Review: Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic by Jennifer Keishin

  

Rating:

4 of 5 stars   "I'm an experienced woman.  I've been around...Well, all right, I might not have been around, but I've been...nearby."-Mary Richards   Were you a kid in 70s?  I was.  Did your family gather around the TV on Saturday night to watch the great line-up on CBS?  Mine did.  One of our Saturday night favorites was The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  I can hear the theme song playing in my head as I type..."Who can turn the world on with her smile..." I loved seeing Mary walk through the streets of Minneapolis and finally throwing her Turquoise and black knit beret in the air at the intersection of Nicollet Mall and Seventh Street.  If these are familiar memories then Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong will be pure reading pleasure, not to mention, a real blast from the past.   If you open this book looking for interviews with the key players of The Mary Tyler Moore Show then you may be disappointed.  Interviews are not how this book is structured.  Instead, you will discover how the show developed, from premise to execution, to iconic 70s TV, and finally, to its demise.   Did you know that Mary Tyler Moore was involved in a catastrophic Broadway musical of Breakfast at Tiffany's?  Did you know that most of the scripts for the Mary Tyler Moore Show were often based on true scenarios from the female writer's lives?  Did you know that the series almost didn't last beyond its thirteen episode commitment?  Did you know that James L. Brooks, one of the producers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of the co-creators of a popular, but not too memorable TV show called My Mother the Car,  These are the types of tidbits that litter the pages of  Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong.   One of several surprise takeaways from Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic was the history of women comedy writers.  Hard to believe that this show allowed women to break the glass ceiling and join the "Male-Only" comedic writing force.  The second takeaway was a study in human nature, that of Ed Asner.  Such a great actor, but such a flawed person; he held to  such rigid beliefs and advocacies, and in so doing destroyed a long-time friendship and his own TV show, Lou Grant.  And finally, the third takeaway was what the character, Mary Richards, did for women all over America.  From the girl next door to Oprah Winfrey, young women and young girls saw what they might achieve through Mary.  "The show was a light in my life, and Mary was a trailblazer for my generation...She's the reason I wanted my own production company," stated Oprah Winfrey.  In short, Mary Richard A.K.A. Mary Tyler Moore became a symbol for women for generations, which makes The Mary Tyler Moore Show something more than an interesting blip on the 70s pop culture radar.     Take the Quiz: Are You a Mary or a Rhoda? Are You a Lou or a Ted? Additional Resources:   After All-Mary Tyler Moore's Autobiography I, Rhoda-Valerie Harper's Autobiography Mary Tyler Moore Show History Author's Website: Jennifer Keishin Strong     Summary Courtesy of Goodreads:   Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic   by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (Goodreads Author)   Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show aThe story of the making of a classic and groundbreaking TV show, as experienced by its producers, writers, and cast. Mary Tyler Moore made her name as Dick Van Dyke’s wife on the eponymous show, a cute, unassuming housewife that audiences loved. But when her writer/producers James Brooks and Allan Burnes dreamed up an edgy show about a divorced woman with a career, network...moThe story of the making of a classic and groundbreaking TV show, as experienced by its producers, writers, and cast. Mary Tyler Moore made her name as Dick Van Dyke’s wife on the eponymous show, a cute, unassuming housewife that audiences loved. But when her writer/producers James Brooks and Allan Burnes dreamed up an edgy show about a divorced woman with a career, network executives replied: “Americans won’t watch television about New York City, divorcees, men with mustaches, or Jews.” But Moore and her team were committed, and when the show finally aired, in spite of tepid reviews, fans loved it. Jennifer Armstrong introduces readers to the show’s creators; its principled producer, Grant Tinker; and the writers and actors who attracted millions of viewers. As the first situation comedy to employ numerous women as writers and producers, The Mary Tyler Moore Show became a guiding light for women in the 1970s. The show also became the centerpiece of one of greatest evenings of comedy in television history, and Jennifer Armstrong describes how the television industry evolved during these golden years. Hardcover, 336 pages Published May 7th 2013 by Simon & Schuster (first published May 1st 2013) more details...        ISBN 1451659202 (ISBN13: 9781451659207) Does this sound like a book for you?  Let us know here at The Things You Can. Happy Reading and Happy Blogoversary to The Things You Can Read! Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!