The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Debut: September 19, 1970
Ended: March 19, 1977

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of the most literate, realistic, and enduring situation comedies of the 1970s. Mary Richards was the idealized single career woman. She had come to Minneapolis after breaking up with a man she had been dating for four years. Ambitious, and looking for new friends, she moved into an older apartment building and went to work as an assistant producer of the local news show on television station WJM-TV. In her early 30s, Mary symbolized the independent woman of the 1970s. Mary's boss was WJM-TV News producer Lou Grant, an irascible, cantankerous, blustery man whose bark was much worse than his bite. Underneath that harsh exterior beat the heart of a pussycat. Murray Slaughter was the head newswriter at the station. Ted Baxter was the anchorman, not too bright, prone to put his foot in his mouth both on and off the air, and possessor of such a misplaced sense of his own wonderfulness that he was the butt of everyone's jokes. Mary's closest friend was one of her neighbors, Rhoda Morgenstern, a window dresser for a local department store who, like Mary, was still single though in her 30s. The other neighbor seen frequently in Mary's apartment Phyllis Lindstrom. Phyllis was the building's resident busybody, and though it took quite a while to find out, also its landlady. Phyllis was oblivious to everyone elses feelings and had an extremely flaky personality. Other regulars included: Bess, Phyllis' mature-beyond-her-years daughter; Sue Ann Nivens, "The Happy Homemaker" on WJM-TV; Gordy Howard, WJM-TV's weatherman; and Georgette Franklin, Ted Baxter's empty-headed girlfriend.

Intros
Credits
Posters
Quotes
Chuckles the Clown: "A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants."
Rhoda: "You're not gonna believe this Phyllis but when I first ran over him I thought he was boring."
Lou Mary: "You know what? You've got spunk!' 'Well, yes....' 'I HATE spunk!"
Murray Slaughter: "Can you imagine the insurance claim? Cause of death: a busted goober."
Rhoda Morgenstern: "I don't know why I should even bother to eat this. I should just apply it directly to my hips."
Ted Baxter: "I've just been handed a bulletin: "You have something on your front tooth!""
Lou Grant Mary: "'Mary, I don't want you to take this wrong, but you're a jerk.' 'How could I possibly take that wrong?'"
Mary: "I'm an experienced woman. I've been around... Well, all right, I might not've been around, but I've been... nearby."
Ted: "This is Ted Baxter wishing you goodnight... and good news."
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