Did 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' Finale End on the Right Foot? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 05-20-2010, 03:57 PM

THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW “The Last Show” (1977)

One of the greatest sitcoms of all time was one of the first to make its finale a true event, and its storyline proved to be prescient. In the episode, station WJM is sold to a new company that streamlines the news operation by firing solid workhorses Lou, Mary and Murray, while keeping the incompetent anchor, Ted. In the final scene, everyone gathers in the newsroom for a tearjerking group hug punctuated by a hilarious huddled shuffle to grab a box of Kleenex off of Mary’s desk. This is a prime example of a show going out on top (Mary killed the show, not CBS), and it set the precedent for all finales to follow.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/Karl_H...sfying_finales

Dr. Thong · 05-20-2010, 05:40 PM

Better to go out on top then to fade away and become a parody of yourself.

Or, to use another analogy, better to leave a party early than to be the last one to leave.

If Mary were ending her show today after only seven years, the network would have offered her a king's ransom to extend the run.

catlover79 · 05-20-2010, 09:40 PM

I think it ended at just the right time, they left Mary single, and let Ted Baxter stay at WJM when he was the dud of the bunch. CLASSIC.

Marvo301 · 05-20-2010, 09:45 PM

I thought it was brilliant irony that everyone at WJM got fired except the one person who was incompetent. And the way they all expressed their love and respect for each other ending with a group hug. What a perfect way to end a series!

catlover79 · 05-20-2010, 09:47 PM

I love Lou Grant's teary line at the end: "I cherish you people."

PGood97041 · 05-20-2010, 09:58 PM

Like everything else with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", I thought the final episode was extremely well done -- and those series-ending extravaganzas can be tricky, as several other classic shows have found out.

It was funny (the group shuffle to the desk was priceless), it was full of emotion (i liked how it let the characters note how much they loved and appreciated each other), and it had that delicious slice of irony -- that everybody else got fired but Ted stayed on!

It originally bothered me a little bit that, even though everybody will always fondly remember "the newsroom", Lou, Mary, Murray, Ted, etc., in the final episode the gang was broken up. I could've lived with always thinking that they were still at WJM.

But, as usual, the TMTMS writers kept it real...even great situations don't last forever, so enjoy them while you've got them. Brilliant idea, and something that has been reinforced to me as I go through life.

----

As for whether the length of the show's run was the right one, I think Mary learned from her experience on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and bowed out at the perfect time.

Neither TDVDS or TMTMS ever reached the point at which they had characters doing things they wouldn't have done during the shows' most popular periods.

Now I will admit that both shows were RIGHT AT that point of "jumping the shark", as they say today, but neither did, and that's one of the many reasons I love both series so much!

Marvo301 · 05-20-2010, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I love Lou Grant's teary line at the end: "I cherish you people."

Me too!

Dr. Thong · 05-21-2010, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo301

I thought it was brilliant irony that everyone at WJM got fired except the one person who was incompetent.

That happens in real life more than you'd think.

scotsguy · 05-21-2010, 11:33 AM

Yes what I loved about MTM was the fact is was so real.

Rhoda had terrible dates,Mary had times when she thought will she ever meet the Right person,Lou's marriage broke up,Ted had a heart attack,real life events but always done with real feeling,great writing and acting.

It would have been very easy to marry Mary off at the end,so glad they didn't,so great having Rhoda and Phyllis back for the last episode,what other show,would have bothered to do that?

The only thing that does bug me about the last episode is Rhoda not knowing Lars was dead,no way,Mary would have rung Rhoda,when that happened.

Sadly Rhoda after some great seasons,just faded away,I believe the last

three episodes were pulled and only shown in syndication.

catlover79 · 05-21-2010, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

That happens in real life more than you'd think.

Sad but true!!!

Steve M. · 06-10-2010, 09:43 PM

The final insult to Mary Richards was learning that she was especially singled out for dismissal, contrary to her naive belief that she was spared the axe because the station owner told them, "I'm going to have to let the rest of you guys go." "Now I am not a guy, am I?" she said.

I don't know if seven seasons were just right. I suspect that MTM might have eked out one or two more. But then a lot of shows in the 1977-78 season tended to lack the kind of subtlety and wit MTM had, so maybe Mary Tyler Moore did get out at the right time.

catlover79 · 06-10-2010, 09:53 PM

I think 7 seasons was just right. Mary and the rest of the honchos at MTM were smart to leave while the going was still good.

Mr. Television · 06-10-2010, 10:04 PM

and it's strange how Mary would never reach the heights on tv ever again. I know she was great in Ordinary People but no matter how hard she tried, she could never recapture her TV success again. On the other hand, all of her supporting cast continued to be seen on tv regularly through the years.

I remember watching the final MTM show. It was treated like an event and I loved it. It ended at the right time too.

McGillicuddy · 06-10-2010, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

I love Lou Grant's teary line at the end: "I cherish you people."

Another "not to be nit-picky" point, Lou said I treasure you people, not I cherish you people.

And I love what led up to that moment. He had turned away, after starting to get choked up, when Mary says, Mr. Grant, hey are you all right?

Lou: Its nothing, I was just thinking about that woman whose house was plowed into by a truck.

Mary: Mr.Grantttt (She embrases him), and thats when he looks over at the others and says that.

Steve M. · 06-10-2010, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

I remember watching the final MTM show. It was treated like an event and I loved it. It ended at the right time too.

I was eleven when the finale was aired. I remember the final curtain call, aired only that one time. Well, it would have looked silly in syndication.

CBS re-ran the last show on Labor Day weekend, 1977.

05-20-2010, 03:57 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Did 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' Finale End on the Right Foot? THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW “The Last Show” (1977) One of the greatest sitcoms of all time was one of the first to make its finale a true event, and its storyline proved to be prescient. In the episode, station WJM is sold to a new company that streamlines the news operation by firing solid workhorses Lou, Mary and Murray, while keeping the incompetent anchor, Ted. In the final scene, everyone gathers in the newsroom for a tearjerking group hug punctuated by a hilarious huddled shuffle to grab a box of Kleenex off of Mary’s desk. This is a prime example of a show going out on top (Mary killed the show, not CBS), and it set the precedent for all finales to follow. http://www.starpulse.com/news/Karl_H...sfying_finales Attached Images
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05-20-2010, 05:40 PM	#2
Dr. Thong a/k/a "ACK!" Forum Veteran Join Date: Jul 10, 2001 Location: New Hampshire, USA Posts: 5,546	Better to go out on top then to fade away and become a parody of yourself. Or, to use another analogy, better to leave a party early than to be the last one to leave. If Mary were ending her show today after only seven years, the network would have offered her a king's ransom to extend the run.
	__________________ "Sunday has been cancelled due to lack of interest. That is all."

05-20-2010, 09:40 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	I think it ended at just the right time, they left Mary single, and let Ted Baxter stay at WJM when he was the dud of the bunch. CLASSIC.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

05-20-2010, 09:45 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,460	I thought it was brilliant irony that everyone at WJM got fired except the one person who was incompetent. And the way they all expressed their love and respect for each other ending with a group hug. What a perfect way to end a series!
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

06-10-2010, 09:43 PM	#11
Steve M. Back on the road to reality Forum Superstar Join Date: Nov 07, 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 33,307	The final insult to Mary Richards was learning that she was especially singled out for dismissal, contrary to her naive belief that she was spared the axe because the station owner told them, "I'm going to have to let the rest of you *guys* go." "Now I am not a guy, am I?" she said. I don't know if seven seasons were just right. I suspect that MTM might have eked out one or two more. But then a lot of shows in the 1977-78 season tended to lack the kind of subtlety and wit MTM had, so maybe Mary Tyler Moore did get out at the right time.
	__________________ I don't really get out a lot. When I do go out, I couldn't be happier. I love being in a nice milieu. I'm as happy as a clam. Just as long as I'm not in some club playing hip-hop. You hear that sort of thing in a lot of places. That's not my milieu. Rock and roll is good-time music. I love rock. So did my parents.

05-20-2010, 09:47 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	I love Lou Grant's teary line at the end: "I cherish you people."

05-20-2010, 09:58 PM	#6
PGood97041 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 03, 2008 Location: Boston Posts: 747	Like everything else with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", I thought the final episode was extremely well done -- and those series-ending extravaganzas can be tricky, as several other classic shows have found out. It was funny (the group shuffle to the desk was priceless), it was full of emotion (i liked how it let the characters note how much they loved and appreciated each other), and it had that delicious slice of irony -- that everybody else got fired but Ted stayed on! It originally bothered me a little bit that, even though everybody will always fondly remember "the newsroom", Lou, Mary, Murray, Ted, etc., in the final episode the gang was broken up. I could've lived with always thinking that they were still at WJM. But, as usual, the TMTMS writers kept it real...even great situations don't last forever, so enjoy them while you've got them. Brilliant idea, and something that has been reinforced to me as I go through life. ---- As for whether the length of the show's run was the right one, I think Mary learned from her experience on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and bowed out at the perfect time. Neither TDVDS or TMTMS ever reached the point at which they had characters doing things they wouldn't have done during the shows' most popular periods. Now I will admit that both shows were RIGHT AT that point of "jumping the shark", as they say today, but neither did, and that's one of the many reasons I love both series so much!

05-21-2010, 11:33 AM	#9
scotsguy Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 25, 2002 Location: Edinburgh,Scotland Posts: 696	Yes what I loved about MTM was the fact is was so real. Rhoda had terrible dates,Mary had times when she thought will she ever meet the Right person,Lou's marriage broke up,Ted had a heart attack,real life events but always done with real feeling,great writing and acting. It would have been very easy to marry Mary off at the end,so glad they didn't,so great having Rhoda and Phyllis back for the last episode,what other show,would have bothered to do that? The only thing that does bug me about the last episode is Rhoda not knowing Lars was dead,no way,Mary would have rung Rhoda,when that happened. Sadly Rhoda after some great seasons,just faded away,I believe the last three episodes were pulled and only shown in syndication.

06-10-2010, 09:53 PM	#12
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,392	I think 7 seasons was just right. Mary and the rest of the honchos at MTM were smart to leave while the going was still good.

06-10-2010, 10:04 PM	#13
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	and it's strange how Mary would never reach the heights on tv ever again. I know she was great in Ordinary People but no matter how hard she tried, she could never recapture her TV success again. On the other hand, all of her supporting cast continued to be seen on tv regularly through the years. I remember watching the final MTM show. It was treated like an event and I loved it. It ended at the right time too.
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