What was your view of MTM doing a variety hour in the 78-79 seasons???

i remember both of 'em being a letdown at the time. boy would i love to see 'em now! anybody got eps?

I remember I watched the show. Not much stands out in my mind about it (how could it with only four episodes aired?) But I do find it ironic that several of the then little-known players turned out to be Michael Keaton, David Letterman and Swoosie Kurtz.

I also watched the second series Mary did later that season ("The MTM Hour"), that had the sitcom/show-within-a-show format: a show about a TV variety show star named Mary McKinnon. The episodes were always about Mary's life off camera, but always included a segment towards the end that was supposed to be the "Mary McKinnon Show" itself. I enjoyed this series a little more than "Mary" earlier in that season, though it still wasn't a great show. But I do remember it fairly well. In the first episode, Mary did some thing called the dance of the whirling dervish. There was also an episode where Mary was trying to get Lucille Ball on her show (might have been the same episode). I remember a scene at the beginning where Lucy was supposed to be a guest on the Mike Douglas show. And there was some guy appearing on the Douglas show who had this strange talent: imitating a bunch of different musical instruments or something like that. In other episodes, Bonnie Franklin ("One Day at at a Time") and Bea Arthur guest-starred. And in another, Dick Van Dyke guest starred. In the show-within-a-show segment of the Van Dyke episode, Dick is appearing on Mary McKinnon's show. And on the Mary McKinnon show (within the show), Dick and Mary do a skit where they recreate Rob and Laura Petrie (because Mary McKinnon looks so much like Mary Tyler Moore). So you had a skit within a show within a show. Confushing, huh? Anyway, in the storyline of that skit, various scenarios of "what would Rob and Laura be like today?" were being played out. One scenario really sticks out in my mind: Richie informs his parents that he's gay.

Oh, one thing I do remember about the first episode of the "Mary" variety series: about a dozen men who looked like Ed Asner doing some dancing Mr. Grants thing.

Wow JaneTVFan,

You have an excellent memory. I watched all of Mary's shows and even attended a filming of her last series with Gomez, but remember vey little of any of them. I did remember the Dick Van Dyke sketch with Ritchie being gay, but for many years thought it was done on her variety show! :crazy:

Wow JaneTVFan,

You have an excellent memory. I watched all of Mary's shows and even attended a filming of her last series with Gomez, but remember vey little of any of them. I did remember the Dick Van Dyke sketch with Ritchie being gay, but for many years thought it was done on her variety show! :crazy:

It's interesting to know I'm not the only one who remembers that gay Richie skit. I think if they were to have done that today, it wouldn't be something people would necessarily remember 26 years later. But at that time, it was kind of shocking. Things that shock tend to stay in your mind. But apparently you and I are in a minority for remembering that because not too many people were watching that show, period. That clearly wasn't a good time for Mary: two failed series in the same season. But it's just as well. I suppose if that show had done well and continued, there probably would have been no ORDINARY PEOPLE, at least not with Mary in it. And that would have been a shame.

I have 2 eps of the MtM hour on VHS; the Lucy and Dick Van Dyke ones...the dick Van Dyke episode is excellent quality, but the Lucy one looks like it was taped from a television with very poor reception, so the picture is very rough. I wish I had some of Mary but they are extremely difficult to find since not everyone had VCR's back then like they do now... Mary was lucky that she bounced back from these two failures with an Oscar nod and one of the most lauded roles of her career. :)
(I still loved the variety shows, though, and wish I had them all on tape!)

The Lucy and Dick Van Dyke episodes are great. Too bad Mary and Lucy didn't do more stuff together...they were hilarious together. Mary was trying to get Lucy as a guest on her show and they ended up accidentally getting very drunk and going on the Mike Douglas show drunk. The guy with the strange talent was imitating sirens and birds. There was also a chef fixing baby octopus and eel and fried grasshoppers and Mary and Lucy were eating it and getting really grossed out. The Dick Van Dyke episode was just awesome...you can't go wrong with Dick and Mary together. And the gay Richie thing also stood out for me. I've also seen an episode with Nancy Walker which wasn't that great...nothing really stands out. Finally I've seen an episode with Paul Williams in which Mary does a very interesting impression (in full costume/makeup) of Tina Turner performing "Proud Mary" :D

technically, the whole Ritchie gay thing didn't even really "happen" - not even on the show within a show... the whole skit was just imagined. the premise of the episode was that dick van dyke "might" be guesting on the Mary McKinnon Show, but in the end never does because he and the writers couldn't come up with any sketches they could agree on. The writer "mort" even said "dick, ritchie doesnt have to be gay, we can just say he's sensitive and confused..." - Meanwhile, Mary spends almost the entire episode at home with Iris and Kenny due to a brush fire sweeping Corona Canyon.
- also, I rmemeber the Johnny Mathis episode when Mary McKinnon sang "Poor Johnny One Note" - And the one with Bonnie Franklin when she and Mary get locked out of the studio dressed up as Mother Goose characters and security won't let them inside.
Bonnie says "Oh, come on -you know Mary - there are reruns and reruns..." and he's like "yeah right"

Sadly, Lucille Ball did not have a good experience working with Mary. She hated the song "Girlfriends of the Whirling Dirvish" and wanted Mary to change it. When Mary wouldn't, she threw a tantrum and refused to do any more than one take in the recording booth. Apparently, Lucy said she would never work with Mary again, and she never did... (this is according to the book "Lucy In the Afternoon" written buy a guy who played backgammon with Lucy in her later years.)

technically, the whole Ritchie gay thing didn't even really "happen" - not even on the show within a show... the whole skit was just imagined. the premise of the episode was that dick van dyke "might" be guesting on the Mary McKinnon Show, but in the end never does because he and the writers couldn't come up with any sketches they could agree on. The writer "mort" even said "dick, ritchie doesnt have to be gay, we can just say he's sensitive and confused..." - Meanwhile, Mary spends almost the entire episode at home with Iris and Kenny due to a brush fire sweeping Corona Canyon.
- also, I rmemeber the Johnny Mathis episode when Mary McKinnon sang "Poor Johnny One Note" - And the one with Bonnie Franklin when she and Mary get locked out of the studio dressed up as Mother Goose characters and security won't let them inside.
Bonnie says "Oh, come on -you know Mary - there are reruns and reruns..." and he's like "yeah right"that sketch with Dick Van Dyke and Mary is included as an extra on one of the DVD sets of "The Dick Van Dyke show"-I think it's season 4. I remember the sketch was in 2 parts, one where they showed Rob & Laura Petrie as they were then-1978, or whenever it was made (that was the one with the "gay Richie" ending), and one as an older Rob & Laura.
And no, they didn't show Buddy, Sally, Mel, Alan Brady, and the Helpers. In fact, they just mentioned Buddy & Sally-at one point, Rob said they were "working in Hollywood as screenwriters" or something.

Oh wow Treky, thanks for posting this information! I've had the Dick Van Dyke Show DVDs since they were released and didn't know the Ritchie is gay sketch was on one of the discs. I'm going to look for it today.

you're welcome! You may also be intrested in knowing that another extra on one of the DVD sets is a clip of Dick and Mary dancing together in a scene from the special "Dick Van Dyke and the other woman" from CBS in 1969-I think it's also on season 4.

I had that DVD and I do not recall seeing the MTM hour skit on it, only the scene from Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman, and it wasnt Dick and Mary dancing, it was just them reminiscing and showing an old outtake from the show... are you sure your info is accurate???

maybe it wasn't accurate about the season, but I'm sure that I read somewhere that those 2 things are on season 2, 3, or 4.

I will be recieving a episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Hour this week. Original Airing from May 22, 1979 with Nancy Walker as the Guest

What was your view of MTM doing a variety hour in the 78-79 seasons???



I saw this Variety Show for the first Time Today and it was Pure Garbage-lol Damm I couldn't stay awake while it was on and was waiting for the show to end. Also why would the Mary Tyler Moore Hour have the same Opening Theme Song as the Mary Tyler Moore Show?-lol I can understand why this show was not renewed on the fall of 79.