Love Is All Around: The Making of the Mary Tyler Moore Show

by Robert S. Alley, Irby B. Brown, Grant A. Tinker (Foreword)

Here at last is the first book to pay tribute to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The authors have interviewed the writers, producers, executives and the cast itself to tell the story of the show’s creation and its evolution over time.

Genres: Nonfiction

235 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this book probably since it came out in 1989 and I decided to re-read it in light of the sad passing of Mary Tyler Moore. It's an interesting account of what it took to get the show on the air. It spends a lot of time, probably too much time, discussing the writers. Then there is a section about each of the actors and their character. There are a lot of anecdotes and behind the scenes info, but it's all told in a rather dry manner. The last chapter is a weekly guide to the show, with a synopsis of each show that aired.

The book has a few faults. First, there aren't nearly enough pictures. It is a mere 235 pages. You would think the authors could have included way more photos than they did. For instance: there was a show where Mary dated a guy just for his looks. How about including a photo of Mary with that guy? Fortunately each episode summary includes all guest actors so I could Google him, but Google wasn't available when this book was written. There was also an episode where Betty Ford appeared. A photo of her with the cast would have been nice.

They had a whole section on the writers. I would have love a section on the fashions. I loved the clothes on this show. And yes, more photos! Even just black and white would have been fine.

My last ding is probably coming from having read it again in 2017 and having a lot more life experiences now. The book was written by two men and they are trying to give insight into how the show relates to the women's movement of the time. It's like having the women's movement "mansplained" to the reader. They do their best, and it's only 1989, but where is Gail Collins when you need her? If they were going to go in that direction, then this book should have been written by a woman.

I'll end with Mary's soliloquy in the final show. This meant a great deal to me when I read it in the book because I was single at the time and living far away from family. This is how I felt about my friends at work:

"Well, I just wanted you to know that sometimes I get concerned about being a career woman. I get to thinking my job is too important to me, and I tell myself that the people I work with are just the people I work with. And not my family. And last night, I thought what is family anyway? They're just people who make you feel less alone and really loved. And that's what you've done for me. Thank you for being my family."

Rest In Peace, Mary Tyler Moore.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought I'd hardly say this was a great read, it was an interesting one. We started watching the Dick Van Dyke show sometime during the pandemic- maybe after Carl Reiner died, and we were both so blown away by Mary Tyler Moore, that we decid ed to watch the entire series. It blew me away- not just what I remembered and how my whole adult fashion sense was pretty much defined by Rhoda Morgenstern, but just how many shows in the first three seasons were about Rhoda and Mary's friendship.
This was interesting to read, esp because of the focus on the writers. There was a real shift after the women writers left for other projects (as well as cast members Chloris Leachman and Valerie Harper) and also things I'd noticed - like the lessened emphasis on Lou's drinking (which really was an appalling amount) was in response to some complaints and whatever organization in the 1970s that responded to cigarettes and alcohol use on prime time television.

[Marne Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of TV tie-in book that was so popular in the late 80s. There are biographical sections on each of the major behind-the-scenes people and each of the main cast members. There’s a comprehensive episode guide, something which would have been indispensable back then but is easily findable online these days. In short, there’s nothing here that Wikipedia doesn’t cover. If you’re an MTM completist, it’s nice to have, but don’t go in with any sort of expectations.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing behind the scenes look at one of my all-time favorite shows -- the motivations and challenges of making it.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the show, loved this book! Good reading for any fan.