Book review: Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

I'll check out just about any book-length treatment of 1970s and 1980s TV, but when this book came out in 2013, some negative reviews (particularly a few on Amazon) scared me away. I revisited this after we covered The Mary Tyler Moore Show earlier this season, though, and I recommend it for any fan of the series. It has its flaws and quirks, but it also has tons of great info and is a fun read.

First, let me mention those quirks: The book starts off reading like an agenda-driven effort to focus on the female writers who worked on the show. Oddly, that emphasis fades once the book gets going, and while Armstrong does keep checking in on some of the women who helped craft the series, it's not like they overshadow co-creators James L. Brooks and Allen Burns. Feminism is absolutely a big part of the series' story and appeal, but it feels like there is an inconsistent approach to it in the book, and MTM is maybe inflated a bit to seem like more of a singular advancement for women that it was.

More importantly, there are some strong factual errors, especially early in the book (a misidentification of Room 222 jarred me), that make you wonder about the rest of it. Some of the choices are a little odd, like the decision to tell so much of the story of a dedicated fan who grew to knew the show's principals but comes off kind of like a stalker.

That said, the book is really easy reading with lots of cool details. We've alluded to some of them here on the site, like the complex relationship between Ted Knight and Ed Asner. The saga of how MTM was cast makes a fascinating story in itself. Gavin MacLeod read for Lou Grant before asking, almost as an afterthought, to read for Murray. Asner himself struggled to get the Lou character down. Producers were skeptical of Cloris Leachman but casting exec Ethel Winant pushed for her.

Armstrong does a great job of chronicling the establishment of the series and how it takes off. Her sections on iconic episodes like the finale and the Chuckles the Clown funeral make me wish she spent more time talking about specific installments. The decision to semi-focus on the lives of some of the key female scribes may mean less time for more of the actual goings-on of the series during its prime years.

Overall, though, the anecdotes and info in here make this a must-read for MTM fans and a recommended one for fans of era TV in general, with the caveat that there are some inaccuracies and misleading bits in the text (see those Amazon reviews for more). I personally think Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted improves as it gets going, and I will likely seek out Armstrong's recent book on Seinfeld.

Show Notes: Episode 4-12: Barney Miller, "Werewolf"

*Barney Miller aired on ABC for 8 seasons, 1975-1982, mostly Thursday nights at 9:00 P.M.

*Werewolf is the sixth episode of the third season, premiering October 28, 1976, at 8:30 against Gemini Man (NBC) and The Waltons (CBS).

*Despite my gaffe at the beginning, this is indeed season 4, not season 5!

*The series started as an unsold pilot called The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller, which is on Shout! Factory's complete series DVD set.

*Here is a good example of Ken Levine's posts on series creator Danny Arnold that we mentioned on the show.

*For reference: Here is our episode looking at Tom Snyder (and economist Jerome Smith), and here is our early episode in which we discussed The Most Beautiful Girls in Texas (at 38:23 after our look at The White Shadow).

*James Rhodes made his first appearance in the Iron Man comics in 1979.

*Abe Vigoda passed away in 2016. Seriously.

*In real life, an outbreak of swine flu in 1976 led to a widespread immunization program that caused controversy when some blamed the vaccine for deaths and other (less drastic side effects) and argued against being immunized. The more things change...

*The famous episode we reference is season 3's Hash, which aired about two months after Werewolf.

*Fish, the ill-fated spinoff centered on Abe Vigoda's character, lasted two seasons (1977-1978) and 35 episodes. ABC pushed for the series, though Arnold didn't think it was a good idea. The season 3 Barney Miller episode Fish is sort of a backdoor pilot for the spinoff, establishing the character's home life as would be the focus of the new series. For a while, he appeared on both shows as per Arnold's wishes. The ratings for the show were never strong, but Todd Bridges writes in his memoir that ABC planned to have a third season, then axed it when Vigoda asked for a pay increase! The first season is included on the Shout! complete Barney Miller set.

*We have no evidence of Abe Vigoda playing a vampire, but he was on Dark Shadows!

*Hal Linden's FYI segments aired weekdays on ABC.

The Barney Miller playlist is now live!

Our official YouTube playlist for this week's Barney Miller episode is available for your viewing pleasure! Among the highlights: Jack Soo for sugarless gum! Bob Villa gets design inspiration from Max Gail! Abe Vigoda sings on The Mike Douglas Show! As Abe himself wonders, who could ask for anything more?

Plus you'll see vintage promos, Hal Linden in FYI, and glimpses of Dietrick and Lugar, who aren't in the episode we cover on the show. Check out the embedded playlist below or head to our official YouTube page to see this and dozens of other episode-specific video playlists!

4-12: Barney Miller "Werewolf"

The listeners voted again, and we listened again and discuss workplace sitcom Barney Miller. With half the NYPD out with swine flu, the overworked detectives of the 12th precinct have to contend with no coffee, shots, old people, and a werewolf! Plus, we work Marvel Comics superheroes and movie monsters into the conversation.


Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...

Great Moments in 70s and 80s TV History: Popeye says no to dope!

One of the best, and by best I mean most bizarre, aspects of  CBS' late 1970s Popeye revival, The All-New Popeye Hour, is the PSA segments. One of the worst, and by worst I mean most bizarre, aspects of same is the annoying group of Popeye's nephews. These features come together in this great segment from 1978. Note that the shady dealer doesn't seem to know the advice about never using your own product:

 

 

Our Popeye YouTube playlist is now live!

This week, the YouTube playlist takes us into the world of the funnies, with appearances by many of your favorite comic strip legends! Also watch out for appearances by: Loni Anderson! Robin Williams! Freddie Mercury! Plus lots of vintage ads and PSAs, and James Doohan participates in a comic-strip-illiterate round of Super Password.