When my brother and I were kids, our parents restricted our TV watching. We could watch 2 hours per week of “regular” television, and more or less, anything on PBS. Exceptions were if the whole family watched.
Two of those exceptions were Mary Tyler Moore and the Rhoda. We watched as a family on Saturday nights, week after week, and I remember so many of those episodes, having only seen each episode once when I was a girl. That’s pretty amazing.
What I loved so much about Mary was her strength and her vulnerability often went together. She was a feminist breaking down barriers in the workplace, and yet she was often so fragile and vulnerable. She felt so authentic, and yet she was often much more courageous and transparent than most people are able or willing to be. What a beautiful teacher she was.
And what an extraordinary team of people surrounded her. Like attracts like. Brilliant minds find each other and certainly James L. Brooks, the show’s creator, has brought us so many beautiful and funny films and TV shows that let us laugh and cry about ourselves.
It may not seem like it now, to people much younger than me, but what they did on the MTM Show was very brave at the time, and it was very needed. In many ways, the humor and the heart were a beacon in very difficult times in the U.S.
Mary Tyler Moore’s character on the show helped me to aspire to be a good person and speak up for others. She taught us what compassion looked like. She had a good and kind heart and yet she could also stand up for herself. She was beautiful.
Aren’t we blessed to have such beautiful examples of how to be the best human being we can be?
And you know what – if the character Mary Richards were around today, she would DEFINITELY have marched last Saturday. That was something very beautiful about Mary – she stood up for others and she could speak truth to power even when she was afraid it would cost her the job she loved with all her heart. That’s amazing courage. She taught us a lot.
For me, watching from the time I was 10 to 17 years old, in many ways, I learned how to be a woman from watching how Mary and Rhoda did it. I’m sure I learned more from them than I even realize. That’s a powerful legacy.
You can watch many, if not all, of the episodes on YouTube. Next time you’re looking for some inspiration that also makes you laugh, possibly make you cry – check out an episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show on YouTube!
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