Sonja Harper
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
| 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) |
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 The Carol Burnett Show which preceded it.
See Thelma Harper
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.
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