#5. Mother Winslow (Family Matters)
Ok, I am cheating a bit. When we first met her in the pilot
(and when she was referenced in Perfect Strangers) Mother Winslow was not a
nice person. The family is dreading her visit and don’t want her to move in
because she is such a nuisance. However, it didn't take long for that to fade
and she became a very likable grandmother figure. She was actually one of the
best characters on Family Matters, and was one of the few people who openly
respected and cared for Steve Urkel. She had a big love for life, actively dating
and participating in any activity she could. Truth be told she could have
easily been on yesterday’s list, but I’ll make a place for her here. Rosetta
LeNoire was so great at being the sweet grandmother with a very grandmotherly
smile, and it amazed me the way she could give a line about wanting to go on a
hot date like she was a 16 year old with that same sweet smile!
#4. Ethyl Philips (Dinosaurs)
I realize many may not be familiar with Dinosaurs, but this
was a great show and this character was one of my favorites. She was intended
to be a one time character, but was so well done she became a regular part of
the cast. She always had an insult for her dim witted brother in law Earl, and
spent a lot of time complaining about things like how TV has ruined the world. She
got one episode in which she visits the afterlife and when she returns starts
talking about it. She is then warned to stop pushing it or else she would go to
her private hell…a room full of Earl’s! Just a funny character and great mother
in law. Oh, In case you’re wondering, the baby was my favorite character. Hey,
maybe I should do a whole article on this show……
#3.Sylvia Buchman (Mad About You)
One of the things this show does not get appreciation for is
the way Cynthia Harris played Paul's mother. She clearly did not approve of
Jamie, and drove her nuts with her little comments and criticisms. I never
really understood the problem, guess no one was good enough for her son because
she was definitely a meddling mother in law. She wasn’t all bad; I love a small
scene she had in the episode where Paul and Jamie have a huge blow out where
you can tell she knows something is wrong. Also in a Thanksgiving episode she actually
did a nice thing for Jamie for Paul by not letting their dinner get ruined. She
knows what it’s like to have a mother-in-law, besides it was a holiday.
#2 Endora (Bewitched)
This was the worst case scenarios of mother in laws! Not
only did she hate Derwood (that is what she called Darrin), and not only was
she popping over the house every time she wanted, but she also played all sorts
of tricks on him. One of my favorites was the time she made him speak in only clichés.
However, that was just the tip if the iceberg. Endora turned Darrin into things
and altered his personality, all for her own amusement. She hated that her
daughter had married a mortal and was determined to prove to Samantha that she
had made a horrible mistake. However, Samantha and Darrin truly loved each
other so no matter what she did it never worked. Agnes Moorhead created such a
great character that she pretty much stole any scene she was in. How could a
mother-in-law be worst?
#1. Marie Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Who else could be #1? She is the perfect meddling mother in
law. She visits the house every day, several times every day. She makes
comments about her daughter in law from her cooking to the way she keeps her house to the way she raises her
kids. She snoops around the house and even looks at their mail. She argues with
Debra and usually takes Ray’s side. The worst thing is that she is so insecure,
that everyone is afraid to stand up to her. Doris Roberts did a great job
making a character which should have been despised actually likeable. I could
be here all day listing examples of her meddling, but suffice to say as far as
horrible mothers in laws go, no one could touch her.
Honorable mentions include Mother Jefferson on The Jefferson’s
(who truly belongs on this list since she was always horrible to Louise). Some
other meddling mothers include Arthur Carlson’s on WKRP and Cliff Clavins on
Cheers.
Happy Mother’s Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment