Mary Tyler Moore

It's hard for people to remember what American TV was like at the time (even for people who were alive and conscious then) in the hugely formulaic post-PETTICOAT JUNCTION era.

And I've known a lot of people who today look at the first season of "MTM" where the jokes are broader and don't always quite work and the acting is a bit too "loud" and stagey, and they wonder why this show was so well-regarded, then and now --- often to the point that they can't make it thru to later seasons.

I guess that's understandable. It's hard to believe very-very early episodes of "MTM" about Mary and Rhoda joining a divorce club and its strained humor was actually looser and freer and more amusing than what other sitcoms of the day had to offer. But it's true.

Although the first year of the show may be only sporadically humorous, it makes up for it in that "MTM" did one of the best jobs of capturing that weird melancholy of the era --- that mood that kind of defined the '70s, and was even more intense at the very start of the decade: this sort of lost, disillusioned, bittersweet, post-60s flavor which made everybody immediately seem as if they had a "past" from the moment they appeared on screen...

For anybody looking to see what it actually felt like living in the world at that particular moment in time -- at the cusp of the '60s and '70s -- it's captured vividly by such period montage sequences as the urban street scenes in MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969) or the snow angels/ice skating sequence in LOVE STORY (1970) or the "MTM" show opening theme design from Season 1, even Mary and little Bess going shopping in a Minneapolis mall, etc...

The world actually felt that way at the time. It's not just a Hollywood construct.

To me, Season 1 of "MTM" is kind of a portal to 1970. I regarded it as such even as early as the late-70s (when the show was first in syndication) and it still hits me the same way whenever I see very early installments--- the look of the show and the forlorn music score... No, the comedy isn't quite as hilarious by the slick standards of sitcoms from more recent decades (or even compared to later episodes of the same show) but I still find the mood almost heart-breakingly captivating. It is so evocative of the era.

As the seasons rolled on, the comedy got sharper (by the standards of the day) even though that '70s somberness was gradually mitigated as it lessened in real life.

So it's a time capsule of sorts... One would think every show and movie filmed in a particular era would be, but that just isn't true. Clothes and cars from a period don't sell or convey the past to the present --- something has to be good, or at least right-minded, in order for the zeitgeist of the era in question to stick to celluloid. And "MTM" was one of those shows that did so.

It was also one of the rare series then to proceed in "real time" which gave the show a life, an energy, that most didn't have, even though it didn't delve into the then-shocking, in-your-face politics that ALL IN THE FAMILY soon would.

Folks who weren't around then probably aren't able to grasp how fresh this "MTM" show seemed back in 1970, given where TV was at the time. Or understand why all the terribly broad (some might even say groan-inducing) comedy directed at, and derived from, Ted Baxter during Season 1 -- which predominantly focused on his dumbness and inability to pronounce basic words -- could possibly ever have been once seen as "funny".

In fact, it was, however briefly, fall-off-the-couch funny. TV in the 1960s had fervently ignored the social changes of that decade (including the questioning of establishment authority) so seeing a revered image like the silver-haired newsreader held up as a buffoon was actually considered edgy, even though that context doesn't really "read" today. (That's not revisionism, I swear. And at least the writers realized they would soon have to write to Ted's narcissism and density in a more layered, sophisticated fashion, and they quickly did so.)

That says more about where the media culture was circa 1969 or 1970 than it does THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW.

For all of the above reasons, Mary Richards became metaphorical for the early-to-mid 1970s, almost by accident: TV changed more between 1970 and 1975 than any other five year period in its history, in terms of content, and the television sitcom genre had literally become an agent for social change. And Mary Richards likewise grew during the seven years of the series from the quivery, vulnerable, lanky girl with the long, raven hair who let herself be gently bullied into giving up her family holiday visit at Christmas to cover for her co-workers in that 1970 episode (so wistfully forlorn for reasons hard to explain, except that it, too, captures the poignant atmosphere of the time precisely) into the almost cocky, seasoned professional who didn't pause to deliver a zinger to Ted or SueAnn when circumstances demanded it, and could grab and kiss her latest boyfriend in a public restaurant and then fluff her hair tauntingly at her voyeuristic co-workers as she sauntered out the front door.

Mary had grown up with us, or at least with the television medium, during it's most significant period of progression.

And then there's the actress herself, Mary Tyler Moore, whose own personal melancholia seemed to parallel that of the earlier part of that decade. Even with the same writers and co-stars, the show would never have felt the same without Moore and her intrinsic sense of haunted, detached nostalgia wrapped in winter's chill.

As i am writing this review (February of 2011), i have been watching all the episodes of the MTM show nonstop actually for some time now although i m just midway through season 5. I live in Greece and although we do love our US TV shows here too, Mary Tyler Moore was not exactly our icon through the 70's especially if you consider all the problems my country was going through at least up to 1974. I m 31 now (born in 79), and i ve known of MTM for quite some time and was always aware of the show and had heard from a lot of American friends and the web of course that the specific show was somewhat of a TV legend or a "sacred cow" especially for the people who watched it while it was on the air, and you know what?? I couldn't agree with them more! I LOVE THIS SHOW! i cannot find one thing that i don't like no matter how hard i try. i ve been laughing or at least smiling nonstop for 5 seasons now something that has happened (to me at least) only with a couple of shows p.e. Friends, Will and Grace. The feel of it, the look, the theme song, the opening credits, the characters, the actors (OMG!), and of course the writing. Quick, sharp, very very funny and with some subtext in a lot of cases considering the era! One thought that has occurred to me is that Mary Tyler Moore is the least egocentric actress in her or any other lifetime. I ve never seen an actress as famous as her, with her own show by the way, that didn't at some point sooner or later become obnoxious or cocky or have the writing serve her look or status. (God bless her but Lucille Ball take a bow!) Concluding i would like to say that it is incredible for a show to stand the merciless test of time (40 years!), and in 2011 i m proud to say that i d watch reruns of the MTM show any day than spend time watching some trash reality show about putting your hand in a box of cockroaches with order to win money. and you know what? i might just make it after all !

Right up there with the Dick Van Dyke show, in fact directed by some of the same people, this is another great sitcom. It seems they come along once a decade or so, and this is definitely a great one. Mary Tyler Moore is the newly liberated woman at work, dealing with all the same sexist stuff she dealt with in 1961 on the Dick Van Dyke show, but in a totally different way. The supporting cast is marvelous, from Ed Asner to Valerie Harper (as 'Rhoda') to the irrepressible Ted Knight as the vain news anchor. Hysterical stuff.

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 ...

As a 25-year-old woman, it's a shame that the so-called "feminist icons" of my day have been klutzy, man-hungry ninny Ally McBeal and tabloid wench Paris Hilton. I've really come to envy women who had real feminist heroes, real or fictional, such as Gloria Steinem, Bea Arthur as "Maude", and, of course, Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" isn't just an excellent sitcom with perfectly realized characters, but it featured an imperfect but winning heroine that any woman could look up to. Mary was a sweet-natured thirty-something who alternated between being high-strung and confident. She happily lived alone and had a loyal gal pal in smart mouthed New Yorker Rhoda (the incomparable Valerie Harper). Mary also was an associate TV producer at the low-rated WJM news network, where she had the respect of her male co-workers, including her arch-conservative boss Lou Grant (Ed Asner), wisecracking but tender-hearted work buddy Murray Slaugher (Gavin McLeod), and buffoonish anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). Not that everyone loved Mary... she constantly had to deal with her insufferable, overbearingly perky landlady Phyllis (Cloris Leachman). When Phyllis was written out of the show, WJM's "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens (flawless Betty White) replaced her as Mary's foil. Passive-aggressive and sex-starved, Sue Ann was a hilarious combination of Blanche from "The Golden Girls" and Harriet Nelson. Best of all, the show had running gags that somehow never went stale: Mary's tendency to attract the wrong men, her disastrous dinner parties, Ted's slips of the tongue on the air, Lou's annoyance at being the lowest-rated TV network, and Rhoda's quest for the perfect husband. An addictive show that didn't wear out its welcome in its seven year run, "MTM" is a shining example of great writing, fully developed characters, and perfect casting that has never been equaled. It was a show with spunk... we need spunk!