The Gospel of Mary Tyler Moore

I love Mary Tyler Moore. I mean, I really love it. Well maybe I don't love MTM the lady, in real life. I don't know much about her except she was quite funny in Flirting with Disaster and that she's all about loving animals. But I will say that I love her show. I love the character Mary Richards, and I love the way MTM played her.

Since school's been out these precious few days so far, I've parked my rear on the sofa and have been watching MTM on dvd. I bought the first season for myself the week I found out I passed my Master's Degree program. I made it after all, didn't I?

Oh, Mary. What a lady you were then in the early days of the new feminist movement. Going out there on your own, not needing a man, a single woman with her good friends taking on a challenging new career. What I love about Mary is that she isn't Marlo Thomas. She doesn't magically have a ton of great clothes, always have a full pocketbook, and a perfect man hovering around her charmed life. Mary runs short of money, gets robbed and has to buy a new wardrobe, and wears the same dresses over and over. She doesn't have perfect friends, either- Rhoda and Phyllis certainly have their flaws. The wonderful thing about Mary is that she makes it work. Mary always gets through with tears, laughter, or a smile. She has a core inside her, and can take care of herself, even if she has a semi stalker for a date (remember Howard Arnell, the recurring obsessed boyfriend? I sometimes wonder if the Simpsons character of Arty Ziff wasn't based on him), even if Lou has crossed the line from loveable gruff to jerk, even if her job is in jeopardy, even if she fights with Rhoda, even if she has to work on Christmas, even if she gets robbed of her worldly possesions.

And why can she get through all this? Because she can turn the world on with her smile, and she's gonna make it after all.

So throw that hat up in the air, MTM. Even at the busy intersection by Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis (where, by the way, you could get killed by a car pulling a stunt like that). Cause love is all around, and because despite the funny way that old woman is looking at you, I have total confidence that you catch your hat in the end, and that you find happiness at WJM.