The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Template:Infobox television

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977. It was one of the most critically acclaimed shows—and one of the most beloved—in television history, as well as a breakthrough for leading female characters in television, due to the single, career-minded title character played by Mary Tyler Moore.

Contents

1 Overview 2 Cast & Characters 3 Broadcast History 4 Memorable episodes 5 Theme song 6 Interesting facts 7 Awards & Honors 7.1 Emmy Awards 7.2 Golden Globe Awards 7.3 Honors 8 Spin-off Series 9 External links

Overview

Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) is a single woman in her thirties who moves to Minneapolis, Minnesota after breaking off a relationship with her boyfriend of two years. She finds a job as an associate producer for local news station WJM-TV. Her new friends at work include her tough boss with a soft side, Lou Grant (Edward Asner), newswriter Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), and buffoonish anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). Mary's friends at home include the self-deprecating liberal Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) and insincere landlady Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman). Friends of Mary that are introduced in later years include the man-hungry host of the ironically-titled The Happy Homemaker Show, Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White) and soft-spoken Georgette Franklin Baxter (Georgia Engel), who eventually marries Ted. The show deals with important issues (romance, death, career, friendships) in the lives of Richards and her friends in a comical way.

Cast & Characters

• Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore)
• Lou Grant (Ed Asner)
• Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod)
• Ted Baxter (Ted Knight)
• Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper)
• Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman)
• Sue Ann Nivens (Betty White)
• Georgette Franklin Baxter (Georgia Engel)

Broadcast History

• September 1970 - December 1971, Saturday 9:30 p.m.
• December 1971 - September 1972, Saturday 8:30 p.m.
• September 1972 - October 1976, Saturday 9:00 p.m.
• November 1976 - September 1977, Saturday 8:00 p.m.

Memorable episodes

• "Love Is All Around" (September 19, 1970) The very first episode in which Mary Richards, 30, moves to Minneapolis after rebounding from a broken romance. She finds an apartment in the same building as her old friend Phyllis Lindstrom and becomes friends with her upstairs neighbor, native New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern. She also gets a job as associate producer for The Six O'Clock News at WJM-TV, where her co-workers include her tough boss with a soft side, Lou Grant (Edward Asner), newswriter Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), and buffoonish anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight).
• "Support Your Local Mother" (October 24, 1970) Mary finds herself caught between Rhoda and her mother Ida when Mrs. Morgenstern, a member of the keep-them-feeling-guilty school of child rearing, comes to Minneapolis for a visit and Rhoda refuses to see her.
• "The Lars Affair" (September 15, 1973) Phyllis makes a desperate bid to win back her husband Lars when she finds out that he's having an affair with Sue Ann Nivens, the star of WJM's Happy Homemaker series. The character of Sue Ann Nivens, played by Betty White, was introduced in this episode. This episode was ranked #27 on TV Guide's The Greatest Episodes of All Time.
• "Chuckles Bites The Dust" (October 25, 1975) The ludicrous death of WJM's Chuckles the Clown, crushed by an elephant while dressed as Peter Peanut, provokes a torrent of black humor which has everyone in the newsroom but Mary convulsed in laughter. Mary's suppressed laughter comes out at an inopportune moment: at Chuckles' funeral. This episode was ranked #1 on TV Guide's The Greatest Episodes of All Time.
• "The Last Show" (March 19, 1977) The new owner of WJM re-evaluates the news operation and, unable to determine the reason for the low ratings, arbitrarily fires everyone in the newsroom except for the supremely incompetent Ted. The tag of this episode shows Mary Tyler Moore introducing the other seven regular cast members to the audience as "the best cast ever."

Theme song

"Love Is All Around", written and performed by Sonny Curtis.
The lyrics were rewritten after the first season. It has been covered by artists such as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Hüsker Dü.

(Season 1, 1970)

How will you make it on your own?

This world is awfully big, girl, this time you're all alone

But it's time you started living

It's time you let someone else do some giving

Love is all around, no need to waste it

You can have a town, why don't you take it

You might just make it after all

You might just make it after all

(Seasons 2-7, 1971)

Who can turn the world on with her smile?

Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

Well it's you, girl, and you should know it

With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to waste it

You can have a town, why don't you take it

You're gonna make it after all

You're gonna make it after all

Interesting facts

• Mary Richards was originally planned to be divorced, but because divorce was still a hot subject in 1970, they settled for a broken engagement instead. Also, the network was afraid people would think that Mary had divorced Rob Petrie, her character's husband on The Dick Van Dyke Show, losing the audience's sympathy.
• For the first few seasons in the series, Mary, Rhoda, and Phyllis lived in apartments at 119 N. Weatherly in Minneapolis. That address is entirely fictional, although the exterior of a real house in Minneapolis (in the Kenwood neighborhood, on Kenwood Parkway) was filmed to provide a setting. Once fans of the series discovered the place, it became a popular tourist destination. However, the real owners at the time did not enjoy the attention. A sign saying "Impeach Nixon" was in a window for a time, discouraging many from taking more pictures. Other Minneapolis sites were also featured on the show (especially in the opening credits), but the show's cast very rarely spent time in the actual city.
• Following the conclusion of the series, Edward Asner continued to play Lou Grant in a long-running dramatic series of the same name. This is one of the only times in TV history that a sitcom spun off a dramatic series.
• In 2002, cable TV network TV Land dedicated and erected a statue to the television character Mary Tyler Moore made famous near the corner of 7th Street and Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was supposedly placed on the site of the famous 'hat toss' Mary does in the opening credits. Although many in the press were skeptical of TV Land's offer at first— some claiming it was a marketing strategy by TV Land, one Macalester professor stating that it was "like honoring a unicorn" [1] (http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200103/30_helmsm_statue/)— crowds of onlookers at the unveiling revealed hushed excitement rather than animosity. Most Minneapolis residents were apathetic, while others were glad that a television and cultural icon that helped make Minneapolis famous in the eyes of TV viewers was being honored. It has become something of a tourist attraction for fans of the show, who can sometimes be seen throwing hats in front of it to recreate the famous opening.
• In 2004, the decidedly non-fictional Twin Cities television station KSTP began airing commercials featuring Ed Asner as a gruff newsman. Meant to evoke the persona of Lou Grant, the commercials feature Asner speaking to members of the station's staff. They are intended to promote the channel's news department, which has seen poor ratings in recent years. The character is never named in the ads for legal reasons.

Awards & Honors

Emmy Awards

1971

• Edward Asner, Outstanding Performance by Supporting Actor/Comedy
• Valerie Harper, Outstanding Performance by Supporting Actress/Comedy
• James L. Brooks & Allan Burns, Outstanding Writing Achievement/Comedy, for episode "Support Your Local Mother"
• Jay Sandrich, Outstanding Directorial Achievement/Comedy, for episode "Toulouse Lautrec is One of My Favorite Artists"

1972

• Edward Asner, Outstanding Performance by Supporting Actor/Comedy
• Valerie Harper, Outstanding Performance by Supporting Actress/Comedy

1973

• Mary Tyler Moore, Outstanding Continued Performance by Leading Actress/comedy
• Ted Knight, Outstanding Continued Performance by Supporting Actor/comedy
• Valerie Harper, Outstanding Continued Performance by Supporting Actress/comedy
• Jay Sandrich, Outstanding Directorial Achievement/Comedy, for episode "It's Whether You Win or Lose"

1974

• Mary Tyler Moore, Actress of the Year/Series
• Mary Tyler Moore, Best Lead Actress/comedy
• Cloris Leachman, Best Supporting Actress/comedy, Single Performance for episode "The Lars Affair"
• Treva Silverman, Best Comedy Writing in a Single Program of a Series with Continuing Characters and/or Theme, for episode "The Lou and Edie Story"
• Treva Silverman, Writer of the Year/TV Series

1975

• James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, Stan Daniels, Ed Weinberger, Outstanding Comedy Series
• Edward Asner, Outstanding Continuing Performance by Supporting Actor/comedy
• Betty White, Outstanding Continuing Performance by Supporting Actress/comedy
• Cloris Leachman, Best Supporting Actress/comedy, Single Performance for episode "Phyllis Whips Inflation" (award shared with Zohra Lampert, Kojak)
• Ed Weinberger & Stan Daniels, Outstanding Writing/Comedy for a Single Episode of Regular or Limited Series with Continuing Characters and/or Theme, for episode "Mary Richards Goes to Jail"
• Douglas Hines, Outstanding Film Editing for Entertainment Programming

1976

• Mary Tyler Moore, Outstanding Lead Actress/Comedy
• Ted Knight, Outstanding Continuing Performance by Supporting Actor/Comedy
• Betty White, Outstanding Continuing Performance by Supporting Actress/Comedy
• James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, Stan Daniels, Ed Weinberger, Outstanding Comedy Series
• David Lloyd, Outstanding Writing in Comedy Series for Single Episode of Regular/Limited Series with Continuing Characters/Theme, for episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust"

1977

• James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, Stan Daniels, Ed Weinberger, Outstanding Comedy Series
• Allan Burns, James L. Brooks, Ed Weinberger, Stan Daniels, David Lloyd, Bob Ellison, for episode "The Last Show"
• Douglas Hines, Outstanding Film Editing/Comedy Series, for episode "Murray Can't Lose"

Golden Globe Awards

• 1971 Mary Tyler Moore, Best Actress/Comedy

• 1972 Edward Asner, Best Supporting Actor/Comedy

• 1976 Edward Asner, Best Supporting Actor/Comedy (tied with Tim Conway for The Carol Burnett Show)

Honors

• In 1997, TV Guide ranked "Chuckles Bites The Dust" as #1 on their list of The Greatest Episodes of All Time. The episode "The Lars Affair" made the list at #27.
• In 1999, TV Guide ranked Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Baxter on their list of TV's 50 Greatest Characters Ever!.
• In 2001, Entertainment Weekly ranked the opening credits image of Mary tossing her hat into the air as #2 on their list of The 100 Greatest Moments In Television. [2] (http://www.ew.com/ew/fab400/tv100/list.html)
• In 2002, TV Guide ranked the Mary Tyler Moore show as #11 on their Top 50 Shows of All Time List. [3] (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/26/entertainment/main507388.shtml)

Spin-off Series

• Rhoda (1974-1978)
• Phyllis (1975-1977)
• Lou Grant (1977-1982)

External links

• The Internet Movie Database Entry for Mary Tyler Moore show (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0065314)
• Citysearch: The Mary Tyler Moore Show Tour (http://twincities.citysearch.com/roundup/37826/?ulink=profile_21_insidertips_1___roundup__1) describing locations featured in the series
• The Mary & Rhoda Magazine (http://www.jyanet.com/mtm/), with a brief selection of articles about the seriesde:The Mary Tyler Moore Show