I'd heard of this show, but didn't know it was a very young Jerry Van Dyke in the starring role!! You can barely recognize him from his older self. The only thing that gave him away was his mannerisms and acting style, so much like his brother's.
I thought this was a very cute show. This was S1E17 entitled I Remember Mama, Why Can't You Remember Me? where Mother gets amnesia.
Have you ever noticed that different types of shows in different eras have different laugh tracks styles? This one is bearable and more sparing than other shows such as Dobie Gillis (which I also sampled. Terrible show, Unrealistic characters.)
I'd watch My Mother the Car again. But how did she become a car, anyway?
My Mother the Car/Dobie Gillis
My Mother the Car/Dobie Gillis
You trying to tell me you didn't hear that shriek? That was something trying to get out of its premature grave, and I don't want to be here when it does. - Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Re: My Mother the Car
I've never seen a single episode of this show, but I know that it's notorious for being (supposedly) one of the the worst sitcoms ever made. With Jerry Van Dyke, I don't see how it could be that bad, though. 
Why do you think it's been disparaged so?
Dobie Gillis! Oh man, one of my favs of the old shows! Sorry you don't like it.
Yes, the characters are unrealistic and exaggerated, but that's part of the fun of it, well at least to me. It's kind of like a broadly played parody of teenage life at that time, it seems. (Think Archie comics.)
I love Dwayne Hickman as Dobie (especially in his meditations with The Thinker in the background) and Bob Denver as the quintessential beatnik, Maynard G. Krebbs. Great theme music, too.
Having said all that, even I will admit that I like it in not-too-large doses at a time.
I think it might get on my nerves if I binge-watched it. 
Sorry to steer the thread adrift, but I had to put in a good word about Dobe.
Why do you think it's been disparaged so?Dobie Gillis! Oh man, one of my favs of the old shows! Sorry you don't like it.
Yes, the characters are unrealistic and exaggerated, but that's part of the fun of it, well at least to me. It's kind of like a broadly played parody of teenage life at that time, it seems. (Think Archie comics.)I love Dwayne Hickman as Dobie (especially in his meditations with The Thinker in the background) and Bob Denver as the quintessential beatnik, Maynard G. Krebbs. Great theme music, too.
Having said all that, even I will admit that I like it in not-too-large doses at a time.
I think it might get on my nerves if I binge-watched it. Sorry to steer the thread adrift, but I had to put in a good word about Dobe.
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Mrs. Danvers
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Re: My Mother the Car
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Oh yeah, Dobie Gillis fan too. Loved Maynard G. Krebbs. And I really liked Dobie's dad, Herbert T. Gillis. Warren Beatty played the son of wealthy parents in one season. I have to add I haven't seen the show in decades, but I used to like it a lot. The girl Zelda who always had the hots for Dobie and he was always after Thalia Menninger (Tuesday Weld).
Looking back I think it was a very real for it's time. I'm sure I'd now find it as corny as Leave it To Beaver, which I still watch almost every day, right before Perry Mason.
We never watched My Mother the Car much at all, I of course remember it, but it must have been too wacky even for us. I mean it wasn't on par with the likes of Mister Ed, which we faithfully watched. Mister Ed was such a gorgeous horse.
Looking back I think it was a very real for it's time. I'm sure I'd now find it as corny as Leave it To Beaver, which I still watch almost every day, right before Perry Mason.
We never watched My Mother the Car much at all, I of course remember it, but it must have been too wacky even for us. I mean it wasn't on par with the likes of Mister Ed, which we faithfully watched. Mister Ed was such a gorgeous horse.
We didn't need dialogue. We had faces!
Re: My Mother the Car
Maybe it was the premise, which was gimmicky. I mean, the methods he used to try to jog mother's memory in this episode were all for humans, which made no sense whatsoever. Maybe if I watched more I'd have a different opinion.
Maybe I need to warm up to the show to like it. To me, it was one of those that seemed that everyone was stage yelling, there was constant laughter, and the parents goodness gracious the father in particular was obnoxious. The wife seemed to play it pretty straightforward. It is pretty comic bookish... Was this a radio show, too? Maybe it's a boy version of Date With Judy.donnie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 02, 2020 10:51 pmDobie Gillis! Oh man, one of my favs of the old shows! Sorry you don't like it.
That's right, I forgot about that detail. I watched it a few days ago, but didn't make a thread because I had no idea there would be so much said about the show! It's my fault, so I changed the thread name to both shows. Next time I'll not worry about spamming my own forum with threads!
You never know what will be of interest!You trying to tell me you didn't hear that shriek? That was something trying to get out of its premature grave, and I don't want to be here when it does. - Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Re: My Mother the Car
It probably is an acquired taste.Kitty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 9:51 amMaybe I need to warm up to the show to like it. To me, it was one of those that seemed that everyone was stage yelling, there was constant laughter, and the parents goodness gracious the father in particular was obnoxious. The wife seemed to play it pretty straightforward. It is pretty comic bookish... Was this a radio show, too? Maybe it's a boy version of Date With Judy.
And yes, Herbert Gillis can definitely be annoying on some episodes. It may have been a radio show, not sure.Good for you!
You're the boss, so you get to make whatever executive decisions you want.