Mama's Family The Unofficial Episode Viewing Guide [Paperback]

Andrew L Whitenack (Author), Darin A Stewart (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2011

All of your favorite Mama’s Family episodes in one complete collection. Series information, Raytown products, cast members, writers, and producers all included. Complete, detailed plot information for all 130 episodes. Six Trivia Quizzes, one after each season to test your knowledge. The Ultimate Mama's Family Guide for every Mama's Family Fan. Makes a great gift!

Editorial Reviews

Review

 
Congratulations on writing and publishing your book! The cover art is a lot of fun. You have clearly done your research here and present a very detailed resource for fans of the TV show. As a childhood fan of the  show, it was fun for me to remember some of these episodes. Good job organizing the material. The formatting is very clean and easy to read.-Writer's Digest
 

About the Author

Andrew Whitenack grew up in southern Virginia and always felt a connection to The Harper's and Mama's Family. Some of his relatives even sounded like Thelma and her TV family. He spent hours watching the reruns over and over again, memorizing the storylines and some of Thelma's hilarious quips. When the show was cancelled, he felt there was a need for an Episode Guide and spent over six months compiling and writing down the detailed plots. The result is the only Mama's Family Complete Episode Viewing Guide available with show information, plots, trivia quizzes and answers. A must-have for every Mama's Family Fan. He is also author of "Ceremonial Confessions" a collection of true short stories from a church wedding musician. Currently, he is writing a fiction adventure novel due to be completed by early 2013.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1466292105
• ISBN-13: 978-1466292109
• Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 7.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Guides & Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing March 18, 2013

By Gary Morris

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I hate to be the naysayer hear, but as a longtime fan of this very underrated sitcom, I was disappointed by this book. Obviously it's a labor of love by the author, and the subtitle does say pretty much what you're getting: an "unofficial episode viewing guide." So in a sense I shouldn't complain. But because this is probably my favorite sitcom ever, one that I watch repeatedly, I feel I have to. A book comprised almost entirely of plot descriptions of the episodes (then this happened, then that happened) doesn't do justice to the series. Anybody who's a fan (and only serious fans of Mama's Family would buy this book) knows what happens in each episode, and this information is easily available both online (in shorter descriptions, it's true) and in the episodes themselves (the first season is available through official release, but the entire series is easily obtainable, in good transfers, through various websites, for very little money). To the author's credit, he does include a brief history and a list of some of the hilarious Raytown businesses, products, etc., though there are a few mistakes here: the Bone Crushers and Spilled Brains weren't "local Raytown organizations" - the Bone Crushers were a traveling band playing a gig in Raytown and Spilled Brains was a punk band that released a record that was Bubba's favorite. Also, it's the Exalted Order of Dames, not the Dames. In addition, all this information is easily available online, with some additions to the categories. The caricatures are fair at best in capturing the characters.

I wish the author had put in less plot descriptions and mined the series for more of what makes it so distinctive.... For example, he could have included the comical poetry and songs that appear in various episodes - Iola's poems "A Mother's Hands" and "Great Mothers Throughout History"; the Ravenettes' cheer ("We will leave 'em weak and weary!"); the Raytown theme song, etc. I'd also want a "Where Are They Now?" section; I'm sure other readers want to know what happened to Karin Argoud, Eric Brown, Allan Kayser, Beverly Archer, etc., and even cursory research online will turn up some info in that regard. I'd also hoped to see more production information, a more detailed history, interviews with cast members, some of the oddball aspects related to the show (like the fact that co-creator Dick Clair had his head cryogenically frozen), biographical sketches of crew (including the fascinating Clair and Dorothy Van, who played Aunt Effie and wrote a lot of the episodes), critical reactions to the series, a discussion of why it's not currently playing on any cable channel, the DVD debacle, etc. I realize this is a tall order, but it could have been accommodated if nearly every page wasn't simply a long description of what happened in an episode. I gave this 3 stars for the author's obvious sincerity, but it's not a book I'll keep. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this book! June 5, 2012

By A big fan of GMCLA

Format:Paperback

I always watched the Family sketches on the Carol Burnett Show and loved them. This is a great reference book on the whole Mama's Family series itself. It is full of episode plot details, trivia quizzes, cast members, Raytown products and other detailed show information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mama's Family January 24, 2013

By Sierrapen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is great! We have the cover with the picture of the house, and the cartoon drawings of the characters.
Reading the description of each episode makes one chuckle, as it feels like you are actually watching the episode. You can "hear" the characters in their roles. It is a funny series, and the book is well worth having as a companion piece.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST VIEWER GUIDE AROUND! September 12, 2012

By Guido1

Format:Paperback

This book is the most complete viewer guide for this television series. Having not viewed all the episodes I now need to see them ALL! So much more information than the usual simple, poorly composed and lacking guides I have read in the past. If you know someone who loved this series and the characters created by these talented people then this is a MUST have book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mamma's Family June 10, 2012

By Norene

Format:Paperback

I enjoyed this book very much. The author did a fantastic job giving a complete, detailed plot for every episode along guest casts and technical information. I was not a huge Mama's Family fan but this book reminded me how funny the show really was. At the end of each episode there is a quote from the show to keep you laughing. The trivia quizzes at the end of each season have a good variety of questions from easy to difficult, all multiple choice. The caricature's included are fun and any Mama's Family fan will thoroughly enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.