Mary Tyler Moore Movies
Born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 29, 1936, actress/dancer/rubberfaced comedienne Mary Tyler Moore went on to star in the definitive television comedies of both the 1960s and the 1970s: The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977). For her performances as Laura Petrie and Mary Richards, Moore won five Emmy Awards, in 1965, 1966, 1973, 1974, and 1976.Moore got her start in television commercials, acting as Happy Hotpoint, the Hotpoint Appliance Elf during The Ozzie and Harriet Show in 1955. She then progressed to a stint as the disembodied voice and legs of Sam, the answering service lady, on Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957-1960). Three unsuccessful shows and a series of TV specials followed her more notable series: Mary (1978), the Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979), and Mary (1985-1986). Her dramatic career took off in 1981, when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of the repressed mother in Ordinary People. Moore had Broadway success with Whose Life Is It Anyway?, appeared in the highly acclaimed Finnegan, Begin Again with Robert Preston on HBO, and won a CableACE Award in 1993 for her performance as an evil orphanage director in Stolen Babies. In 1996, Moore gained the appreciation of a new generation of fans with her hilarious turn as Ben Stiller's neurotic mother in David O. Russell's Flirting With Disaster. She also experienced a sort of renaissance through her mention in other films, notably Douglas Keeve's 1995 frockumentary Unzipped, which featured a beatific Isaac Mizrahi extolling the virtues of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and singing its theme song. In addition to her television and film work, Moore, as a well-known diabetic, has been a longtime representative of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. And though her film and television roles would become more sporadic moving into the new millennium, Moore could still be seen in the occasional theatrical release (Cheats, Against the Current) or made-for-television movie (Miss Lettie and Me, Snow Wonder) while making guest appearances in such popular sitcoms as That 70's Show and Hot in Cleveland. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- 2005
- Add The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits to Queue Add The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits to top of Queue
The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits offers stories about the productions of eight famous programs. Among the shows discussed are Cheers, L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, he Addams Family, The Munsters, and I Love Lucy. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 2005
In the tradition of such omnibus films as Tales of Manhattan and Flesh and Fantasy, the made-for-TV Snow Wonder features five separate stories, tenuously linked together by a single plot strand -- in this case, a freak Christmas Eve snowstorm that has blanketed the world, striking even in such traditionally snow-free areas as Malaysia and Hawaii. While Madagascar-based meteorologist Billy (Josh Randall) tries to make sense of the phenomenon, his lovely assistant, Joey (Michelle Krusiec), muses philosophically "Snow can change people's lives." How right she is. As the film progresses, we are whisked off to Kentucky, where lovelorn bridesmaid Paula (Poppy Montgomery) watches in mute astonishment as her best friend's wedding crashes and burns as a result of the sudden blizzard; to New Mexico, where recently widowed Bev (Camryn Manheim) has retreated in hopes of overcoming the bitterness attending the death of her husband exactly one year before; to New York, where young Luke (Eric Szmanda), an aspiring writer whose parents seem to take great delight in discouraging him, receives a surfeit of inspiration from his freewheeling aunt Lila (Mary Tyler Moore); and to Baltimore, where philandering husband Warren (Jason Priestley), who has prepared the "perfect alibi" with which to hoodwink his loving wife, is helplessly snowbound with his current mistress. By film's end, the good have been rewarded, the bad have been punished, and something special develops between Billy and Joey...suggesting that this is no ordinary "random" snowstorm. Based on Connie Willis' short story Just Like the Ones We Used to Know, Snow Wonder made its CBS debut on November 20, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Ann Emery, Jennifer Esposito, (more)
Mary Tyler Moore reunites with the man who played her '60s small-screen husband, Dick Van Dyke, in this film adaptation of D.L. Coburn's much-lauded 1976 play. The Gin Game concerns a burgeoning friendship -- and an insurmountable rift -- between Fonsia Dorsey (Moore) and Weller Martin (Van Dyke), two seniors who find companionship with one another over daily card games at their retirement home. Fonsia is initially attracted to Weller's wry, sarcastic manner, but over the course of their conversations together, the two begin to impose their life's failures and regrets upon each another. The Gin Game premiered as part of PBS' Hollywood Presents series in May 2003. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- 2003
Organized by New York's Museum of Television and Radio, this impressively assembled tribute to the funny women boasts a stellar all-female cast, drawn from half a century's worth of video entertainment. Hosted by Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), the special uses rare film clips and interviews to pay homage to such iconic figures as Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Bea Arthur, and especially the woman who started it all, Lucille Ball. A number of veteran comediennes are in attendance, along with the newer crop of "girls." Amidst the hilarity, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Seinfeld) offers a poignant paean to the late Gilda Radner. Great Women of Television and Comedy was originally broadcast by NBC -- which may explain the preponderance of guest stars from that network's then-current sitcom manifest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
Buried under several layers of old-age makeup and outfitted with thick horn-rims and a grey wig, Mary Tyler Moore stars in this TV-movie adaptation of Anna Quindlen's novel Blessings. Moore is cast as octogenarian Lydia Blessing, who lives on a huge country estate, imprisoned by her own bitter memories of the past (depicted in sepia-toned flashbacks, with Janaya Stephens as the young Lydia). The old recluse comes out of her shell briefly to hire a new handyman, sullen ex-convict Skip Cuddy (Liam Waite), who has plenty of his own emotional baggage. When Skip stumbles across an abandoned baby, he sets in motion a series of poignant events that will ultimately return both Lydia and him to the land of the living -- provided that they aren't stopped in their tracks by Lydia's disapproving daughter, Meredith (Kathleen Quinlan), and judgmental housekeeper, Jennifer (China Chow). Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, Blessings first aired October 5, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)
- 2003
Written in 1976 and staged on Broadway the following year, D.L. Coburn's two-character play The Gin Game was first televised in 1981 with the play's stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy repeating their roles as a pair of oil-and-water residents in a dismal nursing home. This 2003 remake, produced for PBS, pulls off the spectacular clue of reuniting Dick Van Dyke Show stars Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, casting them in parts that are as different from Rob and Laura Petrie as it is possible to get without traveling to another planet. Van Dyke plays Weller Martin, an irascible oldster who considers the day wasted if he doesn't fill the air with the foulest language imaginable. Not surprisingly, Weller gets along with no one at the home -- which would suit him fine if he wasn't a gin-rummy addict. Enter Fonsia Dorsey (Moore), a prim, proper senior citizen who has only two things in common with Weller: She has been effectively abandoned by her family, and she loves playing cards. Inevitably, the mismatched duo embarks upon a series of spirited gin games, punctuated by terse verbal combat, at least one physical assault, and, ultimately, a touching display of tenderness and concern. For those PBS outlets whose viewers were not prepared to hear and see two TV icons swearing like sailors and striking one another, the network prepared a "clean" version of The Gin Game, where at least the language was toned down (if not the play's original bite and bitterness). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, (more)
Co-director of the controversial 1998 documentary Frat House, Andrew Gurland attempts to follow in the teen-comedy footsteps of his partner on that film, Todd Phillips (Road Trip), with Cheats. The film centers on Handsome (Trevor Fehrman) and Sammy (Elden Henson), a scheming pair of best pals who cheat their ways through elementary school and junior high. Once in high school, the duo meets Victor (Matthew Lawrence) and Applebee (Martin Starr) and prove that in cheating, four heads are better than two. But when their principal catches them, they are put on probation. With that in mind, the gang must decide whether to pull off one final, grandiose cheat at the risk of being caught and having their college dreams squelched. Although intended for a theatrical release, Cheats had its premiere on Cinemax before being released on home video and DVD. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Trevor Fehrman, Elden Henson, (more)
Based on "Poor Little Innocent Lamb," a short story by Katherine Patterson, Miss Lettie and Me stars Mary Tyler Moore as Lettie Anderson, an embittered oldster who has been forced throughout her life to sacrifice any chance for lasting happiness. Living on a remote farm with only her handyman Isaiah Griffin (Charles Robinson) as company, Lettie has effectively shut herself off from the rest of the world--and, having done so, is hardly pleased when her 9-year-old grandniece Travis (Holliston Coleman) comes to live on the farm for the summer. Hoping to melt her great-aunt's frozen heart, Travis succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, even bringing Lettie together again with her "lost love" Samuel Madison (Burt Reynolds, an ex-ballplayer turned drug store owner). A "Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation" produced for the TNT cable network, Miss Lettie and Me debuted on December 8, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2001
In one of the most startling examples of "playing against type" in TV history, beloved sitcom icon Mary Tyler Moore stars as Sante Chamber Kimes, a woman who was accurately described during her trial for murder as "...a sociopath of unremitting violence, the most remorseless degenerate ever to appear in this courtroom..." Based on a true story, this CBS TV movie details the events leading up to the killing of wealthy, lonely socialite Irene Silverman (Jean Stapleton), a murder orchestrated by the evil-incarnate Sante and carried out by her loving son Kenny (Gabriel Olds). The film is unsparing in its depiction of the coldblooded, sexually promiscuous Sante, who throughout her life managed to wheedle and manipulate other people to do her bidding, no matter how odious and repellant that bidding was. Without giving away the film's ending, it is a matter of record that, as of this writing, Sante and Kenny Kimes are serving prison terms with a combined total of 246 years. Like Mother, Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes was originally broadcast on May 20, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Jean Stapleton, (more)
- 2000
Sarah (Kyra Sedgwick) is a New York City columnist who falls in love with -- and quickly gets pregnant by -- Ryan (Rob Morrow), a free-spirited artist who promptly vanishes for eight months. Ryan, of course, has no idea he's going to be a father, and neither do her protective parents (Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Klein). The pregnancy is hidden until her zany best friend Lulu (Lela Rochon) spills the beans when Sarah is unable to sign the adoption papers while in the hospital during labor. When Ryan arrives at the hospital, he's confronted by Sarah, her parents, Lulu, the coming baby, and the woman Ryan is living with. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) and Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper) from The Mary Tyler Moore Show reunite in this made-for-TV movie. In this go around, both Mary and Rhoda find themselves alone after the death of Mary's husband and Rhoda's divorce. Both try to jumpstart their dormant careers and reconnect with their daughters. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, (more)
- 1998
Important issues that may affect a child's life are portrayed in a lighthearted but sincere manner in this HBO special based on Rosie O'Donnell's book by the same name. O'Donnell shows how laughter and a sense of humor are a vital part of dealing with things that might be beyond one's immediate control. The 30-minute program mixes short animated tales that contain a particular lesson or theme with short clips of children talking candidly about what things they think are funny. Issues that are addressed in this innovative format are slavery, heaven, and the death of a classmate. A good show for families to watch and discuss together. Net proceeds are donated to the For All Kids Foundation, a group that awards grants to programs helping disadvantaged children throughout the United States.
~ Sarah Block, Rovi
~ Sarah Block, Rovi
- 1998
This two-hour TV entertainment special takes a surface skim (95 minutes minus commercials and promos) over the history of CBS, quickly skipping past decades of CBS radio to concentrate on CBS television from the late '40s to the present. It features more than a dozen hosts (Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, Carol Burnett, David Copperfield, Roma Downey, Fran Drescher, Don Johnson, Angela Lansbury, David Letterman, Cheech Marin, Mary Tyler Moore, Dan Rather, Della Reese, Ray Romano, Jane Seymour) introducing a parade of primetime clips covering a variety of shows, events, and people -- Ed Sullivan, The Carol Burnette Show, 60 Minutes (Mike Wallace interviewing Barbra Streisand), Gunsmoke, The Honeymooners, Edward R. Murrow (his oft-seen editorial on Joe McCarthy), I Love Lucy, The Twilight Zone, The Waltons, Dan Rather reporting from Vietnam, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Green Acres, Dallas, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, M*A*S*H, The Andy Griffith Show, Murphy Brown, the JFK assassination, and more -- with reminiscences from Tom and Dick Smothers, David Letterman (on Ed Sullivan), Larry Hagman (on "Who shot J.R.?"), Alan Alda, Ron Howard, Walter Cronkite, and others. At 95 minutes, these nostalgic nods, truncated tributes, and familiar faces might leave many viewers yearning for an archeological dig through the little-seen rarities and antiquities buried in the Museum of Television & Radio collection while waiting for the major networks to cover broadcasting history in depth. Premiered May 20, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, Ed Bradley, (more)
- 1998
Mary Tyler Moore is the host of this TV special, taped at Atlanta's Rialto Center for the Performing Arts before a live audience of dogs and people. Promoting the Pet Partners Project of the Delta Society, this mock awards show honors animals which have aided the disadvantaged, such as Frosty, a horse loved by kids with Downs Syndrome. The rabbit Dusty provides comfort for burn victims, and a boy born minus legs has turtle Mo for a companion. Natasha is a helpful hound for a wheelchair-bound girl, and the Vietnamese pig Harley D. Swine is the porker pal to several severe head-trauma patients attempting to regain speech-motor functions. Three cats -- Buster, Flashback, Flame -- are pets at a Miami nursing home. Stingray Splasha jumps out of the water to help a youth with cerebral palsy. This 40-minute family special aired June 28, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore
In this animated feature from Disney, Santa Claus' anointed helper Granny Rose (the voice of Mary Tyler Moore) falls ill and turns her toy-delivery duties over to the sneaky and conniving profiteer Mr. Grimm (voice of Tony Randall). When the toys discover Grimm's plans to sell them off come Christmas morning, they band together to foil his plan and reach their intended homes on time. ~ Sarah Welsh, Rovi
- 1997
Mary Tyler Moore is reunited with her onetime sitcom costar Edward Asner in this anything-but-funny TV movie melodrama. While closing down her restaurant late one night, Kathryn Stanfill (Moore) notices a prowler hanging around outside. She quickly summons the police, only to stand by in horror as one of the cops, a loose cannon named Brian Kaleen (Frederick Lehne), brutally and without provocation beats the prowler within an inch of his life. Jack Patkanis (Asner), the police department's Internal Affairs investigator, has long suspected that there have been a few rotten apples like Kaleen on the force, and urges Kathryn to report the beating. Suspended from the force, the psychotic Kaleen methodically mounts a campaign of revenge, using his police-department and political connections to financially destroy Kathryn's husband (Dennis Arndt) and frame her son (Adam Scott) on a murder charge. Payback was first telecast by ABC on February 10, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, (more)
In this satirical comedy, Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) has a beautiful wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and a four-month old son, and on the surface his life is good. But something's been troubling him: Mel knows he was adopted, and he can't resolve his issues with the mother who gave him away years ago, much to the annoyance of his adoptive parents (George Segal and Mary Tyler Moore). Mel decides it's time he met his birth parents and resolved his feelings once and for all, and Tina (Tea Leoni), a psychology student, has offered to tag along to capture the event on video for a research project. But after a few minutes with Mel's "real" mother, they discover that a mistake has been made and they've been directed to the wrong person. A second meeting, this time with Mel's supposed dad, also turns out to be a mistake, and it's quite some time before Mel, Nancy, and Tina are finally face to face with Mel's biological parents -- a pair of burned-out hippies (played by Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin) who support themselves by dealing blotter acid daubed onto pictures of Ronald Reagan. It doesn't help that Mel finds himself attracted to the very leggy Tina, or that Nancy's head is turned by a bisexual ATF agent (Josh Brolin). Writer/director David O. Russell previously made a splash with his independent debut feature, 1994's Spanking the Monkey. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, (more)
The black sheep son of a wealthy family sinks deeper into corruption the harder he tries to pull himself out in this drama. Richter Boudreau (Eric Stoltz) is a small-time film critic with a checkered past and some bad debts who decides to return to his old home town of Tulsa in hopes of getting his life back in order, much to the dismay of his mother Cynthia (Mary Tyler Moore), who is sick of lending him money and would prefer to have nothing to do with him. Richter still carries a torch for his one-time girlfriend Vicky (Deborah Kara Unger), who these days is married (not especially happily) to Ronnie (James Spader), a low level drug dealer with loftier criminal ambitions. Richter owes Ronnie money from a long time ago and isn't in a position to say no when Ronnie asks him to help with his latest scheme; Cherry (Joanna Going), a stripper, was a witness to the murder of a prostitute, and since the killer, Bedford Shaw (Marco Perella), is the son of the richest and most powerful man in town, Harmon Shaw (James Coburn), Ronnie feels that this information has remarkable blackmail potential. Richter finds himself caught up in Ronnie's plan while fully aware of the danger of tangling with Harmon Shaw. He also finds himself falling into ill-advised romance with Cherry. Keys to Tulsa was the first directorial effort for producer Leslie Greif; Cameron Diaz and Michael Rooker also appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Cameron Diaz, (more)
- 1995
When her little nephew visits her and her overbearing sisters, a rather naïve, simple-minded young woman finds herself inundated with terrifying memories of a childhood trauma. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1994
Struck down by the flu, Frasier is too ill to do his daily radio advice show, so his brother, Niles (David Hyde Pierce), offers to fill in -- with great trepidation. Despite an early attack of stage fright, Niles performs brilliantly on the air. In fact, he performs a bit too brilliantly to suit Frasier, who now fears that Niles will end up taking over his job on a permanent basis. The paranoia becomes as thick as pea soup when food critic Gil Chesterton (Edward Hibbert in his series debut) enters into the equation. Listen for a veritable all-star roster of "guest voices" on this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1993
Inspired by a 60 Minutes story, the made-for-cable Stolen Babies is the fact-based story of supposed "angel of mercy" Georgia Tann. Throughout the 1940s, Ms. Tann oversaw the adoption of children from her Tennessee orphanage. Since she was considered a pillar of the community, few questioned Tann's methods. Only when dedicated social worker Anne Beals began chipping away at Tann's respectable veneer did a terrible truth come to light. The principal selling angle of Stolen Babies was the way-against-type casting of Mary Tyler Moore as purse-lipped, bespectacled, quietly sinister Georgia Tann (not surprisingly, Moore won an Emmy for this chilling performance). Lea Thompson was more traditionally cast as the whistle-blowing Anne Beals. Stolen Babies first aired March 25, 1993, over the Lifetime Cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Lea Thompson, (more)
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