15 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’

TV audiences remember her as the woman who could turn the world on with her smile. Mary Tyler Moore is remembered as one of the most beloved leading ladies in sitcom history. Her show set the tone for the more enlightened, modern era of sitcoms that we all enjoy today. Without her independent spirit and her oddball group of co-workers, we might never have been treated to the likes of 30 Rock or Parks and Recreation. There’s a lot of history to the Mary Tyler Moore Show; it’s almost as interesting as the show itself. So here are 15 things you didn’t know about The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

1. She Didn’t Have To Shoot a Pilot

Obviously, these days, it’s not exactly shocking to find out that CBS ordered The Mary Tyler Moore Show straight to series. However, in those days, it was pretty unprecedented, not least because Mary Tyler Moore’s star was actually fading. After a disappointing movie career in the wake of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Tyler Moore was only offered the show after a variety one-off she did with former co-star Dick Van Dyke in 1969 called Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman.

2. Mary Used To Be a Divorcee

When the pilot was originally written, Mary Richards was a divorcee. MTM liked the notion that she was a strong woman who was overcoming heartbreak. Unfortunately, test audiences hated the idea because they thought that Richards being a divorcee meant that she had left Dick Van Dyke. It was insensible to think that Mary had left such a nice guy, so the story changed to Mary Richards leaving her fiancee at the altar.

3. Valerie Harper Almost Wasn’t Cast

In the part of Mary’s best friend Rhoda, Valeria Harper became a beloved and indelible part of TV history. Of course, the fiery brunette almost wasn’t cast. Why? Because she was too pretty. The concern was that she might steal focus. Of course, she got the part and became so popular she got her own spin-off. Of course, that was just fine with the men in the series, not because Harper was unpleasant to work with (quite the contrary), but because her presence sapped their screen time.

4. Mary Tyler Moore’s Tragic Past

Years after the end of her show, Mary Tyler Moore was confronted with tragedy when her brother John was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Mary Tyler Moore confessed in her autobiography that she made the choice to help “her terminally ill brother try to commit suicide by feeding him ice cream laced with a deadly overdose of drugs.” Moore expressed no regret for the attempt which ultimately failed; it’s a somber anecdote for a woman so typically joyful. Sadly, she had a further family tragedy when her only son died from an accidental self-inflicted gun shot wound in 1980.

5. Mary Tyler Moore Wasn’t Afraid To Move Forward

As the star of her own show, Mary Tyler Moore kicked things off with a progressive attitude. It was trait she’d carried with her throughout her career. In fact, on the Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Tyler Moore insisted on wearing capris for at least one scene every episode. At that time it was tradition for women to wear dresses. “But Moore insisted all the housewives she knew wore pants. She was allowed to continue wearing them, helping capri pants become a popular fashion fad for women across America.”

6. Tina Fey Loves It

Tina Fey, the mastermind behind 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, is a professed lover of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. At one point, she told USA Today, “I always wanted it to be about relationships in the office,” she says. “Our goal is to try to be like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where it’s not about doing the news.”

7. The Hat Toss Was Done On the Sly

At the end of the opening credits, Mary Richards crosses a crowded street in Minneapolis and throws her bright red hat into the air. Suddenly, the shot freezes, capturing an expression of unquenchable hope for the future. There’s a reason this iconic single frame has stood the test of time. Fun fact: no one else in the shot knew people were filming. The crew was using hidden cameras in order to achieve a more authentic feel.

8. The Show Spawned Three Spin-Offs

The popularity of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was so widespread that it spawned three spin-offs throughout its run. In the fourth season, Rhoda got her own self-titled show which ran for four seasons (and was never the same after Joe left). Background player Phyllis got her own eponymous sitcom which was short-lived. Finally, Lou Grant made the most shocking transition of all, making the shift to an also self-titled hour-long drama which ran for five seasons and won 13 Emmys.

9. The Show Won 29 Emmys

Not only is the show fondly remembered for being flat-out fun and enjoyable, it was also ground-breaking in its own right, and the critics took notice. Throughout the show’s 7-year run, it won a total of 29 Emmys including three for Outstanding Comedy Series, multiple wins for most of its supporting cast (sorry, Murray!), several writing wins and even a couple for its editing.

10. The Series Finale Established a Tradition

In the show’s finale, the cast was the first in TV history to break the fourth wall and take a (much deserved) final bow to the cheers of the audience. In the years since, this maneuver has been adopted by countless sitcom casts who take a single, emotional moment in their final moments embodying a character beloved by millions.

11. An Activist Got Mary To Switch Apartments

Mary’s Victorian home on North Weatherly in Minneapolis is one of the most well-known settings in TV history. Of course, these shots were achieved in a rather subversive manager as the show’s producers told the homeowner that the shot’s would be used in a documentary. Naturally, the home’s owner wasn’t cool with the popularity her house received via exterior shots featured in the show. Fans would show up at all hours of the day and night to take pictures and ask for tours. When she heard that cameramen were coming to shoot some more exterior shots, she hung up “Impeach Nixon” banners to dissuade them. In season six, Mary Richards moved to a high-rise.

12. Ted Knight Was Discovered Performing In a Play

Ted Knight was actually, like, the sixth actor considered for the role of Ted Baxter, the pompous anchorman. After getting “no’s” from their first several choices (including Jack Cassidy), producer Dave Davis saw Knight performing in an off Broadway play before asking him to audition. Knight — who was living paycheck to paycheck at the time — ultimately didn’t appreciate his association with the character as he was distraught with audiences inability to distinguish him from the buffoon Ted Baxter.

13. Captain Stubing Was Almost Lou Grant

Gavin MacLeod — who went on to fame as The Love Boat’s Captain Stubing after several years playing lovably acidic head writer Murray Slaughter — originally read for the part of Lou Grant. However, after his read, he requested to read for Murray, whom McLeod thought he could embody more capably than the gruff Grant. It all worked out for the best because Ed Asner was amazing and McLeod irreplaceable.

14. The MTM Kitten’s Name Is Mimsie

When the news broke that Mary Tyler Moore was forming her own company to launch her new show, the obvious connection of her production company’s initials — MTM — to the larger brand was pointed out. As a result, the decision was made to harp on the connection and get a much smaller lion to roar in the company’s logo. So, the company scoured local shelters, ultimately rescuing the iconic orange kitty, named Mimsie.

15. “Sherry” Was Murdered in Real Life

Actress Barbra Colby played Sherry in several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (you may remember her as the person who designed Mary’s green dress) and later went on to co-star in Phyllis. Sadly, just a few episodes into that gig, the actress and a friend were shot in Venice, California. No robbery occurred, and the murder remains unsolved today.