Pops Saw a Movie: BEING MARY TYLER MOORE

 James Adolphus’ new documentary, BEING MARY TYLER MOORE (streaming on the über-glitchy MAX) is a fascinating look at the life and career of the iconic actress, a woman who revolutionized the roles of women on television not once, but twice! 

While the film (obviously) leans heavily into THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, MARY TYLER MOORE and ORDINARY PEOPLE, it really glosses over (or completely ignores) a lot of Mary’s later work, including some television stumbles and late reprisals of both Laura Petrie and Mary Richards. 

The most frustrating thing about the documentary is seeing how many people (including an aggressively chauvinist David Susskind and a frustratingly tunnel-visioned Gloria Steinem) completely missed the depth of the characters Mary brought to life. I’d have liked a few more talking heads (Dick Van Dyke is curiously absent and I’d have loved to hear David Letterman talk about being on her short-lived variety series, MARY), but with a wealth of rare and behind-the-scenes footage and photos, this is still a riveting (and tear-jerking) tribute to one of the most important figures in television history.

Originally posted on social media, June 5, 2023