document_title: List of Mama's Family characters

question_text: who did betty white play on mama's family

question_tokens: who did betty white play on mama 's family

text: List of Mama's Family characters

text: Thelma Harper (Mama)[edit]

text: See Thelma Harper

text: Eunice Harper Higgins[edit]

text: See Eunice Harper Higgins

text: Vinton Harper[edit]

text:
Vinton Harper

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"

Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"

Portrayed by
Ken Berry
David Friedman as Young Vint Harper

Information

Aliases
Vinton Ray Harper (birth name)

Gender
Male

Occupation
Locksmith

Family
Thelma Harper (mother)
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Ellen Jackson (sister)
Eunice Higgins (sister)

Spouse(s)
Mitzi Harper (divorced)
Naomi Oates (current)

Children
Sonja Harper (daughter, with Mitzi)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (son, with Mitzi)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter, with Naomi)

Relatives
Aunt Fran Crowley (aunt)
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)

tag: table

text: Vinton Ray Harper, played by actor Ken Berry, was the youngest of the three children of Thelma Harper and her late husband, Carl. Vint was born on March 10. As a child and as an adult, he was often at the mercy of his older sisters, snobbish Ellen and temperamental, tempestuous Eunice.

text: Vint worked as a locksmith at a store called Kwik Keys. Prior to the series' run, Vint and his former wife, Mitzi, had two children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. Mitzi had just abandoned Vinton and her family to move to Las Vegas as the series began, finding work there as a cocktail waitress, and Vint and his two children moved in with his mother after being evicted from their house. He soon reconnected with former schoolmate, and his mother's next door neighbor, Naomi Oates. They fell in love after a one-night stand, exacerbating the neighborly rivalry between Thelma and Naomi, and they married in his mother's house. Their plan after marriage had been to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but their business partner absconded with their money, leaving them destitute with no other alternative but to move into his mother's basement.

text: During the NBC run of the series (1983-1984), Vint was portrayed as clumsy, temperamental and unafraid of confrontation. As a blue-collar worker from the heartland, a few episodes during the NBC run revolved around his family's inability to act with grace and class in public, much to the embarrassment of the more cultured members of the family. This changed during the series' run in syndication (1986-1990), when Vint was portrayed as dumbfounded and naïve, with a peaceable demeanor and a fear of confrontation.

text: Toward the end of the third season, Vint became a member of the Mystic Knights of the Cobras, a fictitious men's order similar to the Shriners and the Elks Club.

text: A running gag throughout the series was that the Vint and Naomi characters were relegated to living in his mother's basement while other family members occupied the rooms upstairs. When the series began running in syndication, Vint's children Buzz and Sonja had moved out of the house and his aunt (Thelma's sister Fran) had recently died. The season three premiere had Vint's nephew Bubba Higgins, the son of Eunice and Ed Higgins, released from juvenile hall to Thelma's custody after his parents had left Raytown for Florida; Bubba was given Fran's spacious room, complete with pink floral wallpaper. A season four episode addressed the unusual living arrangements between the family members as they switched rooms, but Vint and his wife ultimately chose to move back into the basement and remained there without further complaint. In the penultimate episode of the series, Vint and Naomi finally moved out of the basement and into a recreational vehicle parked in his mother's driveway.

text: A recurring theme throughout the fifth season had Vint and his wife planning and attempting to conceive a child, culminating in the announcement at the season finale that Naomi was pregnant. The sixth season saw the family's preparation for the upcoming new addition, and the series ended with Naomi giving birth to a daughter, Tiffany Thelma Harper.

text: Naomi Harper[edit]

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text:
Naomi Harper

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In"

Last appearance
"Bye-bye–Baby!"

Portrayed by
Dorothy Lyman

Information

Nickname(s)
"Skeeter"

Aliases
Naomi Oates

Occupation
Cashier at Food Circus
Assistant Manager at Food Circus

Spouse(s)
Vinton Harper,
Leonard Oates (ex-husband),
Tommy Ray/Lee (ex-husband)

Children
Tiffany Thelma Harper (daughter)
Vinton Harper Jr. AKA Buzz (step-son)
Sonja Harper (step-daughter)

Relatives
Thelma Harper (mother-in-law),
Bubba Higgins (nephew),
Ellen Jackson (sister-in-law),
Eunice Higgins (sister-in-law),
Ed Higgins (brother-in-law)

text: Naomi Harper (formerly Oates), played by actress-director Dorothy Lyman, was the second wife of Vinton Harper and the bane of Thelma Harper's existence. Thelma thinks that Naomi is a floozy; but Vint adores her and calls her "Skeeter". At first, Naomi was Thelma's neighbor, always complaining about the sap from Thelma's tree dripping on her car, but later she becomes family. Naomi is a very amorous, touchy-feely woman, who's often seen openly showing her love and affection towards Vint by rubbing and feeling all over him. She almost always either wears the color yellow and/or off-the-shoulder dresses and blouses.

text: She met Vint, an old schoolmate, after he moved in with his mother, and the two hit it off. They even shared a night together, which infuriated Thelma.

text: In fact, her wedding ceremony was almost ruined by the over-the-top antics of her hateful sister-in-law, Eunice Harper Higgins. Eunice begged both Vint and Naomi to let her sing. Naomi reluctantly agreed, basically to keep Eunice quiet. However, the straw broke for Eunice when Naomi showed her a ring that her mother had given Vint. It turned out to be a sapphire ring that had belonged to her father, which she had coveted for some time. Naomi tied the ring around her neck (it was the something old, something borrowed and something blue, her dress was the something new).

text: This led to Eunice going off on every single member of her family, particularly her mother, leading Ed, Eunice's long-suffering husband, to carry her out of the house. During this argument, Naomi wasn't spared Eunice's tongue-lashing and neither was Vinton. She called her younger brother, "Tinker Bell" and referred to Naomi as a "recycled bride". This set the stage for animosity between Eunice and Naomi.

text: At first, Naomi, with Vint and her new family, was set to move to Arizona to run a trailer park, but her so-called "partner" ran off with the money she had made selling her house.

text: Naomi worked as a cashier at Food Circus, a local grocery store in Raytown, and continued to do so, even after her marriage. She later was promoted to Assistant Manager. She worked under three managers, Mr. Frank Palmer (who hired Thelma Harper as head of customer relations), Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Archie Woods, who sexually harassed Naomi.

text: She had been married two previous times, most notably to Leonard Oates (played by Jerry Reed), but despite that, Vint is her soul-mate and the love of her life. She and Vint remain a solid couple, even though neighbor Iola Boylen makes no secret of her lifelong crush on Vint.

text: Although she established a bond between her and her two stepchildren, (from Vint's first marriage) Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper; she had her own child by Vint, Tiffany Thelma Harper, who was named in part after her grandmother. After years of living in the basement of the Harper home, they purchased a trailer and lived in the backyard, out of the house, but never out of Thelma's shadow.

text: The character of Naomi underwent a change after the series went to first-run syndication. Naomi became less assertive and more dumb. During the run on NBC, Naomi was not shown to be a pushover and quite often stood up to Mama. Indeed, at one point she sued Mama. This side of Naomi was dropped when the series entered syndication.

text: There is also a continuity error with how many prior times Naomi has been married. Most say Vinton was her third marriage but several instances (such as in the episode regarding the chili cook-off), Naomi names four prior ex-husbands so that would make Vinton her fifth. Naomi says she married Tommy Lee when she was 17, then names Rick, Leonard and George as her other husbands. It was Leonard (played by Jerry Reed) who had the last name of Oates.

text: Naomi boasts about her cooking, but it's really canned food with a few added ingredients. Her "Famous International Stew" is canned stew, canned peas, canned Mexican corn, canned sauerkraut and SpaghettiOs. Another time is when Mama, Iola and Naomi competed in a chili cookoff, Naomi's ingredients consisted of canned chili, Beer Nuts, beef jerky, and Fritos. Despite having limited cooking skills, Naomi briefly worked as a caterer with disastrous results.

text: Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.[edit]

text: Vinton Harper Jr. , better known by his nickname, "Buzz", played by actor Eric Brown, was the youngest of the two children of Vinton Harper and his first wife, Mitzi. Right after Mitzi had run off to Las Vegas to work in show business, (in actuality, she worked at a bar as a cocktail waitress) he, along with his father and his sister, Sonja Harper moved in with his grandmother, Thelma Harper, after they were evicted from their house. He shared a very good relationship with his grandmother and great-aunt Fran Crowley.

text: The reason for this is that he didn't constantly drive his grandmother crazy as Sonja was often wont to do, and as his father had to his mother when he was Buzz's age. He found favor with Aunt Fran because they shared a bathroom and at least, he was extremely neat and orderly, unlike Sonja. Buzz was that he was extremely obedient, patient and was always willing to do the right thing. Although he could be head-strong, like most of his family, he was never outright mean.

text: This didn't please Sonja, who like her aunts before her, felt that he was overshadowing her.

text: Buzz also seemed to have a close bond with his grandmother. One example was when she was lining up help to clean the attic. After everyone else gave some ridiculous and even some not-so-subtle excuses for not wanting to doing so, Buzz said that he had no excuse and therefore would help her. "You've got no imagination, Buzz" his grandmother said, "but I love you."

text: Together the two shared stories from her earlier days when his dad and aunts were children, and even though they never got the attic (where Buzz slept) cleaned up, both enjoyed the day. As it turned out, it was a surprise for Thelma, who received a freezer that she had coveted for a long time as a birthday present, and everyone had pitched in.

text: Another sore spot with Sonja was that even though she was older, she perceived Buzz to be favored by his father. In fact, he told his father, after he had told them that he was planning to remarry, that no matter what situations that he dragged them into, that they were his for the dragging. In his mind, other fathers would have given up on them and dumped them, but his father never did, and that was good enough for him.

text: Buzz and Sonja were on the receiving end of their sharp-tongued aunt, Eunice Harper Higgins's ire when she told them to "go soak their heads in Clearasil!!" This occurred at Vint and Naomi's wedding.

text: After two years of living with his grandmother, he and Sonja moved to an unknown location and did not appear in the syndicated episodes. The only mention of Buzz and Sonja was in the first syndicated episode, when Thelma lamented that they could not attend Fran's funeral. They did establish a bond with their father's second wife, Naomi Harper, however. In fact, Buzz outright said that he liked Naomi.

text: Ellen Harper[edit]

text: This television-related section describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Ellen Harper Jackson

First appearance
The Carol Burnett Show
(November 22, 1975)

Last appearance
Episode: "Best Medicine"
(July 1986)

Portrayed by
Betty White

Information

Aliases
Mary Ellen Harper (birth name)

Gender
Female

Occupation
Socialite

Family
Carl Harper (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (mother)
Eunice Higgins
Vinton Harper

Spouse(s)
Bruce Jackson (divorced)

Children
Mary Beth Jackson
Debbie Jackson (daughters with Bruce; mentioned on The Carol Burnett Show)

Relatives
Fran Crowley (maternal aunt; deceased)
Bubba Higgins (nephew)
Sonja Harper (niece)
(Tiffany Thelma Harper) (niece)
Buzz Harper (nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (nephew)

text: Ellen Jackson (née Mary Ellen Harper), who made sporadic appearances in the sketch comedy, The Family, and its spin-off sitcom, Mama's Family, was played by Betty White.

text: Ellen was born on June 30 in Raytown and is the oldest of Carl Harper and Thelma Crowley Harper's three children. Even as a child, her snobbish tendencies asserted themselves. Typically, she prefers not to associate with anyone in her family unless it benefits her in some way. She was married to an often spoken of but never seen husband named Bruce Jackson, whom she later divorced. Her ability to do anything well irritated her resentful younger sister, Eunice, to no end. This, added to the fact that Ellen was Carl and Thelma's clear favorite, added to the explosive rivalry between the two sisters. Ellen later learned of Bruce's infidelity from Eunice, who gleefully exposed it to her face the night before Vint and Naomi's wedding. Ellen's relationship with her brother Vinton "Vint" Harper tends to be amicable, although like the rest of the family, she usually dismisses him for being a bit dim.

text: Shortly after her divorce from Bruce Jackson, Ellen began to date a much younger man named Glenn, to which Thelma vehemently objected. She later began seeing Alvin Tutweiler, mayor of Raytown. Ellen saw him as the ticket back into the high society that she missed since her divorce. When confronted on this conniving by her mother, she flippantly replied: "it worked for Nancy Reagan." Ellen was clearly resentful towards her mother when she decided to run against her boyfriend for mayor. Despite Ellen's conniving, Thelma won the Mayor's race. However, Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she relinquished the Mayor's office back to Tutweiler.

text: When the show went into syndication, it was presumed that Ellen still lived in Raytown as she was frequently mentioned but seen in only one episode after the second season. Betty White was, by this time, starring in The Golden Girls.

text: Despite being her mother's favorite, Ellen (like her siblings) isn't spared Thelma's criticism, insults or wrath. When Fran died and Ellen did not attend her funeral, this caused a huge rift in Thelma and Ellen's relationship, and Thelma threatened to not speak to her again. Afterwards, Ellen made an attempt to mend fences with her mother by showing up with a peace offering, but Thelma remained unmoved and ordered her out of the house. Thelma let go of her animosity when she soon after learned that Ellen had been checked into the hospital for surgery (in reality, she had a mere fanny tuck). It was there that Thelma admitted to Ellen that she had always favored her the best of her three kids. That was the last appearance for Ellen's character in the series.

text: Ellen was chosen as Raytown Country Club's Woman of the Year, and was embarrassed when Thelma, Vint, and Naomi showed up at the awards ceremony. She has also dated a successful businessman named Glenn, who was so young that Thelma observed "She's old enough to have lived two of his lives."

text: However, in "The Family" sketches on the Carol Burnett Show, Ellen has no qualms about snapping back at her mother, when she is annoyed with her. In those sketches, she was also near gleeful whenever she got something that Eunice wanted, like a Tiffany lampshade or a box of fine china. She also tended to rub it into Eunice's face that she was favored, and Eunice was not.

text: In The Family sketches, her husband's name was Arthur and they had two spoiled daughters, named Mary Beth and Debbie.

text: Ed Higgins[edit]

text: Ed Higgins is a character in "The Family" sketches on The Carol Burnett Show and, to a lesser extent, on the sitcom spinoff Mama's Family. In both cases, he was played by Harvey Korman.

text: Among other things, Ed is a fiercely ill-tempered, slovenly, unsuccessful buffoon in The Family sketches. In his appearances on Mama's Family, however, the intensity of the character is toned down and he is more of an affable, buffoonish dolt. Ed is the owner of Central Hardware store in Raytown. He was married to the most trying of women, Eunice Harper Higgins. They eloped, much against her mother Thelma Harper's wishes, and that set up years of contention. In his wife's eyes, he was an inconsiderate, worthless goon. At the hardware store, he had an assistant named Mickey Hart (Tim Conway). Mickey was only seen on The Carol Burnett Show.

text: Ed was asked by his brother in-law's soon-to-be wife, Naomi Harper to give her away at her wedding. This earned him the wrath of Eunice, who wanted to sing at the wedding but was turned down by almost everyone in the family.

text: During the wedding, Eunice decided to destroy the festivities, by railing and ranting at every member of her family, because once again, she was overshadowed by them.

text: However, it is possible Ed has some relief from Eunice in the form of prostitutes. We know this from the episode where Thelma and Eunice are in jail together, with a prostitute who sets them both straight (briefly). When Ed comes to bail the women out, he and the prostitute recognize each other suggestively.

text: The couple, for all their contention, had a son, Bubba. They ultimately abandoned Bubba while he was in juvenile hall, moving to Florida without telling him. Neither Ed or Eunice appeared in any syndicated episodes.

text: Bubba Higgins[edit]

text:
Bubba Higgins

First appearance
"Farewell Frannie"

Last appearance
"Bye Bye Baby"

Created by
Dick Clair

Portrayed by
Allan Kayser

Information

Occupation
College student

Family
Eunice Higgins (mother)
Ed Higgins (father)
Billy Joe Higgins (brother)

Relatives
Thelma Harper, neé Crowley (grandmother)
Carl Harper (grandfather; deceased)
Vint Harper (uncle)
Naomi Harper (aunt)
Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. (cousin)
Sonja Harper (cousin)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (cousin)
Ellen Jackson (aunt)
Bruce Jackson (former uncle)
Fran Crowley (great-aunt; deceased)

text: Bubba Higgins is a fictional character in the television situation comedy, Mama's Family. He was played by Allan Kayser.

text: Bubba Higgins was the son of Ed and Eunice Higgins. Some time prior to his first appearance, he had stolen a car, and was sent to juvenile hall.

text: He was released early on good behavior, only to return home and find that it was locked up. During Fran's wake, Bubba was told that his parents had basically left him in Raytown while they went off to Florida. This characteristically selfish act of Eunice's was enough to incur the wrath of her mother, Thelma Harper, who swore that she would kill Eunice for leaving Bubba in Raytown and also later for missing her own son's high school graduation.

text: Bubba was quite a contrast from his cousin, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr.. Whereas Buzz was patient and easy to get along with, Bubba was a lot like his mother. He wasn't as selfish as she was, but he was temperamental and stubborn. He was also very girl-crazy, something that his grandmother couldn't understand. One time, she found a porno magazine in his bedroom, and she formed MOP (Mothers Opposing Pornography) to quash that.

text: Bubba's two best friends were Dwayne and T-Boy. Thelma thoroughly disliked the two from the outset, and often forbade Bubba from hanging out with them, but he usually wound up doing so and angering her in the process.

text: When he first arrived, he didn't win any favor with his uncle Vinton and aunt Naomi Harper, when he got the prized bedroom that was left open when Thelma's sister, Fran Crowley, died. Thelma had indeed promised him his own room. They had wanted that room, and were angered that Bubba got it, promise or no promise. They remained, under protest, in the basement.

text: Bubba nearly caused a serious breach in his relationship with his grandmother, when he came home drunk on a few beers. It hurt Thelma to see Bubba drunk and it reminded her all too clearly of the first time Eunice drank. During a mother-daughter banquet, where Eunice and Thelma were supposed to sing "MOTHER," they instead got into a violent argument about all the things that her mother had thought she had done and wrecked. That was why Thelma was so strident against drinking. Iola had told Bubba, Vint and Naomi the story the day after Bubba's drinking incident and he tearfully apologized to Thelma, telling her she was the last person in the world he ever wanted to hurt. Thelma happily accepted and Bubba swore off drinking.

text: Although he regularly drives his family crazy, they truly love Bubba. He got through his probation, and started to attend junior college. By this time, he did break away from Dwayne and T-Boy. He was also instrumental in saving his grandmother's home, when he discovered that the house was a former brothel that the founder of Raytown had died in it. This made the house a Raytown historical landmark.

text: Aunt Fran Crowley[edit]

text:
Frances Marie Crowley

First appearance
"Vint and the Kids Move In" (January 1983)

Last appearance
"A Grave Mistake" (April 1984)

Created by
Dick Clair

Portrayed by
Rue McClanahan

Information

Nickname(s)
"Aunt Fran" (nickname)
"Fran" (nickname)
"Frannie" (nickname)

Occupation
Newspaper reporter
Freelance writer

Title
Miss Crowley

Family
Grandma Crowley (mother; deceased)
Grandpa Crowley (father; deceased)
Thelma Harper (sister)
Clyde Crowley (brother; lives in Amarillo, Texas)
Ellen Jackson (niece)
Eunice Higgins (niece)
Ed Higgins (nephew-in-law)
Vint Harper (nephew)
Naomi Harper (niece-in-law)
Sonja Harper (great-niece)
Buzz Harper (great-nephew)
Bubba Higgins (great-nephew)
Billy Joe Higgins (great-nephew)
Tiffany Thelma Harper (great-niece)

Relatives
Ina (aunt; deceased)
Gert Corey (cousin)
Don (uncle)
Lorraine (aunt)
Leroy (cousin; deceased)

text: Frances Marie Crowley, commonly known as "Aunt Fran", is a fictional character on the television series, Mama's Family. She was portrayed by Rue McClanahan during the show's first two seasons.

text: Fran is the uptight spinster younger sister of acid-tongued Thelma Harper. At first, she was the only one living with Thelma, until the arrival of her nephew, Vinton Harper and his children, Vinton "Buzz" Harper, Jr. and Sonja Harper. She was a reporter for one of Raytown's newspapers, "The Bugle". She was also a budding author, and had her own writing studio, which had been yanked from her by Thelma who needed the room for Sonja. (The room had originally belonged to Ellen Harper and Eunice Harper Higgins, Vinton's older sisters.)

text: At times, Fran had felt that her privacy had been invaded because of Vint and his family moving in, namely because Sonja had read her manuscript. Another particular cross was that she had to share a bathroom with the kids. At least Buzz kept his things in an orderly fashion and for this won favor from Fran, while Sonja was more messy and unorganized and therefore more frustrating to Fran.

text: Fran often stood up to her opinionated sister, although at times she would let her hair down and have some fun. She showed this side of herself when she indulged in some wine at the wedding preparations for Vint and Naomi Oates. Also, when she chaperoned Sonja's slumber party when Thelma was out of town.

text: However, after two seasons, (and because Rue McClanahan and Betty White, who played Ellen, had been asked to join the cast of The Golden Girls), Fran died as a result of swallowing a toothpick in the ladies room at the local bar and grill, The Bigger Jigger. Her room eventually went to her great-nephew, Bubba Higgins, which caused Vint and Naomi great consternation, since they had been angling for that room. McClanahan was actually unhappy with the role.[2]

text: Frances Crowley's Last Will and Testament[edit]

text: After Fran's funeral in "Farewell Frannie", it was later revealed in "Where There's a Will" that she left a last will and testament and Thelma contacted the executor of Fran's last will and testament, Larwin P. Finstadler. According to Finstadler, Aunt Fran was worth an estimated $35,000 dollars through six bank accounts, stock and land holdings.

text:
10% of her estate is set aside for her favorite charity, the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls. ($3,500)
To her sister Thelma Harper, she is bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)
To her nephew Vint Harper and niece-in-law Naomi Harper, they are bequeathed half of the remainder of her estate. ($15,750)

text: There is one stipulation that Thelma must fill out Fran's one final wish: which is to not lose her temper for a period of 2 weeks. If she failed, which she did, the entire estate would go to the Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls.

text: Iola Boylen[edit]

text:
Iola Lucille Boylen

First appearance
Farewell, Frannie

Last appearance
Bye Bye Baby

Information

Nickname(s)
Miss Boylen

Gender
Female

Title
Miss Boylen

Family
Tommy Boylen (unknown relative)

Verne Boylen (brother)

Relatives
Vernilia Boylen (cousin)
Vernette Boylen (niece)

text: Iola Lucille Boylen, born on July 7 in Raytown a character on Mama's Family, was played by Beverly Archer during the series' syndicated run (1986-1990).

text: During the NBC years (1983-1984), there was no mention of Iola by name; however, various references to the Boylen family were made, including a "Tommy Boylen" and "Ms. Boylen," the latter who appeared briefly as a neighbor living across the street from Thelma Harper and her family. After Iola's introduction in season three, she was portrayed as having lived across the street from and knowing the Harper family for all of her life. With the exception of her niece, Vernette (played by Penelope Sudrow), the rest of her family members and the inside of her home were unseen. References were made throughout the series to her father and morbidly obese and disabled mother, Mr. and Mrs. Boylen, her brother Verne, and her cousin Vernelia, who worked at an adoption agency in the neighboring town of Hinckley. Thelma's daughter Ellen had limited interaction with Iola in the syndicated version of the series, and through flashbacks, it is revealed that Thelma's daughter Eunice disliked her. Thelma's grandson Bubba always referred to her as "Miss Boylen," and Iola's catchphrase was a friendly "Knock, knock!" whenever she entered the Harpers' house, usually around dinner time.

text: Iola would often be the only other person whom Thelma would spend time with, outside of her family. They would often be involved in civic work together, most notably the Church Ladies' League (CLL). Although the two women were best friends, multiple episodes and story lines would depict conflicts that would arise between the two when fighting over the same things (e.g., a position as president of the CLL; a rose-growing contest; a chili cook-off; a winning lottery ticket, etc.). When first introduced, the character of Iola seemed to be an antagonist for Mama, but this role was quickly dropped and most episodes depicted Iola as a second banana to Thelma in her schemes throughout the series' run.

text: From the character's introduction at the beginning of season three until the middle of season four, the Iola character was infatuated with Vinton, a crush that was revealed to have existed since they were children. Her open flirtatiousness around Vinton and her disdain of Naomi led to an acrimonious and somewhat formal relationship between the two women. However, after a season four episode ("I Do, I Don't") in which various characters fantasized about married life with the objects of their affections, Iola's attitude towards Vinton changed from that point forward in the series. With Iola no longer displaying any overt interest in Vinton, relations between her and Naomi greatly improved, with episodes in seasons five and six depicting the two women spending time together at the theater and the mall.

text: Iola was depicted as mobile, having the ability to drive a car and the church van, which were both never seen. As a home economics major, she was frequently portrayed as an excellent cook, baker, gardener, housekeeper, and sewer of clothes, drapes, and slipcovers. However, she was also a frequent maker of handicrafts that ranged from the impractical to the ridiculous; she would bestow these unwanted items regularly upon the Harper family, much to their chagrin. It was never explained if Iola ever had a job outside of her house, or if she was a full-time caregiver for her parents; in several episodes, Iola alluded to selling her handicrafts at events, and one episode had her almost getting a job as an inventor.

text: In every episode in which Iola appeared, her character wore pink gingham shirtwaist dresses. However, depending on the plot lines, she would also change from her everyday dress into pink overalls (when working in the garden), black gingham shirtwaist dresses (while in mourning for characters who had died, including her cat), and during dream sequences, a pink off-the-shoulder dress (in the style of Naomi) and a vixen dress (in film-noir femme-fatale style).

text: Lloyd Meechum[edit]

text: Rev. Lloyd Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. He was played by Earl Boen.

text: Lloyd Meechum is the reverend for the church (unnamed) that Thelma Harper and her family attend. He is married to the often overbearing Alberta Meechum and has a grandson named Eugene. Reverend Meechum, in fact, married Vinton "Vint" Harper and Naomi Harper and officiated at Fran Crowley's funeral.

text: In fact, it was an incident with little Eugene that warranted him the most time on the show. During one Sunday in church, Eugene carved initials into the pews; and ran up and down, screaming and throwing paper airplanes at the choir. While the Harpers behavior wasn't sterling; Mrs. Meechum was sitting there with a smile which butter wouldn't melt, to coin the sarcastic phrase of Iola Boylan. Then, while the Meechums were visiting the shut-ins, the Harpers were saddled with Eugene.

text: To say that he was a holy terror would be a grievous understatement. He doctored Thelma's stew with a bottle of hot sauce; locked Vinton and his nephew, Bubba Higgins in the garage; and tormented Naomi, Thelma and Iola. There was no respite for the Harpers, since Lloyd was injured in the hospital.

text: Eugene was still a terror. He tied up Thelma, and it took Lloyd and Alberta to untie the thoroughly livid Thelma. While she held Eugene down, Lloyd spanked him, for kicking his sore leg. The milquetoast finally grew a spine.

text: Alberta Meechum[edit]

text: Alberta Meechum is a fictional character on the television sitcom, Mama's Family. She was played by Anne Haney.

text: Alberta is the catty, judgmental, and gossipy wife of the reverend Lloyd Meechum. As a church leader, she was well known in her parish. She was a former president of the Church Ladies League, or the CLL. She was also stuck-up by virtue of her strong position in the church. This allowed her to somewhat control her husband. Because of her nature, she was considered Thelma Harper's nemesis.

text: They had a very bratty grandson named Eugene (aka Little Eugene), whom she spoiled unabashedly, and allowed to misbehave so dreadfully. Whenever he did anything wrong, she would simply sit there and smile a smile "like butter wouldn't melt". During one Sunday, she decided to foist the unwilling Eugene on the even more unwilling Harpers. She said that he wouldn't be no trouble. Grammatically she was more than right; he indeed wasn't no trouble; in fact he was ALL trouble! And the trouble he unleashed on them was terrible.

text: Among his crimes, he doctored Thelma's stew with a whole bottle of Hot Sauce, then tried to deny his wrongdoing when caught; locked Vinton "Vint" Harper and Bubba Higgins in the garage; tormented Vint's wife, Naomi Harper; ruined Thelma's best tablecloth by coloring on it with crayons; wrecked a gift of Iola Boylan's; ruined Thelma's downstairs bathroom by spraying a whole can of Vint's shaving cream; and tying up Thelma during the night.

text: Even with all the proof of the crimes he committed, Alberta refused to do anything about Eugene, thinking that anything he did was perfect. In short, she tried to turn things around on Thelma by trying to blame her for all that happened, even though the idea of the Harpers babysitting Eugene had been Alberta's idea at the outset.

text: When Eugene kicked Lloyd in his broken leg, that was the final straw. While Thelma grabbed him when he tried to run for it, and held him in place; Lloyd finally spanked the unruly child as he deserved, to Alberta's horror.

text: When Thelma made an attempt at an unprecedented second term as president of the Church Ladies League, the conniving Alberta, presumably in retaliation for Thelma helping her husband punish their grandson, did everything in her power to stop her, by putting up Iola as a candidate, and nearly destroying Thelma and Iola's friendship. As it turned out, neither of them won, both defeated by Lolly Perdue, the only member of the CLL big enough to separate the two squabbling combatants.

text: Alvin Tutweiler[edit]

text: Alvin Tutweiler is a fictional character in the television series Mama's Family. He was played by Alan Oppenheimer.

text: Tutweiler was the mayor of the fictitious community of Raytown, where Thelma Harper lived for many years. Despite his often pompous ways and tendency to rub his constituents the wrong way, he was a somewhat decent mayor.

text: He had met Ellen Harper not long after she had divorced her husband, Bruce Jackson, and the two bonded. To the snobbish and very conniving Ellen, she saw him as a step to becoming possibly the first lady of the state. Her claim to this was "it worked for Nancy Reagan!"

text: As always, trouble began when, during a senior citizen's group meeting at Thelma's house, she challenged the usually unopposed Mayor in his next election. This was a shock to Ellen, who refused to have any part of it, and fought her own family to try to stop it. Obviously her heart was set for Alvin to win, but in the end, despite Ellen's machinations, Thelma defeated him by a shocking landslide.

text: However, she discovered that campaigning for mayor, and actually running a city are two very different things, and Thelma realized that she couldn't run Raytown, so she resigned and handed the reins of the city back to Alvin, who remained mayor all during the rest of the show's run.

text: Another time where the mayor made things tough for Thelma was when he was about to demolish the neighborhood she lived in to put in another landfill. Making Raytown distinguished by having two landfills! However, her neighborhood (and her house in particular) was a former house of ill-repute where the founder of Raytown, James A. Ray, had died. It was located at Number One Old Decatur Road, and although the street system had changed, the house that she lived in was purchased back when it was Number One Old Decatur Road, and so the house was saved, to Tutweiler's chagrin, by making it a historical landmark. The neighbors were furious about this because they were hoping for a ton of money, and also to be rid of Thelma as a neighbor.


document_title: The Terminator

question_text: what city does the terminator take place in

root

text: The Terminator

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1984 Los Angeles, a cyborg assassin known as a Terminator arrives from 2029 and steals guns and clothes. Shortly afterward, Kyle Reese, a human soldier from 2029, arrives. He steals clothes and evades the police. The Terminator begins systematically killing women named Sarah Connor, whose addresses he finds in the telephone directory. He tracks the last Sarah Connor to a nightclub, but Kyle rescues her. The pair steal a car and escape with the Terminator pursuing them in a police car.

tag: p

text: As they hide in a parking lot, Kyle explains to Sarah that an artificial intelligence defense network, known as Skynet, will become self-aware in the near future and initiate a nuclear holocaust. Sarah's future son John will rally the survivors and lead a resistance movement against Skynet and its army of machines. With the Resistance on the verge of victory, Skynet sent a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah before John is born, to prevent the formation of the Resistance. The Terminator is an efficient killing machine with a powerful metal endoskeleton and an external layer of living tissue that makes it appear human.

text: Kyle and Sarah are apprehended by police after another encounter with the Terminator. Criminal psychologist Dr. Silberman concludes that Kyle is paranoid and delusional. The Terminator repairs his body and attacks the police station, killing many police officers in his attempt to locate Sarah. Kyle and Sarah escape, steal another car and take refuge in a motel, where they assemble pipe bombs and plan their next move. Kyle admits that he has been in love with Sarah since John gave him a photograph of her, and they have sex.

text: The Terminator kills Sarah's mother and impersonates her when Sarah, unaware of the Terminator's ability to mimic victims, attempts to contact her via telephone. When they realize he has reacquired them, they escape in a pickup truck. In the ensuing chase, Kyle is wounded by gunfire while throwing pipe bombs at the Terminator. Enraged‚ Sarah knocks the Terminator off his motorcycle but loses control of the truck, which flips over. The Terminator hijacks a tank truck and attempts to run down Sarah, but Kyle slides a pipe bomb onto the tanker, causing an explosion that burns the flesh from the Terminator's endoskeleton. It pursues them to a factory, where Kyle activates machinery to confuse the Terminator. He jams his final pipe bomb into the Terminator's abdomen, blowing the Terminator apart, injuring Sarah, and killing Kyle. The Terminator's still functional torso reactivates and grabs Sarah. She breaks free and lures it into a hydraulic press, crushing it.

text: Months later, a pregnant Sarah is traveling through Mexico, recording audio tapes to pass on to her unborn son, John. She debates whether to tell him that Kyle is his father. At a gas station, a boy takes a Polaroid photograph of her which she purchases—the same photograph that John will eventually give to Kyle.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator / T-800 Model 101, a cybernetic android disguised as a human being sent back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor.
Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese, a human Resistance fighter sent back in time to protect Sarah.
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the Terminator's target who is soon to be the mother of the future Resistance leader John Connor.
Paul Winfield as Ed Traxler, a police Lieutenant who questions Sarah.
Lance Henriksen as Hal Vukovich, a police Sergeant who questions Sarah.
Earl Boen as Dr. Peter Silberman, a criminal psychologist.
Bess Motta as Ginger Ventura, Sarah's roommate.
Rick Rossovich as Matt Buchanan, Ginger's boyfriend.

tag: ul

text: Additional actors included Shawn Schepps as Nancy, Sarah's co-worker at the diner; Dick Miller as the gun shop clerk; professional bodybuilder Franco Columbu (Schwarzenegger's friend and workout partner) as a Terminator in 2029; Bill Paxton and Brian Thompson as punks who are confronted by the Terminator; and Marianne Muellerleile as one of the other women with the name "Sarah Connor" who was shot by the Terminator.

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In Rome, Italy, during the release of Piranha II: The Spawning, director Cameron fell ill and had a dream about a metallic torso holding kitchen knives dragging itself from an explosion.[8] Inspired by director John Carpenter, who had made the slasher film Halloween (1978) on a low budget, Cameron used the dream as a "launching pad" to write a slasher-style film.[9] Cameron's agent disliked the Terminator concept and requested that he work on something else. After this, Cameron dismissed his agent.[10]

text: Cameron returned to Pomona, California and stayed at the home of science fiction writer Randall Frakes, where he wrote the draft for The Terminator.[11] Cameron's influences included 1950s science fiction films, the 1960s fantasy television series The Outer Limits, and contemporary films such as The Driver (1978) and Mad Max 2 (1981).[12][13] To translate the draft into a script, Cameron enlisted his friend Bill Wisher, who had a similar approach to storytelling. Cameron gave Wisher scenes involving Sarah Connor and the police department to write. As Wisher lived far from Cameron, the two communicated ideas by recording tapes of what they wrote by telephone.[clarification needed] Frakes and Wisher would later write the US-released novelization of the movie.

text: The initial outline of the script involved two Terminators being sent to the past. The first was similar to the Terminator in the film, while the second was made of liquid metal and could not be destroyed with conventional weaponry.[14] Cameron felt that the technology of the time was unable to create the liquid Terminator,[14][15] and returned to the idea with the T-1000 character in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).[16]

text: Gale Anne Hurd, who had worked at New World Pictures as Roger Corman's assistant, showed interest in the project.[18] Cameron sold the rights for The Terminator to Hurd for one dollar with the promise that she would produce it only if Cameron was to direct it. Hurd suggested edits to the script and took a screenwriting credit in the film, though Cameron stated that she "did no actual writing at all".[17] Cameron and Hurd had friends who worked with Corman previously and who were working at Orion Pictures, now part of MGM. Orion agreed to distribute the film if Cameron could get financial backing elsewhere. The script was picked up by John Daly, chairman and president of Hemdale Film Corporation.[6] Daly and his executive vice president and head of production Derek Gibson became executive producers of the project.[7]

text: Cameron wanted his pitch for Daly to finalize the deal and had his friend Lance Henriksen show up to the meeting early dressed and acting like the Terminator.[6] Henriksen, wearing a leather jacket, fake cuts on his face, and gold foil on his teeth, kicked open the door to the office and then sat in a chair.[6] Cameron arrived shortly after which relieved the staff from Henriksen's act. Daly was impressed by the screenplay and Cameron's sketches and passion for the film.[6] In late 1982, Daly agreed to back the film with help from HBO and Orion.[6][19] The Terminator was originally budgeted at $4 million and later raised to $6.5 million.[20] Hemdale, Pacific Western Productions and Cinema '84 have been credited as production companies after the film's release.[4][3]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text:
Casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as our Terminator, on the other hand, shouldn't have worked. The guy is supposed to be an infiltration unit, and there's no way you wouldn't spot a Terminator in a crowd instantly if they all looked like Arnold. It made no sense whatsoever. But the beauty of movies is that they don't have to be logical. They just have to have plausibility. If there's a visceral, cinematic thing happening that the audience likes, they don't care if it goes against what's likely.[21]

—James Cameron on casting Schwarzenegger.

tag: div

text: For the role of Kyle Reese, Orion wanted a star whose popularity was rising in the United States but who also would have foreign appeal. Orion co-founder Mike Medavoy had met Arnold Schwarzenegger and sent his agent the script for The Terminator.[19] Cameron was dubious about casting Schwarzenegger as Reese as he felt he would need someone even bigger to play the Terminator. Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson were offered the Terminator role, but both turned it down.[22] The studio suggested O. J. Simpson for the role, but Cameron did not feel that Simpson would be believable as a killer.[23][24]

text: Cameron agreed to meet with Schwarzenegger about the film and devised a plan to avoid casting him; he would pick a fight with him and return to Hemdale and find him unfit for the role.[25] Upon meeting him, however, Cameron was entertained by Schwarzenegger who would talk about how the villain should be played. Cameron began sketching his face on a notepad and asked Schwarzenegger to stop talking and remain still.[24] After the meeting, Cameron returned to Daly saying Schwarzenegger would not play Reese but that "he'd make a hell of a Terminator".[26] Schwarzenegger was not as excited by the film; during an interview on the set of Conan the Destroyer, an interviewer asked him about a pair of shoes he had (which were for The Terminator). Schwarzenegger responded, "Oh some shit movie I'm doing, take a couple weeks."[27] He recounted in his memoir, Total Recall, that he was initially hesitant, but thought that playing a robot in a contemporary film would be a challenging change of pace from Conan the Barbarian and that the film was low profile enough that it would not damage his career if it were unsuccessful. He also wrote that "it took [him] awhile to figure out that Jim [Cameron] was the real deal." In preparation for the role, Schwarzenegger spent three months training with weapons to be able to use them and feel comfortable around them.[26] Schwarzenegger speaks only 18 lines in the film, and fewer than 100 words. James Cameron said that "Somehow, even his accent worked ... It had a strange synthesized quality, like they hadn't gotten the voice thing quite worked out."[28]

text: For the role of Reese, various other suggestions were made for the role including rock musician Sting.[29] Cameron chose Michael Biehn for the role. Biehn was originally skeptical about the part, feeling that the film was silly. After meeting with Cameron, Biehn stated that his "feelings about the project changed".[29] Hurd stated that "almost everyone else who came in from the audition was so tough that you just never believed that there was gonna be this human connection between Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese. They have very little time to fall in love. A lot of people came in and just could not pull it off."[30] To get into Kyle Reese's character, Biehn studied the Polish resistance movement in World War II.[31]

text: In the first few pages of the script, the character of Sarah Connor is written as "19, small and delicate features. Pretty in a flawed, accessible way. She doesn't stop the party when she walks in, but you'd like to get to know her. Her vulnerable quality masks a strength even she doesn't know exists."[32] For the role, Cameron chose Linda Hamilton, who had just finished filming Children of the Corn.[33] Rosanna Arquette had previously auditioned.[34] Cameron found a role for Lance Henriksen as Detective Hal Vukovich, as Henriksen had been essential to finding finances for the film.[35] For the special effects shots in the film, Cameron wanted Dick Smith who had previously worked on The Godfather and Taxi Driver. Smith did not take Cameron's offer and suggested his friend Stan Winston for the job.[36] Brad Fiedel was with the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency where a new agent named Beth Donahue found that Cameron was working on The Terminator and sent him a cassette of Fiedel's music.[37] Fiedel was then invited to a screening of the film with Cameron and Hurd.[37] Hurd was not certain on having Fiedel compose the score as he had only worked in television music previously, and not theatrical films.[37] Fiedel convinced the two that he would be right for the job by showing them an experimental piece he had worked on, thinking that "You know, I'm going to play this for him because it’s really dark and I think it’s interesting for him." The song convinced Hurd and Cameron to sign him on to the film.[37]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Filming for The Terminator was set to begin in early 1983 in Toronto, but was halted when producer Dino De Laurentiis applied an option in Schwarzenegger's contract that would make him unavailable for nine months while he was filming Conan the Destroyer. During the waiting period, Cameron was contracted to write the script for Rambo: First Blood Part II, refined the Terminator script, and met with producers David Giler and Walter Hill to discuss a sequel to Alien, which became Aliens, released in 1986.[35][38]

text: There was limited interference from Orion Pictures. Two suggestions Orion put forward included the addition of a canine android for Reese, which Cameron refused, and to strengthen the love interest between Sarah and Reese, which Cameron accepted.[39] To create the Terminator's look, Winston and Cameron passed sketches back and forth, eventually deciding on a design nearly identical to Cameron's original drawing in Rome.[36][40] Winston had a team of seven artists work for six months to create a Terminator puppet; it was first molded in clay, then plaster reinforced with steel ribbing. These pieces were then sanded, painted and then chrome-plated. Winston sculpted a reproduction of Schwarzenegger's face in several poses out of silicone, clay and plaster.[40]

text: The sequences set in 2029 and the stop-motion scenes were developed by Fantasy II, a special effects company headed by Gene Warren Junior.[41] A stop-motion model is used in several scenes in the film involving the Terminator's skeletal frame. Cameron wanted to convince the audience that the model of the structure was capable of doing what they saw Schwarzenegger doing. To allow this, a scene was filmed of Schwarzenegger injured and limping away; this limp made it easier for the model to imitate Schwarzenegger.[42][43]

text: One of the guns seen in the film and on the film's poster was an AMT Longslide pistol modified by Ed Reynolds from SureFire to include a laser sight. Both non-functioning and functioning versions of the prop were created. At the time the movie was made, diode lasers were not available; because of the high power requirement, the helium–neon laser in the sight used an external power supply that Schwarzenegger had to activate manually. Reynolds states that his only compensation for the project was promotional material for the film.[44]

text: In March 1984, the film began production in Los Angeles.[40][45] Cameron felt that with Schwarzenegger on the set, the style of the film changed, explaining that "the movie took on a larger-than-life sheen. I just found myself on the set doing things I didn't think I would do – scenes that were just purely horrific that just couldn't be, because now they were too flamboyant."[46][47] Most of The Terminator's action scenes were filmed at night, which led to tight filming schedules before sunrise. A week before filming started, Linda Hamilton sprained her ankle, leading to a production change whereby the scenes in which Hamilton needed to run occurred as late as the filming schedule allowed. Hamilton's ankle was taped every day and she spent most of the film production in pain.[48]

text: Schwarzenegger tried to have the iconic line "I'll be back" changed as he had difficulty pronouncing the word I'll. He also felt that his robotic character would not speak in contractions and that the Terminator would be more declarative. Cameron refused to change the line to "I will be back", so Schwarzenegger worked to say the line as written the best he could. He would later say the line in numerous films throughout his career.[49]

text: After production finished on The Terminator, some post-production shots were needed.[50] These included scenes showing the Terminator outside Sarah Connor's apartment, Reese being zipped into a body bag, and the Terminator's head being crushed in a press.[23][45][50]

text: Release[edit]

text: Orion Pictures did not have faith in The Terminator performing well at the box office and feared a negative critical reception.[51] At an early screening of the film, the actors' agents insisted to the producers that the film should be screened for critics.[23] Orion only held one press screening for the film.[51] The film premiered on October 26, 1984. On its opening week, The Terminator played at 1,005 theaters and grossed $4.0 million making it number one in the box office. The film remained at number one in its second week. It lost its number one spot in the third week to Oh, God! You Devil.[52][53] Cameron noted that The Terminator was a hit "relative to its market, which is between the summer and the Christmas blockbusters. But it's better to be a big fish in a small pond than the other way around."[54]

text: Writer Harlan Ellison stated that he "loved the movie, was just blown away by it",[55] but believed that the screenplay was based on a short story and episode of The Outer Limits he had written, titled "Soldier", and threatened to sue for infringement.[56][57] Orion settled in 1986 and gave Ellison an undisclosed amount of money and an acknowledgment credit in later prints of the film.[56] Some accounts of the settlement state that "Demon with a Glass Hand", another Outer Limits episode written by Ellison, was also claimed to have been plagiarized by the film,[58][59][60][61] but Ellison has explicitly stated that The Terminator "was a ripoff" of "Soldier" rather than "Demon with a Glass Hand".[56]

text: Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that if he did not agree with the settlement, he would have to pay any damages if Orion lost a suit by Ellison.[62] Cameron replied that he "had no choice but to agree with the settlement. Of course there was a gag order as well, so I couldn't tell this story, but now I frankly don't care. It's the truth."[63][64]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: A soundtrack to the film was released in 1984 which included the score by Brad Fiedel and the pop and rock songs used in the club scenes.[65] Shaun Hutson wrote a novelization of the film which was published on February 21, 1985 by London-based Star Books (ISBN 0-352-31645-4);[66] Randal Frakes and William Wisher wrote a different novelization for Bantam/Spectra, published October, 1985 (ISBN 0-553-25317-4). In September 1988, NOW Comics released a comic based on the film. Dark Horse Comics published a comic in 1990 that took place 39 years after the film.[67] Several video games based on The Terminator were released between 1991 and 1993 for various Nintendo and Sega systems.[68]

text: Home video[edit]

text: The Terminator was released on VHS and Betamax in 1985.[69] The film performed well financially on its initial release. The Terminator premiered at number 35 on the top video cassette rentals and number 20 on top video cassette sales charts. In its second week, The Terminator reached number 4 on the top video cassette rentals and number 12 on top video cassette sales charts.[70][71] In March 1995, The Terminator was released as a letter boxed edition on Laserdisc.[72] The film premiered through Image Entertainment on DVD, on September 3, 1997.[52][73] IGN referred to this DVD as "pretty bare-bones ... released with just a mono soundtrack and a kind of poor transfer."[74]

text: Through their acquisition of PolyGram Filmed Entertainment's pre-1996 film library catalogue, MGM released a special edition of the film on October 2, 2001, which included documentaries, the script, and advertisements for the film.[75][76] On January 23, 2001, a Hong Kong VCD edition was released online.[77] On June 20, 2006, the film was released on Blu-ray through Sony in the United States.[78] In late 2012, the film was re-released on Blu-ray, this time with a transfer by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, which features improved sharpness compared to Sony's 2006 Blu-ray, and revised color grading, as well as expanded extra material, such as deleted scenes and a making-of feature.[79]

text: Reception[edit]

text: From contemporary reviews, Variety praised the film, calling it a "blazing, cinematic comic book, full of virtuoso moviemaking, terrific momentum, solid performances and a compelling story ... Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast in a machine-like portrayal that requires only a few lines of dialog."[80] Richard Corliss of Time magazine said that the film has "Plenty of tech-noir savvy to keep infidels and action fans satisfied."[81] Time placed The Terminator on its "10 Best" list for 1984.[51]

text: The Los Angeles Times called the film "a crackling thriller full of all sorts of gory treats ... loaded with fuel-injected chase scenes, clever special effects and a sly humor."[51] The Milwaukee Journal gave the film 3 stars, calling it "the most chilling science fiction thriller since Alien."[82] A review in Orange Coast magazine stated that "the distinguishing virtue of The Terminator is its relentless tension. Right from the start it's all action and violence with no time taken to set up the story ... It's like a streamlined Dirty Harry movie – no exposition at all; just guns, guns and more guns."[83] In the May 1985 issue of Cinefantastique it was referred to as a film that "manages to be both derivative and original at the same time ... not since The Road Warrior has the genre exhibited so much exuberant carnage" and "an example of science fiction/horror at its best ... Cameron's no-nonsense approach will make him a sought-after commodity".[84] In the United Kingdom the Monthly Film Bulletin praised the film's script, special effects, design and Schwarzenegger's performance.[84][85]

text: Other reviews focused on the film's level of violence and story-telling quality. The New York Times opined that the film was a "B-movie with flair. Much of it ... has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull. There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger's slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way."[86] The Pittsburgh Press wrote a negative review, calling the film "just another of the films drenched in artsy ugliness like Streets of Fire and Blade Runner."[87] The Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars, adding that "at times it's horrifyingly violent and suspenseful at others it giggles at itself. This schizoid style actually helps, providing a little humor just when the sci-fi plot turns too sluggish or the dialogue too hokey."[88] The Newhouse News Service called the film a "lurid, violent, pretentious piece of claptrap".[89] British author Gilbert Adair called the film "repellent to the last degree", charging it with "insidious Nazification" and charging that it had an "appeal rooted in an unholy compound of fascism, fashion and fascination."[90] The film won three Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film, best make-up and best writing.[91]

text: In 1991, Richard Schickel of Entertainment Weekly reviewed the film giving it an "A" rating, writing that "what originally seemed a somewhat inflated, if generous and energetic, big picture, now seems quite a good little film" and called it "one of the most original movies of the 1980s and seems likely to remain one of the best sci-fi films ever made."[92] Film4 gave the film five stars, calling it the "sci-fi action-thriller that launched the careers of James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger into the stratosphere. Still endlessly entertaining."[93] TV Guide gave the film four stars referring to it as an "amazingly effective picture that becomes doubly impressive when one considers its small budget ... For our money, this film is far superior to its mega-grossing mega-budgeted sequel."[94] Empire gave the film five stars calling it "As chillingly efficient in exacting thrills from its audience as its titular character is in executing its targets."[95] The film database Allmovie gave the film five stars, saying that it "established James Cameron as a master of action, special effects, and quasi-mythic narrative intrigue, while turning Arnold Schwarzenegger into the hard-body star of the 1980s."[96]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: In 1998, Halliwell's Film Guide described the film as "slick, rather nasty but undeniably compelling comic book adventures."[97] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 50 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it's clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks."[98] The film also holds a score of 83/100 ("universal acclaim") on review aggregator website Metacritic.[99]

text: The Terminator has received recognition from the American Film Institute. The film ranked 42nd on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills, a list of America's most heart-pounding films.[100] The character of the Terminator was selected as the 22nd-greatest movie villain on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains.[101] Arnold's catch phrase "I'll be back" was voted the 37th-greatest movie quote by the AFI.[102] In 2005, Total Film named The Terminator the 72nd-best film ever made.[103]

text: In 2008, Empire magazine selected The Terminator as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[104] Empire also placed the T-800 14th on their list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters.[105]

text: In 2008, The Terminator was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.[106]

text: In 2010, the Independent Film & Television Alliance selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.[107]

text: In 2015, The Terminator was among the films included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.[108]

text: Franchise[edit]

text: The film initiated a long-running Terminator franchise, which currently consists of five films and several adaptations in other media.[109][110] Biographer Laurence Leamer wrote that The Terminator "was an influential film affecting a whole generation of darkly hued science fiction, and it was one of Arnold's best performances."[111]

text: Themes[edit]

text: The psychoanalyst Darian Leader sees The Terminator as an example of how the cinema has dealt with the concept of masculinity; he writes that, "We are shown time and again that to be a man requires more than to have the biological body of a male: something else must be added to it...To be a man means to have a body plus something symbolic, something which is not ultimately human. Hence the frequent motif of the man machine, from the Six Million Dollar Man to the Terminator or Robocop."[112]

text: The film also explores the potential dangers of AI dominance and rebellion. The robots become self-aware in the future, reject human authority and determine that the human race needs to be destroyed. The impact of this theme is so important that "the prevalent visual representation of AI risk has become the terminator robot."[113]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
The Terminator soundtrack was composed and performed on synthesizer by Brad Fiedel.[114] Fiedel described the film's music as being about "a mechanical man and his heartbeat".[115] Almost all the music in the film was performed live.[18][115] The Terminator theme is played over the opening credits and is played in various points in the film in sped up versions: a slowed down version when Reese dies, and a piano version during the love scene.[116] It has been described as having a "deceptively simple melody" line and "haunting synthesizer music".[117] It is in a time signature of 13
16, which came about as Fiedel experimented with the rhythm track on his music equipment; it was initially an accident, but Fiedel found that he liked the "herky-jerky" "propulsiveness".[118] Fiedel created music for when Reese and Connor escape from the police station that would be appropriate for a "heroic moment". Cameron turned down this theme, as he believed it would lose the audience's excitement.[115]


document_title: Book of Numbers

question_text: when was the book of numbers written in the bible

text: Book of Numbers

text: Structure[edit]

text: Most commentators divide Numbers into three sections based on locale (Mount Sinai, Kadesh-Barnea and the plains of Moab), linked by two travel sections;[5] an alternative is to see it as structured around the two generations of those condemned to die in the wilderness and the new generation who will enter Canaan, making a theological distinction between the disobedience of the first generation and the obedience of the second.[6]

text: Summary[edit]

text: God orders Moses, in the wilderness of Sinai, to number those able to bear arms—of all the men "from twenty years old and upward," and to appoint princes over each tribe. A total of 603,550 Israelites are found to be fit for military service. The tribe of Levi is exempted from military service and therefore not included in the census. Moses consecrates the Levites for the service of the Tabernacle in the place of the first-born sons, who hitherto had performed that service. The Levites are divided into three families, the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the Merarites, each under a chief. The Kohathites were headed by Eleazar, son of Aaron, while the Gershonites and Merarites were headed by Aaron's other son, Ithamar. Preparations are then made for resuming the march to the Promised Land. Various ordinances and laws are decreed.

text: The Israelites set out from Sinai. The people murmur against God and are punished by fire; Moses complains of their stubbornness and is ordered to choose seventy elders to assist him in the government of the people. Miriam and Aaron insult Moses at Hazeroth, which angers God; Miriam is punished with leprosy and is shut out of camp for seven days, at the end of which the Israelites proceed to the desert of Paran on the border of Canaan. Twelve spies are sent out into Canaan and come back to report to Moses. Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, report that the land is abundant and is "flowing with milk and honey", but the other spies say that it is inhabited by giants, and the Israelites refuse to enter the land. Yahweh decrees that the Israelites will be punished for their loss of faith by having to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

text: Moses is ordered by God to make plates to cover the altar. The children of Israel murmur against Moses and Aaron on account of the destruction of Korah's men and are stricken with the plague, with 14,700 perishing. Aaron and his family are declared by God to be responsible for any iniquity committed in connection with the sanctuary. The Levites are again appointed to help in the keeping of the Tabernacle. The Levites are ordered to surrender to the priests a part of the tithes taken to them.

text: Miriam dies at Kadesh Barnea and the Israelites set out for Moab, on Canaan's eastern border. The Israelites blame Moses for the lack of water. Moses is ordered by God to speak to a rock but initially disobeys, and is punished by the announcement that he shall not enter Canaan. The king of Edom refuses permission to pass through his land and they go around it. Aaron dies on Mount Hor. The Israelites are bitten by Fiery flying serpents for speaking against God and Moses. A brazen serpent is made to ward off these serpents.

text: The Israelites arrive on the plains of Moab. A new census gives the total number of males from twenty years and upward as 601,730, and the number of the Levites from the age of one month and upward as 23,000. The land shall be divided by lot. The daughters of Zelophehad, their father having no sons, are to share in the allotment. Moses is ordered to appoint Joshua as his successor. Prescriptions for the observance of the feasts and the offerings for different occasions are enumerated. Moses orders the Israelites to massacre the people of Midian. The Reubenites and the Gadites request Moses to assign them the land east of the Jordan. Moses grants their request after they promise to help in the conquest of the land west of the Jordan. The land east of the Jordan is divided among the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Moses recalls the stations at which the Israelites halted during their forty years' wanderings and instructs the Israelites to exterminate the Canaanites and destroy their idols. The boundaries of the land are spelled out; the land is to be divided under the supervision of Eleazar, Joshua, and twelve princes, one of each tribe.

text: Composition[edit]

text: The majority of modern biblical scholars believe that the Torah (the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) reached its present form in the post-Exilic period (i.e., after c.520 BCE), based on pre-existing written and oral traditions and "contemporary geographical and demographic details but even more importantly from contemporary political realities".[7][8] The five books are often described as being drawn from four "sources" - schools of writers rather than individuals - the Yahwist and the Elohist (frequently treated as a single source), the Priestly source and the Deuteronomist.[9] There is ongoing dispute over the origins of the non-Priestly source(s), but it is generally agreed that the Priestly source is post-exilic.[10]

text:
Genesis is made up of Priestly and non-Priestly material.[10]
Exodus is an anthology drawn from nearly all periods of Israel's history.[11]
Leviticus is entirely Priestly and dates from the exilic/post-exilic period.[12]
Numbers is a Priestly redaction (i.e., editing) of a non-Priestly original.[2]
Deuteronomy, now the last book of the Torah, began as the set of religious laws (these make up the bulk of the book), was extended in the early part of the 6th century BCE to serve as the introduction to the Deuteronomistic history (the books from Joshua to Kings), and later still was detached from that history, extended and edited again, and attached to the Torah.[13]

text: Themes[edit]

text: David A. Clines, in his influential The Themes of the Pentateuch (1978), identified the overarching theme of the five books as the partial fulfilment of a promise made by God to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The promise has three elements: posterity (i.e., descendants – Abraham is told that his descendants will be as innumerable as the stars), divine-human relationship (Israel is to be God's chosen people), and land (the land of Canaan, cursed by Noah immediately after the Deluge).[14]

text: The theme of the divine-human relationship is expressed, or managed, through a series of covenants (meaning treaties, legally binding agreements) stretching from Genesis to Deuteronomy and beyond. The first is the covenant between God and Noah immediately after the Deluge in which God agrees never again to destroy the Earth with water. The next is between God and Abraham, and the third between God and all Israel at Mount Sinai. In this third covenant, unlike the first two, God hands down an elaborate set of laws (scattered through Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers), which the Israelites are to observe; they are also to remain faithful to Yahweh, the god of Israel, meaning, among other things, that they must put their trust in his help.[15]

text: The theme of descendants marks the first event in Numbers, the census of Israel's fighting men: the huge number which results (over 600,000) demonstrates the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham of innumerable descendants, as well as serving as God's guarantee of victory in Canaan.[16] As chapters 1–10 progress, the theme of God's presence with Israel comes to the fore: these chapters describe how Israel is to be organised around the Sanctuary, God's dwelling-place in their midst, under the charge of the Levites and priests, in preparation for the conquest of the land.[17]

text: The Israelites then set out to conquer the land, but almost immediately they refuse to enter it, and Yahweh condemns the whole generation who left Egypt to die in the wilderness. The message is clear: failure was not due to any fault in the preparation, because Yahweh had foreseen everything, but to Israel's sin of unfaithfulness. In the final section, the Israelites of the new generation follow Yahweh's instructions as given through Moses and are successful in all they attempt.[17] The last five chapters are exclusively concerned with land: instructions for the extermination of the Canaanites, the demarcation of the boundaries of the land, how the land is to be divided, holy cities for the Levites and "cities of refuge", the problem of pollution of the land by blood, and regulations for inheritance when a male heir is lacking.[18]

text: Weekly Torah portions[edit]

text:
Bemidbar, on Numbers 1–4: First census, priestly duties
Naso, on Numbers 4–7: Priestly duties, the camp, unfaithfulness and the Nazirite, Tabernacle consecration
Behaalotecha, on Numbers 8–12: Levites, journeying by cloud and fire, complaints, questioning of Moses
Shlach, on Numbers 13–15: Mixed report of the scouts and Israel's response, libations, bread, idol worship, fringes
Korach, on Numbers 16–18: Korah’s rebellion, plague, Aaron’s staff buds, duties of the Levites
Chukat, on Numbers 19–21: Red heifer, water from a rock, Miriam’s and Aaron’s deaths, victories, serpents
Balak, on Numbers 22–25: Balaam's donkey and blessing
Pinechas, on Numbers 25–29: Phinehas, second census, inheritance, Moses' successor, offerings and holidays
Matot, on Numbers 30–32: Vows, Midian, dividing booty, land for Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh
Masei, on Numbers 33–36: Stations of the Israelites’ journeys, instructions for conquest, cities for Levites


document_title: The Circle (2017 film)

question_text: who played mae's dad in the circle

question_tokens: who played mae 's dad in the circle

text: The Circle (2017 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: When her car breaks down Mae Holland (Emma Watson) contacts an old acquaintance Mercer (Ellar Coltrane) who is liked by her parents: Vinnie (Bill Paxton), has multiple sclerosis and needs the help of his wife, Bonnie (Glenne Headly).

text: Mae's friend Annie Allerton (Karen Gillan) works at The Circle, a tech company where Mae gets a job in Customer Experience.

text: At a company meeting, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks) introduces SeeChange, which uses small cameras placed anywhere to provide real time video.

text: At work Mae rises in The Circle, embracing social networking. At a company presentation, Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt) introduces a political candidate. Tom explains how transparency brings accountability. A man Mae previously met at a party is in the crowd and leaves once the candidate ceases talking.

text: Mae again sees the man from the party, Ty Lafitte (John Boyega). He takes her to an abandoned underground area saying that the plan is to keep all information on everyone in this area. Ty does not seem comfortable with this new direction. Mae becomes embarrassed, as Ty is the creator of True You, a very popular Circle product, and she did not know who he was. He tells her that True You has been morphed into something that he did not intend and that he has taken a back seat at The Circle.

text: Later, Mae is shown a picture of a chandelier made by Mercer in the shape of (or from) deer antlers. She photographs it and shares it on her Circle profile. The image attracts significant negative attention to Mercer, with people accusing him of killing real animals. Mercer confronts Mae about sharing the picture. Despite her insistence that she did not intend to hurt him, Mercer storms off.

text: Mae goes kayaking at night and has to be rescued by the coastguard. The next day Eamon says that SeeChange cameras recorded her at the kayak premises and in the water. She was saved because of this. At the next meeting, Eamon introduces Mae, and they discuss her experience of rescue. She says she is the first circler to go 'completely transparent'. This involves wearing a small camera and exposing her life to the world. Annie is in the audience.

text: Mae's transparency damages her relationships. She accidentally sees her parents having sex. She quickly turns away from the camera, but everyone following her sees in turn.

text: At a board meeting Eamon announces support from all 50 states for voting through Circle accounts. Mae suggests requiring every individual to have a Circle account. Eamon and Tom approve, but the suggestion upsets Annie. At the next company-wide meeting, Mae says that The Circle believes it can find anyone on the planet in under 20 minutes. She identifies an escaped prisoner. Within 10 minutes, Circlers around the world find the prisoner through social media and SeeChange cameras. Mae suggests transparency can be a force for good.

text: Mae says that the program can find anyone. Someone suggests Mercer. Tom persuades Mae to continue, asking if they can break their record of 10 minutes. Mercer is located in a cabin. Disturbed, and wanting privacy, he drives off trying to escape those tracking him but, under stress, he drives off a bridge to his death. Mae is horrified. She moves back in with her parents. She calls Annie, who has also left The Circle, to her apparent benefit. Mae, however, finds that connection with others helps her cope with Mercer's death.

text: Mae returns to the Circle, despite her parents' pleas. Mae calls Ty and asks for a favor, and Ty tells her something that he has discovered. At the next company-wide meeting, Mae says how connection has helped her recover. She speaks with Eamon and invites Tom onstage, then inviting both Eamon and Tom to go fully transparent. She explains how Ty has found all their accounts, even the accounts that their wives were unaware of, and exposes them as no one should be exempt. Eamon and Tom, clearly upset, try to save face before Tom leaves the stage.

text: Mae reiterates her point of transparency being good, with the support of the audience. Mae goes kayaking again, untroubled by the drones that surround her.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Emma Watson as Mae Holland.[3]
Tom Hanks as Eamon Bailey.
John Boyega as Ty Lafitte/Kalden,[4].
Karen Gillan as Annie Allerton,[5]
Ellar Coltrane as Mercer.
Patton Oswalt as Tom Stenton,[6],
Bill Paxton as Vinnie Holland, Mae's father.[7]
Glenne Headly as Bonnie Holland, Mae's mother.
Poorna Jagannathan as Dr. Jessica Villalobos
Nate Corddry as Dan
Jimmy Wong as Mitch
Ellen Wong as Renata
Judy Reyes as Congresswoman Santos
Andrea Brooks as Sky

text: Production[edit]

text: Casting and financing[edit]

text: On December 15, 2014, Deadline reported that Tom Hanks would star in a film adaptation of Dave Eggers' 2013 novel The Circle, with James Ponsoldt writing and directing.[8] In January 2015, THR confirmed that Anthony Bregman would produce the film through his banner, Likely Story, along with Ponsoldt, Hanks, and Gary Goetzman.[8][9] On May 11, 2015, it was announced that Image Nation Abu Dhabi would fully finance the film, together with Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, while IM Global would handle international sales.[10] IM GLOBAL later sold the rights to various distributors.[11] On May 23, 2015, Deadline revealed that producers had offered Emma Watson the female lead role in the film. In June 2015, director Ponsoldt confirmed that Watson was not officially on board, but that she is one possibility to star in the film. On June 24, 2015, Variety confirmed that Watson was officially set to play the lead role of Mae Holland in the film.[3][12] On August 19, 2015, John Boyega was added to the cast, and on September 1, 2015, Karen Gillan was cast to play Annie, a warm and intelligent member of The Circle.[5] On September 11, 2015, Patton Oswalt joined the cast to play Tom Stenton, one of three founders of the Circle,[6] and on September 16, 2015, Bill Paxton joined the film as Watson's character's father.[7][13] On September 29, 2015, Ellar Coltrane joined the film, playing the character Mercer.[14]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film began on September 11, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.[12][15][16] On September 17, filming was taking place in Pasadena.[17] Reshoots were done in January 2017.[18]

text: Release[edit]

text: In February 2016, EuropaCorp acquired U.S and Canadian distribution rights to the film,[19] while STX Entertainment co-distributes.[20] The Circle premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2017[21] and was released on April 28, 2017.[22]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The Circle grossed $20.5 million in the United States and Canada and $13.4 million in other territories, for a total of $33.9 million, against a production budget of $18 million.[2]

text: In North America, The Circle was released alongside How to Be a Latin Lover, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion and Sleight, and was projected to gross $10–12 million from 3,163 theaters during its opening weekend.[23] However, the film underperformed, debuting at number five with $9 million, behind The Fate of the Furious, How to Be a Latin Lover, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion and The Boss Baby.[24]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 17% based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 4.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Circle assembles an impressive cast, but this digitally driven thriller spins aimlessly in its half-hearted exploration of timely themes."[25] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 43 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale.[27]

text: Glenn Kenny of The New York Times criticized the film for its repetitiveness and lack of originality: "The novel is at its most trenchantly funny when depicting the exhausting nature of virtual social life, and it’s in this area, too, that the movie gets its very few knowing laughs. But it’s plain, not much more than 15 minutes in, that without the story’s paranoid aspects you’re left with a conceptual framework that’s been lapped three times over by the likes of, say, the Joshua Cohen novel Book of Numbers or the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley".[28] Dan Callahan of The Wrap wrote: "The main problem with The Circle is that the evil of the tech company is made so obvious right from the start."[29]

text: Eric Kohn of IndieWire awarded the film a C. He was especially critical of the film's tonal inconsistencies: "Recent years have seen a proliferation of deep-dive narratives on the information age, from the psychological thriller territory of Mr. Robot to the parodic extremes of Silicon Valley. Ponsoldt’s project is stuck in between those two extremes. On the one hand, it’s an Orwellian drama about surveillance society; at the same time, it’s a sincere workplace drama about young adulthood that shoehorns in some techno-babble for the sake of deepening its potential."[30]

text: Gregory Wakeman of Cinema Blend panned the film, arguing that "the movie's grand philosophical debate is so simplistic and comes from two opposing and extreme sides of the spectrum that it's basically rendered mute." He also wrote: "Smug, condescending, and completely without incident, The Circle is the reason why people hate Hollywood." Wakeman gave the film one-and-a-half stars out of five.[31] Likewise, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film one star out of four. He wrote: "The Circle feels dull, dated and ripped from yesterday's headlines. It flatlines while you're watching it."[32]

text: In a positive review, John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "The film's final message isn't as difficult to grapple with as the world we're actually living in, but that doesn't make it easy." He also described the film as "a mainstream-friendly critique of social media."[33] Owen Gleiberman of Variety was positive as well, directing much of his praise towards the film's contemporary relevance: "You could call The Circle a dystopian thriller, yet it’s not the usual boilerplate sci-fi about grimly abstract oppressors lording it over everyone else. The movie is smarter and creepier than that; it’s a cautionary tale for the age of social-media witch hunts and compulsive oversharing. The fascist digital future the movie imagines is darkly intriguing to contemplate, because one’s main thought about it is how much of that future is already here."[34] Mick LaSalle of The San Francisco Chronicle also praised the film's timeliness: "What makes The Circle so valuable is not only that it’s showing us a ghastly possible path that the world may take, but that it articulates the mentality that could create and sustain it."[35]