EUNICE {WITH THE CAST OF "MAMA'S FAMILY"} (TV)
Summary
Based on the recurring sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show," this special four-act play chronicles the trials of Eunice and her family from the 1950s through the 1970s. Eunice, a woman who blames others for her own failures, lives in a small town with her cantankerous Mama, and sometimes her hapless husband, Ed. In 1955, teenage Eunice wants her yellow party dress pressed, but Mama is busy preparing dinner for Phil, who is home after college. But Mama is infuriated when Phil says he is leaving immediately for New York City, and in the meantime, Eunice dumps her dim-witted boyfriend, Ed. Their father, Carl, doesn't leave the toilet to say goodbye to his son, and Eunice promises she will join Phil in New York to pursue acting. In 1964, Eunice and her husband, Ed, try to celebrate Phil's visit home. But Ed, Eunice, and Mama are at each other's throats and can scarcely relate to Phil's career as an author of historical novels. During a temptestuous dinner of lasagna and beer, Eunice wails about the escape of Fluffy the rabbit long ago, and the bickering grows worse when Mama reveals that Carl died on the toilet. Eschewing school and community theater, Eunice still intends to pursue acting in New York. In 1973, Eunice's sons are runaways, her husband, Ed, has walked out on her, and in the course of caring for Mama, Eunice has become an alcoholic. Phil, who makes a brief visit, now writes screenplays for a living. In a drunken stupor, Eunice begs her brother for a role in a film, and when her son Bubba calls, Eunice simply shrieks until he hangs up. In 1978, Eunice, Phil, and their sister, Ellen, congregate after Mama's funeral. Making small talk, Ellen, who married a wealthy man, surveys the quaint house with a cold eye. Ed drops by, and he and Eunice ruefully appraise one another in a lackluster reunion. And when the sisters explode in a furious quarrel over Mama's belongings, Ellen reveals the truth about Fluffy the rabbit. Eunice becomes hysterical, but Phil challenges her to confront her fear of failure. Thrilled that she is now free to move to the big city, Eunice makes a final, fated phone call. As the program concludes, the cast takes a bow on stage and the audience applauds. Commercials deleted.
(These characters inspired the comedy series, "Mama's Family," which was telecast from 1983 to 1985 on NBC, and from 1986 to 1990 in syndication.)
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 15, 1982 Monday 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:14:09
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:13494
- GENRE: Comedy; Drama; Specials
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Drama; Specials
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1983
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Joe Hamilton … Producer
- Robert Wright … Associate Producer
- Harvey Korman … Director
- Roger Beatty … Director
- Dick Clair … Writer
- Jenna McMahon … Writer
- Peter Matz … Music by
- Carol Burnett … Cast, Eunice Higgins
- Harvey Korman … Cast, Ed Higgins
- Vicki Lawrence … Cast, Mama (Thelma Harper)
- Ken Berry … Cast, Phil Harper
- Betty White … Cast, Ellen
- Dick Clair … Cast, Carl Harper