How would you rate MaryAnne Mobley's acting chops?

[ThomasE]

I did this topic years back when the kidnapping ep aired on TNN. How was Ms. Mobely's acting in this episode. For me, it has been up and down throughout "Sam's Missing".

She kind of acts with Scarlett Ohara/Damsel in distress attitude. I was convinced and I felt her pain at times at other times it seemed her acting was bit manufactured.

When Maggie realized that Pearl set another plate at the table for missing Sam, I was like "Maggie, close your mouth, girl!" Her reaction was not convincing.

Overall, I think that she fit the role as wife and mother on the show perfect. She just needed to work on some areas. Her acting was okay from time to time and then needed to fine tune some stuff. She is very beautiful as well. Very dreamy looking IMO.

Opinions, anyone?

[RUDOLPH LYRICS]

i liked her better than ms carter. there was something about ms carter on that show that led me to believe she was like that in real life. i can't say ms mobley was overdoing it cuz i know any one of us would go crazy if we lost our kid, but i didn't like her emotions at the end of part one.. they should have done that until they got it right, but maybe they did and couldn't hahahah. neither was bad on the looks, but i just thought the latter of the 2 looked better and fit in better..

[ThomasE]

I will say this about her, she definitely pulled me in with her vulnerabilty. My compassion for Maggie was leaking out.

[Pavan]

I liked both, but Mobley was not that good in Sam's Missing...made me wish this episode had been done with Carter.

[GARFIELDKOOL]

I will be the first to admit MaryAnne-Mobley did a rotten job as far as acting in this episode. But, she was a breathe of fresh air from Dixie Carter. Dixie did not belong in this series, hell....the character of maggie didn't belong in this series, but MaryAnne made the character of Maggie more likable than Dixie.

[Brieannas21]

I liked both, but Mobley was not that good in Sam's Missing...made me wish this episode had been done with Carter.


I so agree, her crying scenes were awful, and the whole scene when the furniture guys came in with the chairs...bad acting.

But in the end when Sam came home, she did a good job LOL

[TVFactFan]

She was very beautiful, made me forget she was Arnold's teacher-lol

[ThomasE]

I so agree, her crying scenes were awful, and the whole scene when the furniture guys came in with the chairs...bad acting.

But in the end when Sam came home, she did a good job LOL


Yeah, Brie. You are not the first to call out that situation with the chair and movers scene. Someone else did years back when we discussed this topic. The part when she was like "This is a bad time" was very weak. I was just shaking my head because I wanted her to be good and she wasn't there.

The other scene that I had an issue with was when she saw that Pearl made a space for Sam at the table and Maggie had her mouth open for a long time. It kinda ruined the moment for me. When I was a child, I felt bad for her in that scene, but now I just think that she did not know how to play that scene. Like I said in my original post, the acting was up one moment and then down the next and then back up.

I can constructively criticize because I am a fan of hers and her overall potrayal of the character in this episode made me compassionate for this Maggie character.

[Czas na Zywiec]

You know, from what I've read on here over the years I expected her to be a lot worse. She wasn't as bad as I imagined her to be but she wasn't that great either. Especially the "Please find my son" line at the end of the first part, I didn't think that was that overacted. The line about the chairs was a little overkill tho, and I agree with ThomasE about Pearl setting a place for Sam. I mean come on...you work so many years setting that many places, it's not like she was sending subliminal messages to Maggie saying "HAHAHAHA YOUR SON IS STILL MISSING." It was an honest mistake. Yet Maggie just stands there with her mouth hanging open for so long like she wanted to kill Pearl.

[Brieannas21]

Yeah the table setting scene was bad, I felt worse for Pearl than I did for Maggie. Also I don't know what the makeup person was thinking when they put the makeup on Mobley, but she was TOOOOOOOO made up. And for a mother whose supposed to be in distress, she looked too good. For those of you who taped the episode, go back and look at all of that makeup she had on.

[ThomasE]

I thought her hair would have been out of place as well or a least a little. The timing for her reaction was a bit too late when she saw the place setting. The comment was funny earlier about the Pearl not trying to taunt Maggie. I can see Pearl now:

Pearl: Ha Ha! I set a place for your missing little brat! That'll teach you tell me that I look fat in Jeans!

That would have been a MAD TV or SNL moment.

[ThomasE]

Wow! I've been watching the episode when Mr. Drummond dates Arnold's teacher. Mary Anne Mobley did such a fantastic job in this part. I loved her acting and her beauty. What the heck happened in 1985?

[RUDOLPH LYRICS]

Wow! I've been watching the episode when Mr. Drummond dates Arnold's teacher. Mary Anne Mobley did such a fantastic job in this part. I loved her acting and her beauty. What the heck happened in 1985?
"don't favor the boy" :lol: or it was something like that phil said. that was just hilarious. i have all of he episodes from today. i liked the last marathon when they showed more later season episodes.

[ThomasE]

"don't favor the boy" :lol: or it was something like that phil said. that was just hilarious.

I didn't blame Phillip for that one at all. You better work bro! (Phillip) :lol:

[TVFactFan]

Here is the scene

Arnold's Teacher: "I don't know if I should stop dating your father or favoring Arnold"

Mr. Drummond: "STOP FAVORING THE KID!


LOL

[ThomasE]

ThomasE: STOP FAVOURING THE KID, LADY!

[Videomercials]

Dixie Carter reminds me of "Whitley Gilbert" from A Different World.

[TVFactFan]

Dixie Carter reminds me of "Whitley Gilbert" from A Different World.



Yup a "white whitley"


LOL

[Brieannas21]

Dixie Carter reminds me of "Whitley Gilbert" from A Different World.


I don't think so, Whitley was just spoiled and bratty.

[ThomasE]

I am trying envision similarities, but I don't see any, not even with Maggie #2.
Videommercials, what are similarities you see with Whitley and Dixie Carter?

[TVFactFan]

I am trying envision similarities, but I don't see any, not even with Maggie #2.
Videommercials, what are similarities you see with Whitley and Dixie Carter?


They sound alike Tom

[ThomasE]

They sound alike Tom
Okay, Fine. I will admit they both have that southern accent but what else? :confused:

[TVFactFan]

Okay, Fine. I will admit they both have that southern accent but what else? :confused:


That was the only thing to me

[Brieannas21]

Okay, Fine. I will admit they both have that southern accent but what else? :confused:


But as the seasons went on Whitley lost her accent.

[ThomasE]

Maybe so. I was pulling stuff out of the air. To me, Whitley still had an accent but a slightly different one.

[ThomasE]

MaryAnne Mobley on today's episodes were great. Her acting was really good when Willis went to college along with the Captain Jack episode and the episode when she suggested that Arnold protest the racist group. She had a turnaround in my opinion. I wonder what the deal was during the first few episodes when she was struggling with the acting? I know it has been over 22 years, but Kudos to her.

[Czas na Zywiec]

She doesn't sound "Southern" to me like Dixie did. It's an odd accent and I just can't place it. (And I'm a linguist lol) I don't hate it or anything, but I also can't place it. I definitely don't place it as Southern tho.

[stevea]

The producers must not have liked her (of course, around now they were probably mired in "cancellation blues"). In the later episodes of season 8 she has all but disappeared. At first they say she is away somewhere, but in the 2 episodes today (the Halley's Comet and the Grade Altering) there is no mention of her at all...

[Scoobiedoo30]

I like both Maryann and Dixie

[Jude The Obscure]

The producers must not have liked her (of course, around now they were probably mired in "cancellation blues"). In the later episodes of season 8 she has all but disappeared. At first they say she is away somewhere, but in the 2 episodes today (the Halley's Comet and the Grade Altering) there is no mention of her at all...


I noticed that! She is suffering the same fate as Dixie's Maggie--AWOL!

And irony of ironies.....Mary Ann had played Arnold's schoolteacher in an early season episode. She would later guest-star on Desigining Women, where she and Dixie Carter interacted for most of the episode's subplot. Wonder if they dished about DS between scenes? :lol:

[Brieannas21]

I noticed that! She is suffering the same fate as Dixie's Maggie--AWOL!

And irony of ironies.....Mary Ann had played Arnold's schoolteacher in an early season episode. She would later guest-star on Desigining Women, where she and Dixie Carter interacted for most of the episode's subplot. Wonder if they dished about DS between scenes? :lol:


Oh Yeah, wasn't she a tour guide.

[Jude The Obscure]

Yep,that she was.....

"Oh Julia, the tour is here......Karen wants us to hippity hop and skedaddle"
:lol:

[guestguest]

The producers must not have liked her (of course, around now they were probably mired in "cancellation blues"). In the later episodes of season 8 she has all but disappeared. At first they say she is away somewhere, but in the 2 episodes today (the Halley's Comet and the Grade Altering) there is no mention of her at all...

It wasn't just Maggie. Pearl doesn't seem to be making too many appearances, either, and she was very prominent prior to that season. I wonder why she appeared less.

Now I'm curious who appeared in more episodes that season - Maggie or Pearl.

[ThomasE]

My guess would be Maggie. Pearl was really seldom seen.

[Natalie1969]

I agree with pretty much everything on this thread. I love the episode when Mr. D dates Arnold's teacher played my Mary Ann and the quote about quit favoring the kid. I have to remember that she played two diffrent characters.