Am I correct so far?

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/16/article-1220930-06DA06E4000005DC-594_224x423.jpg

Well, Lou wasn't divorced at the outset. He and his wife split up in the third or fourth season (Kristen and/or Leigh Ann, feel free to correct me). I think by that time, TV in general was more liberated - but it was still before Norman Lear introduced Bonnie Franklin as Ann Romano, the spunky divorced mom of two girls on One Day at a Time.

Well, Lou wasn't divorced at the outset. He and his wife split up in the third or fourth season (Kristen and/or Leigh Ann, feel free to correct me). I think by that time, TV in general was more liberated - but it was still before Norman Lear introduced Bonnie Franklin as Ann Romano, the spunky divorced mom of two girls on One Day at a Time.


I guess that answers my question then! :lol: Thanks Monika

The reason the suits at the network didn't want Mary Richards to be divorced is that they were worried audience members would assume she was divorced from Dick Van Dyke due to her successful 5 year run as Dick's TV wife, Laura Petrie, on the Dick Van Dyke Show. TDVDS ended it's run only 4 years prior to the the start of TMTMS.

I was about to post the bit about Mary and how the network would fear she'd divorced Dick, but I see Marv beat me to it! :) I don't think it was so much the divorce itself that scared CBS, as the fact it was MARY being divorced. I think they didn't want it to reflect badly on her, since she had been previously known as a housewife on TDVDS.

I guess that answers my question then! :lol: Thanks Monika

You're welcome!

Remember that Vivian Vance was divorced on The Lucy Show all the way back in 1962 and nothing was said about it.

Remember that Vivian Vance was divorced on The Lucy Show all the way back in 1962 and nothing was said about it.

Yeah, I've always wondered about that myself - why there was no backlash. Weren't CBS execs afraid people would think she'd divorced Bill Frawley? ;)

Yeah, I've always wondered about that myself - why there was no backlash. Weren't CBS execs afraid people would think she'd divorced Bill Frawley? ;)
I think in 1962 it was very common knowledge that Bill Frawley and Viv Vance didn't get along with each other so even if people mistakenly thought Viv was divorced from Bill there probably would be very little backlash as people would expect those two to split up anyway. Mary's case was quite different as her and Dick's characters, Rob and Laura were very happily married and Mary and Dick were good friends in real life as well. That's why CBS feared a backlash if the Mary Richards character was divorced.

I think in 1962 it was very common knowledge that Bill Frawley and Viv Vance didn't get along with each other so even if people mistakenly thought Viv was divorced from Bill there probably would be very little backlash as people would expect those two to split up anyway. Mary's case was quite different as her and Dick's characters, Rob and Laura were very happily married and Mary and Dick were good friends in real life as well. That's why CBS feared a backlash if the Mary Richards character was divorced.
It's funny, when Viv referred to her ex-husband Ralph, he sounded an awful lot like Fred Mertz. :lol: I wonder if it was intended to be that way.

It's funny, when Viv referred to her ex-husband Ralph, he sounded an awful-like Fred Mertz. :lol: I wonder if it was intended to be that way.
You're right! Viv's descriptions of Ralph did sound a lot like Fred Mertz! I don't know if it was intentional but it added a whole other dimension to the humor!

It's funny how the executives thought that viewers weren't smart enough to discern that Laura Petrie and Mary Richards were two entirely differently characters.

And regarding Fred and Ethel's divorce, I'm taking Fred's side. Maybe her nagging drove him to leave her. Besides, where was she when he was busy raising their grandsons on 'My Three Sons'???:lol:

And regarding Fred and Ethel's divorce, I'm taking Fred's side. Maybe her nagging drove him to leave her. Besides, where was she when he was busy raising their grandsons on 'My Three Sons'???:lol:

I'm sorry, which show are you referring to, exactly?
Looks like two different ones to me and I may be misunderstanding your humor, lol. Sorry.

Lou was an old school dude who busted his ass his whole life.

Grew up in the Depression, with a father louder, drunker and more liberal than Ed Asner.

Had to fight in World War II. You know that Lou went to the front of the line. Most people of Asner's generation fought in WWII (like Ted Knight who won 5, five Silver Stars)

Went to school, got a job, got married, had some kids, had a mortgage, lived in coldass Minnesota, paid their college tuition, drank scotch at work, and basically had a bad imposition most of the time. If Lou Grant was real, he would have been dead thirty years ago.

His wife wanted to "be free" and do her own thing, after being a wife, mother and mate of Lou for at least 20 years. To me, this is a bad thing. She had all the freedom she wanted. The kids were out of the house and Lou was either at work, at home asleep, drinking scotch in the bar or at a ball game.

I guess that whole storyline with Lou and Edie was kind of sad and depressing! :( And Edie wanted to be free, yet in the next season, she marries another man.