The year’s celebrity death toll begins its inexorable rise: Mary Tyler Moore has died. I tried to tell you, there was nothing special about 2016, 2017 — every year — will kill again and again and again.
P.S. I don’t hate spunk.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
It’s starting to feel like they are escaping.
Episode 1.
Yes, people die. Yes, people who are adults now are seeing the previous generation die off.
But why is it that it’s so much been the good people going lately? That’s the part that stings. If it had only been interspersed with some older evil political figures, for instance…
Maybe 2018 will be the year that nobody dies.
(Okay, that’s the type of black humor I used to like when I was a angsty teenager in the cold war arms race… Not sure I like it as much any more.)
In an era of “yelling” sit-coms like All in the Family, her namesake show a breathe of fresh air, with a far gentler type of humor. She was the glue that held a talented cast together, and allowed them to be funny too. Most the regular cast went on to star in shows of their own.
Besides, I like spunky women. RIP.
Rest in feminist power, Ms. Moore.
RIP Mary.
I loved both All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore. Below are two of my favourite moments:
AITF
Archie Bunker snarks to a black television repairman, “Hey, watch where you’re goin’, boy.” The black man answers, “I’m not a boy, I’m a MAN.” (The rest of the episode was Rashomon, as the incident was remembered differently by Archie and then by Gloria and Mike.
MTM
Single Mary has a boyfriend. She finds he is screwing around on her she confronts him. He apologizes. SHE TAKES HIM BACK! I had never seen that scenario on TV before: a single woman unapologetically having sex; and a couple actually getting through infidelity, rather than having it blow up the relationship permanently.
A strong, talented, principled, sexually active single working woman surrounded by several other strong women (and men who accepted them)…. MTM was the gop’s nightmare*. I think they were the first show to overtly (if not explicitly) talk about conception (Ted explaining why he’s infertile–“I don’t have enough of those little guys”; and then later, after they’ve adopted, when Georgette gets pregnant she says “I guess one of those little guys got through anyway”).
And even Laura Petrie was fairly advanced for her time (Capri pants!).
*With the caveat that it wasn’t very racially diverse, and IIRC there were no LGBT people. All in the Family was far ahead of them in that regard.
2017 will continue to kill beloved people, but 2016 really was an outlier: https://medium.com/@jasoncrease/was-2016-especially-dangerous-for-celebrities-79d79b9fae02#.1ozvlzaoh
re @3:
no shit sherlock.
what the fuck is wrong with expressing grief over the passing of a person they admired.
I too am crying due to her passing. Not unexpected yet still regrettable. I always had a crush for her even when she played Mrs Petrie on Dick Van Dyke Show. Totally enjoyed her renaissance as MTM, both on her iconic show and as the production company of many other favorites.
yes it is only superstition that blames supernatural forces. So, regardless, I’ll blame that Turd in the WH. I can imagine her restrained rage at his behavior, stressing her body beyond its capability. Age does that. She was 80, and possessed type 1 diabetes. — no i’m not really “blaming”, just trying to cope with the loss.
*eyes watering*
RIP, MTM
re @3
apologies for my snap @11
11 was responding to only the first line of @3.
rereading 3 I see the rest of it I totally agree with you and your expressive capabilities.
apologies I snapped too quickly.
grief has such an affect on me.
sorry.
I adored her. Grew up with her show. She loved animals.
Don’t wish to lower the tone ,but does the word spunk have the same meaning in America has it does in GB ?.
If you are referring the British slang term for semen, NO. That is a nasty British nastyism.
If the question would lower the tone, then no. (It’s a reference to this – spunk is like energy/chutzpah/positivity.)
Spunk = moxie.
Yes, moxie.
Moxie? I’m no licorice fan. Otherwise, grieve for her loss, quietly. She was a Woman with a lot on her shoulders and was still a delight to watch weekly. Be happy she lived and was around when you were.
Spunk! A word that has caused many UK male teenagers to be completely unable to read ‘Catcher in the rye’ IIRC.
As for MTM I grew up watching her on both sides of the atlantic but am horrified to discover I remember nothing of her shows plots – the music, the actors and their characters yes but the plots no? My mum was a great fan and insisted on watching them and some bits trigger memories of her and the rooms we watched the shows together in but I guess the shows themselves didnt interest me. But watching MTM is like being with a favourite aunt.
The best line from one of the greatest shows. From a killer CBS Saturday night best ever lineup – All in the Family, MTM, MASH, Newhart & Carol Burnett IIRC MASH was in the lineup only one year.
madtom@20
Also Graham Greene’s use of the word erection in one of his short stories .
Don’t remember The MTM show ,i did like Rhoda with Valerie Harper .
One memorable episode of the MTM show featured the death and funeral of Chuckles the Clown. Well worth another watching.
https://youtu.be/ihLJrcS8lsg
One of the contestants @midnight offered, in “This American Year” challenge: this is the year of Mary Tyler Less ?