“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”: Still Making TV History -- on Decades

I wonamp8217t waste time complaining here about how challenging it can be to keep up with the constant programming changes at all cable companies or their relative failure to educate customers about such things And donamp8217t even get me started about the everchanging details on their monthly bills I knew that Decades was scheduled to launch on Memorial Day but I didnamp8217t know I had it As a big fan of the retro channels MeTV Antenna TV and Cozi I found myself wondering what it could offer that the others didnamp8217t I have since discovered that Decades distinguishes itself from the rest by offering in addition to old movies and classic TV shows much original programming about the history of television and history in general amp8211 all filled with priceless clips andor vintage newsreel or television news footage Also Decades has a smart and easygoing oncamera host in former CBS newsman and AampampE host and current NPR personality Bill KurtisI canamp8217t think of a better way for a new retro network to grab my attention and keep it than with a marathon of amp8220The Mary Tyler Moore Showamp8221 my alltime favorite television series and one of the top three on my personal list of Best TV Shows where it sits in the No 2 position between amp8220I Love Lucyamp8221 and amp8220All in the Familyamp8221 Sometimes my favorites arenamp8217t necessarily shows I consider the best amp8220Green Acresamp8221 being one exampleMarc Berman whose daily newsletter TV Media Insights and companion Web site are mustreads for thousands of media industry professionals understands this Often between sessions or during lunches at the twiceannual Television Critics Association tours the two of us will begin talking at great length and depth about various amp8220MTMamp8221 episodes There is no downplaying the impact this series made during its run in the Seventies and during the Eighties in the tristate area when WNBC ran three episodes every night from 1303 am immediately following amp8220Late Night with David Lettermanamp8221 If you watched it then you know what I mean If you didnamp8217t get your act together and start bingeing now It will be one of the most rewarding binges of your lifeCulling from an embarrassment of riches because almost every one of its 168 episodes was a gem with a few exceptions during its last two seasons Marc and I agree that two of the very best amp8220MTMamp8221 episodes are amp8220The Lars Affairamp8221 and amp8220The Dinner Partyamp8221 both from the showamp8217s fourth season amp8211 and both included in that marathon on DecadesWhen people talk about the series today they tend to point to amp8220The Last Showamp8221 the series finale and the episode titled amp8220Chuckles Bites the Dustamp8221 as its very best efforts and also two of the best episodes of all sitcoms in the history of television I donamp8217t disagree that they are brilliant but I think amp8220The Lars Affairamp8221 and amp8220The Dinner Partyamp8221 are even better In fact I believe every person with a serious interest in writing producing or directing television comedy ought to be required to study those two episodes if not every episode in the seriesamp8220The Lars Affairamp8221 which opened the fourth season of the series finds Maryamp8217s friend and neighbor Phyllis Cloris Leachman coming unglued when she learns that her husband Lars who was never seen on the show is having a torrid affair with the star of WJMamp8217s amp8220Happy Homemakeramp8221 show Sue Ann Nivens Betty White The final confrontation between the two women on the amp8220Happy Homemakeramp8221 set pictured above which never degenerates into a catfight is a marvel of smart writing and restrained comic acting by Leachman White and Mary Tyler Moore herself But the standout sequence is a rather long one at midepisode when Phyllis commiserates in Maryamp8217s apartment with Mary and Rhoda Leachman in this scene runs the gamut from frantic to clueless to seething to desperate amp8211 and at all times she is brilliantly funny especially when she samples the terrible apple pie she has baked in an effort to compete with Sue Ann a master baker The look on Leachmanamp8217s face right when Phyllis samples the pie is priceless Small wonder sheamp160won an Emmy for the episode Harper has one of her best lines ever in this scene sampling Phyllisamp8217 creation even though she knows it is going to be terrible and declaring with perfect comic timing amp8220I love this pieamp8221It was clear when this episode first aired that casting the wholesome Betty White against type as manchaser Sue Ann Nivens was a stroke of genius and that White was having the time of her life with the role amp8211 and that the producers of the show would be utter fools not to bring her back as often as possible which they did eventually making her a series regularamp8220The Dinner Partyamp8221 also premiered during the amp8220MTMamp8221 showamp8217s fourth season and like amp8220The Lars Affairamp8221 it has a set piece that holds up to this day as one of the best in the history of situation comedy Mary throws a small dinner party for a visiting congresswoman and recruits Sue Ann to prepare the meal The main course is Veal Prince Orloff half of which Lou Grant Ed Asner helps himself to when Mary brings it to the table see imageamp160at top Who can ever forget Mary taking Lou aside and telling him with controlled exasperation amp8220Mr Grant you took half You have to put some backamp8221 Henry Winkler makes what I believe to have been his first television appearance as a laidoff coworker Rhoda brings to the dinner who has to sit alone at the little table in front of Maryamp8217s balconyIncidentally the fourth season of amp8220The Mary Tyler Moore Showamp8221 was Valerie Harperamp8217s last as Maryamp8217s best friend Rhoda Betty Whiteamp8217s first as Happy Homemaker Sue Ann and the only one to not feature a guest appearance by wonderful Lisa Gerritsen as Phyllisamp8217 daughter Bess during Cloris Leachmanamp8217s fiveyear run on the show Where has Gerritsen gone This guy tried to find out It was also the season during which Lou Grant and his wife Edie separated making amp8220MTMamp8221 the first sitcom to seriously explore estrangement and the eventual end of a marriage That was particularly interesting given the fact that Mary Richards was supposed to be divorced at the time the series began and network executives wouldnamp8217t allow it Also after two years of wedded bliss on spinoff amp8220Rhodaamp8221 the title character endured a seasonlong separation from husband Joe in season three that ended in divorceThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage management or associated bloggers

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“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”: Still Making TV History -- on Decades

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“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”: Still Making TV History -- on Decades

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