MILs. On TV, in jokes and in the movies they are usually portrayed as overbearing, interfering and meddlesome, obnoxious, judgmental and down right mean. Who hasn't heard of a MIL being referred to as "the old battleax"?
And did you know that someone once figured out that if you rearrange the letters in the word "mother in law" you get the words "woman Hitler." It seems to me that 'someone' had too much time on their hands.
TV shows portray all kinds of MILs--the good, the bad and the ugly (literally).
From 1967-1969 there was once a whole TV shows devoted to MILs--appropriately enough called "The Mothers in Law." One TV critic believed: "'The Mothers-In-Law' was one of the few genuinely funny sitcoms on television during the late-Sixties." The MILs were played by Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard. It ran on Sunday nights and as we had a strict "no TV on Sunday" rule when I was growing up (unless we happened to be visiting dear Grandma Eda...but her TV was always tuned to "The Ed Sullivan Show" on Sunday evenings), I never saw the series. There were at total of 56 episodes (they are available on Netflix, but unfortunately not available on 'Instant Play'--so it will be awhile before I'm able to watch them).
Other famous MILs on the small screen (in no particular order):
- Marie Barone on "Everyone Loves Raymond" (played by Doris Roberts). She was loud, pushy, in your business and of the opinion that "no girl is good enough for my sons"--in other words, she usually made life miserable for her DILs.
- Marion Cunningham on 'Happy Days' (played by Marion Ross). She was not only a great wife, mom and quasi-mom to Fonzi, but she was also a great MIL to SIL, Chachi.
- Endora on "Bewitched" (played by Agnes Moorehead). With a MIL like Endora you had to be careful or she would turn you into a frog!
- Edith Bunker on 'All in the Family' (played by Jean Stapleton). The sweetness she showed to her SIL seemed to be in direction correlation to how much of a jerk her husband was to him.
- Ellie Ewing on 'Dallas' (played by Barbara Bel Geddes and later by Donna Reed). This lady had her hands full with an often drunk DIL and a philandering son, but Miss Ellie managed to be a supportive MIL.
- Pearl Slaghoople on "The Flintstones"--also referred to in one episode as "Trouble-in-law." She thought nothing of tossing her SIL around like a rag doll.
- Olivia Jefferson on "The Jeffersons" (played by Zara Cully Brown) Some thought she was the epitome of "the old battleaxe." She made it clear to everyone that her DIL wasn't worthy of her son with her mean cracks about the DIL's weight, cooking and cleaning.
- Bev Harris on "Roseanne" (played by Estelle Parsons). What was worse...the manipulation, the judgment or her shrieking voice?
- Roseanne herself (played by Roseanne). She had a good side and a scary side, but she did what she thought was best to protect her daughters and her SILs.
- Thelma Harper on "Mama's Family" (played by Vicki Lawrence). She was another one with a voice that could make you crazy--and she was crabby to everyone and everything, but especially to her SIL and DIL.
And other MILs on TV that I haven't seen for myself:
- Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on "Modern Family (played by Sofia Vergara)
- Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore on "Gilmore Girls" (played by Marion Ross)
Have I forgotten your favorite small screen MIL? Is there one that reminds you of your own MIL?
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