I remember My Mother the Car when the local station in New York showed the reruns in the late 60s and I thought it definitely put the gimmick in gimmick shows. Along with shows like Mister Ed, Bewitched and My Favorite Masrtian, the show thrived on one premise, a talking car which Dave Crabtree claims it's his mother. According to the theme song, it's a 1928 Porter that only talked to Dave, but not to his wife Barbara and his two children Randy and Cindy.There was also the bad guy, Captain Manzini. Brilliantly played by Avery Schrieber of Burns and Schrieber fame, he constantly mangles Dave's last name as he desperately tries to buy the Porter.It was also the show that put Jerry Van Dyke on the map, after years of being in the shadow of his brother Dick. Even long before he played Luther on the long-running sitcom Coach. There was also Maggie Pierce as his wife Barbara and Randy Whipple and Cindy Eilbacher as the Crabtree's two children Randy and Cindy. And Miss Ann Sothern as the voice of Mother.Even though many critics panned the show, I thought there were some funny moments. But it wasn't enough for this gimmick to run out of gas after one season.

I was about 10 when this show was on, and I watched as many episodes as I could.That said, I ROTFL in a "Get Smart" rerun I saw a while back. The bad guy is dying and:Max (reassuringly): "Help is on the way." Bad guy (in great pain): "I'll never make it, but do one thing for me." Max (compassionately): "What?"Bad guy: "Tell me 'My Mother the Car' is coming back on TV." Max (with a puzzled look): "Why?" Bad guy: "Then I won't mind going so much."That pretty much summed up the opinions from the rest of my family when I tried to watch this show.

I admittedly was VERY young when My Mother the Car was on (about 5), but I remember EVERY episode I watched. It's the only show from that era aside from Star Trek that I can remember watching with my dad. I think this show may be the reason I turned out to be a real 'gearhead' in later life! It took me YEARS to realize that there was no such car company as PORTER, and I actually spent years trying to find one! (I only found out it was a Barris Custom when I was 16.) I think if given the chance today, the concept would work (look how long Knight Rider lasted!) Jerry Van Dyke always gets a bad rap when this show is brought up...if I were shown a script for This show and Gilligan's Island, I would have chosen My Mother the Car also--it was more believable!

VERY far from the worst TV show of all time. Granted that the ideas for stories probably would have grown thin had this series lasted any longer than three years or so. It did have it's moments of humor and it did last for 30 episodes which is a lot more than a lot of other real Turkeys!