Farmer Ted and the News (11 Nov. 1972)

Ted may have outsmarted Lou when he convinces him to strike the clause from his contract that forbids him from doing other work, things like movies and Broadway. And cheesy commercials.

Director:

Jay Sandrich

Writers:

James L. Brooks (creator), Allan Burns (creator),

Stars:

Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Valerie Harper

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Mary Richards
Edward Asner	...	Lou Grant
Valerie Harper	...	Rhoda Morgenstern
Gavin MacLeod	...	Murray Slaughter
Ted Knight	...	Ted Baxter
Lurene Tuttle	...	Bella Swann (as Lorene Tuttle)

Storyline

Ted refuses to sign his standard new contract as he wants a raise, which irks not only Lou, but also Mary and Murray, the latter who is already angry at what Ted probably makes compared to him. Ted even tries to bribe Mary to talk to Lou on his behalf. But when Ted brings in his new agent, an elderly and seemingly sweet woman named Bella Swan, to discuss the contract with Lou, Lou agrees to the one demand that Bella has: to remove the non-exclusivity clause from the contract so that Ted is able to pursue other work in the entertainment field, such as, as Bella describes, movies and Broadway. Lou, Mary and Murray have a good laugh about Ted's potential, or lack thereof, for work in these fields. But Ted and Bella may have the last laugh when Ted does pursue other entertainment themed work, namely in local television commercials where Ted is asked to do things that are not as dignified as a news anchor should be. The last straw for Lou, Mary and Murray is when one of these commercials ...

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1972 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTM Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ted Baxter's salary is $31.000. But, after Lou makes Ted give up his commercials, Ted's given a 10% raise - making his new salary $34,200.

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Connections

Features Red Dust (1932)

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