Mary Tyler Moore established herself as a TV star thanks to The Dick Van Dyke Show, but bigger things were ahead.
Moore had TV viewers glued to their sets while playing Laura Petrie against Van Dyke’s Rob Petrie. She had appeared on other shows before the sitcom. Most notably, Moore’s legs and voice got attention in Richard Diamond Private Eye, in which she appeared with David Janssen.
Yet her future in entertainment skyrocketed thanks to her motherly role. Laura was a devoted wife and mother to Rob and Ritchie (Larry Mathews). The sitcom ended as Carl Reiner dedicated to stop it with five seasons in the books.
But Moore still wanted to work, and CBS, which aired the Van Dyke show, lent their ears. In 1970, she and her then-husband Grant Tinker pitched a sitcom to the network. The Mary Tyler Moore Show put Moore, as Mary Richards, in the middle of a Minneapolis, Minn., newsroom.
Richards had to battle a number of workplace norms of the day, including her dealings with her boss Lou Grant (Ed Asner). The show let Moore put her character in the middle of the Women’s Movement, striving to make herself an important team member at WJM-TV.
Mary Richards Had Her Own Life to Lead
Of course, Mary was not interested in being a housewife. Nope. She wanted to be free to have a career and date men. This portrayal of a woman in the professional world was different from other sitcoms. Sure, there were laughs, and she got caught up in funny situations.
However, Mary Richards became an icon and a bright spot in the middle of the 1970s social movements. The Mary Tyler Moore Show also had a great spot in the CBS primetime lineup. It was a ratings hit on Saturday night, anchoring itself as a lead-in for The Bob Newhart Show. This also helped MTM Productions, Moore’s production house, which owned her show, and the Newhart show, too.
People tuned in to see Mary, Lou, Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod), Sue Ellen Nivens (Betty White), Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper), and Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman). The Mary Tyler Moore Show earned 29 Primetime Emmy Awards, cementing it as a television hit.
The show finished in the Top 10 shows for a season twice. It was in the Top 20 in five of seven seasons. By 1977, it dropped to No. 39. A decision was reached to stop production before it potentially dipped further.
In the midst of laughs, serious, real-time subjects found their way into the scripts. Workplace discrimination, homosexuality, divorce, and marital infidelity were among topics that were addressed.
Still, having a strong female lead at this time in American history definitely left a mark on future sitcoms. Tina Fey, who had on-air and off-air roles in 30 Rock, has said that the show was looking to follow what The Mary Tyler Moore Show did. Friends co-creator Marta Kaufman used the Moore show’s finale as one she looked at when making her show.
Mary Tyler Moore Affected Future TV Shows
Mary Tyler Moore’s show led to three spinoffs: Rhoda, Phyllis, and Lou Grant. The first shows were sitcoms, while Asner’s Grant took a more realistic tone. Harper and Leachman also played their roles with a bit of Moore’s character’s energy. Yet their characters could not fully embrace what Moore brought to the TV screen.
Sadly, Mary did not find the same level of success in her future TV endeavors. She had a couple of variety shows that didn’t work out. In the 1980s, Moore tried her hand at a couple of sitcoms, but they didn’t make it. As the 1990s rolled out, she popped up on shows with Ellen DeGeneres as their star.
Moore had done Broadway shows and movies throughout her long career. Yet nothing stood as tall as her titular role as Mary Richards. Sure, Laura Petrie has a place in the TV world’s home of great characters.
Laura, though, is definitely separate from Mary. Moore worked hard to make that 1970s sitcom work and succeed. She had to deal with CBS executives, who were mostly made up of men at that time. Yet she earned their respect as well as love from the fans.
Moore’s public career was successful despite the fact she dealt with health issues. She had type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in 1969. Moore also had cancer issues, too. Her diabetes affected her health in later years, reportedly leaving her almost blind.
Mary Tyler Moore died in 2017 at 80 years old. She was a strong advocate for diabetes research while she was alive. Additionally, Moore dealt with alcohol addiction, something she beat after going to rehab. She also kicked a longtime smoking habit.
Moore’s spot in television history is one that can’t be denied. Her willingness to bring societal issues to the portrayal of Mary Richards affected other TV shows. Go talk to any woman in charge of a television show’s production. I bet they’ll have something wonderful to say about Moore and her work.
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