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

Episodes List With Original Air Dates

Season 1

1... Love Is All Around (9/19/1970)
2... Today I am a Ma'am (9/26/1970)
3... Bess, You Is My Daughter Now (10/3/1970)
4... Divorce Isn't Everything (10/10/1970)
5... Keep Your Guard Up (10/17/1970)
6... Support Your Local Mother (10/24/1970)
7... Toulouse-Lautrec Is One of My Favorite Artists (10/31/1970)
8... The Snow Must Go On (11/7/1970)
9... Bob and Rhoda and Teddy and Mary (11/14/1970)
10. Assistant Wanted, Female (11/21/1970)
11. 1040 or Fight (11/28/1970)
12. Anchorman Overboard (12/5/1970)
13. He's All Yours (12/12/1970)
14. Christmas and the Hard-Luck Kid II (12/19/1970)
15. Howard's Girl (1/2/1971)
16. Party Is Such Sweet Sorrow (1/9/1971)
17. Just a Lunch (1/16/1971)
18. Second Story Story (1/23/1971)
19. We Closed in Minneapolis (1/30/1971)
20. Hi! (2/6/1971)
21. The Boss Isn't Coming to Dinner (2/13/1971)
22. A Friend in Deed (2/20/1971)
23. Smokey the Bear Wants You (2/27/1971)
24. The 45-Year-Old Man (3/6/1971)

Season 2

25. The Birds...and...um...Bees (9/18/1971)
26. I am Curious Cooper (9/25/1971)
27. He's No Heavy ... He's My Brother (10/2/1971)
28. Room 223 (10/9/1971)
29. A Girl's Best Mother Is Not Her Friend (10/16/1971)
30. Cover Boy (10/23/1971)
31. Didn't You Used to be...Wait...Don't Tell Me (10/30/1971)
32. Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary (11/6/1971)
33. And Now, Sitting in for Ted Baxter (11/13/1971)
34. Don't Break the Chain (11/20/1971)
35. The Six-and-a-Half-Year Itch (11/27/1971)
36. ...Is a Friend in Need (12/4/1971)
37. The Square-Shaped Room (12/11/1971)
38. Ted Over Heels (12/18/1971)
39. The Five-Minute Dress (1/1/1972)
40. Feeb (1/8/1972)
41. The Slaughter Affair (1/15/1972)
42. Baby Sit-Com (1/22/1972)
43. More Than Neighbors (1/29/1972)
44. The Care and Feeding of Parents (2/5/1972)
45. Where There's Smoke, There's Rhoda (2/12/1972)
46. You Certainly Are a Big Boy (2/19/1972)
47. Some of My Best Friends Are Rhoda (2/26/1972)
48. His Two Right Arms (3/4/1972)

Season 3

49. The Good-Time News (9/16/1972)
50. What Is Ms. Richards Really Like? (9/23/1972)
51. Who's in Charge Here? (9/30/1972)
52. Enter Rhoda's Parents (10/7/1972)
53. It's Whether You Win or Lose (10/14/1972)
54. Rhoda the Beautiful (10/21/1972)
55. Just Around the Corner (10/28/1972)
56. But Seriously, Folks (11/4/1972)
57. Farmer Ted and the News (11/11/1972)
58. Have I Found a Guy for You (11/18/1972)
59. You've Got a Friend (11/25/1972)
60. It Was Fascination, I Know (12/2/1972)
61. Operation: Lou (12/9/1972)
62. Rhoda Morgenstern: Minneapolis to New York (12/16/1972)
63. The Courtship of Mary's Father's Daughter (12/23/1972)
64. Lou's Place (1/6/1973)
65. My Brother's Keeper (1/13/1972)
66. The Georgette Story (1/20/1973)
67. Romeo and Mary (1/27/1973)
68. What Do You Do When the Boss Says, "I Love You"? (2/3/1973)
69. Murray Faces Life (2/10/1973)
70. Remembrance of Things Past (2/17/1973)
71. Put on a Happy Face (2/24/1973)
72. Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady (3/3/1973)

Season 4

73. The Lars Affair (9/15/1973)
74. Angels in the Snow (9/22/1973)
75. Rhoda's Sister Gets Married (9/29/1973)
76. The Lou and Edie Story (10/6/1973)
77. Hi There, Sports Fans (10/13/1973)
78. Father's Day (10/20/1973)
79. Son of "But Seriously Folks" (10/27/1973)
80. Lou's First Date (11/3/1973)
81. Love Blooms at Hemples (11/10/1973)
82. The Dinner Party (11/17/1973)
83. Just Friends (11/24/1973)
84. We Want Baxter (12/1/1973)
85. I Gave at the Office (12/8/1973)
86. Almost a Nun's Story (12/15/1973)
87. Happy Birthday, Lou! (12/22/1973)
88. WJM Tries Harder (1/5/1974)
89. Cottage for Sale (1/12/1974)
90. The Co-Producers (1/19/1974)
91. Best Of Enemies (1/26/1974)
92. Better Late ... That's a Pun ... Than Never (2/2/1974)
93. Ted Baxter Meets Walter Cronkite (2/9/1974)
94. Lou's Second Date (2/16/1974)
95. Two Wrongs Don't Make a Writer (2/23/1974)
96. I Was a Single for WJM (3/2/1975)

Season 5

97. Will Ms. Richards Go to Jail? (9/14/1974)
98. Not Just Another Pretty Face (9/21/1974)
99. You Sometimes Hurt the One You Hate (9/28/1974)
100. Lou and That Woman (10/5/1974)
101. The Outsider (10/12/1974)
102. I Love a Piano (10/19/1974)
103. A New Sue Ann (10/26/1974)
104. Menage-a-Phyllis (11/2/1974)
105. Not a Christmas Story (11/9/1974)
106. What Are Friends For? (11/16/1974)
107. A Boy's Best Friend (11/23/1974)
108. A Son for Murray (11/30/1974)
109. Neighbors (12/7/1974)
110. A Girl Like Mary (12/14/1974)
111. An Affair to Forget (12/21/1974)
112. Ms. Richards: Producer (1/4/1975)
113. The System (1/11/15)
114. Phyllis Whips Inflation (1/18/1975)
115. The Shame of the Cities (1/25/1975)
116. Marriage Minneapolis Style (2/1/1975)
117. You Try to be a Nice Guy (2/8/1975)
118. You Can't Lose 'em All (2/15/1975)
119. Ted Baxter's Famous Broadcasters' School (2/22/1975)
120. Anyone Who Hates Kids and Dogs (3/8/1975)

Season 6

121. Edie Gets Married (9/13/1975)
122. Mary Moves Out (9/20/1975)
123. Mary's Father (9/27/1975)
124. Murray In Love (10/4/1975)
125. Ted's Moment of Glory (10/11/1975)
126. Mary's Aunt (10/18/1975)
127. Chuckles Bites the Dust (10/25/1975)
128. Mary's Delinquent (11/1/1975)
129. Ted's Wedding (11/8/1975)
130. Lou Douses an Old Flame (11/15/1975)
131. Ms. Richards Falls in Love (11/22/1975)
132. Ted's Tax Refund (11/29/1975)
133. The Happy Homemaker Takes Lou Home (12/6/1975)
134. One Boyfriend Too Many (12/13/1975)
135. What Do You Want to Do When You Produce? (12/20/1975)
136. Not With My Wife, I Don't (1/3/1976)
137. The Seminar (1/10/1976)
138. Once I Had a Secret Love (1/17/1976)
139. Menage-a-Lou (1/24/1976)
140. Murray Takes a Stand (1/31/1976)
141. Mary's Aunt Returns (2/7/1976)
142. A Reliable Source (2/21/1976)
143. Sue Ann Falls in Love (2/28/1976)
144. Ted and the Kid (3/6/1976)

Season 7

145. Midwife (9/25/1976)
146. The Writer (10/2/1976)
147. Sue Ann's Sister (10/9/1976)
148. What's Wrong with Swimming? (10/16/1976)
149. Ted's Change of Heart (10/23/1976)
150. One Producer Too Many (10/30/1976)
151. My Son, the Genius (11/6/1976)
152. Ms. Richards Gets a Lawyer (11/13/1976)
153. Lou Proposes (11/20/1976)
154. Murray Can't Lose (11/27/1976)
155. Insomnia (12/4/1976)
156. Ted's Temptation (12/11/1976)
157. Look at Us, We're Walking (12/25/1976)
158. The Critic (1/8/1977)
159. Lou's Army Reunion (1/15/1977)
160. The Ted and Georgette Show (1/22/1977)
161. Sue Ann Gets the Ax (1/29/1977)
162. Hail the Conquering Gordy (2/5/1977)
163. The Sexagenarian (2/12/1977)
164. Murray Ghosts for Ted (2/19/1977)
165. Three Husbands (2/26/1977)
166. The Big Party (3/5/1977)
167. Lou Dates Marry (3/12/1977)
168. The Last Show (3/19/1977)