TV’s Worst Show—Almost

It was on this date in 1967 that an American TV flop started airing in France—in the hope that maybe it would fare better in Europe.

It didn’t.

“My Mother, The Car”, starring Jerry Van Dyke (Dick’s brother) was a sitcom that had as its premise, a talking automobile that was the reincarnation of the main character’s mother.

Alrighty then.

How this idea made it past the first round of network brainstorming is beyond me. Small-town lawyer David Crabtree discovers that a 1928 Porter sitting in a used car lot is his Mom. The car starts talking to him—and the rest is TV history, infamous as it may be.

Below are the first few minutes of the debut episode—you may not be able to watch more than a minute or so!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cix204cWnWA

Jerry Van Dyke lived in the shadow of his famous brother—and had the hard luck to prove it. The enormously successful “Dick Van Dyke Show” was still airing when “My Mother, The Car” made its debut. Further, Jerry turned down the lead role for another sitcom, this one about a small group of people stranded on a desert island----“Gilligan’s Island”.

When “My Mother, The Car” landed on American television in 1965, one critic predicted it would be an “Edsel with the critics, but a hot rod with the public”.

It lasted just one season, proving that it was a lemon with just about everyone.

In 2002, TV Guide named “My Mother, The Car” the SECOND worst show in TV history.

The absolute worst? “The Jerry Springer Show”

Who can argue with that?

If you’d like my blog in your box, just let me know: tim.moore@cumulus.com