Set in fictional Fernwood, Ohio, this deliriously demented serial focused on the beleaguered heroine Mary Hartman, an average American housewife. In the first year, Mary suffered the ... See full summary »
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Set in fictional Fernwood, Ohio, this deliriously demented serial focused on the beleaguered heroine Mary Hartman, an average American housewife. In the first year, Mary suffered the travails of mass murder, adultery, venereal disease, homosexuality, religious cults, and UFO sightings, before she finally succumbed to a nervous breakdown on a syndicated talk show. Written by
Mark Faulkner <mtfalknr@cc.memphis.edu>
Then Nixon aide Ben Stein wrote an impassioned letter in support of the show early in the first season, when its future was strongly in doubt; his piece is considered at least one of the reasons it continued airing. See more »
Quotes
Mary Hartman:
[Mary realizes she went to elementary school with the man who has kidnapped her]
Remember me, Mary Shumway? Mary Shumway?
See more »
A sharply satirical soap opera about a modern-day "Candide" (Louise Lasser) and the dysfunctional Americana she inhabits. In the opening episodes (beginning 1/76), Mary has to contend with her impotent husband, indifferent daughter, pervert grandpa, hot-to-trot sister, and the massacre of a local family (along with their 2 goats and 8 chickens) but it seems the waxy yellow build-up on her kitchen floor subliminally affected the mass media-influenced Mary more than all the domestic drama combined. The absence of a canned laugh track can make viewers feel they're either losing their mind or experiencing a darkly comedic, penetrating pop-culture parody. Possibly both. I loved it then and I love it now!
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A sharply satirical soap opera about a modern-day "Candide" (Louise Lasser) and the dysfunctional Americana she inhabits. In the opening episodes (beginning 1/76), Mary has to contend with her impotent husband, indifferent daughter, pervert grandpa, hot-to-trot sister, and the massacre of a local family (along with their 2 goats and 8 chickens) but it seems the waxy yellow build-up on her kitchen floor subliminally affected the mass media-influenced Mary more than all the domestic drama combined. The absence of a canned laugh track can make viewers feel they're either losing their mind or experiencing a darkly comedic, penetrating pop-culture parody. Possibly both. I loved it then and I love it now!