She's Gonna Make It After All

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It was quite heartbreaking to come home to the news of the death of Mary Tyler Moore. She was one of the truly iconic legends in television -- and movies (remember, she was nominated for an Oscar for Ordinary People). I first saw her rushing to the aid of Dick Van Dyke after he tripped over the ottoman in the living room in the opening sequence of The Dick Van Dyke Show (quick aside: if you wanna hear a funny song, check out the Dead Milkmen's "I Tripped Over the Ottoman"). On that classic sitcom she played the doting, loving housewife. In the early 70s, however, she "turned the world on with her smile" as Mary Richards, the producer of a local news program in Minneapolis. That show (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) was one of the anchors of what was really "must-see TV" long before NBC coined that phrase about its Thursday night line-up in the 80s. (You doubt me? Here was the CBS Saturday night line-up: All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. See any name on that list you don't recognize?) And you talk about classic comedy. Although Moore's name was in the title (and the production company), it was one of the greatest ensemble casts ever created, with every actor seemingly born to play the role they played. It spawned several spin-offs, including Rhoda and the critically-acclaimed drama Lou Grant. The episode "Chuckles Bites the Dust" was named by TV Guide as the best sitcom episode ever, and if you've ever seen it, you don't disagree. A Minneapolis TV station had a picture of the statue of Mary Richards throwing her hat into the air (the iconic frozen final frame of The Mary Tyler Moore Show opening credits) with flowers left in memory of the legendary singer, dancer, and actor. Sonny Curtis (the man who wrote Bobby Fuller's big hit "I Fought the Law") wrote and sang the theme song to Mary's legendary 70s sitcom, with the final line of, "You're gonna make it after all." Oh, did Mary Tyler Moore ever "make it." What a legend. Mary Tyler Moore was 80. Here's the Sonny Curtis song that opened the first season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show: