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That's My Mama

That's My Mama is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 1974 until December 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series.

Set in a middle-class African American neighborhood in Washington, D.C., the program revolved around the character Clifton Curtis (played by Clifton Davis), a man in his late 20s who worked as a barber at Oscar's Barber Shop, the family barber shop he had inherited from his late father. While Clifton enjoyed being a bachelor, his opinionated mother "Mama" Curtis, played by Theresa Merritt, wanted him to settle down and find a nice wife. Additional characters - both Curtis's friends and other members of his family - came and went over the course of a typical day at Oscar's Barber Shop.

That's My Mama was never a ratings success. It was not one of the top 30 most-watched U.S. programs in the Nielsen ratings for either the 1974-75 or 1975-76 television seasons.

Yet the show has retained a small cult following despite rarely running in syndication. Both seasons of That's My Mama have been released on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

In the late '80s a pilot for a revival series called That's My Mama Now! with Ted Lange as the star was produced, but lack of enough stations signing up ensured the death of the revival.

• Clifton Curtis...Clifton Davis
• "Mama" Elosie Curtis...Theresa Merritt
• Earl Chambers #1 (1974)...Ed Bernard (first two episodes)
• Earl Chambers #2 (1974-1975)...Theodore Wilson
• Tracy Curtis Taylor #1 (1974-1975)...Lynne Moody
• Wildcat (1974-1975)...Jester Hairston
• Josh (1974-1975)...DeForest Convan
• Junior...Ted Lange
• Leonard Taylor...Lisle Wilson (recurring character in season one and promoted to regular cast member in season two)
• Tracy Curtis Taylor #2 (1975)...Joan Pringle

• Joan Pringle was married to Theodore Wilson in real life until he died in 1991.
• The show garnered a reference in John Landis' 1988 comedy "Coming to America," starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. Randy Watson of the band "Sexual Chocolate" is introduced as having portrayed "'Joe the Policeman' from the 'What's Going Down' episode of 'That's My Mama,'" just before Mr. Watson launches into his version of Whitney Houston's hit, "The Greatest Love of All." It is unclear whether an actor named Randy Watson actually portrayed Joe the Policeman, or any other character on That's My Mama.
• MADtv did a parody of That's My Mama called That's My White Mama.

• That's My Mama at TV.com
• That's My Mama at Super70s.com