10 Things You Didn't Know About 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was groundbreaking! This show follows single Mary Richards, who works at a local news station in Minneapolis. Along with Mary, we were introduced to a cast of characters that were unique and hilarious. Aren’t we so lucky we had them in our homes for seven seasons? Here are 10 things you didn’t know about The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Mary Was Supposed to be a Divorcee

Mary is known for being a single 30-year-old when the show starts in 1970. However, in the beginning, it was planned for Mary to be a divorcee who left her husband and is now making it on her own. That idea was struck down and it was suggested that maybe it would be better if she broke up with her boyfriend instead. Either way, Mary was a single, independent woman.

Gavin MacLeod Originally Auditioned for Lou Grant

Gavin MacLeod is known for his role as Murray Slaughter, Mary’s co-worker in the newsroom. But did you know that he originally auditioned for Lou Grant? Could you imagine anyone but Ed Asner as Lou Grant? I don’t think so. It’s good for us that MacLeod then auditioned for Murray because no one could deliver Murray’s snappy zingers like him.

Mary Tyler Moore Wasn’t Always Sure of Ed Asner

Ed Asner passed his first audition with flying colors. But when it came to reading with Mary Tyler Moore, she wasn’t exactly sure what the hype was about him. Moore eventually came around and agreed Asner was the perfect fit for Lou Grant though.

Valerie Harper Almost Wasn’t Cast as Rhoda

We couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Rhoda other than Valerie Harper. However, when auditioning, the producers thought she might be too attractive for their idea of Rhoda. Aren’t we glad they went against their first judgment and cast Harper as Mary’s fast-talking, sassy best friend?

The MTM Kitten Was Rescued from a Minneapolis Shelter

The teeny tiny kitten that meows at the end of each show was found in a local shelter in Minneapolis. They wanted an orange kitten because it wasn’t lost on how similar MTM Enterprises, Inc. was to MGM. To figure out which kitten to pick, they got a couple of kittens and did a meow test. The one with the loudest meow was chosen.

Betty White Was Supposed to be in One Episode

Betty White was great as the boy-crazy Sue Ann Nivens. She was originally supposed to be in one episode, the episode called The Lars Affair where Sue Ann has an affair with Phyllis’ husband Lars. Lucky for us, Sue Ann was added to the mix of supporting cast members and we got to enjoy Betty White for some of the seasons of the show.

Ted Knight Almost Quit the Show

Ted Knight played the pretty dumb Ted Baxter, the news reporter for the station that Mary works in. At one point, Ted Knight got frustrated that people assumed he was just like Ted Baxter and he almost quit the show. It’s a good thing he didn’t, because no one can play Ted Baxter as well as he did.

There Were Spin-Offs of the Show

Mary Richards wasn’t the only character to have her own show. Rhoda (1974-1978) was the first spin-off, starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda who moves back to Manhattan. Phyllis (1975-1977) stars Cloris Leachman as Phyllis, who moves away from Minneapolis after her husband Lars dies. Lou Grant (1977-1982) where Lou takes a job as a city editor for the fictional newspaper called the Los Angeles Tribune.

The House Mary Lived in Became a Tourist Spot

The Mary Tyler Moore Show House — Photo by Wikipedia and Ross Griff

The exterior of the house Mary lives in is actually real. Someone lived in the house and would be bothered all hours of the day and night by people coming to look for Mary.

The Series Finale Was the First of Its Kind

The series finale has everyone except Ted getting fired from the news station and we got to watch the whole cast in character say goodbye to each other. Something else we got to see that had never been seen before was when Mary Tyler Moore did a roll call of all the cast in the episode. It was something special and really ended the series on a high note.