My Mother The Car

[Aljr]

I was kid when it premiered. Seems to me it took the place of "Mr.Ed" which made me hate it from day one.

[RadioStarOne]

Let us not forget the show "It's About Time." Silly show. Silly concept.

[Aljr]

But it starred Fred Gwynne's sidekick from "Car 54". A sure recipe for success.

[bpatrick]

I've always argued that "Mr. Ed" worked because who
hasn't wondered what their pets would say if they could
talk (OK, I have. Maybe you haven't).  But who's ever
thought about what their car would say if it could talk?
Certainly never crossed my mind.

TV Guide voted "My Mother The Car" the second-worst
show of all time, behind Jerry Springer.  And Ann Sothern
reached the point where she recorded her lines for several
episodes in one session, and I don't think she even bothered
to watch the show.

[Peter Q. George (K1XRB)]

I've always argued that "Mr. Ed" worked because who
hasn't wondered what their pets would say if they could
talk (OK, I have. Maybe you haven't).  But who's ever
thought about what their car would say if it could talk?
Certainly never crossed my mind.

TV Guide voted "My Mother The Car" the second-worst
show of all time, behind Jerry Springer.  And Ann Sothern
reached the point where she recorded her lines for several
episodes in one session, and I don't think she even bothered
to watch the show.

Let's see.... some other memorable rejects from the glorious 1960's.....

About "Rango", barely lasted half a season in 1966-67 on ABC, starring Tim Conway, the same guy who was part of that one night flop "Turn On" in 1969.  Then there was "The Pruitt's Of Southampton", starring Phyllis Diller, lasted one season on ABC in 1966-67.  How 'bout "The Pat Paulsen's Half A Comedy Hour", lasted two months in 1970 on ABC.   Boy, ABC really had quite few rejects until they made their stride in 1976 when Fred Silverman took over and made ABC "the number one!". 

[bpatrick]

"Rango," "Turn-On," and "The Pruitts Of Southampton"
were also on TV Guide's list of the worst shows ever.
Neither Tim Conway nor Phyllis Diller, talented as they
are, could buy a hit: Conway succeeded only as a
second banana on "McHale's Navy" and "The Carol
Burnett Show," while Diller went on to star in the even-
less-successful variety show, "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller
Show," on NBC in 1968.

I never watched Paulsen's show.  Russell Wells can correct
me on this, but in Birmingham it was either pre-empted or
shoved off into some off-hour, but it didn't air there in
pattern on Thursdays at 6:30 (Central).

[bpatrick]

I might add that James Franciscus nearly
swore off series TV when his show about
a high-school English teacher, "Mr. Novak,"
was canceled in favor of "My Mother The Car."
He didn't do another series until "Longstreet"
in 1971, and he never did another series on NBC.

Pat O'Brien (the actor, not the tabloid-show host)
did swear off series TV when his show about father-
and-son lawyers, "Harrigan And Son," was canceled
by ABC in 1961.  Reason: the show was replaced by
"The Hathaways," about a couple with three chimps.
Jack Weston and Peggy Cass played the couple; the
Marquis Chimps played the chimps.

[bpatrick]

I was ten when "My Mother The Car" premiered,
and I knew all the words to the theme song.  The
other neighborhood kids used to pester me to sing
it.  Somebody let me know if I'd be in violation of
copyright if I posted the lyrics.