That's My Mama

That's My Mama (1974)

Genres - Comedy  |   Sub-Genres - Domestic Comedy, Sitcom [TV]  |   Run Time - 30 min.  |   Countries - United States  |  
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Set in Washington D.C., the weekly, half-hour ABC sitcom That's My Mama starred Clifton Davis as Clifton Curtis, a young African-American bachelor who ran Oscar's, a neighborhood barbershop named after his late father. Although Clifton would have preferred to be a "swingin'" bachelor, his widowed mother, Eloise "Mama" Curtis (Theresa Merritt), wanted him to settle down with a nice respectable bride. While Clifton lived with his Mama, his sister Tracy (played by Lynne Moody, then by Joan Pringle) resided with her engineer husband Leonard Taylor (Lisle Wilson). Mama was delighted by Tracy's choice of men, though Clifton regarded Leonard as something of a nerd. Also seen were Theodore Wilson as Earl Chambers, professional mail carrier and launcher of a thousand ill-advised get-rich-quick schemes; a pre-Love Boat Ted Lange as Clifford's philosophical pal Junior, and Jester Hairston and DeForest Covan as Wildcat and Josh, a pair of garrulous old-timers who spent all their waking hours hanging around the barbershop. If for no other reason, That's My Mama would be memorable as the first TV series to acknowledge the corner barbershop as the hub of social activity in urban black America. Debuting September 4, 1974, the series lasted two seasons and 39 episodes, the last of which aired on December 24, 1975.

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