Mary Tyler Moore went from being Dick Van Dyke’s suburban housewife to becoming a feminist icon on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” — which still remains one of America’s most beloved sitcoms! The adventures of Mary Richards and her friends in Minneapolis ran for seven years, and won a remarkable 29 Emmy Awards. But the production was more daring than many people remember…
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Mary’s character originally was a divorcée, but test audiences didn’t approve — because they felt it meant she'd left her old costar Dick Van Dyke! That's how Mary Richards became an aspiring career gal who'd broken off a two-year engagement.
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Viewers were shocked in the 1970s when Mary went out on a date and spent the night at the guy's apartment! The big moment didn't happen until the third season, after the star fought to play a sexually-active single. “I’m hardly innocent," her character announced. "I’ve been around. Well, maybe not around, but I’ve been nearby.”
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That same season, the writers revealed Mary Richards was using birth control. The character's parents were visiting, and Mary's mom shouted to her dad: "Don't forget to take your pill!" Both father and daughter replied: "I won't!"
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Mary's sex life was shocking enough to get mentioned on the CBS sitcom "Maude." In an exchange on the hit
Bea Arthur series, Maude expressed surprise at the character of Mary Richards spending the night at a man's apartment. “All night? Our little Mary?” asked Maude, with uptight neighbor Arthur complaining: “Sneer all you want, Maude — but as Mary Tyler Moore goes, so goes America!”
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“Mary” had three spinoffs: “Rhoda,” with Valerie Harper; “Phyllis,” with
Cloris Leachman; and “Lou Grant,” with Ed Asner, which lasted five seasons and won 13 Emmys. Valerie Harper almost wasn’t cast as Rhoda Morgenstern, though — because producers feared she was too pretty and would take attention away from Mary!
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The character of Rhoda contributed another groundbreaking moment on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," as Valerie Harper's character explained why she wasn't romantically interested in Phyllis' visiting brother. “He’s not my type,” Rhoda told Phyllis, adding: “He’s gay.” Phyllis — who never could stand Rhoda — replied: “I’m so relieved!”
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Mary’s famous hat toss in the show's opening sequence was named the second-greatest moment in television by Entertainment Weekly — and true fans of the show will remember seeing Hazel Frederick (in a blue headscarf) watching Mary at the start of every episode.
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The “Lights Out” final episode launched the idea of a big emotional ending for a series, which many sitcoms have since followed. It was also the first episode of a sitcom where the cast was seen taking a final bow to the audience.
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Sadly, one bold lady who never got to enjoy success with a "Mary Tyler Moore Show" spin-off. Barbara Colby had made guest appearances on the show, and briefly became a regular on the spinoff “Phyllis” — only to be tragically shot to death in Venice, Calif. in an unsolved murder.
Mary’s character originally was a divorcée, but test audiences didn’t approve — because they felt it meant she'd left her old costar Dick Van Dyke! That's how Mary Richards became an aspiring career gal who'd broken off a two-year engagement.
Viewers were shocked in the 1970s when Mary went out on a date and spent the night at the guy's apartment! The big moment didn't happen until the third season, after the star fought to play a sexually-active single. “I’m hardly innocent," her character announced. "I’ve been around. Well, maybe not around, but I’ve been nearby.”
That same season, the writers revealed Mary Richards was using birth control. The character's parents were visiting, and Mary's mom shouted to her dad: "Don't forget to take your pill!" Both father and daughter replied: "I won't!"
Mary's sex life was shocking enough to get mentioned on the CBS sitcom "Maude." In an exchange on the hit
Bea Arthur series, Maude expressed surprise at the character of Mary Richards spending the night at a man's apartment. “All night? Our little Mary?” asked Maude, with uptight neighbor Arthur complaining: “Sneer all you want, Maude — but as Mary Tyler Moore goes, so goes America!”
“Mary” had three spinoffs: “Rhoda,” with Valerie Harper; “Phyllis,” with
Cloris Leachman; and “Lou Grant,” with Ed Asner, which lasted five seasons and won 13 Emmys. Valerie Harper almost wasn’t cast as Rhoda Morgenstern, though — because producers feared she was too pretty and would take attention away from Mary!
The character of Rhoda contributed another groundbreaking moment on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," as Valerie Harper's character explained why she wasn't romantically interested in Phyllis' visiting brother. “He’s not my type,” Rhoda told Phyllis, adding: “He’s gay.” Phyllis — who never could stand Rhoda — replied: “I’m so relieved!”
Mary’s famous hat toss in the show's opening sequence was named the second-greatest moment in television by Entertainment Weekly — and true fans of the show will remember seeing Hazel Frederick (in a blue headscarf) watching Mary at the start of every episode.
The “Lights Out” final episode launched the idea of a big emotional ending for a series, which many sitcoms have since followed. It was also the first episode of a sitcom where the cast was seen taking a final bow to the audience.
Sadly, one bold lady who never got to enjoy success with a "Mary Tyler Moore Show" spin-off. Barbara Colby had made guest appearances on the show, and briefly became a regular on the spinoff “Phyllis” — only to be tragically shot to death in Venice, Calif. in an unsolved murder.
