MARY TYLER MOORE'S HOW TO SURVIVE THE '70s ... AND MAYBE EVEN BUMP INTO HAPPINESS (TV)
Summary
This comedy/musical special, hosted by Mary Tyler Moore, parodies the fads and trends of the 1970s.
Moore opens the program by singing "I Want to be Happy," though the pessimistic announcer wonders if such a thing is possible in such a turbulent decade. Undeterred, Moore introduces Harvey Korman and John Ritter, who then assist her in judging a silly fashion show in which the bizarre trends of the 1970s are displayed. Next, Moore explains that group therapy has become popular, and she attends a session with a large number of other "patients." The doctor calls her out on her need for "an audience," and Moore admits her love of performing as she sings "I've Got Them Feeling-Too-Good-Today Blues."
Next, Moore discusses relationships and performs a wordless sketch in which she and longtime TV husband Dick Van Dyke portray two strangers who spot one another in an elevator and begin to flirt, though they are both quickly distracted by the arrival of other people, leading to jealousy and strife. Ritter describes the pros and cons of telephone answering machines as a couple, Marvin and Sheila, argues back and forth in recorded messages before a third party, Lowell, interrupts the conversation. Moore reads her horoscope and performs with the "Zodiac Dancers," all of whom put a great deal of stock in the meaning of their astrological signs. Next, Moore reads through a self-help book and decides to be more assertive; when she tries to send back an overcooked steak at a restaurant, she ends up causing a scene: the angry waiter fires the chef, who in turn reveals that he has been conducting an affair with the waiter's wife.
Moore then portrays a perky tennis player who joins the humorless Maury for a game of doubles, but she soon discovers that he has taken all the fun out of it with his severe attitude. She lectures him about not enjoying the sport and "smelling the roses," and he regretfully agrees that he has been taking things too seriously. They agree to resume the game – but find that their opponents have left. At a singles' bar, Moore encounters men both pushy and extremely shy before spotting David, her own soon-to-be-ex-husband, and they banter before admitting that they both feel "dopey" reentering the dating pool after their split. Moore then "celebrates" jogging with an elaborate dance number, after which Korman introduces the book "Passages," which describes the many typical events that one will likely face over the decades of their lives. He then introduces a skeptical Moore to her future, describing the many ups and downs that she will face in years to come, including several failed returns to television – in which she repeatedly portrays a plucky single gal in a newsroom – and her later marriages. Finally, Moore concludes that everyone is just attempting to be happy in their own ways. She closes the program with "Listen Here." Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:01
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:65797
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy/Variety; Music; Specials
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1978
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Oil of Olay skin products
- TV - Commercials - Prudential insurance
CREDITS
- Bill Persky … Producer, Director, Writer
- Frank Badami … Associate Producer
- Phil Hahn … Writer
- April Kelly … Writer
- Wayne Kline … Writer
- Tom Sawyer … Writer
- Sam Bobrick … Writer
- David Frishberg … Music by
- Jack Elliott … Conductor
- Tony Stevens … Choreographer
- Mary Tyler Moore … Host, Performer
- Harvey Korman … Guest, Performer
- John Ritter … Guest, Performer
- Dick Van Dyke … Guest, Performer
- Catlin Adams … Cast, Kim
- Candice Azzara … Cast, Sheila
- Allen Case … Cast, Bob
- Gene Conforti … Cast, Luigi
- Sam Denoff … Cast, Fred
- Michael Durrell … Cast, Lowell
- Arny Freeman … Cast, Abner
- Alan Oppenheimer … Cast, Marvin
- Henry Polic II … Cast, Pierre
- Christopher Guest … Cast, Leader
- Eddie Barth … Cast, Waiter
- Beverly Sanders … Cast, Waitress
- Steve Landesberg … Cast, Announcer