The worst television series of all time?

Most contemporary critics point to this sitcom as being one of the worst comedies, if not among the truly classically bad television series in the history of American broadcasting. ("TV Guide" ranked it second in badness only to 'The Jerry Springer Show.')

Maybe so, but 'My Mother The Car' was simply a fantasy sitcom that came at a time when viewers were watching such programmes as 'My Favorite Martian'; 'Bewitched' and the talking horse comedy 'Mr. Ed.' After all, it was just a short leap from a pompous palomino to a mother who was "reinCARnated" as an antique touring vehicle. And at the time, NBC needed a similar comedy to compete with the other networks' offerings.

Ironically, "Mother" was approved by an NBC programming department headed by Grant Tinker, years before he became a successful producer of quality dramas and comedies and went on to head the entire network. It was created and produced by a pair of young producers named Allan Burns and Chris Hayward, who would go on to better things such as 'He & She'; 'Barney Miller' and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show.'

It also had a strong cast, led by Jerry Van Dyke (Dick's brother) as lawyer Dave Crabtree. First seen as a guest on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' Jerry was briefly a regular on the now classic but short-lived 'Judy Garland Show.' He also turned down the title role in another maligned sitcom, but 'Gilligan's Island' made it on the air (with Bob Denver as Gilligan).

In the pilot for "Mother", Dave goes out to buy a station wagon for the family when he spies a 1928 Porter in the used car lot. It even has a radio. And over the speaker, a familiar voice calls to him: "Hello, Davie. It's your mother." Of course, it was Dave's mother, Gladys (voiced by former sitcom star Ann Southern). Being the type of guy who loved his mom, Dave buys the Porter despite complaints from his family. (Maggie Pearce played Dave's wife Barbara; Cindy Eilbacher and Randy Whipple played their children, Cindy and Randy respectively.)

Another wrinkle: Not unlike 'Mr. Ed', "Mother" would not speak to anyone but Dave, leading others to think Mr. Crabtree was a few legal briefs short of a full briefcase. But his neighbor, Captain Manzini (played by the funny comic Avery Schreiber) coveted Dave's classic car and tried (with no success) to get the Porter for his own collection.

Most adults didn't take 'My Mother The Car' seriously, preferring the more grown-up offerings of ABC's World War II drama 'Combat!' or CBS' western 'Rawhide.' But kids enjoyed it; still, it wasn't enough to save the show. "Mother" drove out of the NBC garage in 1966 after 30 episodes.

It took a few decades for Jerry Van Dyke to find true television success as Luther Van Dam on 'Coach.' And it wouldn't be until 1982 when NBC would try a talking car once again-but this time, the dramatic 'Knight Rider' would be a success. (Around the same time, there was a brief vogue for talking cars in real life, with models such as the Nissan Maxima and Chrysler New Yorker telling drivers to put on their seat belts or warning if they were running out of gas. People didn't like their cars talking back to them; it was a short-lived fad.)

It should be noted that there was no such make as a Porter. The car used in the show was custom-made from various other cars by Barris Kustom Industries, and was powered by a Chevrolet 283 V8 mated to a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission.

Ironically, Jerry Van Dyke actually cut a 45 RPM single of 'My Mother The Car's' theme song (on the Columbia label). The theme itself ("A 1928 Porter/That's my mother dear/'Cause she helps me through everything I do/And I'm so glad she's near/My Mother The Car/My Mother The Car") was written by Paul Hampton.

The show is seldom seen (if at all) on television today. But few series have had such an afterlife in infamy.