by Herbie J Pilato
I regard myself as a beautiful musical instrument, and my role is to contribute that instrument to scripts worthy of it. — Ed Asner
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, September 19, 1970, to March 19, 1977). The iconic sitcom made superstars of its namesake, already an American Sweetheart (via The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS 1961–1966), as well as a host of charismatic performers including Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Betty White, Georgia Engel, Ted Knight, Gavin MacLeod, John Amos, and Ed Asner.
Unfortunately, Moore, Harper, Engel, and Knight are now all gone from this world. Moore passed away in 2017, Harper and Engel in 2019, and Knight in 1986. But White, who, essentially, was born a legend, Leachman, McLeod, Amos, and Asner, each in their 90s, are alive and well.
The entire cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show found a measure of fame on TV, film and the stage in various productions over the years….
Writer/producer Herbie J Pilato is the host of the TV talk show THEN AGAIN WITH HERBIE J PILATO, now streaming on Amazon Prime and the author of several pop-culture/media tie-in books. He has been part of TVWriter™ for over 20 years and is Contributing Editor Emeritus. Learn more about Herbie J HERE