Series Description

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a 30 minute situation comedy series on CBS about an ambitious, single career woman who reflected the changing times of the 1970s. Mary Richards ended a four-year-long relationship, packed her bags, and left for the big city! Mary was still open to the idea of a loving relationship and marriage but only if she found the right man. In the meantime, she worked on her career at a TV station and also concentrated on making friends to enhance the "non-romantic" portion of her personal life.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show Cast

Mary Tyler Moore .... Mary Richards
Ted Knight .... Ted Baxter
Edward Asner .... Lou Grant
Valerie Harper .... Rhoda Morgenstern
Cloris Leachman .... Phyllis Lindstrom
Gavin MacLeod .... Murray Slaughter
Betty White .... Sue Ann Nivens
Georgia Engel .... Georgette Franklin Baxter
Nancy Walker .... Ida Morgenstern
John Amos .... Gordon "Gordy" Howard
Lisa Gerritsen .... Bess Lindstrom
Priscilla Morrill .... Edie Grant
Robbie Rist .... David Baxter
Joyce Bulifant .... Marie Slaughter

MTM Show Trivia

The Mary Tyler Moore Show inspired the "spin-off" of two other series. They were, "Rhoda (1974)" and "Lou Grant (1977)".

It's a bit comical that "Lou Grant" became a successful, five-year series of its own. CBS was very skeptical about the Lou Grant character in the beginning. A three-minute long "pilot" titled, "Love is all Around" was produced solely to sell that character to the network! Apparently it worked!

CBS had a difficult time casting the role of "Sue Ann Nivens". One of the producers said that they should find "someone like Betty White". Eventually, somebody suggested that they simply call Betty White ("The Golden Girls") and ask her if she wanted the role. She accepted and joined the cast of the Mary Tyler Moore Show!

Mary Richard's boss, "Lou Grant" ultimately was promoted to Executive Producer of the news and Mary got his job as producer.

Every member of the WJM news team won a Teddy Award except Murray Slaughter. That may have jinxed things because Gavin MacLeod ("The Love Boat") who played Murray was the only one who didn't get an Emmy nomination in real-life!

Murray was the only member of the WJM news staff who never won a Teddy. Coincidentally, Gavin MacLeod, who played Murray, was the only regular cast member on the Mary Tyler Moore show to never be nominated for an Emmy.

Believe it or not, CBS decided that they had to explain why a beautiful woman in her 30s like Mary Richards was not married! They had originally decided to say she was divorced but Mary Tyler Moore was still so identified with her role as Laura Petrie on the "Dick Van Dyke Show" that CBS was afraid the audience would think the character had divorced lovable "Rob Petrie" and they wouldn't like her for it! So instead of making her a divorcee, they said she had been in a long term engagment that didn't work out!

Mary Tyler Moore also wore a wig during season one of the Mary Tyler Moore show in order to make her look less like Laura Petrie. The concern over being identified with her former role had apparently diminished by the second season as she dumped the wig.

In an effort to increase the ratings of WJM-TV's news department, new owners canned all of the employees of the news department except Ted Baxter during the Mary Tyler Moore show's last episode. That's ironic since Ted was the primary cause for the terrible ratings! It was really a great ending for the Mary Tyler Moore show because not only were the characters splitting up their working relationships, so were the actors! It made it easy for the actors to appear sad because they really were!

MTM's Theme Song

Title: "Love is All Around"

Written and Performed By: "Sonny Curtis"

Who can turn the world on with her smile?
Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?
Well it's you girl, and you should know it
With each glance and every little movement you show it

Love is all around, no need to waste it
You can have the town, why don't you take it
You're gonna make it after all
You're gonna make it after all