The Mothers-In-Law

This has to be one of the most underrated shows in the history of television. I remember watching reruns of it when I was younger and I thought it was pretty funny. I especially loved the dynamic of Kaye Ballard's and Eve Arden's characters. They both would always give advice to their children and usually with hilarious results. Also, this was one of the few shows on television at the time in which the in-laws didn't have an antagonistic relationship with each other. I hope that one day they will bring back this funny show in reruns.

Mostly funny sitcom because of the comedic talents of Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard as the mothers-in-law. The show was produced and often directed by Desi Arnaz so if there's a "Lucy & Ethel" vibe, it's not a coincidence.

Basic plot revolves around neighbors, the Hubbards and the Buells, whose kids marry, making the neighbors in-laws. The mothers are clinging, nosy, and very funny. While Ballard does a lot of her explosive Italian schtick, Arden gets to cut loose from her famous "Our Miss Brooks" persona and display her talent for slapstick. For example: in one episode while the mothers are standing on the garage door handles and peering through the windows (it's been converted into the newlyweds' apartment), the door goes up with Arden and Ballard going up with it.

Being a late '60s show, the women wear wild colors and the houses are decorated with lots of bright orange and yellow. Set against this garish backdrop, the relatively normal husbands are played by Herbert Rudley and Roger C. Carmel (replaced in season 2 by Richard Deacon). The newlyweds are played by Deborah Walley and Jerry Fogel.

Desi Arnaz makes a few guest appearances and both Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Lucie Arnaz show up in a few episodes. Lots of familiar faces show up in guest spots. TV fans will easily spot Paul Lynde, Rob Reiner, Ozzie Nelson, Doris Packer, Beverly Garland, Percy Helton, Jeanette Nolan, Herb Edelman, Joi Lansing, Don Rickles, Alice Ghostley, Mary Jane Croft, Teri Garr, and even Jimmy Durante in various episodes.

But it's really all about Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard.

Reading all the great comments from readers of this website made my Sunday morning! It is too bad, indeed, that "The Mothers-in-Law" is not in syndication and Lucie Arnaz and I have talked about this often. It has something to do with Desi's estate, I believe, and legal complications...

However, be that as it may, everything wonderful written about "my little Italian Mama", Kay Ballard is all true - she is, was and will always be the very best!!!! I can only say that those days, back in 1966-1968, were the best 56 weeks of my life! Thanks, all, for watching and enjoying the program! Jerry Fogel (Jerry Buell)

This was a fun show cast in the same die as "I love Lucy." Who could believe Desilu could strike gold twice with casting Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard in essentially the Lucy and Ethel roles? I just barely remember watching an original run of an episode or two, but like several others have mentioned, they did run them briefly in the late 70's. How cool was it to live in a converted garage where the garage door opener was still installed? That device made for a fun episode where Eve and Kaye get stuck on top of the door while spying on "the kids" when someone decides to open up the garage door. The opening credits were frantic and colorful, it should have lasted longer. If you were a fan of Dharma & Greg, this was essentially a remake of The Mothers-In-Law.

I remembered seeing a few episodes of this show growing up, most likely in reruns, and thanks to Amazon Prime, I was able to watch both seasons.

What made this show enjoyable to view were the actors, not the scripts. I found most of the story lines to be childish, dopey, and often predictable. I know the team of writers, who wrote most of the scripts, was the same team from I LOVE LUCY, but the times had changed. What worked for Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz didn't always work here for this series. Many times, I felt as I were watching a retread of a Lucy episode. I often found myself saying "This was such a dumb episode." In the show's defense, I had to keep reminding myself that I was watching a show that ran from 1967 to 1969, and that so much had changed in society over those decades. However, what always made me keep watching to its final episode was the talent displayed by its cast. When you have great actors involved, it certainly raises the levels of many mediocre scripts. Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard certainly raised the level of many of these episodes with their experience, personality, and talent. They were a great team, and they really played off each beautifully. Plus, it was fun to hear Kaye Ballard singing in many of the episodes. The series is worth watching, and it has to be viewed knowing it is a piece from the late 1960s. It is certainly a time capsule look at the time.