"Mary Tyler Moore" (1970) TV series 1970-1977

Creators:

James L. Brooks
Allan Burns

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

19 September 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

The lives and trials of a young single woman and her friends, both at work and at home.

Plot Keywords:

Television | Producer | Single | Single Woman | Unrequited Love

Awards:

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 36 wins & 69 nominations

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 5 of 60)

Mary Tyler Moore	...	Mary Richards (168 episodes, 1970-1977)
Gavin MacLeod	...	Murray Slaughter / ... (168 episodes, 1970-1977)
Edward Asner	...	Lou Grant (167 episodes, 1970-1977)
Ted Knight	...	Ted Baxter (166 episodes, 1970-1977)
Valerie Harper	...	Rhoda Morgenstern (92 episodes, 1970-1977)

Also Known As:

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

30 min (168 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MTM Enterprises

Trivia:

The two joggers who pass Mary in the park during the opening credit sequence are producers James L. Brooks and Allan Burns. Also in the credit sequence, the gray-haired man Mary has lunch with and is later seen walking with in the evening is Mary Tyler Moore's then-husband Grant Tinker, the president/co-founder of MTM. The woman seen scowling back at Mary as she tosses her hat is local resident Hazel Frederick.

Goofs:

Factual errors: On the newsroom wall there are various world clocks like you would see in a typical newsroom of that era. In the center is the Minneapolis/St. Paul clock, and to its left is a Chicago clock. Minneapolis and Chicago are both in the central time zone, so there is no need to have two different clocks. Furthermore it can be seen that the Chicago clock is set roughly an hour ahead.

Quotes:

Chuckles the Clown: [attributed] A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Incredible Melting Man (#8.4)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Love Is All Around

Love is Indeed All Around

For the longest period of time, I couldn't understand the appeal of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Having caught the occasional episode every now and then, the series struck me as being somewhat "ordinary" in nature. However, at the beginning of 2002, I began to watch the series on a regular basis, right from it's first season and found to my surprise, what a funny, insightful and entertaining sitcom it was.

Mary Tyler Moore deserves kudos for her portrayal of Mary Richards, a ground-breaking character who was allowed to be her own person (a rare thing for female characters on television in those days). An intelligent, independent young woman in her 30's, whose wasn't "hung up" on not being married, and enjoyed her life and her career. The rest of the cast also deserve mention for their memorable performances. Ed Asner as the gruff, yet lovable Lou Grant (Mary's boss at WJM-TV), Valerie Harper as the sharp and sassy Rhoda Morgenstern (Mary's best friend and next door neighbour), Gavin Macloud as the witty & thoughtful Murray Slaughter (Mary's fellow work mate at WJM), the late Ted Knight as the self absorbed and talentless Ted Baxter (who "anchored" the news in more ways than one at WJM-TV) and Cloris Leachman as the flighty and somewhat over-opininated Phyllis Lindstorm (Mary's other next door neighbour and friend).

The show was fortunate enough to benefit from first rate scripts from talented writers such as Jim Brooks & Allan Burns (both of whom created the series), Treva Silverman, David Lloyd, Bob Ellison and Ed Weinberger.

Along with solid direction from vetran TV sitcom director Jay Sandrich (of "I Love Lucy" fame), it comes as no surprise that the series was both a critical and commerical success during it's seven year run on US television from 1970 to 1977. The show also benefited from later additions to the cast such as Georgia Engel as the sweet natured, yet rather naive Georgette Franklin (who was introduced into the series as a love interest for the idiotic Ted Baxter) and Betty White as the conniving & man-hungry Sue Ann Nivens (host of "The Happy Homemaker" show at WJM-TV). On screen, she is the image of domestic knowledge and bliss, but once the camera's have stopped rolling, she is a woman on the prowl, striking at any man within distance (single or otherwise) who grabs her fancy!!. Earning a whole swag of Emmy Awards, the show was highly praised and rewarded for it's stellar efforts. I recommended those who are unfamiliar with the show to watch the series from the beginning, to appreciate and understand the nature of what it's all about. The humour is natural and witty (unlike many other sitcoms where the laughs are either forced or over-the-top). The characters grow and change over the years (once again unlike many other comedy shows), and the series itself contains it's own warmth and natural charm. Check it out and see why this lady can still turn the whole world on with that smile ...