Happy 40th Anniversary to 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show!!!' - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 09-19-2010, 12:11 AM

The Mary Tyler Moore Show had started modestly and grown slightly throughout its first season, also winning a boatload of Emmys. CBS had simply wanted to be in business with Mary Tyler Moore, but she and husband Grant Tinker insisted that she’d only do a show if CBS gave them a blank check to hire the best creative personnel. Tinker and Moore approached two young writers named Allen Burns and James L. Brooks, who had recently worked on the pioneering school-based dramedy Room 222. The two weren’t terribly interested in taking on another TV show, but the chance to work with Moore was too good to pass up. Like Lear, they aimed to break many of the inviolate rules of the sitcom format with their new show.

Most sitcoms before Mary Tyler Moore were either fantasy-based, rural-based, or family-based. Mary Richards didn’t have a husband and kids, the better to distance her from the actress’ previous role as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She was an urban professional. And there were no goofy gimmicks. Mary wasn’t the first single girl in the big city as a protagonist, but she was the first to not have her search for love dominate the show, and she was one of the first to be defined heavily by her job. Mary had a home life with her neighbors and friends, Rhoda and Phyllis, but the longer the show went on, the more scenes at her workplace, a TV station in Minneapolis, dominated it.

Mary Tyler Moore set the template for most of the sitcoms MTM Enterprises, the production company created to produce it, would go on to make. It was shot on film, as opposed to the videotape used on Lear’s shows. The social issues were present, but treated as a fact of life and set in the background. The characters created warm, loving workplace families. The undercurrent of the show was often sad or tragic, emphasizing regrets and dashed hopes. (One famous season-three episode suggested that the only way to avoid crippling depression was to be an idiot.) MTM, in general, was more interested in character interactions and relationships than jokes for their own sake, and its shows tended to be more concerned with what was in good taste and pleasant overall.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/70s-sitcoms,45254/

shipoopi · 09-19-2010, 09:21 AM

From "I hate spunk!" to "I cherish you people" this is one of the best intelligent series ever. It was class all the way.

I started my own Mary-thon this morning at 9:00 a.m. finishing with the premiere episode at 9:00 p.m..

catlover79 · 09-19-2010, 02:21 PM

40 years - wow. It debuted on my mom's 27th birthday. She related to the show because she was a single girl at that time with a career. Then my mom got married right about the same time Rhoda did. But my parents' marriage has lasted, unlike Rhoda's and Joe's, thank goodness.

Mary, you made it after all!!

LittleRickyII · 09-19-2010, 10:40 PM

40 years??? How can it be? It seems like just a couple years ago I was watching that Mary Tyler Moore Show 20th anniversary special. Now it's been 20 years since that special! Time flies toooo fast.

Well this seems like as good an opportunity as any to look back. And I mean look back to the very beginning. So I went digging for historic articles again. For starters, here The Mary Tyler Moore Show appears in the TV listings for the first time ever:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

In the newspaper the evening of the premiere, one writer heralds as "good news" the "return of a delightful and talented actress," Mary Tyler Moore. But then refers to her show as being about "the life of a 30-year-old spinster"! Can you imagine anyone writing that today?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

It's always interesting to read peoples' perspective when they don't know the greatness of what lies ahead, just their first impressions. But everyone got it wrong that season. The critics choice was a sitcom called Arnie, that most of you have never even heard of. This writer suggests "you might like" The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but "you've got to love" Arnie:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

This writer wasn't too keen on some of the reporting players on TMTMS, saying Lou Grant "may take getting used to," and Rhoda Morgenstern "is almost a cliche":

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

This writer at least recognized the show had promise, saying it "promises to be a bright, amusing 30 minutes":

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

This article states that Mary Tyler Moore will be playing "a single girl looking for a man." Really???

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

Here's an article from before the premiere, saying Mary Tyler Moore and Andy Griffith "will attempt successeful comebacks, but (again) referring to Arnie as the most likely show to succeed:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

And here's an article from the week before the premiere that's all about Mary Tyler Moore, how she got to this point in her career, and what the show promises to be about:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

Finally, an article about "new faces" that season, including Ted Knight and Valerie Harper:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

ClassicTVGal · 09-22-2010, 07:10 PM

Wow, yeah... No. 4-0!

HAPPY 40th, MARY and GANG!!

Retro4Life · 09-22-2010, 07:23 PM

Every Saturday night of my youth was brightened by this landmark show. There will never be another quite like it.

Happy anniversary, MTM show!

Leigh Ann · 09-23-2010, 08:57 AM

Aww, happy (belated) anniversary to one of the best shows ever!

Can't believe we're getting close to S7 getting released!!

ClassicTVGal · 09-23-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leigh Ann

Can't believe we're getting close to S7 getting released!!

Yep, 12 more days!

09-19-2010, 12:11 AM	#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	Happy 40th Anniversary to 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show!!!' The Mary Tyler Moore Show had started modestly and grown slightly throughout its first season, also winning a boatload of Emmys. CBS had simply wanted to be in business with Mary Tyler Moore, but she and husband Grant Tinker insisted that she’d only do a show if CBS gave them a blank check to hire the best creative personnel. Tinker and Moore approached two young writers named Allen Burns and James L. Brooks, who had recently worked on the pioneering school-based dramedy Room 222. The two weren’t terribly interested in taking on another TV show, but the chance to work with Moore was too good to pass up. Like Lear, they aimed to break many of the inviolate rules of the sitcom format with their new show. Most sitcoms before Mary Tyler Moore were either fantasy-based, rural-based, or family-based. Mary Richards didn’t have a husband and kids, the better to distance her from the actress’ previous role as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She was an urban professional. And there were no goofy gimmicks. Mary wasn’t the first single girl in the big city as a protagonist, but she was the first to not have her search for love dominate the show, and she was one of the first to be defined heavily by her job. Mary had a home life with her neighbors and friends, Rhoda and Phyllis, but the longer the show went on, the more scenes at her workplace, a TV station in Minneapolis, dominated it. Mary Tyler Moore set the template for most of the sitcoms MTM Enterprises, the production company created to produce it, would go on to make. It was shot on film, as opposed to the videotape used on Lear’s shows. The social issues were present, but treated as a fact of life and set in the background. The characters created warm, loving workplace families. The undercurrent of the show was often sad or tragic, emphasizing regrets and dashed hopes. (One famous season-three episode suggested that the only way to avoid crippling depression was to be an idiot.) MTM, in general, was more interested in character interactions and relationships than jokes for their own sake, and its shows tended to be more concerned with what was in good taste and pleasant overall. http://www.avclub.com/articles/70s-sitcoms,45254/ Attached Images
	__________________ The Key to the Kingdom of Heaven: John 3:3 *Money Doesn't Buy Happiness...But I'd Rather Cry in My Private Jet*

09-19-2010, 09:21 AM	#2
shipoopi Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Nov 13, 2005 Posts: 82	Happy 40th!! From "I hate spunk!" to "I cherish you people" this is one of the best intelligent series ever. It was class all the way. I started my own Mary-thon this morning at 9:00 a.m. finishing with the premiere episode at 9:00 p.m..

09-19-2010, 02:21 PM	#3
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	40 years - wow. It debuted on my mom's 27th birthday. She related to the show because she was a single girl at that time with a career. Then my mom got married right about the same time Rhoda did. But my parents' marriage has lasted, unlike Rhoda's and Joe's, thank goodness. Mary, you made it after all!! Attached Images
	__________________ "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

09-22-2010, 07:23 PM	#6
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Every Saturday night of my youth was brightened by this landmark show. There will never be another quite like it. Happy anniversary, MTM show!
	__________________ Alex Reiger :[Trying to convince Louie not to antagonize Bobby] "It's not hard to make people feel bad about their lives. What's hard is making people feel good about their lives."

09-19-2010, 10:40 PM	#4
LittleRickyII Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 22, 2009 Location: California Posts: 2,246	40 years??? How can it be? It seems like just a couple years ago I was watching that Mary Tyler Moore Show 20th anniversary special. Now it's been 20 years since that special! Time flies toooo fast. Well this seems like as good an opportunity as any to look back. And I mean look back to the very beginning. So I went digging for historic articles again. For starters, here The Mary Tyler Moore Show appears in the TV listings for the first time ever: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en In the newspaper the evening of the premiere, one writer heralds as "good news" the "return of a delightful and talented actress," Mary Tyler Moore. But then refers to her show as being about "the life of a 30-year-old spinster"! Can you imagine anyone writing that today? http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en It's always interesting to read peoples' perspective when they don't know the greatness of what lies ahead, just their first impressions. But everyone got it wrong that season. The critics choice was a sitcom called Arnie, that most of you have never even heard of. This writer suggests "you might like" The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but "you've got to love" Arnie: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en This writer wasn't too keen on some of the reporting players on TMTMS, saying Lou Grant "may take getting used to," and Rhoda Morgenstern "is almost a cliche": http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en This writer at least recognized the show had promise, saying it "promises to be a bright, amusing 30 minutes": http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en This article states that Mary Tyler Moore will be playing "a single girl looking for a man." Really??? http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en Here's an article from before the premiere, saying Mary Tyler Moore and Andy Griffith "will attempt successeful comebacks, but (again) referring to Arnie as the most likely show to succeed: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en And here's an article from the week before the premiere that's all about Mary Tyler Moore, how she got to this point in her career, and what the show promises to be about: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en Finally, an article about "new faces" that season, including Ted Knight and Valerie Harper: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...ore+show&hl=en

09-22-2010, 07:10 PM	#5
ClassicTVGal Traveler Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 26, 2004 Posts: 3,457	Wow, yeah... No. 4-0! HAPPY 40th, MARY and GANG!!

09-23-2010, 08:57 AM	#7
Leigh Ann Member Senior Member Join Date: Oct 15, 2002 Posts: 2,189	Aww, happy (belated) anniversary to one of the best shows ever! Can't believe we're getting close to S7 getting released!!