Friday knowledge-off: Mary Tyler Moore

1. The original idea for the Mary Tyler Moore show was to have her play a divorced woman, but CBS executives nixed the idea. Why?

A. They thought it would make her seem too callous
B. They thought it would make her seem too promiscuous

C. They couldn’t find the right guy to play her ex-husband
D. They thought audiences would assume she divorced Dick Van Dyke

2. MTM Enterprises, which produced the show, had a cute, meowing kitten as a mascot. What was the kitten’s name?

A. Mary
B. Mimsie
C. Sugar
D. Peaches

3. As a teen, Mary Tyler Moore had auditioned for a role as Danny Thomas’ daughter on his self-titled sitcom, but she didn’t get the job, despite her talent. Why?

A. Because she refused to quit school for the part
B. Because they wanted her to dress too risqué

C. Because her nose was too small
D. Because her feet were too big

4. Ted Baxter, Mary’s annoying co-worker on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, idolized which famous journalist?

A. Edward R. Murrow
B. Walter Cronkite
C. Mike Wallace
D. Joseph Pulitzer

5. One of Mary Tyler Moore’s first big breaks came on a show called “Richard Diamond, Private Detective”, but you might not recognize her on it. Why not?

A. She weighed almost 70 pounds more than she did on the Dick Van Dyke show
B. She played a disfigured burn victim
C. She never showed her face on screen
D. The show was cancelled before her part aired

Answers:
1)D, 2) B,3) C – Danny Thomas rejected her, saying that “no one would believe a girl with a little button nose like hers could be a daughter of mine.” 4. B&C,5) C – Her performance was particularly notorious because her legs (usually dangling a pump on her toe) were shown instead of her face.