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List of Mama's Family characters
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The following is a list of the characters appearing on the television show Mama's Family (1983–1990) and The Family (1974–1978) sketches on The Carol Burnett Show which preceded it.[1]
Contents
[hide]
1 Thelma Harper (Mama)
2 Eunice Harper Higgins
3 Vinton Harper
4 Naomi Harper
5 Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.
6 Ellen Harper
7 Ed Higgins
8 Bubba Higgins
9 Aunt Fran Crowley
9.1 Frances Crowley's Last Will and Testament
10 Iola Boylen
11 Lloyd Meechum
12 Alberta Meechum
13 Alvin Tutweiler
14 References
Thelma Harper (Mama)[edit]
See Thelma Harper
Eunice Harper Higgins[edit]
See Eunice Harper Higgins
Vinton Harper[edit]
Vinton Harper
First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"
Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"
Portrayed by
Ken Berry
David Friedman as Young Vint Harper
Information
Aliases
Vinton Ray Harper (birth name)
Gender
Male
Occupation
Locksmith
Family
Thelma Harper (mother)
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Ellen Jackson (sister)
Eunice Higgins (sister)
Spouse(s)
Mitzi Harper (divorced)
Naomi Oates (current)
Children
Sonja Harper (daughter, with Mitzi)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (son, with Mitzi)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter, with Naomi)
Relatives
Aunt Fran Crowley (aunt)
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)
Vinton Ray Harper , played by actor Ken Berry, was the youngest of the three children of Thelma Harper and her late husband, Carl born on March 10th. As a child and as an adult, he was often at the mercy of his older sisters, snobbish Ellen and temperamental, tempestuous Eunice.
Vinton worked as a locksmith at a store called Kwik Keys. Prior to the series' run, Vinton had been married to a woman named Mitzi, siring two children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. Mitzi had just abandoned Vinton and her family to move to Las Vegas as the series began, finding work there as a cocktail waitress, and Vinton and his two children moved in with his mother after being evicted from their house. He soon reconnected with former schoolmate, and his mother's next door neighbor, Naomi Oates. They fell in love after a one-night stand, exacerbating the neighborly rivalry between Thelma and Naomi, and they married in his mother's house. Their plan after marriage had been to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but their business partner absconded with their money, leaving them destitute with no other alternative but to move into his mother's basement.
During the NBC run of the series (1983-1984), Vinton was portrayed as clumsy, temperamental, and unafraid of confrontation. As a blue-collar worker from the heartland, a few episodes during the NBC run revolved around his family's inability to act with grace and class in public, much to the embarrassment of the more cultured members of the family. This changed during the series' run in syndication (1986-1990); Vinton was portrayed as dumbfounded and naïve, with a peaceable demeanor and a fear of confrontation.
Toward the end of the third season, Vinton became a member of the Mystic Knights of the Cobras, a fictitious men's order similar to the Shriners and the Elks Club.
A running gag throughout the series was that the Vinton and Naomi characters were relegated to living in his mother's basement while other family members occupied the rooms upstairs. When the series began running in syndication, Vinton's children Buzz and Sonja had moved out of the house, and his aunt (Thelma's sister Fran) had recently died. The season three premiere had Vinton's nephew Bubba Higgins, the son of Eunice and Ed Higgins, released from juvenile hall to Thelma's custody after his parents had left Raytown for Florida; Bubba was given Thelma's deceased sister's spacious room, complete with pink floral wallpaper. A season four episode addressed the unusual living arrangements between the family members as they switched rooms, but Vinton and his wife ultimately chose to move back into the basement and remained there without further complaint. In the penultimate episode of the series, Vinton and Naomi finally moved out of the basement and into a recreational vehicle parked in his mother's backyard.
A recurring theme throughout the fifth season had Vinton and his wife planning and attempting to conceive a child, culminating in the announcement at the season finale that Naomi was pregnant. The sixth season saw the family's preparation for the upcoming new addition, and the series ended with Vinton's wife giving birth to a daughter, Tiffany Thelma Harper.
Naomi Harper[edit]
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Naomi Harper
First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"
Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"
Portrayed by
Dorothy Lyman
Information
Nickname(s)
"Skeeter"
Aliases
Naomi Oates
Occupation
Cashier at Food Circus
Assistant Manager at Food Circus
Spouse(s)
Vinton Harper,
Leonard Oates (ex-husband),
Tommy Ray/Lee (ex-husband)
Children
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter)
Vinton Harper Jr. AKA Buzz (step-son)
Sonja Harper (step-daughter)
Relatives
Thelma Harper (mother-in-law),
Bubba Higgins (nephew),
Ellen Jackson (sister-in-law),
Eunice Higgins (sister-in-law),
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)
Naomi Harper (formerly Oates), supposedly born in September played by actress-director Dorothy Lyman, was the second wife of Vinton Harper and the bane of Thelma Harper's existence. Thelma thinks that Naomi is a floozy; but Vint adores her and calls her "Skeeter". At first, Naomi was Thelma's neighbor, always complaining about the sap from Thelma's tree dripping on her car, but later she becomes family. Naomi is a very amorous, touchy-feely woman, who's often seen openly showing her love and affection towards Vinton by rubbing and feeling all over him. She almost always either wears the color yellow and/or off-the-shoulder dresses and blouses.
She met Vinton, an old schoolmate, after he moved in with his mother, and the two hit it off. They even shared a night together, which truly infuriated Thelma. When they announced their marriage plans, Thelma wanted the paramedics called, because she was going to kill Vinton.
In fact, her wedding ceremony was almost ruined by the over-the-top antics of her hateful sister in-law, Eunice Harper Higgins. Eunice begged both Vinton and Naomi to let her sing. Naomi reluctantly agreed, basically to keep Eunice quiet. However, the straw broke for Eunice when Naomi showed her a ring that her mother had given Vinton. It turned out to be a sapphire ring that had belonged to her father, and she had coveted for some time. Naomi tied the ring around her neck (it was the something old, something borrowed and something blue, her dress was the something new).
This led to Eunice going off on every single member of her family, and particularly her mother, leading Ed, Eunice's long-suffering husband, to carry her out of the house. During this argument, Naomi wasn't spared Eunice's tongue-lashing and neither was Vinton. She called her younger brother, "Tinker Bell" and referred to Naomi as a "recycled bride". This set the stage for animosity between Eunice and Naomi. To Eunice, Naomi is a Bleach Blond Bimbo, and Naomi counters with that she buys her clothes from a dime-store dummy.
At first, Naomi, with Vint and her new family, was set to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but her so-called "partner" ran off with the money she had made selling her house.
Naomi worked as a cashier at Food Circus, a local grocery store in Raytown, and continued to do so, even after her marriage. Later on, she was promoted to Assistant Manager. She worked under three managers, Mr. Frank Palmer (who hired Thelma Harper as head of customer relations), Mr. Carruthers, and Mr. Archie Woods, who sexually harassed Naomi.
She had been married two previous times, most notably to Leonard Oates (played by Jerry Reed), but despite that, Vint is her soul-mate and the love of her life. She and Vint remain a solid couple, even though their across the street neighbor, Iola Boylen, makes no secret that she wants Vint.
Although she established a bond between her and her two stepchildren, (from Vint's first marriage) Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper; she had her own child by Vint, Tiffany Thelma Harper, named after her grandmother. After years of living in the basement of the Harper home, they purchased a trailer and lived in the backyard, out of the house, but never out of Thelma's shadow.
The character of Naomi underwent a change after the series went to first run syndication. Naomi became less assertive and more dumb. During the run on NBC Naomi was not shown to be a pushover and quite often stood up to Mama. Indeed, at one point she sued Mama. This side of Naomi was dropped when the series entered syndication.
There is also a continuity error with how many prior times Naomi has been married. Most say Vinton was her third marriage but several instances (such as in the episode regarding the chili cook-off), Naomi names four prior ex-husbands so that would make Vinton her fifth. Naomi says she married Tommy Lee when she was 17, then names Rick, Leonard and George as her other husbands. It was Leonard (played by Jerry Reed) who had the last name of Oates.
Naomi boasts about her cooking, but it's really canned food with a few added ingredients. Her "Famous International Stew" is canned stew, canned peas, canned Mexican corn, canned sauerkraut and SpaghettiOs. Another time is when Mama, Iola and Naomi competed in a chili cookoff, Naomi's ingredients consisted of canned chili, Beer Nuts, beef jerky, and Fritos. Despite having limited cooking skills, Naomi briefly worked as a caterer with disastrous results.
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.[edit]
Vinton Harper, Jr. better known by his nickname, "Buzz", played by actor Eric Brown, was the youngest of the two children of Vinton Harper (whom he was named after) and his first wife, Mitzi. Right after Mitzi had run off to Las Vegas to work in show business, (in actuality, she worked at a bar as a cocktail waitress) he, along with his father and his sister, Sonja Harper moved in with his grandmother, Thelma Harper, after they were evicted from their house. He shared a very good relationship with his grandmother and his great aunt Fran Crowley.
The reason for this is that he didn't constantly drive his grandmother crazy as Sonja was often wont to do, and as his father had to his mother when he was Buzz's age. He found favor with Aunt Fran because they shared a bathroom and at least, he was extremely neat and orderly, unlike Sonja, who strewed her makeup all over the counter.
The thing about Buzz was that he was extremely obedient, very patient, and was always willing to do the right thing, no matter what. In short, he was quite respectful to everyone. Although, he could be head-strong, like most of his family, he was never outright mean.
This didn't please Sonja, who like her aunts before her, felt that he was overshadowing her. On the other hand, Buzz was himself, and it earned him favor from his great aunt and his grandmother.
Buzz also seemed to have a close bond with his grandmother. One example was when she was lining up help to clean the attic. After everyone else gave some ridiculous and even some not-so-subtle excuses for not wanting to doing so, Buzz said that he had no excuse, and so said he would help her. "You've got no imagination, Buzz" his grandmother said, "but I love you."
Together the two shared stories from her earlier days when his dad and aunts were children, and even though they never got the attic (where Buzz slept) cleaned up, it mattered not, it was a fun time for both of them. As it turned out, it was a surprise for Thelma, who received a freezer that she had coveted for a long time, as a birthday present, and everyone had pitched in.
Another sore spot with Sonja was that even though she was older, she perceived Buzz to be favored by his father. In fact, he told his father, after he had told them that he was planning to remarry, that no matter what situations that he dragged them into, that they were his for the dragging. In his mind, other fathers would have given up on them and dumped them, but his father never did, and that was good enough for him.
Buzz and Sonja were on the receiving end of their sharp-tongued aunt, Eunice Harper Higgins's ire when she told them to "go soak their heads in Clearasil!!" This occurred at his father's wedding.
Buzz will defend his family, when push comes to shove. This was shown as Buzz had shouted at Eunice as she was being carried out by his Uncle Ed.
After two years of living with his grandmother, he and Sonja moved to an unknown location. They did establish a bond with their father's second wife, Naomi Harper, however. In fact, Buzz outright said that he liked Naomi.
Ellen Harper[edit]
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Ellen Harper Jackson
First appearance
The Carol Burnett Show
(November 22, 1975)
Last appearance
Episode: "Best Medicine"
(July 1986)
Portrayed by
Betty White
Information
Aliases
Mary Ellen Harper (birth name)
Gender
Female
Occupation
Socialite
Family
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (mother)
Eunice Higgins
Vinton Harper
Spouse(s)
Bruce Jackson (divorced)
Children
Mary Beth Jackson
Debbie Jackson (daughters with Bruce; mentioned on The Carol Burnett Show)
Relatives
Fran Crowley (maternal aunt; deceased)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Sonja Harper (niece)
(Tiffany Thelma Harper) (niece)
Buzz Harper (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)
Ellen Jackson (née Mary Ellen Harper), who made sporadic appearances in the sketch comedy, The Family, and its spin-off sitcom, Mama's Family, was played by Betty White.
Mary Ellen Harper (usually called Ellen) was born on June 30th in Raytown to Carl Harper and Thelma Crowley Harper. Snobbish by nature, affluent by marriage, Ellen is the oldest of Carl and Thelma Harper's three children. Even as a child, her snobbish tendencies asserted themselves. Typically, she prefers not to associate with anyone in her family—-unless it benefits her in some way. She was married to an often spoken of but never seen husband named Bruce Jackson, whom she later divorced. Her ability to do anything well irritated her resentful younger sister, Eunice, to no end. This, added to the fact that Ellen was Carl and Thelma's clear favorite, added to the explosive rivalry between the two sisters. Ellen later learned of Bruce's infidelity from Eunice, who gleefully exposed it to her face. Ellen's relationship with her brother Vinton "Vint" Harper tends to be amicable, although like the rest of the family, she usually dismisses him for being a bit dim.
Shortly after her divorce from Bruce Jackson, Ellen began to date a much younger man named Glenn, to which Thelma vehemently objected. She later began seeing Alvin Tutweiler, mayor of Raytown. Ellen saw him as the ticket back into the high society that she missed since her divorce. When confronted on this conniving by her mother, she flippantly replied: "it worked for Nancy Reagan." Ellen was clearly resentful towards her mother when she decided to run against her boyfriend for mayor. Despite Ellen's conniving, Thelma won the Mayor's race. However, Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she relinquished the Mayor's office back to Tutweiler.
When the show went into syndication, it was presumed that Ellen still lived in Raytown, but she wasn't seen much after the second season (Betty White was, by this time, starring in The Golden Girls.)
Despite being her mother's favorite, Ellen (like her siblings) isn't spared Thelma's criticism, insults or wrath. When Fran died and Ellen's presence was not at her funeral, this caused a huge rift in Thelma and Ellen's relationship, and Thelma threatened to not speak to her again. Afterwards, Ellen made an attempt to mend fences with her mother by showing up with a peace offering, but Thelma remained unmoved and ordered her out of the house. Thelma let go of her animosity when she soon after learned that Ellen had been checked into the hospital for surgery (in reality, she had a mere fanny tuck). It was there that Thelma admitted to Ellen that she had always favored her the best of her three kids.
Ellen was chosen as Raytown Country Club's Woman of the Year, and was embarrassed when Thelma, Vint, and Naomi showed up at the awards ceremony. She has also dated a successful businessman named Glenn, who was so young that Thelma observed "She's old enough to have lived two of his lives."
However, in "The Family" sketches on the Carol Burnett Show, Ellen has no qualms about snapping back at her mother, when she is annoyed with her. In those sketches, she was also near gleeful whenever she got something that Eunice wanted, like a Tiffany lampshade, or a box of fine china. She also tended to rub it into Eunice's face that she was favored, and Eunice was not.
In The Family sketches, her husband's name was Arthur and they had two spoiled daughters, named Mary Beth and Debbie.
Ed Higgins[edit]
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Ed Higgins is a character in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Show and, to a lesser extent, on the sitcom spinoff Mama's Family. In both cases, he was played by Harvey Korman.
Among other things, Ed is a fiercely ill-tempered, slovenly, unsuccessful buffoon in The Family sketches. In his appearances on Mama's Family, however, the intensity of the character is toned down and he is more of an affable, buffoonish dolt. Ed is the owner of Central Hardware store in Raytown. He was married to the most trying of women, Eunice Harper Higgins. They eloped, much against her mother Thelma Harper's wishes, and that set up years of contention. In his wife's eyes, he was an inconsiderate, worthless goon. At the Hardware store, he had an assistant named Mickey Hart (Tim Conway), but he was only seen on The Carol Burnett Show.
He had a lot of troubles, some would say more than his share, married to a woman who was not only always thinking she was better than everyone else, but she also felt she could do no wrong when in reality, she always managed to ruin everything.
Ed was asked by his brother in-law's soon-to-be wife, Naomi Harper to give her away at her wedding. This earned him the wrath of Eunice, who wanted to do some singing at the wedding, but was told by everyone, no.
During said wedding, Eunice, typically, decided to destroy the festivities, by railing and ranting at every member of her family, because once again, she was overshadowed by them, and the spotlight was never on her.
However, it is possible Ed has some relief from Eunice, in the form of prostitutes. We know this from the episode where Thelma and Eunice are in jail together, with a prostitute who sets them both straight (briefly). When Ed comes to bail the women out, he and the prostitute recognize each other suggestively.
The couple, for all their contention, had a son, Bubba, but had abandoned Bubba while he was in juvenile hall, and they moved to Florida, without even telling him.
Bubba Higgins[edit]
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Bubba Higgins
First appearance
"Farewell Frannie"
Last appearance
"Bye Bye Baby"
Created by
Dick Clair
Portrayed by
Allan Kayser
Information
Occupation
College student
Family
Eunice Higgins (mother)
Ed Higgins (father)
Billy Joe Higgins (brother)
Relatives
Thelma Harper, neé Crowley (grandmother)
Carl Harper (grandfather; deceased)
Vint Harper (uncle)
Naomi Harper (aunt)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (cousin)
Sonja Harper (cousin)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (cousin)
Ellen Jackson (aunt)
Bruce Jackson (former uncle)
Fran Crowley (great-aunt; deceased)
Bubba Higgins is a fictional character in the television situation comedy, Mama's Family. He was played by Allan Kayser.
Character overview
Bubba Higgins born October 24th was the son of Ed and Eunice Higgins. Some time prior to his first appearance, he had stolen a car, and was sent to juvenile hall. Which was no surprise, given that his mother was often contentious and very selfish.
He was released early from juvie on good behavior, only to return home and find that it was locked up tight. Then he was told that his parents had basically left him in Raytown while they went off to Florida. This characteristically selfish act of Eunice's was enough to incur the wrath of her mother, Thelma Harper, who swore that she would kill Eunice for leaving Bubba in Raytown, and also for missing her own son's graduation.
Bubba was quite a switch from Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr., his cousin. Whereas Buzz was patient, and easy to get along with, Bubba was a lot like his mother. He wasn't as selfish as she was, but he was temperamental and stubborn. He was also very girl-crazy, something that his grandmother couldn't understand. One time, she found a porno magazine in his bedroom, and she formed MOP (Mothers Opposing Pornography) to quash that.
Bubba's two best friends were a duo named Dwayne and T-Boy, obviously guys he knew from his days in Juvenile Hall. Thelma thoroughly disliked the two from the outset, and often forbade Bubba from hanging out with them, but he usually wound up doing so and angering her in the process.
When he first arrived, he didn't win any favor with his uncle Vinton and aunt Naomi Harper, when he got the prized bedroom that was left open when Thelma's sister, Fran Crowley died. Thelma had indeed promised him his own room. They had wanted that room, and were angered that Bubba got it, promise or no promise. They remained, under protest, in the basement.
Bubba nearly caused a serious breach in his relationship with his grandmother, when he came home drunk on a few beers. It hurt Thelma to see Bubba drunk and it reminded her all too clearly of the first time Eunice drank. During a mother-daughter banquet, where Eunice and Thelma were supposed to sing "MOTHER," they instead got into a violent argument about all the things that her mother had thought she had done, and wrecked. That was why Thelma was so strident against drinking. Iola had told Bubba, Vint, and Naomi the story the day after Bubba's drinking incident and he tearfully apologized to Thelma, telling her she was the last person in the world he ever wanted to hurt. Thelma happily accepted and Bubba swore off drinking from that point on. During a sarcastic remark, Thelma tells Bubba that the only beer he'll be drinking is root beer.
Although he regularly drives his family crazy, they truly do love Bubba. He got through his probation, and started to attend junior college. By this time, he did break away from Dwayne and T-Boy. He was also instrumental in saving his grandmother's home, when he discovered that the house was a former brothel that the founder of Raytown had died in it. This made the house a Raytown historical landmark.
Aunt Fran Crowley[edit]
Frances Marie Crowley
First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In" (January 1983)
Last appearance
"A Grave Mistake" (April 1984)
Created by
Dick Clair
Portrayed by
Rue McClanahan
Information
Nickname(s)
"Aunt Fran" (nickname)
"Fran" (nickname)
"Frannie" (nickname)
Occupation
Newspaper reporter
Freelance writer
Title
Miss Crowley
Family
Grandma Crowley (mother; deceased)
Grandpa Crowley (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (sister)
Clyde Crowley (brother; lives in Amarillo, Texas)
Ellen Jackson (niece)
Eunice Higgins (niece)
Ed Higgins (nephew-in-law)
Vint Harper (nephew)
Naomi Harper (niece-in-law)
Sonja Harper (great-niece)
Buzz Harper (great-nephew)
Bubba Higgins (great-nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (great-nephew)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (great-niece)
Relatives
Ina (aunt; deceased)
Gert Corey (cousin)
Don (uncle)
Lorraine (aunt)
Leroy (cousin; deceased)
Frances Marie Crowley, commonly known as "Aunt Fran", is a fictional character on the television series, Mama's Family. She was portrayed by Rue McClanahan during the show's first two seasons.
Fran is the uptight spinster younger sister of acid-tongued Thelma Harper. At first, she was the only one living with Thelma, until the arrival of her nephew, Vinton Harper and his children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. She was a reporter for one of Raytown's newspapers, "The Bugle". She was also a budding author, and had her own writing studio, which had been yanked from her by Thelma who needed the room for Sonja. (The room had originally belonged to Ellen Harper and Eunice Harper Higgins, Vinton's older sisters.)
At times, Fran had felt that her privacy had been invaded because of Vint and his family moving in, namely because Sonja had read her manuscript. Another particular cross was that she had to share a bathroom with the kids. At least Buzz kept his things in an orderly fashion and for this won favor from Fran, while Sonja was a typical teenager, messy and therefore more frustrating to Fran.
Fran always looked like that she was one step away from a nervous breakdown, and she often stood up to her opinionated sister. At times though, she would unbend, and let her hair down and have some fun. She showed this side of herself when she indulged in some wine at the wedding preparations for Vint and Naomi Oates. Also, when she chaperoned Sonja's slumber party when Thelma was out of town.
However, after two years, (and because Rue McClanahan and Betty White, who played Ellen, had been asked to join the cast of The Golden Girls), Fran had died as a result of swallowing a toothpick in the ladies room at the local bar and grill, The Bigger Jigger. Her room eventually went to her great nephew, Bubba Higgins, which caused Vint and Naomi great consternation, since they had been angling for that room. McClanahan was actually unhappy with the role and was happy to leave.[2]
Frances Crowley's Last Will and Testament[edit]
After Fran's funeral in "Farewell Frannie", it was later revealed in "Where There's a Will" that she left a last will and testament and Thelma contacted the executor of Fran's last will and testament, Larwin P. Finstadler. According to Finstadler, Aunt Fran was worth an estimated $35,000 dollars through six bank accounts, stock and land holdings.
10% of her estate is set aside for her favorite charity, the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls. ($3,500)
To her sister Thelma Harper, she is bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)
To her nephew Vint Harper and niece-in-law Naomi Harper, they are bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)
There is one stipulation that Thelma must fill out Fran's one final wish: which is to not lose her temper for a period of 2 weeks. If she fails, which she did, the entire estate goes to the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls.
Iola Boylen[edit]
Iola Lucille Boylen
First appearance
Farewell, Frannie
Last appearance
Bye Bye Baby
Information
Nickname(s)
Miss Boylen
Gender
Female
Title
Miss Boylen
Family
Tommy Boylen (unknown relative)

Verne Boylen (brother)
Relatives
Vernilia Boylen (cousin)
Vernette Boylen (niece)
Iola Lucille Boylen, born on July 7th in Raytown a character on Mama's Family, was played by Beverly Archer during the series' syndicated run (1986-1990).
During the NBC years (1983-1984), there was no mention of Iola by name; however, various references to the Boylen family were made, including a "Tommy Boylen" and "Ms. Boylen," the latter who appeared briefly as a neighbor living across the street from Thelma Harper and her family. After Iola's introduction in season three, she was portrayed as having lived across the street from and knowing the Harper family for all of her life. With the exception of her niece, Vernette (played by Penelope Sudrow), the rest of her family members and the inside of her home were unseen. References were made throughout the series to her father and morbidly obese and disabled mother, Mr. and Mrs. Boylen, her brother Verne, and her cousin Vernelia, who worked at an adoption agency in the neighboring town of Hinckley. Thelma's daughter Ellen had limited interaction with Iola in the syndicated version of the series, and through flashbacks, it is revealed that Thelma's daughter Eunice disliked her. Thelma's grandson Bubba always referred to her as "Miss Boylen," and Iola's catchphrase was a friendly "Knock, knock!" whenever she entered the Harpers' house, usually around dinner time.
Iola would often be the only other person whom Thelma would spend time with, outside of her family. They would often be involved in civic work together, most notably the Church Ladies' League (CLL). Although the two women were best friends, multiple episodes and story lines would depict conflicts that would arise between the two when fighting over the same things (e.g., a position as president of the CLL; a rose-growing contest; a chili cook-off; a winning lottery ticket, etc.). When first introduced, the character of Iola seemed to be an antagonist for Mama, but this role was quickly dropped and most episodes depicted Iola as a second banana to Thelma in her schemes throughout the series' run.
From the character's introduction at the beginning of season three until the middle of season four, the Iola character was infatuated with Vinton, a crush that was revealed to have existed since they were children. Her open flirtatiousness around Vinton and her disdain of Naomi led to an acrimonious and somewhat formal relationship between the two women. However, after a season four episode ("I Do, I Don't") in which various characters fantasized about married life with the objects of their affections, Iola's attitude towards Vinton changed from that point forward in the series. With Iola no longer displaying any overt interest in Vinton, relations between her and Naomi greatly improved, with episodes in seasons five and six depicting the two women spending time together at the theater and the mall.
Iola was depicted as mobile, having the ability to drive a car and the church van, which were both never seen. As a home economics major, she was frequently portrayed as an excellent cook, baker, gardener, housekeeper, and sewer of clothes, drapes, and slipcovers. However, she was also a frequent maker of handicrafts that ranged from the impractical to the ridiculous; she would bestow these unwanted items regularly upon the Harper family, much to their chagrin. It was never explained if Iola ever had a job outside of her house, or if she was a full-time caregiver for her parents; in several episodes, Iola alluded to selling her handicrafts at events, and one episode had her almost getting a job as an inventor.
In every episode in which Iola appeared, her character wore pink gingham shirtwaist dresses. However, depending on the plot lines, she would also change from her everyday dress into pink overalls (when working in the garden), black gingham shirtwaist dresses (while in mourning for characters who had died, including her cat), and during dream sequences, a pink off-the-shoulder dress (in the style of Naomi) and a vixen dress (in film-noir femme-fatale style).
Lloyd Meechum[edit]
This television-related article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Rev. Lloyd Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. He was played by Earl Boen.
Lloyd Meechum is the reverend for the church (unnamed) that Thelma Harper and her family attend. He is married to the often overbearing Alberta Meechum and has a grandson named Eugene. Reverend Meechum, in fact, married Vinton "Vint" Harper and Naomi Harper and officiated at Fran Crowley's funeral.
In fact, it was an incident with little Eugene that warranted him the most time on the show. During one Sunday in church, Eugene carved initials into the pews; and ran up and down, screaming and throwing paper airplanes at the choir. While the Harpers behavior wasn't sterling; Mrs. Meechum was sitting there with a smile which butter wouldn't melt, to coin the sarcastic phrase of Iola Boylan. Then, while the Meechums were visiting the shut-ins, the Harpers were saddled with Eugene.
To say that he was a holy terror would be a grievous understatement. He doctored Thelma's stew with a bottle of hot sauce; locked Vinton and his nephew, Bubba Higgins in the garage; and tormented Naomi, Thelma and Iola. There was no respite for the Harpers, since Lloyd was injured in the hospital.
Eugene was still a terror. He tied up Thelma, and it took Lloyd and Alberta to untie the thoroughly livid Thelma. While she held Eugene down, Lloyd spanked him, for kicking his sore leg. The milquetoast finally grew a spine.
Alberta Meechum[edit]
Alberta Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. She was played by Anne Haney.
Alberta is the catty, judgmental, and gossipy wife of the reverend Lloyd Meechum. As a church leader, she was well known in her parish. She was a former president of the Church Ladies League, or the CLL. She was also stuck-up by virtue of her strong position in the church. This allowed her to somewhat control her husband. Because of her nature, she was considered Thelma Harper's nemesis.
They had a very bratty grandson named Eugene (aka Little Eugene), whom she spoiled unabashedly, and allowed to misbehave so dreadfully. Whenever he did anything wrong, she would simply sit there and smile a smile "like butter wouldn't melt". During one Sunday, she decided to foist the unwilling Eugene on the even more unwilling Harpers. She said that he wouldn't be no trouble. Grammatically she was more than right; he indeed wasn't no trouble; in fact he was ALL trouble! And the trouble he unleashed on them was terrible.
Among his crimes, he doctored Thelma's stew with a whole bottle of Hot Sauce, then tried to deny his wrongdoing when caught; locked Vinton "Vint" Harper and Bubba Higgins in the garage; tormented Vint's wife, Naomi Harper; ruined Thelma's best tablecloth by coloring on it with crayons; wrecked a gift of Iola Boylan's; ruined Thelma's downstairs bathroom by spraying a whole can of Vint's shaving cream; and tying up Thelma during the night.
Even with all the proof of the crimes he committed, Alberta refused to do anything about Eugene, thinking that anything he did was perfect. In short, she tried to turn things around on Thelma by trying to blame her for all that happened, even though the idea of the Harpers babysitting Eugene had been Alberta's idea at the outset.
When Eugene kicked Lloyd in his broken leg, that was the final straw. While Thelma grabbed him when he tried to run for it, and held him in place; Lloyd finally spanked the unruly child as he deserved, to Alberta's horror.
When Thelma made an attempt at an unprecedented second term as president of the Church Ladies League, the conniving Alberta, presumably in retaliation for Thelma helping her husband punish their grandson, did everything in her power to stop her, by putting up Iola as a candidate, and nearly destroying Thelma and Iola's friendship. As it turned out, neither of them won, both defeated by Lolly Perdue, the only member of the CLL big enough to separate the two squabbling combatants.
Alvin Tutweiler[edit]
Alvin Tutweiler is a fictional character in the television series Mama's Family. He was played by Alan Oppenheimer.
Tutweiler was the mayor of the fictitious community of Raytown, where Thelma Harper lived for many years. Despite his often pompous ways and tendency to rub his constituents the wrong way, he was a somewhat decent mayor.
He had met Ellen Harper not long after she had divorced her husband, Bruce Jackson, and the two bonded. To the snobbish and very conniving Ellen, she saw him as a step to becoming possibly the first lady of the state. Her claim to this was "it worked for Nancy Reagan!"
As always, trouble began when, during a senior citizen's group meeting at Thelma's house, she challenged the usually unopposed Mayor in his next election. This was a shock to Ellen, who refused to have any part of it, and fought her own family to try to stop it. Obviously her heart was set for Alvin to win, but in the end, despite Ellen's machinations, Thelma defeated him by a shocking landslide.
However, she discovered that campaigning for mayor, and actually running a city are two very different things, and Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she resigned and handed the reins of the city back to Alvin, who remained mayor all during the rest of the show's run.
Another time where the mayor made things tough for Thelma was when he was about to demolish the neighborhood she lived in to put in another landfill. Making Raytown distinguished by having two landfills! However, her neighborhood (and her house in particular) was a former house of ill-repute where the founder of Raytown, James A. Ray, had died. It was located at Number One Old Decatur Road, and although the street system had changed, the house that she lived in was purchased back when it was Number One Old Decatur Road, and so the house was saved, to Tutweiler's chagrin, by making it a historical landmark. The neighbors were furious about this because they were hoping for a ton of money, and also to be rid of Thelma as a neighbor.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ The New York Times
Jump up ^ Colucci, Jim (May 4, 2006). "Interview: Rue McClanahan". Archive of American Television. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
[hide]
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Writers
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Films and TV shows
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Episodes
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Other related persons
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Oklahoma Panhandle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Neutral Strip" redirects here. For the area in Louisiana known as the Sabine Free State or Neutral Strip, see Neutral Ground (Louisiana).
Oklahoma Panhandle
Cimarron Territory
No Man's Land
See Historic Regions of the United States
←
1850–1890 →
Flag Flag
The three counties of the Oklahoma Panhandle
Capital Beaver City
36°48′N 100°31′W / 36.800°N 100.517°W / 36.800; -100.517Coordinates: 36°48′N 100°31′W / 36.800°N 100.517°W / 36.800; -100.517
Government Provisional, unelected, unrecognized[1]
President
• 1886–1887 Owen G. Chase
History
• Texas Republic founded; includes Panhandle area March 2, 1836
• Texas Republic surrenders claim; Panhandle becomes "unattached" territory 1850
• First petition for territorial status sent to Congress February 1887
• Second petition for territorial status sent to Congress December 1887
• Attached to Oklahoma Territory 1890
The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme northwestern region of the state of Oklahoma, consisting of Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County, from west to east. As with other salients in the United States, its name comes from the similarity of its shape to the handle of a cooking pan.
The three-county Oklahoma Panhandle region had a population of 28,751 at the 2010 census, representing 0.77% of the state's population. This is a decrease in total population of 1.2%, a loss of 361 people, from the census of 2000.
Contents
[hide]
1 Geography
2 History
2.1 Cimarron Territory
2.2 Settlement and assimilation
2.3 Dust Bowl
3 Demographics
4 Cities and towns
4.1 Major communities
4.2 Other communities
5 Economy
6 Politics
7 Points of interest
8 Notes and references
8.1 Notes
8.2 References
8.3 Further reading
9 External links
Geography[edit]
State welcome sign on the New Mexico border of the Panhandle
The Panhandle, 166 miles (267 km) long and 34 miles (55 km) wide, is bordered by Kansas and Colorado at 37°N on the north, New Mexico at 103°W on the west, Texas at 36.5°N on the south, and the remainder of Oklahoma at 100°W on the east. The largest town in the region is Guymon, which is the county seat of Texas County. Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet (1,516 m), is located in Cimarron County. The Panhandle occupies nearly all of the true High Plains within the state of Oklahoma, being the only part of the state lying west of the 100th meridian, which generally marks the westernmost extent of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. The North Canadian River is named Beaver River or Beaver Creek on its course through the Panhandle. Its land area is 5,686 square miles (14,730 km2), which is larger than that of the state of Connecticut, and comprises 8.28 percent of Oklahoma's land area.[2]
The area also includes Beaver Dunes State Park with sand dunes along the Beaver River and Optima Lake, the home of the Optima National Wildlife Refuge.
History[edit]
Map of Oklahoma Territory, Indian Territory and the "neutral strip"
The 1845 Texas annexation included the area of the future Oklahoma Panhandle
No Man's Land Monument, US Hwy 64 east of Gate, OK (Oklahoma Panhandle)
What is now the Oklahoma Panhandle has been occupied by humans for millennia. The Paleo-Indian people of the region were part of the Beaver River complex. A Paleo-Indian encampment, the Bull Creek site dates back to approximately 8450 BCE, and Badger Hole site dates to circa 8400 CE.[3]
Shortly before the arrival of European and African explorers,[4] the panhandle was home to Southern Plains villagers. From 1200 to 1500 CE, the semi-sedentary Panhandle culture peoples, including the Antelope Creek Phase,[5] lived in the region in large, stone-slab and plaster houses in villages or individual homesteads. As horticulturalists, they farmed maize and indigenous crops from the Eastern Agricultural Complex. Several Antelope Phase sites were founded near present-day Guymon, Oklahoma, including the McGrath Site, Stamper Site, and Two Sisters Site.[5] The arrival of horses from Spain in the 16th century, allowed American Indian tribes to increase their hunting ranges. These Southern Plains villagers became the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
The Western history of the Panhandle traces its origins as being part of the Spanish New Spain empire. The Transcontinental Treaty (Adams-Onís Treaty) of 1819 between Spain and the United States set the western boundary of this portion of the Louisiana Purchase at the 100th meridian. With Mexican independence in 1821, these lands became part of Mexico. With the formation of the Texas Republic, they became part of Texas. When Texas joined the U.S. in 1846, the strip became part of the United States.[6]
The Cimarron Cutoff for the Santa Fe Trail passed through the area soon after the trade route was established in 1826 between the Spanish in Santa Fe and the Americans in St. Louis. The route was increasingly used during the California Gold Rush. The Cutoff passed several miles north of what are now Boise City, Oklahoma and Clayton, New Mexico before continuing toward Santa Fe.[7]
When Texas sought to enter the Union in 1845 as a slave state, federal law in the United States, based on the Missouri Compromise, prohibited slavery north of 36°30' parallel north. Under the Compromise of 1850, Texas surrendered its lands north of 36°30' latitude. The 170-mile strip of land, a "neutral strip", was left with no state or territorial ownership from 1850 until 1890. It was officially called the "Public Land Strip" and was commonly referred to as "No Man's Land."[8][9]
The Compromise of 1850 also established the eastern boundary of New Mexico Territory at the 103rd meridian, thus setting the western boundary of the strip. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 set the southern border of Kansas Territory as the 37th parallel. This became the northern boundary of No Man's Land. When Kansas joined the Union in 1861, the western part of Kansas Territory was assigned to Colorado Territory, but did not change the boundary.[9]
Cimarron Territory[edit]
After the Civil War, cattlemen moved into the area. Gradually they organized themselves into ranches and established their own rules for arranging their land and adjudicating their disputes. There was still confusion over the status of the strip and some attempts were made to arrange rent with the Cherokees, despite the fact that the Cherokee Outlet ended at the 100th meridian. In 1885, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the strip was not part of the Cherokee Outlet.[10] In 1886, Interior Secretary L. Q. C. Lamar, declared the area to be public domain and subject to "squatter's rights".[11]
The strip was not yet surveyed, and as that was one of the requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862, the land could not be officially settled. Settlers by the thousands flooded in to assert their "squatter's rights" anyway. They surveyed their own land and by September 1886 had organized a self-governing and self-policing jurisdiction, which they named the Cimarron Territory. Senator Daniel W. Voorhees of Indiana introduced a bill in Congress to attach the so-called territory to Kansas. It passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives but was not signed by President Grover Cleveland.[10]
The organization of Cimarron Territory began soon after Secretary Lamar declared the area open to settlement by squatters. The settlers formed their own vigilance committees, which organized a board charged with forming a territorial government. The board enacted a preliminary code of law and divided the strip into three districts. They also called for a general election to choose three members from each district to meet on March 4, 1887, to form a government.[12]
The elected council met as planned, elected Owen G. Chase as president, and named a full cabinet. They also enacted further laws and divided the strip into five counties (Benton, Beaver, Palo Duro, Optima, and Sunset), three senatorial districts (with three members from each district), and seven delegate districts (with two members from each district). The members from these districts were to be the legislative body for the proposed territory. Elections were held November 8, 1887, and the legislature met for the first time on December 5, 1887.[10]
After the meeting in March, Owen G. Chase went to Washington, D.C. to lobby for admission to Congress as the delegate from the new territory. He was not recognized by Congress.[13] A group disputing the Chase organization met, and elected and sent its own delegate to Washington.[14] A bill was introduced to accept Chase but was never brought to a vote. Neither delegation was able to persuade Congress to accept the new territory.[11] Another delegation went in 1888 but was also unsuccessful.[13]
Settlement and assimilation[edit]
In 1889, the Unassigned Lands to the east of the territory were opened for settlement, and many of the residents went there (see Land Run of 1889). The remaining population was generously estimated by Owen Chase at 10,000 after the opening. Ten years later, an actual count revealed only 2,548.[15] The passage of the Organic Act in 1890 assigned Public Land Strip to the new Oklahoma Territory, and ended the short-lived Cimarron Territory aspirations.[13]
Beaver County encompassed the whole Panhandle from 1890 until statehood
In 1891, the government completed the survey and the remaining squatters were finally able to secure their homesteads under the Homestead Act. The new owners were then able to obtain mortgages against their property, enabling them to buy seed and equipment. Capital and new settlers came into the area and the first railroad, the Rock Island, built a line through the county from Liberal, Kansas to Dalhart, Texas. Agriculture began changing from subsistence farms to grain exporters.[9]
No Man's Land became Seventh County under the newly organized Oklahoma Territory, and was soon renamed Beaver County. Beaver City became the county seat. When Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory joined the Union in 1907 as the single state of Oklahoma, Beaver County was divided into the present Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron counties. The Oklahoma Panhandle had the highest population it has ever recorded at its first census, more than double its current population.[16]
Dust Bowl[edit]
The Panhandle was the part of Oklahoma that was most adversely affected by the drought of the 1930s. The drought began in 1932 and created massive dust storms. By 1935, the area was widely known as the Dust Bowl. The dust storms were largely a result of poor farming techniques and a plow-up of the native grasses that held the fine soil in place. Despite government efforts to implement conservation measures and change the basic farming methods of the region, the Dust Bowl persisted for nearly a decade. It contributed significantly to the length of the Great Depression in the United States.[17] Each of the three counties experienced a major loss of population during the 1930s.
Demographics[edit]
As of the 2010 census, there were a total of 28,751 people, 10,451 households, and 7,466 families in the three counties that comprise the Oklahoma Panhandle.[18] The racial makeup of the region was 80.26% white including persons of mixed race, 59.46% non-Hispanic white, 1.34% African American, 1.21% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 15.53% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races.[18] Hispanic and Latino Americans made up 35.85% of the population.[18]
As of the 2000 census, 7.7% of the population was under the age of five, and 12.5% of the population exceeded 65 years of age. Of the population under the age of 5, 54.95% were non-Hispanic white, 41.12% were Hispanic of any race, and 0.80% were African American alone. Of the population 65 years of age and over, 95.29% were non-Hispanic white, 3.52% were Hispanic, and 0.03% was African American. Of the non-Hispanic white population, 16.45% were 65 years of age or older.
As of the 1990 census, 89.40% of the population was non-Hispanic White, 9.11% were of Hispanic of any race, and 0.27% were African American. 6.72% of the population was under 5 years of age, and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older.
The median income for a household in the region was $34,404, and the median income for a family was $40,006. Males had a median income of $27,444 versus $19,559 for females. The per capita income for the region was $16,447.
Cities and towns[edit]
Major communities[edit]
Beaver (County Seat of Beaver County)
Boise City (County Seat of Cimarron County)
Goodwell (Home to Oklahoma Panhandle State University)
Guymon (County Seat of Texas County and largest city in the Oklahoma Panhandle)
Hooker
Texhoma
Other communities[edit]
Adams
Balko
Felt
Forgan
Gate
Hardesty
Kenton
Keyes
Knowles
Optima
Turpin
Tyrone
Floris
Economy[edit]
The Panhandle is rather thinly populated (when compared to the rest of Oklahoma) making the labor force in this region very small. Farming and ranching operations occupy most of the economic activity in the region, with ranching dominating the drier western end. The region's higher educational needs are served by Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, 10 miles southwest of Guymon, the Panhandle's largest city.[19]
Politics[edit]
The Oklahoma Panhandle is one of the most universally Republican areas of what has become one of the most Republican states in the nation. Beaver and Texas counties last supported a Democrat for president in 1948, while Cimarron County last supported a Democrat in 1976.
In the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, the three counties gave a weighted average of 87.5% of their votes to John McCain and 12.5% to Barack Obama, with McCain carrying the state over Obama 65.6% to 34.4%.[20] Also, in 2006 the Oklahoma Panhandle counties were the only three where the majority voted against the successful Democratic incumbent, Governor Brad Henry.
In 2012, Democratic voters in the Panhandle voted for Randall Terry, a Pro-Life activist, over incumbent Democrat Barack Obama in the Democratic Presidential primary.
Points of interest[edit]
Black Mesa State Park features a hiking trail to the top of Oklahoma's highest point
Beaver Dunes State Park features massive sand dunes along the Beaver River – located just north of the town of Beaver
Optima Lake is home to the Optima National Wildlife Refuge
Notes and references[edit]
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Richter, Sara and Tom Lewis. "Cimarron Territory," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed July 1, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Oklahoma Geography from NETSTATE". www.netstate.com.
Jump up ^ Leland Bement, "Beaver River Complex Contribution to Folsom Archaeology: An Update and Future Directions," The Digital Archaeological Record (2015).
Jump up ^ "African Explorers of Spanish America". Park Ethnography Program. US National Park Service. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b Lintz, Christopher. "Antelope Creek Phase". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
Jump up ^ Gibson, Arrell M. Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries. Retrieved May 11, 2013. Available on Google Books.[1]
Jump up ^ Map of the Santa Fe Trail. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Oklahoma Panhandle: Badmen in No Man's Land". Wild West magazine. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
^ Jump up to: a b c Turner, Kenneth R. "No Man's Land". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
^ Jump up to: a b c Sara Richter and Tom Lewis, "Cimarron Territory", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed April 13, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Wardell, p. 83.
Jump up ^ Wardell, p. 84.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Beaver County – No Man's Land". Annual Reports of the Department of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1904. U.S. Department of the Interior. 1904. pp. 463–465. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
Jump up ^ Wardell, p. 86.
Jump up ^ Wardell, p. 885
Jump up ^ "Cimarron: Concept of Panhandle state nixed by political squabbling". 4 November 2015.
Jump up ^ Library of Congress. "America's Story from America's Library: The Dust Bowl of Oklahoma." Retrieved July 30, 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c American FactFinder Archived September 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine., United States Census Bureau. (accessed September 3, 2013)
Jump up ^ Goins, Charles Robert and Danney Goble. "The Oklahoma Panhandle, 2000." In: Historical Atlas of Oklahoma. Available on Google Books.p. 206. Retrieved January 19. 2014.
Jump up ^ "US Election Atlas".
References[edit]
Beck, T.E. "Cimarron Territory," Chronicles of Oklahoma 7:2 (June 1929) 168–169 (retrieved August 16, 2006).
Counties of the Oklahoma Panhandle United States Census Bureau
Wardell, Morris L. "The History of No-Man's Land, or Old Beaver County", Chronicles of Oklahoma 1:1 (January 1921) 60–89 (retrieved August 16, 2006).
Further reading[edit]
Christman, Harry E. (editor-original manuscript by Jim Herron). Fifty Years on the Owl Hoot Trail: The First Sheriff of No Man's Land, Oklahoma Territory. Sage Books: Chicago, 1969.
Lowitt, Richard. American Outback: The Oklahoma Panhandle in the Twentieth Century (Texas Tech University Press, 2006) . xxii, 137 pp. ISBN 0-89672-558-8
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oklahoma Panhandle.
Oklahoma article at HighBeam Encyclopedia.com
Oklahoma Panhandle was formerly called Cimarron Territory
Cimarron Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Oklahoma History Center: Education Programs
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Cimarron Territory
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