Mary and Rhoda
Encyclopedia
Mary and Rhoda is a 2000 made-for-television movie
that reunited Mary Tyler Moore
and Valerie Harper
as Mary Richards
and Rhoda Morgenstern from the 1970–1977 sitcom
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
. Although the film is a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James L. Brooks
and Allan Burns
were uncredited for creating the characters. It was the only film of any kind to be based on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the first production to be set in the show's "universe" in 18 years since the series finale of Lou Grant
in 1982. Mary and Rhoda was written by Katie Ford, executive produced by Mary Tyler Moore and Susan B. Landau, and directed by Barnet Kellman
.
During the opening sequence, the original 1970 version of the "Love Is All Around" theme song is played and then changes to the 1996 version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.
after spending four months in Europe
following the death of her Congressman husband Steven Cronin in a rock climbing accident. Rhoda Morgenstern-Rousseau also returns to her native New York to make a fresh start as a photographer after living in Paris
where she has just recently left and divorced her second husband, Jean-Pierre Rousseau.
Now, both single and with college-age daughters — Mary's Rose is a student at New York University
and Rhoda's Meredith is pre-med
at Barnard College
— the old friends face the challenges of motherhood while re-establishing their friendship and new careers in a very difficult time.
, Ted Baxter
, Murray Slaughter
, Phyllis Lindstrom
, Georgette Baxter and Sue Ann Nivens
were never directly referred to, nor were Rhoda's sister Brenda Morgenstern or her father, Martin Morgenstern. The only character from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda to be mentioned was Ida Morgenstern, Rhoda's mother, though not by her name.
Anticipating strong viewer interest, ABC
scheduled the movie to air during February sweeps and considered it a pilot
for a weekly series. The program attracted 17.8 million viewers, beating out its main competition, CBS
's Everybody Loves Raymond
, but critical reaction was so adverse ABC decided to abandon the project.
to reprise their roles as Mary and Rhoda in a new sitcom slated for the fall of 1998. ABC had ordered 13 episodes for the new show which featured Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern as widows reunited by chance in New York after many years of estrangement, who each have a 20-something daughter named after the other (Mary's daughter is Rhoda Richards and Rhoda's daughter is Mary Morgenstern).
According to reports, ABC executives were not pleased with the pilot episode and the proposed sitcom was scrapped altogether. By 1999, it was confirmed that Moore and Harper would reunite instead in the two-hour made-for-TV movie Mary and Rhoda which began filming on October 18, 1999.
in Region 1
on April 20, 2004 by Studio Works Entertainment.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that reunited Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
and Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper
Valerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
as Mary Richards
Mary Richards
Mary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, is the main character of the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.-Family:Mary Richards, born in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the daughter of Walter and Dottie Richards...
and Rhoda Morgenstern from the 1970–1977 sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
. Although the film is a spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
and Allan Burns
Allan Burns
Allan Burns is an American screenwriter and television producer. Burns is best known for, alongside James L. Brooks, creating and writing for the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda.-Early life:...
were uncredited for creating the characters. It was the only film of any kind to be based on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the first production to be set in the show's "universe" in 18 years since the series finale of Lou Grant
Lou Grant (TV series)
Lou Grant is an American television drama series starring Ed Asner in the titular role as a newspaper editor. Unusual in American television, this drama series was a spinoff from a sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Aired from 1977 to 1982, Lou Grant won 13 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Drama...
in 1982. Mary and Rhoda was written by Katie Ford, executive produced by Mary Tyler Moore and Susan B. Landau, and directed by Barnet Kellman
Barnet Kellman
Barnet Kellman is a television and film director, television producer and film actor.- Director:* Samantha Who?* Notes from the Underbelly* Four Kings* Living with Fran* George Lopez* Alias* Mary and Rhoda* Felicity...
.
During the opening sequence, the original 1970 version of the "Love Is All Around" theme song is played and then changes to the 1996 version recorded by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.
Plot
Mary Richards-Cronin returns to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after spending four months in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
following the death of her Congressman husband Steven Cronin in a rock climbing accident. Rhoda Morgenstern-Rousseau also returns to her native New York to make a fresh start as a photographer after living in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where she has just recently left and divorced her second husband, Jean-Pierre Rousseau.
Now, both single and with college-age daughters — Mary's Rose is a student at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Rhoda's Meredith is pre-med
Pre-medical
Pre-medical is a term used to describe a track an undergraduate student in the United States pursues prior to becoming a medical student...
at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
— the old friends face the challenges of motherhood while re-establishing their friendship and new careers in a very difficult time.
Cast
- Mary Tyler MooreMary Tyler MooreMary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
as Mary Richards-CroninMary RichardsMary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, is the main character of the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.-Family:Mary Richards, born in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the daughter of Walter and Dottie Richards... - Valerie HarperValerie HarperValerie Harper is an American actress, known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s television show The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and for her starring roles on the sitcoms Rhoda and Valerie.-Early life and career:Harper was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Rockland County,...
as Rhoda Morgenstern-RousseauRhoda MorgensternRhoda Morgenstern, portrayed by Valerie Harper, is a character on the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show and subsequent spin-off Rhoda.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:... - Elon GoldElon GoldElon Gold is an American comedian, television actor, writer and producer. He starred in the television series Stacked. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom In-Laws...
as Jonah Seimeier - Christine EbersoleChristine EbersoleChristine Ebersole is an American actress and singer.-Early life:Ebersole was born in Winnetka, Illinois, where she attended New Trier High School...
as Cecile Andrews - Joie LenzBethany Joy GaleottiBethany Joy Galeotti is an American actress, musician, director, writer, and producer.Galeotti is best known for her on screen portrayals of Michelle Bauer Santos on Guiding Light and Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill...
as Rose Cronin - Marisa RyanMarisa RyanMarisa Ryan is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Elizabeth Cooper McGillis in the television sitcom Major Dad, she also co-starred as Det...
as Meredith Rousseau
Viewer reaction and reception
The film's producers intentionally tried to make the characters "current", and as a result, little time was spent with the characters discussing their former life in Minneapolis. This disappointed a number of longtime fans, as did the fact that former Mary Tyler Moore Show characters Lou GrantLou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
, Ted Baxter
Ted Baxter
Ted Baxter is a fictional character on the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Portrayed by Ted Knight, the Baxter character is a broad parody of a vain, shallow, buffoonish TV newsman. Knight's comedic model was William Powell, and he also drew on various Los Angeles newscasters, including George...
, Murray Slaughter
Murray Slaughter
Murray Slaughter was a fictional character in the situation comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was played by actor Gavin MacLeod.- Character :Murray Slaughter was the news writer at fictional television station WJM-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
, Phyllis Lindstrom
Phyllis Lindstrom
Phyllis Lindstrom is a fictional character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Phyllis, portrayed by Cloris Leachman.-The Mary Tyler Moore Show:...
, Georgette Baxter and Sue Ann Nivens
Sue Ann Nivens
Sue Ann Nivens was a fictional character on the long-running situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She was played by television perennial Betty White.- The Happy Homemaker :...
were never directly referred to, nor were Rhoda's sister Brenda Morgenstern or her father, Martin Morgenstern. The only character from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda to be mentioned was Ida Morgenstern, Rhoda's mother, though not by her name.
Anticipating strong viewer interest, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
scheduled the movie to air during February sweeps and considered it a pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
for a weekly series. The program attracted 17.8 million viewers, beating out its main competition, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, but critical reaction was so adverse ABC decided to abandon the project.
Early development
Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper announced in November 1997 that they had signed with ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to reprise their roles as Mary and Rhoda in a new sitcom slated for the fall of 1998. ABC had ordered 13 episodes for the new show which featured Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern as widows reunited by chance in New York after many years of estrangement, who each have a 20-something daughter named after the other (Mary's daughter is Rhoda Richards and Rhoda's daughter is Mary Morgenstern).
According to reports, ABC executives were not pleased with the pilot episode and the proposed sitcom was scrapped altogether. By 1999, it was confirmed that Moore and Harper would reunite instead in the two-hour made-for-TV movie Mary and Rhoda which began filming on October 18, 1999.
DVD release
Mary and Rhoda was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
on April 20, 2004 by Studio Works Entertainment.