Mary Tyler Moore Essay -- essays research papers

Who can turn the world on with her smile? One person stands out. A TV legend and an American icon: Mary Tyler Moore. Mary was born in Flatbush on December 29, 1973 to Irish-Catholic parents. Mary's family was neither rich nor poor. As a child, she attended St. Rose de Lima Parochial School. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was only ten years old. When she became older, she became a popular actress. Through the years, Mary Tyler Moore has remained as popular as ever. With recent movies such as "Flirting With Disaster" and "Payback". But it wasn't always so easy for her. She started out as the leggy secretary, Sam on "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" in 1957, where you could only see her legs. In 1961, Mary got her biggest break yet, playing Laura Petrie, the wife of Rob on "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Mary played her part well for the next six years. During this time, she was awarded two Emmy's. In 1966, the show was taken off and Mary was left without a job. In 1967, Mary went on to play the part of Miss Dorothy in the Oscar winning, "Thoroughly Modern Millie". She played along side Julie Andrews and Carol Channing. In a survey taken by 97 people who had seen the movie, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" ranked a 7.7 out of on the rating scale, where 10 is the highest and 1 is the lowest. The number 10 received the highest number of votes (29). Through the years, Mary appeared in other movies, which did little for her career. Then, in 1969, she appeared with Dick Van Dyke in a special "How To Succeed in the 70's Without Really Trying" which appeared on CBS on April 13, 1969. It was this show that rekindled the network's interest in Mary Tyler Moore. CBS is reported to have said, "My God, we've discovered a star". CBS wanted Mary for a series. At the time, they felt that they needed to explain to the audience why a 30 year old woman had not been married. In a way, it demonstrated how limited the public's thinking was at the time, with respect to women. At first, the studio suggested a divorcee. Mary loved the idea, but the network soon decided that the viewing audience would think that Mary had divorced Dick Van Dyke. At first it was so frustrating to executives that they considered giving up on the series completely. On January 10, 1970,... ...eople will say "Can you believe people used to eat animals?". Mary Tyler Moore recently wrote her autobiography, which is entitled, "After All". Her biography proves that Mary Tyler Moore and Mary Richards are not much alike. She breaks new ground when she talks about her struggle with drugs and the pain of trying to help her brother commit suicide. Mary's latest feature film, "Flirting With Disaster", starring Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquette, shows a new side of Mary. The film teeters on the edge for most viewers who are used to the ‘Mary Richards' side of Mary Tyler Moore. Ms. Moore, on the other hand, thinks otherwise. "The characters are married adults and there's nothing actually explicitly shown. It's always over the back of the head and nothing is seen." After bit parts and lead roles, Mary Tyler Moore shows that she has had her share of ups and downs. Her production company, "Mary Tyler Moore", has produced many popular television sitcoms, and today, Mary is one of the wealthiest women in show business. In 1996 Mary was crowned Queen of Brooklyn, showing that she truly did "Make It After All"