Mary (variety)
Encyclopedia
Mary is an American variety show
that aired on CBS
as part of its 1978-79 fall lineup
. The series was hosted by and stars Mary Tyler Moore
.
to return to network television after the triumph of her sitcom
(The Mary Tyler Moore Show
) from 1970 to 1977. Her sitcom having not been renewed at her producers request (they didn't want it to get "stale"), she had taken a year off before returning to television to conquer the variety format.
Moore supporting cast included a repertory company of young actors and actresses, most notably Swoosie Kurtz
, Dick Shawn
, Michael Keaton
, Merrill Markoe
, and David Letterman
, an established orchestra led by Alf Clausen
, and the well-regarded Tony Stevens dancers, and the program had a light, breezy feel.
for the series were low, and CBS ultimately cancelled Mary after three episodes. However, Moore was to tweak the format and try it again with a similar program (The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
) later in the same season.
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
that aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
as part of its 1978-79 fall lineup
1978-79 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all three commercial television networks in the United States for the fall season beginning in September 1978. All times are Eastern and Pacific....
. The series was hosted by and stars Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
.
Synopsis
Mary was the attempt by Mary Tyler MooreMary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
to return to network television after the triumph of her sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
(The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
) from 1970 to 1977. Her sitcom having not been renewed at her producers request (they didn't want it to get "stale"), she had taken a year off before returning to television to conquer the variety format.
Moore supporting cast included a repertory company of young actors and actresses, most notably Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz
Swoosie Kurtz is an American actress. She began her career in theater during the 1970s and shortly thereafter began a career in television, garnering ten nominations and winning one Emmy Award. Her most famous television project was her role on the 1990s NBC drama Sisters...
, Dick Shawn
Dick Shawn
Dick Shawn was an American actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Shawn was born as Richard Schulefand in Buffalo, New York. He played Sylvester Marcus, son of Mrs. Marcus , in Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Lorenzo St...
, Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
, Merrill Markoe
Merrill Markoe
Merrill Markoe is an author, an Emmy Award-winning television writer and a sometime standup comedienne.-Career:Markoe attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a B.A. in Art in 1970 and an M.A. in 1972...
, and David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
, an established orchestra led by Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen is an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of The Simpsons, of which he has been the sole composer since 1990...
, and the well-regarded Tony Stevens dancers, and the program had a light, breezy feel.
Reception
RatingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for the series were low, and CBS ultimately cancelled Mary after three episodes. However, Moore was to tweak the format and try it again with a similar program (The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
The Mary Tyler Moore Hour
The Mary Tyler Moore Hour was a television series broadcast by CBS in the spring of 1979.Like her first series, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Moore's eponymous sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show , had been highly-rated, critically acclaimed, and the recipient of many Emmy Awards...
) later in the same season.