MOTHERS IN HOLLYWOOD
A Mother's Day Reflection
By Jesse Schmitt

For most of us, one of the biggest challenges in our lives is maintaining relationships with the people who matter the most to us. While friends may come and friends may go there are some relationships that we just can't turn our backs on; there are some relationships which can't deny us either. Our family is our family as they say and perhaps the strongest unit of a family comes from mother to child. The father and child share a bond as do the siblings and extended family; but the mother child relationship is so strong and so special that this bond is able to go uncontested. As we approach this Mother's Day 2008, it's important to reflect back on what our mother's have done for us and the way in which we are able to appreciate them.

Hollywood is another beast altogether and the really strong relationship here is with the television and movie industries. In the town laden with tinsel there are many great stories which we have followed for a long time; these stories gave birth to these special personalities and relationships. Especially as we approach Mother's Day in Southern California, it may be of some use to reflect back on many of the mothers of the past who were so cast up in lights in Hollywood. The television has really only been an integral part of our lives for a relatively short period of time and there has been a great deal of change in the world in these same years. It is important to see how these mothers have changed and been changed through time. Also it should be recognized how the mother-figure is unequivocally able to remain essentially in tact regardless of the mode of transport.

Mothers in Hollywood have taken on many forms throughout the years. One of the more interesting places is in cartoons. Take, for example, the Hanna-Barberra cartoon favorite "The Flintstones" and the barbaric yell which took place during nearly every show ("WILLL-MA!") to see how foreign that is to today's audiences. Following that in the cartoon world, shows like "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," or "South Park" expanded out and made more relevant the role of the mother in pop culture. Marge Simpson has a litany of common sense achievements under her belt, Lois Griffin has to deal with double duty of an incompetent husband and a head over heels in love with her/alcoholic/player dog, and the mothers of South Park, Colorado run the gamut from uptight traditional Jew to the delusion of the hippie mom to the oversexed single mother who pampers her darling child to the tragically poor and uneducated mother. All of these cartoon mothers have played their role in helping to define, shape, and emulate how we view the mother role and these 'toon moms have helped to push the boundaries of what society views as acceptable decorum.

However, no cartoon can match the reach of real people interacting in real situations. This is the reach and depth of the Hollywood film and television world; it allows people to see real families in heightened dramatic situations which we ourselves may have had and it shows the family working things out in their own manner and coming to terms and peace with one another.

Perhaps some of the most well known mother-figures were some of the first; names like Lucy Ricardo, June Cleaver, and Carol Brady top the list of some of the most immediately recognizable and influential mothers of our time.

CLEAVER
There are some roles which will live forever in both lore and infamy. Perhaps it is the black and white reproduction or perhaps it is the vintage look to the home, the town, and the other sets involved, but there are few shows which show family at their most wholesome than "Leave It To Beaver." On the air in original shows from 1957-1963, "the Beav," big brother Wally, dad Ward, and mom June Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley, are each pictures of the time which is depicted; 1950's suburban, anywhere USA.

Mom definitely took a backseat in this show to the antics of the boys and the moral lessons from their dad which concluded most episodes and added a nice bookend to simple problems. While mom was always present when it was time for her to be seen, the truth was clear that she wasn't getting any extra screen time which she wasn't expected in.

Despite the fact that June Cleaver had attended state college with future husband Ward, she complacently settles down to a home life, which was not at all uncharacteristic of the times. June Cleaver is loyal and fully interested in the goings on of her husband, her boys, and of making sure that everyone has a warm dinner at the end of the day. This is the mom the way the writers remembered their mom being; however the time towards the shows end was one of a great deal of unrest; it is probably for this reason that the show became a little bit outdated.

June Cleaver did have a small cadre of things to keep her life occupied but her primary concern was her kids and her family. By her being led along by the playful drama of her rascally kids and the sage-like wisdom of her husband, June Cleaver showed a simmering boil for what would become the all-in crock pot of the woman's revolution.

While June Cleaver should never be called a bad mother, she certainly is not at all commensurate with the spirit which would follow a mere half century later. Even though Ward and June did do some really crazily out of step things (like sleep in separate twin beds at night) she appears happily married to this man and in the world of this TV show, appearance is reality; that is pretty well the way she is remembered.

LUCY
As Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball is at something of the comedic opposite from someone like June Cleaver. "I Love Lucy," was a hilarious introduction to a format of sitcom which would be repeated over and over by Jack, Janet, and Chrissie; Jerry, Kramer, George, and Elaine; Ross, Rachel, Joey, Phoebe, Monica, and Chandler; and countless others throughout the modern American sitcom history. Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) was a singer/bandleader, Fred and Ethel were their neighbors and Lucy was the star of the show; always getting into all manner of trouble for the laughter of her audience.

However Lucy was also a mother. While Little Ricky was never able to achieve center stage like Lucy, there is a certain off-handedness which is very reminiscent of Ross and Rachel from "Friends;" they had a kid but the show was not about their parenting but more about the adults growing up, growing into real life which is much more of the way that many of us end up. Most sitcom writers, it should be remembered, are much older and have the wisdom of hindsight to spin their yarns.

Lucille is an individual as she not only is trying to grow into her fame as Lucy but the character of Lucy is continually striving. Through the goading encouragement of their former vaudevillian neighbors, the character Lucy yearns to be a performer. While there is much humor in the fact that Lucy is not really all that well equipped to be the type of performer she would like to; along with that though there is also the much more sobering lesson that says while it's important to not lose the dream there is a time when all dreamers can't forget to live their real life. While Lucy had a great deal of physical comedy energy which she brought to her character, she was also often the butt of her own humor.

"I Love Lucy," is still a favorite of many as we'd live vicariously through her constant bumbling. We watch and laugh and she makes a huge mess, falls then picks herself back up again. This is one of the biggest draws to a character like Lucy; that she never let the stresses of reality stand in her path and that she just keeps living the dream.

BRADY
Perhaps the original "mixed family" in popular culture, the Brady Bunch is a show which Mike Brady is the widowed father of three boys and Carol Martin, played with fierce vigor by Florence Henderson, was the mother of three daughters. While it was never actually revealed how she became widowed, popular speculation is that she was widowed, though the original intent of the creators was alleged to have been that Carol was divorced. Half of all marriages end up in divorce; however at that time in television, the producers of the Brady Bunch were not prepared to publicize that fact.

While the Brady clan all clamored about, this was one of the first glimpses many people had into "real life." That is that many families have blended recipes and there is a great deal of tension which can arise from these situations. Henderson played Carol Brady with a great deal of candor and never tried to gloss over the reality of the situation these folks were thrown into.

There were other previous attempts at addressing the blended family "Make Room For Daddy" and "Bonanza," come to mind; though none of these were as successful or as direct as the Brady clan. In addition to the more intimate family issues which were always present, Henderson's three daughters, each of different ages, had their own individual challenges of growing up in a male dominated world, but being young ladies with ideas and desires of their own.

The Brady Bunch went on to symbolize what the modern family is and how they are able to get by and work things out; Henderson as the mother figure had a great deal to do with their ultimate success and flourishing. While the blended family dynamic would present itself time and again in both pop culture, there is a certain timelessness to the work of the Brady Bunch and their crew.

PEG BUNDY
While there are many great examples of picture perfect housewives, perhaps none is more deeply appreciated for what she will not do than Margaret "Peg" Bundy (Katey Sagal) from "Married, With Children." Playing opposite her shoe salesman husband, Peg lowers the bar set by her "working" husband by deriding him and constantly drawing his efforts into question. Further fueling the fire, Peg spends most of her time on the show on the couch, filing her nails, talking on the phone, or complaining to her next door neighbors about husband Al.

Peg Bundy ushers in a new paradigm for the stay at home mother. Her two kids, Kelly and Bud, are always getting into trouble which ironically enrages Al; Peg's position however is to encourage her kids and her attitude is more often that not of a non-participant. Combine that with the fact that Peg is done up in only the finest retro 1970's, leopard print, skin tight Capri tights and that she is constantly reminding husband Al why she will not have sex with him (the two kids) and this is a model mother for the new millennium.

She also is a voracious watcher of shows like Phil Donahue and Oprah and is often conveying life lessons to her kids through the tribulations of these shows guests. The Peg Bundy character also did not graduate high school which serves as a grim cautionary tale for some like minded viewers who may be considering such a lifestyle.

Peg Bundy is sort of a slap in the face to all of the TV mom's of the 50's, 60's, and 70's and Katey Sagal actually intended that when she auditioned for the role. It was through her suggestions that the character of Peg Bundy was more fully fleshed out and realized as the woman that she was. While there are thousands of households like the one depicted on "Married, With Children," Peg Bundy offers up some solace for an otherwise disenfranchised persona as she always seems to head out on top of her working husband and does not ever settle for anything less than what she wants.

HUXTABLES
Another show which showed mother and family in a completely new light for some was "The Cosby Show." Running very successfully from 1984-1992, this show followed the antics of comedian Bill Cosby in his faux persona as Cliff Huxtable an obstetrician. Much of the shows message, creative direction, and thrust were dictated by Mr. Cosby; however he always had to answer to the matriarch, Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad).

Clair was probably a very real creation in Mr. Cosby's own life but Rashad took the character to awe-inspired heights. Not only was she a successful, smart, and an incredible woman for her daughters to look up to, she was also a firm mother who took no guff from any of her children, least of all her eldest boy Theo. Clair Huxtable offered up no-nonsense straight talk to her kids who were dreamers, schemers, or were looking for fairness in a world which is very oftentimes unfair.

Another great thing about "The Cosby Show" was the accessibility of many of the larger, more delicate themes. Much like "Will & Grace" a generation later would do for homosexuals, "The Cosby Show" treated African American pride with a great deal of reverence and respect without beating you over the head with it. Using humor to drive home larger issues was a great power of "The Cosby Show," Phylicia Rashad as the powerful mother figure never let the comedy or the message stray too far from the overarching message which was about the successful running of a functioning family even as the definition moved further and further from what we had once come to know.

TIGER LADY
In the movies there are a billion and one stories of great women to choose from; unlike television, most films come and go in one release and many of the best films are quickly forgotten. One of the most endearing mother stories from recent memory is the one of J.C. Wiatt (Diane Keaton) in the 1987 film "Baby Boom."

Keaton plays a high rolling, Manhattan career woman who lives hard and fast and doesn't even have the time of day to get married let alone have a child. This soon changes when she inherits a child from a deceased relative and the Wiatt character begins to learn something about what is important in life.

Rather than give her baby up, she opts to move to the country and get away from it all. Wiatt ends up on the bad end of a bad deal from this home which she's purchased sight unseen and this homes fix ups send her into a financial tail spin. On the brink of disaster, Wiatt comes up with a homemade baby food which sends her screeching back up the ladder to rediscovery by her old bosses and her old lifestyle is there for the taking. When she has the opportunity to evaluate, she decides that she's better off without and she chooses to market the baby food herself and maintain her modest lifestyle.

While staying at home and being a mother may not be every young lady's dream, many of them come to realize that they would rather take on the nurturer role than be out fighting among the hunter/gatherers.

CONCLUSION
--One of the biggest commonalities about the mothers who offer up their hearts, their criticism, their encouragement, their scorn, and ultimately their love to both the children of their fictional world but also to the families watching vicariously at home was that these women were real and in lock step with their times. While there are always changes going on in the world and while family is as individual a definition as any, there is something encouraging about having a defined character type which you can count on and look to as something to draw in contrast to your own life.

On this Mother's Day and in general these are things to remember about your family and your individual situation. While there are subtleties in the details, the overarching message of support and love, both latent and backhanded, are found in these Hollywood Moms. So you should remember to give your mom a hug, send your mom a note, or just tell her that you love her. Because there is no relationship more sacred and there is no bond stronger than that of a mother and child.