Eunice

This 1981 teleplay is the absolute end-all for the Eunice character portrayed by Carol Burnett for several years during her reign as television's finest comedian, and with her own variety show to boot... I recall Burnett once saying in an interview that she was glad to put an end to the Eunice character with this special. It was certainly the last word for Eunice, but not for the rest of the cast, who continued the saga of "Mama's Family". The bittersweet ending of "Eunice" is a great finale for the title character and her family story. With the excellent supporting cast, it created one of the all time best TV "specials". Vicki Lawrence, Ken Berry, Harvey Korman and Betty White kept this simple minded family alive for years afterward, and with great success. This should be on DVD for all generations to appreciate. It's television at its best!

The "family" skits from THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW morphed into this TV movie, which then became the series MAMA'S FAMILY.

Carol Burnett as Eunice is center stage in four episodes covering events from 1955 to 1978. As the unhappy daughter in a dysfunctional family, Burnett gets to veer from high comedy to pathos as he dreams and aspirations are constantly squashed by her domineering mother (Vicki Lawrence) and her doltish husband (Harvey Korman). She evens plays second fiddle to her more successful siblings (Betty White, Ken Berry).

As her brother goes off to New York and her sister marries a successful businessman, Eunice is stuck is a lousy marriage and has two hellions of sons. Her husband then runs off with another woman, leaving her with the kids and her job in a local dime store. She's also still under the thumb of mama.

Entire cast is good with Burnett and Lawrence as the standouts.

When this was shown in 1981 I taped it and watched it over and over again. (Too bad I used BETA tape!) It is such a poignant story of broken dreams. Eunice wanted to do so much, but life got in the way, then she looks back on all her missed opportunities.

It is sad, but could also be inspiring to others who have dreams they want to accomplish in life - to go for them before it's too late.

My mom always watched Carol Burnette when she was on Monday nights...I caught up with the Eunice/ Mama's family on Youtube.... The humor was sardonic but after a while, the bickering got to me. I realize it was supposed to be funny and maybe even taken from Carol Burnette's personal life, but it was like Archie Bunker..After a while, it got to you...I watched the Eunice movie through the three acts and then we came to the funeral...Of course. Even with their mother gone and buried, the two sisters were not able to reconcile their differences after so many years. Eunice even blames Philip for not doing enough to help her in her family situation. Then comes the scene where Eunice realizes that her mother is now gone and she has to go on living her own life. She breaks down in true agony and even Philip has to say "Your mother is gone now...she can no longer influence your life...You have to make it your own." Ken Barry's dramatic outburst even brings applause from the audience. But even then, you cant help feeling sorry for Eunice because she feels she has lost her dreams forever.... Carol Burnette shows her dramatic side in this episode, creating antipathy for the character. She also played the mother of a soldier killed in friendly fire who has to reconcile herself to the fact that he is gone and apparently no one is at fault. That last segment is so powerful that I cannot bear to watch it, and have often caught it off in mid scene.

I have been trying to prove for YEARS that there was a live teleplay called Eunice, based on the Momma's Family characters from the Carol Burnett show. I've searched imdb many times before to no avail. Although I was only 10 or 11 when it was aired, being rather sophisticated for my age, I remember the special as being rather bittersweet. And with the genius ensemble of Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, and Betty White, no less than comic magic can be expected. As the user before me, I hope this gem will soon be available on video.