My Mother Was Never a Kid - Time Travel books and Movies

My Mother Was Never a Kid

There are no official pictures from this film, so screenshots were used.

The year was 1981. I was between jobs and enjoying a temporary role as stay-at-home dad with my first born baby daughter, Jess. After her nap and our daily routine of lunch, Sesame Street, and Mister Rogers, I dialed the TV set to ABC (Channel 7 in the Chicago area) and discovered an after-school special. It was called, My Mother Was Never a Kid.

What unfolded as I watched this kids special, was a wonderful time travel film. Without commercials it was only forty five minutes long. The film was about a 14-year-old girl named Victoria Martin (Mary Beth Manning) who was always getting in trouble at school. She would fight with her mom and felt her mother never understood what it was like to be young.

Mary Beth Manning as Victoria Martin.

Mary Beth Manning had already made three, made-for-TV movies before staring in My Mother Was Never a Kid, including the famous, A Christmas to Remember. But she would become a familiar face in the future, staring in many TV ads and shows, such as: The Wonder Years, Dynasty, Judging Amy and most recently in another show I watch, Agent Carter. But it was her role in My Mother Was Never a Kid in which I fell in love with her work. Her facial expressions were priceless. I’m sure this is why she landed so many commercial ads. I recall the one where she walks into a bank and the teller is saying he can go lower, and keeps changing the pitch of his voice. There were those wonderful facial expressions. In My Mother Was Never a Kid, she is bewildered by her time travel situation and keeps saying the following phrase, “Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!” Mary Beth Manning is a very talented actress and it showed, even as a young girl.

Mary Beth Manning today.

Her mom, Felicia is played by prominent film and stage actress, Holland Taylor. Taylor won an Emmy for her role in the TV drama, The Practice and was nominated for playing Charlie Sheen’s mother in Two and a Half Men.

After being caught smoking in the girl’s room, Victoria has a horrific fight with her mom and ends up running out the door, taking a ride on the subway to meet her friend. Deep down, Victoria isn’t a bad girl, as shown when she gives up her seat to an elderly lady. The train suddenly makes a quick stop and Victoria is slammed to the floor, unconscious. When she awakes, the old woman is now a young pregnant woman who thanks Victoria for giving up her seat for her. The subway train is clean from graffiti and has 1940 ads posted around.

Victoria thinks they cleaned up the train station and finds herself on the street where she meets a girl willing to try and help her. The girl’s name is Cici (Rachel Longaker) and she is full of personality. Victoria likes her immediately, but is bewildered by things, such as her not knowing rock groups like The Who and prefers Frank Sinatra, who Cici refers to as dreamy.

Rachel Longaker as Cici.

Rachel Longaker (Cici) was famous for her role as Aimee Louise Godsey on The Waltons and played in the movie, Oh God with John Denver and George Burns, among other roles. She is also wonderful in her role of Cici. She had a bubbly personality that was part bad girl, but also very likable. I did not base my character of Katya on her in my Time Pilgrims series [LINK], but in retrospect, Longaker as Cici reminds me of her. Wonderful actress!

Rachel Longaker today.

Victoria finally comes to the realization that she is in 1944, but it’s when Cici invites her to her home that she realizes Cici’s mom is her very own grandmother, and that makes Cici, her own future mother. (Cici is a nickname of Francine). Victoria sees first hand that Cici and her mom fight as much as she does with her own mother. She also realizes that her mom got in trouble even more than she did. She sees her steal an eraser from a store and purchase a copy of an upcoming test. (She buys the test from a boy named, Ted Davis played by Joe Cosentino...another great actor who went on to do great things, including author.

Victoria looking surprised at the fights between Cici and her mother.

The props, clothing, and feel of the 1940s are extremely well done for a film that couldn’t have had a large budget. The language is perfect as well. Cici uses words such as hubba hubba, neat-o and terrif. Although the scenes are supposed to be set in New York City, it was filmed in Toronto, Canada.

It was a few years later that I realized the film was based on a 1977 book, titled, Hangin’ Out with Cici by renowned author, Francine Pascal who is famous for her Sweet Valley High book series.

In recent years, the book has been renamed, My Mother Was Never a Kid and is still available. The novel is just as much a delight as the film, but has Victoria a bit more… naughty. For instance, instead of cigarettes, she is smoking marijuana in the story.

Alternate covers of Hangin' Out With Cici.

About two years later (1983), when I had my first VCR, I happened to catch the last airing of My Mother Was Never a Kid, then on Nickelodeon and taped it. I believe I might have the only copy of the full 45 minute version anywhere. A shortened half-hour version came out for a brief time on VHS, but even that is out of print. That version, however can be watched on You Tube. Mine was there for a short time when I loaned it to someone, but has since been made private.

In my search for this film, I was responsible for having it listed on The Internet Movie Data Base, IMDB and mine is still the only review for it on the site. It has my first email address, which is now long gone. See below: 

 User Reviews

AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL

1 October 2000 | by dhig72 (dhig72@aol.com) (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.) – See all my reviews

I saw this movie when it first aired as an after school special in 1981. I loved it then and have been searching in vain for it on VHS. I also read the novel entitled "HANGIN' OUT WITH CICI". Excellent time travel story.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

The program was nominated for 5 Daytime Emmy Awards in 1981, taking home 2 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming - Art Direction/Scenic Design/Set Decoration" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming - Makeup and Hair Design."

 

My Mother Was Never a Kid remains one of my favorite time travel short films and I still find myself hoping and praying that one day, it is cleaned up and released for sale. Meanwhile, I will enjoy my burned from VHS copy.