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Found this and was surprised. It is the original opening to Mama's Family; showing a different house than that used in the later episodes.
Of course the series has an interesting history.It started as a series of sketches on The Carol Burnett Show. The cast then did a movie called Eunice in 1982 where in Mama dies.
In 1983, Joe Hamilton turned it into a series, which lasted 2 seasons (35 episodes) on NBC. For it to work, Eunice is forgotten and Mama is alive and well. This version costarred the late Rue McClanahan and frequently guest starred Betty White. Ratings were low and NBC canceled it.
Two years later Hamilton brought it back, but this time in first run syndication. This is when the opening titles to the first 2 seasons would have been changed. Note the differences in the set design. The first series was done at CBS Television City on stage 33, where The Carol Burnett Show (and now The Price Is Right) was done. When the series came back they were at the now demolished Fox Television Center (Nassour Studios/Metromedia Square) in a smaller stage than they were in before.
Of interest is that other series did this exact same move. All In The Family, Three's Company, and others started life at CBS before moving to Metromedia.
When the series came back half of the cast were replaced. By this time White and McClanahan had been cast in The Golden Girls. Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman did not come back either.
The new series would run for an additional 4 seasons (95 episodes for a total of 130).
Note that the first season DVD release is of the edited syndicated episodes, not the original full length versions. This means you will not see this opening on the DVD release.
Of course the series has an interesting history.It started as a series of sketches on The Carol Burnett Show. The cast then did a movie called Eunice in 1982 where in Mama dies.
In 1983, Joe Hamilton turned it into a series, which lasted 2 seasons (35 episodes) on NBC. For it to work, Eunice is forgotten and Mama is alive and well. This version costarred the late Rue McClanahan and frequently guest starred Betty White. Ratings were low and NBC canceled it.
Two years later Hamilton brought it back, but this time in first run syndication. This is when the opening titles to the first 2 seasons would have been changed. Note the differences in the set design. The first series was done at CBS Television City on stage 33, where The Carol Burnett Show (and now The Price Is Right) was done. When the series came back they were at the now demolished Fox Television Center (Nassour Studios/Metromedia Square) in a smaller stage than they were in before.
Of interest is that other series did this exact same move. All In The Family, Three's Company, and others started life at CBS before moving to Metromedia.
When the series came back half of the cast were replaced. By this time White and McClanahan had been cast in The Golden Girls. Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman did not come back either.
The new series would run for an additional 4 seasons (95 episodes for a total of 130).
Note that the first season DVD release is of the edited syndicated episodes, not the original full length versions. This means you will not see this opening on the DVD release.