"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

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:

Mary's house, which appears in the opening credits, is still standing in Minneapolis, Minnesota - the city in which the show takes place.

Goofs:

Continuity: Exteriors of Mary's residence show that the apartment with the balcony (which would be Mary's, based on the interior shots of her apartment) is on the top floor, yet Rhoda's apartment is upstairs from Mary's.

Quotes:

[there is a party at Mary's. Mary has suggested playing a game where one person says a word and the next person thinks of a word that begins with the last letter of the word they heard]
Lou Grant: Does this game go on forever or does it have an end?
Mary Richards: It ends when a person can't think of a word.
Lou Grant: Oh, I'll start. (Lou turns to Ted Baxter.) Box! (Ted cannot think of a word and says nothing.) Game's over.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Ellen Show: Ellen's First Christmess (#1.11)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Love Is All Around

The Original

This truly was one of the first ensemble driven situation comedies in the history of television. Even though Mary Tyler Moore was the star of the show, the fact was that the series truly revolved around her relationships with not only her friends at home, but her friends on the job and when those two worlds collided, sparks usually flew. Also, this show was really funny when Valerie Harper was still on the show playing Rhoda. She and Mary were polar opposites (Mary the cheerful optimist and Rhoda the angry cynic). However, those differences was what made their relationship shine. Cloris Leachman was also perfect as the over bearing Phyllis Lindstrom. And lets not forget the other characters; cynical Lou, the optimistic Murray and, of course, dimwitted Ted Baxter. This show definitely one of the all time classics and made Saturday nights worth staying home.

Another interesting fact about this show is the fact that it debuted during the final season of the original series about a single woman trying to make it, "That Girl". However, while Ann pretty much was still an innocent little girl at heart that had a boyfriend and often still relied on him and her parents to get her out of jams, Mary Richards proved that she could be single and live her life on her own terms.