James L. Brooks Movies

At Andy's urging, Aunt Bee becomes the star of a cooking show on Silver City television station WZAZ. Scoring a hit as "The Mayberry Chef", Bee worries that she is neglecting her duties at home, but Andy and Opie assure her otherwise-even though their own attempts at cooking are, to put it charitably, gosh-awful. Jack Bannon, the son of Petticoat Junction star Bea Benaderet, appears as the TV announcer. Written by 27-year-old James L. Brooks (Taxi, The Simpsons etc.), "The Mayberry Chef" originally aired on January 1, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the best network sitcoms to emerge from the 1970s (and it was a crowded field indeed during that remarkable decade!), The Mary Tyler Moore Show starred the titular actress as Mary Richards, a single, slightly insecure woman in her early thirties who worked as associate producer for the evening news broadcast at independent Minneapolis station WJM-TV. Mary's boss was irascible-but-lovable producer Lou Grant (Edward Asner); head writer for the newscast was upbeat if somewhat sarcastic Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod); and the WJM anchorman was Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), blessed with dazzling looks, a mellifluous voice, an enormous ego, and a pea-sized intellect. In the early seasons, future Good Times star John Amos was seen as WJM weatherman Gordy Howard; and beginning in the series' fourth season, Betty White was added to the cast as Sue Ann Nivens, hostess of the station's "Happy Homemaker" show, whose sugary-sweet demeanor masked a powerful sex drive. When not at the studio, Mary Richards could be found in her small apartment, palling around with her brash, New York-bred neighbor Rhoda Morganstern (Valerie Harper), who worked as a department-store window dresser; and with her landlady, supercilious busybody Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman), who prattled endlessly about her never-seen husband, Lars, and who carried on a battle of wits with the acidulous Rhoda. Seen on a less frequent basis were Phyllis' spoiled daughter, Bess (Lisa Gerritsen); Murray's perky wife, Marie (Joyce Bulifant); and beginning in the third season, Ted Baxter's soft-spoken but iron-willed girlfriend, Georgette Franklin (Georgia Engel), who eventually married Ted and bore him a daughter.

As The Mary Tyler Moore Show rolled on, both Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman departed for their own spin-off series, respectively Rhoda and Phyllis. Also, Lou Grant and his wife, Edie (Priscilla Morrill), were divorced, Ted and Georgette adopted an eight-year-old boy named David (Robbie Rist), and Mary moved out of her old apartment and into a high rise -- though she took her trademarked "Big M" wall decoration with her. In the series' now-legendary final episode, the new station manager of WJM-TV decided to fire everyone on the staff -- except, incredibly, for the dimwitted Ted Baxter! Originally telecast by CBS from September 19, 1970, through September 3, 1977, The Mary Tyler Moore Show was not only the recipient of numerous industry awards, but it also served as the cornerstone for the thriving MTM Productions TV-series factory, which turned out such worthwhile efforts as Lou Grant, a straight dramatic series starring Ed Asner in a continuation of his Mary Tyler Moore role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast September 19, 1970, "Love Is All Around" is the classic opening episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Newly arrived in Minneapolis, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) rents an apartment from airheaded Phyllis Lindstrom (Cloris Leachman), then manages to get off on the wrong foot with her waspish neighbor Rhoda Morganstern (Valerie Harper). The next day, Mary applies for a clerical job at the newsroom of bottom-rated WJM-TV, where in quick succession, she meets long-suffering news writer Murray Slaughter (Gavin MacLeod) and egotistical anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight). Surviving a contentious job interview with cantankerous TV producer Lou Grant (Edward Asner) -- who, as everyone knows, hates spunk -- Mary unexpectedly lands the position of associate producer for "The Six O'Clock News." And there's still time left over for a bittersweet reunion with her ex-boyfriend (Angus Duncan). A model of brisk and economical comedy construction, "Love Is All Around" set the high standards for all the brilliant Mary Tyler Moore Show episodes to follow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart star as husbands who have some explaining to do in this made-for-television comedy. Wilder stars as Harry Evers and Newhart as Marvin Ellison, two friends who decide to keep up their Thursday night escapades after their weekly poker game breaks up. When their wives find out though (Ellen Burstyn and Cloris Leachman, respectively) they want to know just what their husbands have been doing. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Season three of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was launched with a spoof of a then-current broadcasting trend: "Happy Talk" TV newscasts. Ordered by station management to lighten up the format of WJM-TV's six o'clock news report, Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore) is stuck with the responsibility of transforming humorless anchor Ted Baxter (Ted Knight) into a veritable laugh riot. The strategy backfires when Ted begins cracking bad-taste jokes at the slightest opportunity, culminating in an on-the-air confrontation with a fed-up Mary. Meanwhile, she tries to convince her chauvinistic boss, Lou Grant (Edward Asner), that equal pay for female employees is not merely a political slogan. "The Good-Time News" first aired on September 16, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It is a testament to the brilliance of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that the series' 168th and final episode earned an Emmy Award for Best Comedy Writing. When WJM-TV is taken over by new owners, everyone in the newsroom is certain that he or she will be given the pink slip -- none more so than anchorman Ted Baxter (Ted Knight), who literally hides behind his family during a meeting with newly installed station manager Coleman (Vincent Gardenia). But in one of the worst-kept secrets of the 1976-1977 TV season, everybody in the newsroom is fired except for Ted. Even so, there's still plenty of time for laughter, tears, and cameo appearances by former regulars Valerie Harper (Rhoda) and Cloris Leachman (Phyllis). And remember: It's a long way to Tipperary.... "The Last Show" originally aired on March 19, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A true classic of the "ensemble sitcom" genre, Taxi ran for five years on two different networks, accumulating dozens of industry awards (including several Emmys) and a comparatively small but intensely vocal corps of loyal and loving viewers along the way. Most of the action took place in the garage of New York City's Sunshine Cab Company, a fiefdom ruled from his "cage" by tyrannical, short-tempered taxi dispatcher Louie DePalma (Danny DeVito, who also directed a handful of episodes). The unofficial spiritual leader and father confessors of the cabbies was Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch), the only Sunshine driver who worked full-time and was not pursuing an outside career. The others included Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner), whose great dream in life was to be a wealthy and influential patroness of the arts; Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway, who left the series after season three), an aspiring actor; Tony Banta (Tony Danza), a would-be boxing champ; Ageing hippie "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd, who joined the series during its Second Season), a burned-out relic of the activist 1960s who ultimately (and amazingly) became the garage's wealthiest employee after inheriting a fortune from his father; and, during Season One only, John Burns (Randall Carver), a feckless college student. Also on the Sunshine staff was Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), a sweet-tempered immigrant from an indeterminate European country with an indecipherable language. During the series' fourth season, Latka married his countrywoman and sweetheart Simka Dahblitz (Carol Kane), who, beginning in season five, was listed among the regulars. (Another recurring character, assistant dispatcher Jeff was played on a sporadic basis by J. Allen Thomas, aka Jeff Thomas).

Debuting September 12, 1978, on ABC, Taxi opened to solid if not spectacular ratings, but its viewership dwindled as the network arbitrarily shifted its time slot (from Tuesday, to Wednesday, to Thursday) over the next four years. Although ABC intended to pull the plug on the program at the end of season four, popular demand from viewers and the industry alike kept the property alive -- albeit on a different network, NBC. Unfortunately, this move did not significantly improve the overall ratings, and as a result, Taxi ended its 114-episode run on July 27, 1983. (There had been an eleventh-hour attempt to revive the series on the cable service HBO, but this came to naught.) Since that time, the series has enjoyed a successful and profitable afterlife in local syndication and on basic cable. ~ All Movie Guide

The classic sitcom Taxi spent all of one episode establishing its premise and characters -- then proceeded forward with the confidence of a series that had been on the air for years. In episode one, the viewer was swiftly and economically introduced to the personnel of New York's Sunshine Cab Company. Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) was the most experienced member of the fleet and the only one who worked as a cabbie full-time. The rest of the drivers were moonlighting, pursuing their life goals when not pursuing fares and tips. Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) was an art gallery receptionist, hoping someday to establish her own gallery and high-class clientele. Bobby Wheeler (Jeff Conaway) was an aspiring actor who never seemed to get a break. Tony Banta (Tony Danza) was a boxer who spent most of his time flat on the canvas. John Burns (Randall Carver) was a naïve, bumbling college student, who only a few months into the series found himself struggling to support not only himself but his new bride Suzanne (Ellen Regan). And Latka Gravas, the company's mechanic, was a good-natured foreigner who came from an obscure little Eastern Bloc country and spoke in a language peculiarly his own. Then there was pint-sized Louie DePalma (Danny DeVito), the hostile, sarcastic dispatcher, who considered the day wasted if he didn't humiliate someone -- but who often as not ended up on the receiving end of humiliation. Debuting on ABC's powerhouse Tuesday night schedule as part of a sitcom lineup which included Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Three's Company, Taxi proved worthy of its company by closing out its first season as the 9th highest-rated TV program in the United States, tied with CBS' All in the Family. The series also racked up two Emmy awards, for Outstanding Comedy Series, and for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (single performance), an award which went to the indefatigable Ruth Gordon for her performance in the episode titled "Sugar Mama." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scripted by James L. Brooks from Dan Wakefield's novel, Alan J. Pakula's romantic comedy follows the tribulations of a freshly divorced man as he looks for love with a wary single woman. Phil Potter (Burt Reynolds sans mustache) can't quite believe it when his aspiring songbird wife Jessica (Candice Bergen) kicks him out to realize her career dreams, but the added revelation of her adultery speeds him out the door by choice. Relocating to Boston, Phil starts to settle in with the help of his psychiatrist brother Mickey (Charles Durning), joining a divorced men's therapy group. Phil really begins to feel better when Mickey and his wife Marva (Frances Sternhagen) set him up with her friend Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh), a preschool teacher who has had her share of grief from newly single men. Phil wins her over and even convinces her to move in, but an unexpected visit from a regretful, saucily clad Jessica, and an anxiety attack over buying a couch, threaten to end Phil's new life with Marilyn before it has a chance to start. Starting Over offers a ruefully comic look at how the decade's rising divorce rate did not mean fun and games for all the new bachelors; Brooks' movie debut after a sparkling career in 1970s TV with The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi, it was also proof that top '70s star Reynolds could be more than just a good 'ol boy. Still, while the three leads were all praised for their work, only Clayburgh and Bergen received Oscar nominations. Starting Over was a moderate hit, and its humorous yet down-to-earth view of single life and its discontents reassured unattached thirtysomethings that, even though it may not be easy, everything could still turn out fine in modern romance. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Securely imbedded as the ninth most popular program on American television, Taxi inaugurated its second season on the same network (ABC), but in a new timeslot (Wednesday rather than Thursday). A few changes had been made in the cast as well. Randall Carver, who spent all of season one playing cabdriving college student/newlywed John Burns, was suddenly written out of the series with no explanation as to where his character had gone. Filling the breach was Christopher Lloyd, repeating the role of burned-out hippie minister Reverend Jim Ignatowski that he'd originated in the first-season episode "Paper Marriage." Yanked off the streets by the compassionate cabbies of the Sunshine Cab Company, Reverend Jim himself became a driver -- and a permanent cast member -- in the third episode of season two. This was also the season that introduced a handful of semi-regulars. Rhea Perlman, longtime significant other (and later wife) of Taxi co-star Danny DeVito, made a brace of appearances as Zena Sherman, the deceptively sweet-natured girlfriend of the cab company's terrible-tempered dispatcher Louie DePalma (DeVito, of course). Also, Carol Kane was seen for the first time as Simka Dahblitz, countrywoman and sweetheart of Sunshine Cab's foreign-born mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), a relationship that would culminate in marriage at the end of season three.

In addition, Marc Anthony Danza, the son of Taxi regular Tony Danza, appeared twice as Brian Sims, a nine-year-old orphan who befriended kindhearted cabbie-cum-boxer Tony Banta (Danza). Basking in the success of the previous season's two-part episode "Memories of Cab 804," the producers of Taxi served up a couple of additional two-parters during the second season. The first, "Shut It Down," found the cabbies going on strike, a situation that could only be remedied if "shop steward" Elaine Nardo (Marilu Henner) made the supreme sacrifice and agree to date the despicable Louie (an earlier episode had intensified the relationship between Elaine and fellow cabbie Alex Rieger [Judd Hirsch], establishing a "will they or won't they?" situation that would permeate the remaining seasons). And in the season finale, "Fantasy Borough," the entire Taxi gang indulged in some elaborate wishful thinking prompted by a set of publicity photos left in one of the cabs by Fantasy Island star Herve Villechaize. Although Taxi would pick up two more Emmy Awards during the 1979-1980 season, the series' move to Wednesdays proved detrimental to the ratings -- which explains the shift to a new Thursday-night slot when the next season got under way. ~ All Movie Guide

Opening well past the point favored by most romantic comedies, director/co-writer/star Albert Brooks' take on the genre begins with a breakup. After exchanging harsh words in a diner, Brooks and Kathryn Harrold go their separate ways. Brooks then spends the next few days attempting to forget his troubles through work, exercise, drugs, and other women, torturing himself at each step. While it's hinted early on that this isn't the couple's first breakup, it eventually becomes clear that the they have cycled through the same events for even longer than expected. Meanwhile, Brooks' character, a film editor assisted by Bruno Kirby, attempts to put the finishing touches on his latest assignment, a none-too-promising space adventure starring George Kennedy and helmed by a details-obsessed director (James L. Brooks). ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide

Although Taxi had earned scores of industry awards and the unflagging loyalty of its fans during its four-year lifespan on ABC, the series had never posted the sort of ratings that would qualify it as a hit. Thus, ABC dropped the show at the end of season four -- but the song wasn't quite over yet. Responding to overwhelming public demand, rival network NBC picked up Taxi for its fifth season, retaining the same Thursday-night time slot the series had occupied the previous year -- or, as the trade ads put it, "Same time, better network." The first NBC episode was "The Shloogel Show," in which all the cabbies embarked upon a "group blind date" that would have long-ranging ramifications. The relationships inaugurated on this episode would be explored and occasionally resolved on three later fifth-season installments, "Louie and the Blind Girl," "Arnie Meets the Kids," and "Tony's Baby." In another development, Carol Kane graduated from recurring to regular status in her Emmy-winning role as Simka, the wife of the Sunshine Cab Company's sweet-tempered immigrant mechanic Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman); the Latka-Simka marriage and its attendant old-world traditions (many of them bizarre in the extreme) would provide fodder for the two-part episode "Scenskees From a Marriage" and the season finale "Simka's Monthlies." Also providing material for several episodes was a huge inheritance bestowed upon "Reverend" Jim Ignatowski (Christopher Lloyd), the cab company's resident burned-out hippie; in fact, the last episode to be filmed, "A Grand Gesture," was entirely motivated by Jim's unexpected financial windfall. Additionally, we continued to learn more about the past lives of the various cabbies, notably the fact that Alex Rieger (Judd Hirsch) suffered from an addiction to gambling, and that the father of Tony Banta (Tony Danza) had run off to sea years earlier. Had the fans of the series and the stars had their way, Taxi would have run indefinitely on NBC. Alas, the ratings were no better than they'd been on ABC (though, ironically, the show managed to pick up three more Emmy Awards!) compelling the network to cancel the series -- permanently this time -- after its 114th episode. Happily, the series has since prospered in rerun syndication not only in local markets but also on basic cable. ~ All Movie Guide