Where To Watch
Allan Kayser (Bubba on Mama's Family) on auditioning for Vicki Lawrence
The show had already aired for two seasons, plus Lawrence was already a legend from her time on The Carol Burnett Show. That's some serious pressure!
Auditions: No laughing matter
No matter how experienced you are as a performer, the audition process can be a giant stressor. Most times, you have very little material to prepare with. If you're lucky, you're sent "sides" ahead of the audition, but these lines are usually stripped of any context that would otherwise help an actor through a script. You've most likely never acted with your scene partner. Chances are, you won't have the immersive energy of a fully dressed set, either. You're reading a few lines in front of strangers, and it could determine your future.
Allan Kayser's early movie roles
Allan Kayser would land the role as Bubba in Mama's Family, and it would change his life. But before then, he was just another struggling actor. After graduating from Columbine High School, Kayser moved to LA to pursue acting full-time. In the mid-'80s, he had roles in a few different movies, most notably the comedy Hot Chili and the horror cult classic Night of the Creeps. While Creeps is a perennial favorite in certain circles, it was his eventual TV role that brought Kayser the most recognition.
Mama's Family: A bumpy start
When Mama's Family premiered in 1983, the show aired on NBC, a network that never totally gave the series the support it needed. Instead, NBC bumped Mama's Family around, changing its time slot several times, which all but assured it would never find a consistent audience. Sure enough, the show's ratings plummeted, and NBC cancelled Mama's Family on April 7, 1984 after two ill-fated seasons.
Mama's Family: Take 2
Even though NBC chose to stop producing new episodes of Mama's Family, the network continued to air old episodes of the show throughout the following summer. Unexpectedly, the series actually gained a ton of viewership in reruns, which changed producers' outlook immediately. As such, Mama's Family was revived to air exclusively in syndication. However, it would be extensively re-tooled, and new actors would audition to join the show.
Vicki Lawrence was already a legend when Kayser met her
So, with Vicki Lawrence's reputation as an excellent performer already decades-cemented in audiences' minds, what was it like to join the cast after the show had aired two seasons?
"I was a fan of The Carol Burnett Show," Kayser told the Shreveport, Louisiana Times in 1986. "And I had seen Mama's Family when it was an NBC series. I thought Vicki Lawrence was so talented.
"When I got to audition for the role, I was ecstatic. On the day I auditioned with [Lawrence], I couldn't believe it. I don't know how I got through it. It was the best audition I ever did."
Lawrence was the consummate professional, even during the audition process
Kayser didn't have the luxury of playing off a fully costumed Mama, as Lawrence wore no makeup as Thelma when auditioning new actors. However, that didn't hinder her performance or her ability to slip into the role at all.
"She does those movements so well," said Kayser. "It was a high-tension scene, where Bubba shows up from reform school. It just worked."
Related
