I don't care what kind of mood I am in , I love this hare . The humor, the whole deal love the ole man, maybe because I am. Sorry to see him go.

I seldom watched the original ELR episodes, but I watch reruns frequently. However, I can't stand Frank. My dad couldn't either. Recently though, Raymond has become to irritate me for some reason. I love Deborah.

We get these on re-run the whole time. I love them, great old show!!

Raymond is starting to irritate me to whinny . Ole Robert sure is funny . He looks alot like that Mob guy that was a snitch. Can't remember the name.

I also the those old reruns , there are so many things now days that I set and just shake my head.

Thanks for the posts.

Yeah, that's it. He seems like quite a wimp. His speech pattern, his not helping around the house, his failure to grasp what fathering and husbanding is all about, his complaining so much. He's not a problem-solver; he's one of the problems.

You have that right olivant. But mommy's it does show how alot of familys are put together. Or what I have seen in the past. But Frank I get a kick out of him. He seems the way alot of us ole timers are.

Frank IS hard to take; sometimes I have to hit the mute button. And Marie is no bargain, either. If Deborah killed her, there's not a jury in the world that would convict her.

Ray is a whiny baby, and Robert is a weird, jealous bastard. They're that way because their mother made them that way. There must have been someone with a background in psychology working on that show .

But all that said, the show works. I love it. Anyone who has ever lived in close proximity to their in-laws should appreciate the show's good humor.

Your analysis could be the foundation for a TV movie. How about an orgy of blood and guts as they murder the parents and then turn on each other.

Right on , now I know why you are the Dr. I could never have lived to any close in-laws darn I would wack somebody . There you go olivant has a good point somebody might steel the thoughts and we wouldn't get out cut.

I think what turned me off to ELR was the episode where he came home and said that when he comes home he likes to play with his children for about 5 minutes, but then gets bored and wants to watch ESPN. It's only a TV program and a script, but that is one hell of a negative sentiment for a character to portray in a sitcom that is generally represented as decent.

I agree with you , his father skills are very low, I think alot of this comes from Frank. Yes, olicant I guess we are supose to laugh at some of this , but Deb has a 3 ring circus. I like her when that little one goes off. She can back all of them up. Good for her !

I love it when Judith says "Idiot" How very true in LIFE !

I like the older brother. He's a terrific dramatic actor, too:

He almost looks like that Big NATIVE AMERICAIN , that was the one on "One Flew over the Cookeo's Nest" ! He was one hell of a actor ! And while I am here for my post that was a good movie ! Now watch this I will be moved or dismembered wrong area.

During a few episodes, Raymond and Robert speak Italian. Now, they are 2nd generation Italians from NY. How probable is it that they would speak the language as well as they do? For some reason, I don't see their parents, as they are portrayed in the series, having spoke it around the house when the kids were growing up. You New Yorkers may want to chime in here. I figure that, just as I am, there are several of you who are 2nd generation Italians.

That's true, Oli. But the Italian spoken on the show was pure high school Italian, or the Italian learned from travel guides. I paid close attention to the episode filmed in Italy and it was cringeworthy at times, especially when they sang "Che la luna " on the airplane. And the Italian spoken in that episode wasn't even close to the dialect that I grew up hearing in the Bronx. And as funny as they were, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle were horribly miscast as first or second generation Italian Americans. But I still love the show.

This was answered in an episode when Marie told Debra that she and Frank spoke Italian only when arguing. Robert then told Debra that he and Raymond are therefore fluent.

But pizzaboy, if you want to talk about being miscast, how about the three blond kids, possibly the worst child actors in the history of sit-coms. I love the show though.

That Deborah sure got around .

Yeah, although it was kind of noble that the twins were the real life twin brothers of the little girl who played Ally.

I love the show. Never watched much of it when it was originally running but I've seen all the syndicated rerun episodes several times. Marie is my favorite character. Her little digs at Debra. I always thought the show was very consistent. By that I mean it didn't have any long lags or jump the shark before it ended.

I agree with each point, including the fact that I wasn't a follower of the show when it originally aired.

That's true. The show was as good in the last season as it was in its first. The finale was one of the best ever because they didn't do anything too dramatic. No one moved away or anything like that. It was a regular thirty minute episode, and it ended very much with a "life goes on" attitude. The family sitting around the breakfast table. Very nice.

This is one of those unique shows that is like fine wine. It gets better with age. Great show that is missed.

Good point. I think a lot of shows do a disservice by trying to do and say too much in final episodes. Every problem, conflict and concern over several seasons get hastily resolved. The Barone family just sails through life.

I didn't watch many of its origianl braodcasts, but I watch it alot in reruns. It's kind of like the moth to the flame.

With the exception of Debra, the main characters are an exercise in huge insecutiry. Frank leads the way. Remember the house painting episode: "Because I'm right"? Remember Marie changing the oregano label to keep Debra's cooking from rivaling her own?: "Would you come over as much if I didn't cook for you?"
And a New York policeman who's always worried about people having conversations about him and is intimidated by his mother. Raymond's the worst. He's not a husband or father; he's simply there. "After playing with the kids for 5 minutes I get bored. I want to watch sports." He contributes nothing to the household except a presence. His wife and kids are simply an accoutrement to him. And his halting, staccato speech pattern is beyond irritating. I watch it because I like Debra who is the only sane one among them; she's actually the glue that holds th efamily together - a typical mother.

Yes, Deborah is clearly the only sane and confident one of the whole bunch. To me, Marie is more of a villain than anything else. A very funny one, but a villain nonetheless.

If I ever behaved like Raymond, well, I don't even want to go there. The guy is beyond a "Mama's Boy." His fear of his mother actually makes him a lousy husband and father.

I thought the best episode (and there were so many to choose from!) was when Deborah gets arrested for drunk driving. Marie shows up at the hearing and keeps interrupting and being, you know, Marie, and Deborah says that she's surprised she's not drinking ALL THE TIME!

My favorite one was when Debra pretended to have had breast augmentation.

I think the worst one (except for Raymond's statement about being bored with his children) was when Marie spoke up at Robert's wedding. I didn't think that was funny at all; I think it was sick. I wish they would have let Amy's mother really tell Marie off at the reception.

Yes, sometimes the writers had Marie go too far, Frank, too.

I never started watching the show til years later. I really like it. One of my favorite episodes is when Marie drives the car into Ray/Debra's house.

And, I can't remember the exact line but I believe there was a reference to Ray's parents lengthy marriage or such. Ray's dad says "What contest in hell did I win?"


TIS

TIS, did you ever see the one with the tofu turkey? Debra and Marie are worried that they are all eating too much fat, so Marie serves a tofurkey one Thanksgiving.