We’ve lost Mary Tyler Moore. Fortunately, and thanks to her, we will always have Mary Richards. Fact is, I might not be writing this column – or any columns about television – for MediaVillage.com or anyplace else were it not for the singularly sensational The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the magnificent leading lady of the title. It was the weekly experience of watching this show during my youth that made me realize I wanted to work in and/or near television.
“One out of two ain’t bad,” as Mary’s friend Rhoda might have said.
The passing of a beloved celebrity always brings forth wave after wave of heartfelt tributes, often tinged with nostalgia and thoughtful recollection. This one is no different. I realize that Mary Tyler Moore and Mary Richards are not the same individual. But for the many millions of us who spent so many Saturday nights with them (back when Saturday was the best night of broadcast television), and countless hours in the decades since enjoying repeat viewings in syndication, on Hulu, on cable, on YouTube and on DVD, the two Marys always will be merged as one. (Say, does anyone remember that time in the Eighties when NBC’s New York station ran three consecutive episodes of MTM early on Monday-Thursday mornings following Late Night with David Letterman? Or how tired everyone seemed to be back then?)
The timing of Mary’s passing only adds to the sense of loss. It was only two months ago that Grant Tinker, her second husband, left us. (Tinker was even more directly responsible for my eventual career path.) And it was only last month that CBS treated viewers to a primetime telecast of two episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, the sitcom that made Moore famous, colorized for contemporary consumption and as funny as ever.
A couple of weeks ago I was immersed in the Winter 2017 Television Critics Association tour. The TCA meets twice yearly for multi-week marathons of press conferences and previews of upcoming programs on all networks and streamers. The tours can be productive, punishing or both. Regardless, it is not uncommon for those of us who fall into the Boomer or Gen X demographics to keep our sanity while being bombarded by all the potential next big things to gather together from time to time and talk about our favorite episodes of MTM. Although “Chuckles Bites the Dust” (from season six) is usually prominent in features listing the top TV episodes of all time, it rarely comes up in our conversations. “The Lars Affair”is always my No. 1, followed by“The Dinner Party” (both from season four) – the first two episodes to feature Betty White as Happy Homemaker Sue Ann Nivens.