James L. Brooks Movies

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

James L. Brooks' Thursday's Game is a witty made-for-television comedy about two businessmen (Bob Newhart and Gene Wilder) who meet every Thursday night to play poker and discuss their professional and personal problems. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, 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

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

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