*The Mary Tyler Moore Show aired on CBS for 7 seasons and 168 total episodes, winning 29 Emmys (3 as Outstanding Comedy Series).
*Third-season opener The Good-Time News premiered Saturday, September 16, 1972, at 9:30 P.M., airing against The Streets of San Francisco and a broadcast of 1967's In the Heat of the Night. The rest of CBS' lineup that night: All in the Family, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Bob Newhart Show, and Mission Impossible.
*Nancy Walker did Bounty ads from 1970-1990, according to Wikipedia.
*Rhoda spun off in 1974 and was a ratings smash for its first two years, even beating its parent show many times, but it tailed off after that. The ratings decline is generally attributed to the decision to split up Rhoda and her hubby, who married in season 1 to spectacular viewership.
*Phyllis lasted two seasons (75-76 and 77-78) and started very strong but declined in its second season. Cloris Leachman won a Prime Time Emmy (one of 8 in her career) for Lead Comedy Actress for this series.
*WJM-TV in Minneapolis is where Mary works as Associate Producer of the 6:00 news show, with Lou as Producer (at the time of this episode we cover) and Murray the writer. Wikipedia says he's the head writer, but I'm not sure how many other people are writing the copy that anchorman Ted Baxter reads.
*Lou dates Mary in season 7's Lou Dates Mary. Jack Cassidy's appearance as Ted Baxter's brother is in season 2's Cover Boy. Cassidy was the original choice for Ted, and the role was reportedly written with him in mind, but he turned it down. And while we're at it, Gavin MacLeod originally read for the part of Lou but asked for the chance to read for Murray before he left.
*Theme song writer/performer Sonny Curtis played with Buddy Holly, then became frontman for a version of The Crickets after Holly's death. He is a Rock Hall of Fame member via the sidemen category as a result of his affiliation with the band. His other most famous hit? He wrote I Fought the Law, recorded by the Bobby Fuller Four.
*The S.S. Minnow left Hawaii before the weather started getting rough.
*Although The Mary Tyler Moore Show did not do well in broadcast syndication, it did do well for Nick at Nite in the 1990s.
*Other TV shows set in Minnesota include Coach and Little House on the Prairie as well as Rocky and Bulliwinkle.
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