–1975)...Lynne MoodyLynne MoodyLynne Moody is an American actress who has made many appearances in television.Her most prominent roles include Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama from 1974–1975 and was replaced by Joan Pringle in the second season; she also played Irene Harvey in Roots, Polly Dawson in Soap, Nurse Julie...
- Wildcat (1974–1975)...Jester HairstonJester HairstonJester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
- Josh (1974–1975)...DeForest Covan
- Junior...Ted LangeTed LangeTheodore William "Ted" Lange is an American actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his role as the bartender, Isaac Washington, in the 1970s TV series The Love Boat...
- Leonard Taylor...Lisle WilsonLisle WilsonLisle Astor Wilson was an American actor known for playing Leonard Taylor on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama which ran from 1974 to 1975. He was also widely recognized for his guest appearances on television shows such as Lou Grant, The White Shadow, and Falcon Crest, to name a few...
(recurring character in season one and promoted to regular cast member in season two) - Tracy Curtis Taylor #2 (1975)...Joan PringleJoan PringleJoan Pringle is an American actress best known for playing vice principal "Sybil Buchanan" in the TV series The White Shadow. During the third and final season her character was promoted to principal...
Catchphrases
- "Wooooooo, WHEE!! I got it, I got it, and I got to report it!" -- Junior's (Ted LangeTed LangeTheodore William "Ted" Lange is an American actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his role as the bartender, Isaac Washington, in the 1970s TV series The Love Boat...
) introduction whenever he had a bit of juicy gossip to tell Clifton and anybody else in the barbershop who happened to be listening.
DVD releases
Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...
has released both Seasons on DVD in Region 1 on August 23, 2005. The majority of episodes are presented on both DVD releases in their edited-for-syndication form. Only a handful of episodes are presented in their original unedited form.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | August 23, 2005 |
| Season 2 | 13 | August 23, 2005 |
Cultural reference
In the movie Coming to AmericaComing to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
, Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
has a brief role as Randy Watson, who is explained by Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994, and his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights.Hall is also known for his appearance as Alan Thicke's sidekick on the...
’s character, Reverend Brown, to have played “Joe the Policeman”, in the “What’s Going Down” episode of That's My Mama
That's My Mama
That's My Mama is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.-Synopsis:...
.
External links
- That's My Mama at Super70s.com