TV REVIEW: 'MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW' DVD

Four Decades Later, She Still Turns the World On With Her Smile

By: Mark Amato

October 12, 2010

Who can turn the world on with her smile? Mary Richards, that's who. Nearly four decades since its debut, she can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile. Some shows get better with age; The Mary Tyler Moore Show is one of them. Having been weaned on it as a child in the early '70s, The Mary Tyler Moore Show played a formative role in the future life of a sitcom writer. Saturday night wasn't always a dumping ground for network programming. Long before repurposing Law & Orders, 48 Hours, or burning off episodes of a dead series, Saturday used to be prime real estate. CBS's 1973 line-up started at 8:00 p.m. with All in the Family, followed by M*A*S*H, then The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and then finally The Carol Burnett Show.

That's right, three hours of classic programming. Not a Cougar Town in the mix. For seven seasons, Mary Richards and the gang (Rhoda and Phyllis at home, Murray, Ted, Sue Ann Nivens, Georgette and, of course, Mr. Grant) gave America a reason to stay home. Now the final seventh season of the genius series comes to DVD, including all twenty-four episodes. Created by James L. Brooks, the venerated series consistently ranked among television’s top-rated programs during its entire run. Winner of 29 Emmy Awards, including three for Outstanding Comedy Series, and three Golden Globe® Awards, the iconic series paved the way for women in America to choose career over marriage.

Originally, Brooks wanted Mary Richards to be divorced, but the network wouldn't consider it. After a seven-year run playing Laurie Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, executives felt America would think Mary divorced Dick. So instead, she was a single woman in her thirties -- something unheard of at the time. The show's influence has been lauded as an inspiration by such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey. It's staying power remains a true testament to the writers and actors who brought the world WJM in Minneapolis to life every week.

Though the final season was probably not my favorite, it still produced some stellar episodes, particularly featuring the it-octogenarian Betty White's Sue Ann Nivens.  "Sue Ann's Sister," featuring a despondent Sue Ann in a vibrating bed, and "Sue Ann Gets the Ax" are especially memorable. There's even an homage to Mary's bad parties, with a cleverly concealed clip show where Mary hosts an anniversary dinner party for Ted and Georgette when the lights go out. In the dark, the guests recall some of Mary's horrible fiestas, including the stellar 'Veal Prince Orloff' escapade, as well as the surprise party Mary threw for Lou, where he forced all the guests to stay outside her apartment because he hates birthday parties. The clip show is capped by a visit from Johnny Carson (in the dark), which represents some of the series's finest writing. As Mary introduces Johnny to her guests (in the dark)… "Johnny, this is Murray. He's about 5'11"…"

There's even an episode where Mary dates Mr. Grant… uh, Lou. Just watching her quiver as she tries to say his name makes you realize it's not about the jokes on the page, it's about all about the characters.

In seven seasons, there's only one episode that stands out as a lemon. Titled "Mary's Three Husbands," the show plays out like an extended Carol Burnett sketch where Lou, Murray, and Ted wonder what life would have been like if they had married Mary. It's not so much that the show was poorly written or played; rather, it simply felt like one of those ideas that probably sounded good around the table but fell short in execution. Mary was never sketch material, and this felt like a sketch. It's the one critique of an otherwise flawless series -- one that ended with a bang and not a whimper.

Re-watching some of the episodes in this collection, you quickly realize what a truly special series this was and continues to be. In the four decades since, there's probably a handful of series --including All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Cheers, Friends, and Seinfeld -- that can be held by the same standard. Though comparisons to Murphy Brown have been made, the fact remains it pales by comparison, evidenced in part by how quickly it vanished its place from pop culture in almost its entirety. Mary, however, continues to live on with a timelessness that somehow manages to endure, decade after decade.

If The Mary Tyler Moore Show started in the '90s, there's no doubt the network would have ponied up Brinks trucks of cash for all of its stars and writers to stay on. But Mary learned from the best -- Dick Van Dyke -- who chose to end his series on a high. Though he could have chosen to remain on another three or four seasons, he and the show's producers decided to bow out while the going was great. The same goes for The Mary Tyler Moore Show. By the seventh season, Brooks felt the series had completed its run. Mary Richards was now a producer living in a sophisticated apartment far away from where she started with Phyllis and Rhoda. The stories were told, and it was simply the time to bow out.

On March 19, 1977, the show aired its finale with a story only fitting to MTM. A new owner calls Ted, Lou, Mary, and Murray to his office, looking to make drastic changes to the newscast. In one fell swoop, he decides to fire everyone behind the camera and keep Ted. The final goodbyes in the newsroom are almost poetic. Lou tries his best to eschew, with Mary holding back tears surrounded by her co-workers.

"I want you to know that sometimes I get concerned about being a career woman. I get to think my job is too important to me. And I tell myself that the people I work with are just the people I work with… and not my family. But last night, I thought, what is a family anyway? They're just people. People who make you feel less afraid…and really loved. That's what you've done for me. Thank you for being my family."

No, Mary -- thank you for being our family.