Mary Richards
Encyclopedia
Mary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore
, is the main character of the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show
.
, she was engaged to a medical student named Bill who left her after breaking off their engagement.
. Also leasing an attic loft from Phyllis is Rhoda Morgenstern
, with whom Mary becomes fast friends. Mary also bonds with Phyllis's precocious daughter, Bess.
Mary applies for a secretarial job at television station WJM-TV, the area's lowest rated station. After meeting with news producer Lou Grant
, she is informed that the position has been filled but she is hired as an Associate Producer. Later, Mary is promoted to News Producer when Lou becomes the station's news director. While at WJM, she quickly becomes friends with news writer Murray Slaughter
and the vain (and incompetent) news anchor, Ted Baxter
. Within the office, Mary is often the voice of reason. Lou, who is always referred to by Mary as "Mr. Grant", later develops an adoration and almost-fatherly relationship with Mary.
Other friends of Mary's include Sue Ann Nivens
, host of The Happy Homemaker at WJM, and Georgette Franklin, who later marries Ted.
In the final episode of the series
, the entire newsroom staff lose their jobs in an effort to boost sagging ratings. Ted, ironically, keeps his job, despite being the primary cause for the low ratings.
and Phyllis
via visits to New York or San Francisco, respectively, or in scenes via telephone. In the opening scene to the pilot of Rhoda, Mary Richards accompanies Rhoda to the Minneapolis airport to see her off, but this scene was not shown in U.S. syndication, nor in the DVD release of Rhoda.
As revealed in the 2000 made-for-television movie
Mary and Rhoda
, Mary later marries a congressman named Steven Cronin with whom she has a daughter, Rose. After her husband's death in a rock climbing accident, Mary discovers that her husband squandered their money in his reelection campaigns. She relocates to New York City, reconnects with her best friend Rhoda, and is hired at a network program.
Moore earned three Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Mary. Time
magazine, in naming The Mary Tyler Moore Show
as one of seventeen shows that changed television, wrote that "Moore made Mary into a fully realized person, iconic but fallible, competent but flappable... Mary was human and strong enough to be laughed with and laughed at". In 1992, Entertainment Weekly
called her "the first great grown-up single working woman on TV", and in 1999, Entertainment Weekly ranked her hat toss in the opening credits
as television's second greatest moment. On Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, she was ranked eighth, the highest position of the four Mary Tyler Moore Show characters on this list.
In 1999 TV Guide
ranked her number 21 on its '50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time' list.
In 2002, TV Land
honored Mary Richards with a statue on Nicollet Mall
in downtown Minneapolis. The statue portrays Mary throwing her tam
into the air, in the same pose as seen in the freeze frame at the end of the opening credits.
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...
, is the main character of the television sitcom 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...
.
Family
Mary Richards, born in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the daughter of Walter and Dottie Richards. Prior to relocating to MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, she was engaged to a medical student named Bill who left her after breaking off their engagement.
Life in Minneapolis
After arriving in Minneapolis, Mary leases an apartment in a house from her friend, Phyllis LindstromPhyllis Lindstrom
Phyllis Lindstrom is a fictional character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Phyllis, portrayed by Cloris Leachman.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:...
. Also leasing an attic loft from Phyllis is Rhoda Morgenstern
Rhoda Morgenstern
Rhoda Morgenstern, portrayed by Valerie Harper, is a character on the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and subsequent spin-off Rhoda.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:...
, with whom Mary becomes fast friends. Mary also bonds with Phyllis's precocious daughter, Bess.
Mary applies for a secretarial job at television station WJM-TV, the area's lowest rated station. After meeting with news producer Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
, she is informed that the position has been filled but she is hired as an Associate Producer. Later, Mary is promoted to News Producer when Lou becomes the station's news director. While at WJM, she quickly becomes friends with news writer Murray Slaughter
Murray Slaughter
Murray Slaughter was a fictional character in the situation comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was played by actor Gavin MacLeod.- Character :Murray Slaughter was the news writer at fictional television station WJM-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
and the vain (and incompetent) news anchor, Ted Baxter
Ted Baxter
Ted Baxter is a fictional character on the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Portrayed by Ted Knight, the Baxter character is a broad parody of a vain, shallow, buffoonish TV newsman. Knight's comedic model was William Powell, and he also drew on various Los Angeles newscasters, including George...
. Within the office, Mary is often the voice of reason. Lou, who is always referred to by Mary as "Mr. Grant", later develops an adoration and almost-fatherly relationship with Mary.
Other friends of Mary's include Sue Ann Nivens
Sue Ann Nivens
Sue Ann Nivens was a fictional character on the long-running situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She was played by television perennial Betty White.- The Happy Homemaker :...
, host of The Happy Homemaker at WJM, and Georgette Franklin, who later marries Ted.
In the final episode of the series
The Last Show (Mary Tyler Moore Show episode)
The Last Show is the 168th episode and series finale of the television sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and was written by Allan Burns, James L. Brooks, Ed Weinberger, Stan Daniels, David Lloyd and Bob Ellison...
, the entire newsroom staff lose their jobs in an effort to boost sagging ratings. Ted, ironically, keeps his job, despite being the primary cause for the low ratings.
Beyond The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mary Richards makes several guest appearances on the spinoffs RhodaRhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
and Phyllis
Phyllis (TV series)
Phyllis is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 11, 1975 to March 13, 1977.Created by Ed Weinberger and Stan Daniels. it was the second spin-off series from The Mary Tyler Moore Show . The show starred Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, who was previously Mary Richards'...
via visits to New York or San Francisco, respectively, or in scenes via telephone. In the opening scene to the pilot of Rhoda, Mary Richards accompanies Rhoda to the Minneapolis airport to see her off, but this scene was not shown in U.S. syndication, nor in the DVD release of Rhoda.
As revealed in the 2000 made-for-television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Mary and Rhoda
Mary and Rhoda
Mary and Rhoda is a 2000 made-for-television movie that reunited Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper as Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern from the 1970–1977 sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Although the film is a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James L. Brooks and Allan Burns were...
, Mary later marries a congressman named Steven Cronin with whom she has a daughter, Rose. After her husband's death in a rock climbing accident, Mary discovers that her husband squandered their money in his reelection campaigns. She relocates to New York City, reconnects with her best friend Rhoda, and is hired at a network program.
Creation
Mary Richards was initially intended to be a divorcée, but as divorce was still controversial at the time, and because CBS was afraid viewers might think that Mary had divorced Rob Petrie, Mary's fictional husband on The Dick Van Dyke Show(which also aired on CBS), the premise was changed to that of a single woman with a recently broken engagement. According to MTM Show co-creator Allan Burns, Minnesota was selected to be Mary's home after "one of the writers began talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Vikings." A television newsroom was chosen for Mary's worksplace because of the supporting characters often found there, stated co-creator James Brooks.Reception
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, in naming 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...
as one of seventeen shows that changed television, wrote that "Moore made Mary into a fully realized person, iconic but fallible, competent but flappable... Mary was human and strong enough to be laughed with and laughed at". In 1992, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called her "the first great grown-up single working woman on TV", and in 1999, Entertainment Weekly ranked her hat toss in the opening credits
The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening sequence
The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening sequence is an element of the U.S. television series The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In 1999, Entertainment Weekly picked Mary Richards' hat toss at the end of the sequence as television's second greatest moment...
as television's second greatest moment. On Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters, she was ranked eighth, the highest position of the four Mary Tyler Moore Show characters on this list.
In 1999 TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked her number 21 on its '50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time' list.
In 2002, TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
honored Mary Richards with a statue on Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall is a portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Working as a pedestrian and transit mall, it is also an upscale shopping and dining district...
in downtown Minneapolis. The statue portrays Mary throwing her tam
Tam (cap)
The rastacap is a tall, round, usually crocheted cap, which is often brightly coloured. It is most commonly associated with the pat as a way for Rastafarians and others with dreadlocks to tuck their locks away, but may be worn for various reasons by Rastas and non-Rastas...
into the air, in the same pose as seen in the freeze frame at the end of the opening credits.