Iola Boylan
Encyclopedia
Iola Lucille Boylan is a character on the television series Mama's Family
. She was played by Beverly Archer
.
and her family. She continues to live with her eccentric parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Boylan, even into middle age, and has known the Harpers most of her life. Her catch phrase is a friendly "knock, knock!" whenever she visits Thelma's house, and she never seems to wear anything but pink
gingham
, although in three episodes she wore black gingham while in mourning for characters who have died (including her cat, Midnight).
She has a brother, Verne, a niece, Vernette, and a cousin, Vernelia, who works at a child adoption agency in the neighboring town of Hinckley. Thelma's grandson, Bubba
always refers to her as "Miss Boylan".
A graduate in home economics, Iola is a whiz at homemaking and is also known for her absolutely ridiculous handicrafts, which include coat-hanger birdcages, toilet-paper cozies, and anything made with felt
. She has had a huge crush on Vinton Harper ever since they were children (they are roughly the same age), and aims to snare him away from his wife, Naomi Harper
. This leads to an acrimonious and somewhat formal relationship between the two women, although the attitude between them becomes friendlier once Naomi gets pregnant. She also didn't much get along well with Vint's sister Eunice Harper Higgins
as was evidenced in a flashback, which was shown that she'd lived across from the Harpers her entire life.
Usually, Iola is often the only other person that Thelma spends time with, outside of her family. They are often involved in civic work together, most notably the Church Ladies League (CLL). Invariably, Iola often visits the family around mealtime and sits down to eat dinner with them, much to the rest of the family's discomfort.
Although Iola and Thelma are best friends, conflicts would arise between the two and they would bicker and squabble over things (e.g., the position as president of the CLL; a rose-growing contest; a chili contest; the rightful owner of a winning lottery ticket).
Iola often rails about her homebound, morbidly obese mother, and her even more eccentric father, who are both referred to but never seen on-screen. In spite of it all, she truly does love her family, and by extension, the Harper family as well.
When first introduced Iola seemed to be an antagonist for Mama (such as when she suspected Bubba of stealing her pearls), but this role was quickly dropped. It was also never explained if Iola ever had a job outside of the house or rather if she spent her whole life looking after her (mostly) invalid mother and father. Several times Iola alludes to selling her handicrafts, and once almost got a job as an inventor. Iola frequently claimed she was a "Daddy's girl" and once even said she didn't need a man to buy her things or take her places as her father did this.
Mama's Family
Mama's Family is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 22, 1983. It was cancelled in May 1984, but NBC would continue to air reruns until September 1985. In September 1986, Mama's Family returned in first-run syndication, where it aired for an additional four seasons,...
. She was played by Beverly Archer
Beverly Archer
Beverly Archer is an American actress.She was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She attended San Francisco State University and UC Santa Barbara where she majored in drama....
.
Television character biography
Iola lives across the street from Thelma HarperThelma Harper
Thelma Harper is a fictional character, who originally appeared on the ongoing Mama's Family on The Carol Burnett Show. She was portrayed by Vicki Lawrence...
and her family. She continues to live with her eccentric parents, Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Boylan, even into middle age, and has known the Harpers most of her life. Her catch phrase is a friendly "knock, knock!" whenever she visits Thelma's house, and she never seems to wear anything but pink
Pink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
gingham
Gingham
Gingham is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarn.The name originates from an adjective in the Malay language, genggang , meaning striped. Some sources say that the name came into English via Dutch...
, although in three episodes she wore black gingham while in mourning for characters who have died (including her cat, Midnight).
She has a brother, Verne, a niece, Vernette, and a cousin, Vernelia, who works at a child adoption agency in the neighboring town of Hinckley. Thelma's grandson, Bubba
Bubba Higgins
Bubba Higgins is a fictional character in the television situation comedy, Mama's Family. He was played by Allan Kayser.-Character overview:...
always refers to her as "Miss Boylan".
A graduate in home economics, Iola is a whiz at homemaking and is also known for her absolutely ridiculous handicrafts, which include coat-hanger birdcages, toilet-paper cozies, and anything made with felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
. She has had a huge crush on Vinton Harper ever since they were children (they are roughly the same age), and aims to snare him away from his wife, Naomi Harper
Naomi Harper
Naomi Harper is a fictional character from the sitcom Mama's Family. She was played by actress-director Dorothy Lyman.-Character overview:...
. This leads to an acrimonious and somewhat formal relationship between the two women, although the attitude between them becomes friendlier once Naomi gets pregnant. She also didn't much get along well with Vint's sister Eunice Harper Higgins
Eunice Harper Higgins
Eunice Higgins is a fictional character from the comedy sketch, The Family . Eunice was also featured in a film named after her in 1982, on CBS...
as was evidenced in a flashback, which was shown that she'd lived across from the Harpers her entire life.
Usually, Iola is often the only other person that Thelma spends time with, outside of her family. They are often involved in civic work together, most notably the Church Ladies League (CLL). Invariably, Iola often visits the family around mealtime and sits down to eat dinner with them, much to the rest of the family's discomfort.
Although Iola and Thelma are best friends, conflicts would arise between the two and they would bicker and squabble over things (e.g., the position as president of the CLL; a rose-growing contest; a chili contest; the rightful owner of a winning lottery ticket).
Iola often rails about her homebound, morbidly obese mother, and her even more eccentric father, who are both referred to but never seen on-screen. In spite of it all, she truly does love her family, and by extension, the Harper family as well.
When first introduced Iola seemed to be an antagonist for Mama (such as when she suspected Bubba of stealing her pearls), but this role was quickly dropped. It was also never explained if Iola ever had a job outside of the house or rather if she spent her whole life looking after her (mostly) invalid mother and father. Several times Iola alludes to selling her handicrafts, and once almost got a job as an inventor. Iola frequently claimed she was a "Daddy's girl" and once even said she didn't need a man to buy her things or take her places as her father did this.