(first posted 10/31/2012) I love the Mary Tyler Moore show. Although the classic sitcom ended three years before I came along, I discovered it in the early ’90s thanks to Nick at Nite. Since most of the action took place either at Mary’s apartment or at WJM-TV, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for car spotting, but there were a few.
Who could forget Mary’s white ’70 Mustang hardtop? For at least the first two seasons, it appeared in the opening credits of every episode. And who could forget Mary?
I had already discovered how good she was as Laura Petrie in reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show, but it took MTM to show me just how beautiful she was. Thanks to ’90s cable TV, I had a crush on Mary at the age of 11. I still do, a little bit.
But I was a car guy (car kid?) even then, and I certainly remember the Mustang sightings. It appears that her first car in the series was a plain Mustang hardtop with whitewall tires and little else. Besides its role in the opening credits, it occasionally showed up in some establishing shots in a few episodes.
One of these ran about $2,618 with the inline six, and $2,723 with a V8. All in all, not a bad commuter car for early ’70s Minneapolis. Just make sure you’ve got a good set of snow tires.
In one memorable episode, Mary apparently decided to get rid of the white coupe. I haven’t seen the episode in years, but thanks to the Internet Movie Car Database, we have some screenshots. I do remember Mary’s surprise at how expensive the car she wanted was.
She did wind up with another Mustang, which you can see in the opening credits of later seasons. If memory serves, it was the blue ’73 seen in the opening credits by about season four. But what of the other cast members’ cars?
We saw Mary’s Mustangs, but never did get a look at what everyone else drove. Lou Grant was a no-nonsense type, but he was also a higher-up at WJM.
Perhaps the ’70s upper-middle class “doing well, but not too well” image he projected would have led him to drive a Pontiac Bonneville or Mercury Monterey Custom.
Mary’s landlord, Phyllis Lindstrom, had a Scandinavian husband, Lars, who was a dermatologist. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see her driving a Volvo 145E.
After all, in an episode in which Lars’ relatives visited from Sweden, she claimed that they cried every time they saw a Volvo commercial on TV!
And the rest? You might expect Ted Baxter to have an MB 280SL or something similarly flossy, but in several jabs at Ted during the series, it was implied that Ted had a German car whose design hadn’t changed in years.
Ted was notoriously cheap, too. So what else could it have been but a VW Beetle?
Murray was a family man, and with a wife and kids he wouldn’t have spent a lot on a fancy car. Still, a Malibu hardtop sedan might have been his choice of wheels, perhaps to complement Marie’s Malibu Concours woody wagon in their suburban Minneapolis garage.
And what of Rhoda, Mary’s best friend? Well, she may have been influenced by Mary’s style, and since she didn’t have the spending money that Mary had, perhaps a sporty little Maverick coupe would have been her choice of wheels. Even today, MTM is my favorite TV show, bar none.
We’ll never know for sure what everyone other than Mary drove, but it’s fun to guess. What do you think the MTM characters would have driven?
ED: All MTM Mustang pics are from the Internet Movie Car Database, and foreign car brochure shots are courtesy of lov2xlr8.no. MTM Season One Intro courtesy of youtube.
I remember one early episode where Rhoda made a crack about her car – it was a Falcon.
I remember that episode, too. The cars were supposed to fit the characters – Rhoda was the plain wallflower, as compared to the attractive, somewhat sexy Mary Richards. It fit that her car was the plain-jane sister of the Mustang.
Of course, only on a television sitcom would someone who looked like Valerie Harper be considered plain and somewhat frumpy, as she was an attractive woman.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show was part of the CBS Saturday night line-up that was dubbed “Murderer’s Row,” because any shows on rival networks (only ABC and NBC in those days) faced immediate cancellation.
I remember watching Saturday night television with my parents – All in the Family was first, followed by The Jeffersons, then The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show (the first one, with Suzanne Pleshette as his wife), and finally The Carol Burnett Show.
Interesting that an entire line-up of shows appealed to both adults and their children. As Archie and Edith sang, “Those were the days….”
Now I feel old.
Having been born in ’66, I remember that Saturday evening lineup. I enjoyed All In The Family and The Jeffersons, but never really warmed up to MTM, BN, and The CB Show. Even as an adult, I still feel the same way. FWIW, I really enjoy(ed) NBC’s Sanford and Son.
That was back when CBS was referred to as “The Tiffany Network”. NBC aired “Emergency!” at 8PM…a Jack Webb/Mark VII/Universal production. ABC killed off “The Lawrence Welk Show” in 1971 and I don’t remember what replaced it. Maybe test patterns, CBS was so dominant on Saturday night and NBC picked up the scraps.
One of the reasons MTM is such a classic sitcom is that they knew when to quit, and they quit while they were ahead. I remember it was a surprise the show was ending in 1977…from cast to storyline, it was still very much in its prime when the finale aired. Now that I think of it…MTM may have been the first – or at least one of the first – network program to retire on top.
Contrast with another hot sitcom from that day, Happy Days. Who among us doesn’t know what “jump the shark” means and where it came from?
Looks like Ford provided the vehicles…which IMO would have put Lou in a Mercury Monterey Custom over a Pontiac.
ABC stuggled on Saturday nights with teen oriented sitcoms with Bobby Sherman or ‘Partidge Family’, until the “Love Boat” in 1977. Ironically, Gavin McLoed was the star! He literally jumped ship at the right time.
One of the first shows to have a true final episode was ‘The Fugitive’.
That’s RIGHT! Love Boat, Fantasy Island…ABC had stolen everyone’s thunder by the end of the 70’s but it took them awhile to find their groove.
Principal Dan and some other Country Music fans may appreciate this one:
In the 80’s, MTM founded a record label. I think they had one or two Pop/Rock hits, most of their success was in Nashville. Holly Dunn, Judy Rodman, Paul Overstreet were among the notable acts signed to MTM. Staff songwriters included Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd…who would go on to success for RCA.
I remember a conversation with one of their national promotion guys that took place after the label folded. He recalled walking by a recording studio, looking in and finding the receptionist belting out a demo, and walking away, thought…”she sounds better then the people I’ve got signed to the label”.
That receptionist was Trisha Yearwood.
After 3-4 years of radio hits – without a lot of product sales to show for it – MTM Records was still trying to figure out how to turn hits into sales, when Mary Tyler Moore sold MTM Enterprises to British production company TVS. That was 1988. MTM Records was shut down almost immediately after TVS assumed ownership. Its last hit was “Someday” by Holly Dunn.
A number of key people from MTM Records are among today’s movers and shakers in Nashville, most notably Scott Borchetta, now president of the house that Taylor Swift built, Big Machine.
@chas108 – You may also remember that Bob Newhart decided to end The Bob Newhart Show while it was still churning out fresh story ideas. It aired its finale in 1978, one year after MTM aired hers.
On the other hand, the two shows’ former Saturday night stablemates, All in the Family and The Jeffersons, lumbered on into the ’80s and became more and more tired until they were both eventually canceled. All in the Family became Archie Bunker’s Place and while it got good ratings, they were not as high as those of the former show. I remember reading Carroll O’Connor was greatly angered when CBS abruptly canceled Place.
I think he ended Newhart early than he had to, as well. I never thought it was as good as his first sitcom, but the finale was genius.
I remember watch the finale of Newhart and not getting it, while my parents were laughing.
Newhart had like a 73-74 Delta 88 in the opening credits too no?
There is a 1973 Delta 88 hardtop sedan in the opening credits of Newhart.
That opening sequence was unused footage from the movie On Golden Pond.
Oh shit! 5 yrs later! Did you ever hear the story about where they obtained the opening footage or who you can see inside that Olds 88 if you zoom in close enough? Check IMDB
“Love Boat” was predicted to flop by the TV critics, but ‘MTM’ was over, and teens/families turned to ABC and was a surprise hit. ‘Carol Burnett Show’ was forced to move time slots, and then Carol decided to stop production in spring ’78. CBS never got Saturday nights back.
Dang chas108, I listen to quite a bit of Prime Country and Willies Roadhouse and I still didn’t know those stories or of MTM records.
Are you sure your not a Sirius Radio DJ?
Mary Tyler Moore had learned from Dick Van Dyke to quit while you’re on top. The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted in 1962, and he decided to call it quits after 1966, even though the show could have easily gone on for another 2-3 years.
The Dick Van Dyke show shut down on its 5th season which also starred MTM.
Nielsen ratings:
Season 1 (1961–1962): Not in the Top 30
Season 2 (1962–1963): #9 (27.1)
Season 3 (1963–1964): #3 (33.3)
Season 4 (1964–1965): #7 (27.1)
Season 5 (1965–1966): #16 (23.6)
The Dick Van Dyke show went out on top in 1966.
That episode, Mary, the amazing plant lady is when we learned of Rhoda’s Falcon. They were at the Ford dealership and, all the needy garage employees wanted to meet; and, we’re fawning over Mary because, she kept her car, so beautifully. When Rhoda asks them to check on her car, they ask, which car is hers, she responds that it’s the ” Falcon”. They all look at each other, then, they all look at Rhoda, as if she’s dirt because, as you might guess, Rhoda doesn’t put any time or, effort into her car, like Mary does !
The Mustang that Mary bought in ’73 was actually yellow. The joke was that Rhoda, who’d borrowed money from Mary, paid her back by putting a down payment on the new Mustang, because she knew Mary wanted it, but would never make such an extravagant purchase herself. But the Mustang she bought was yellow, the one color that Mary hated.
I thought that the yellow one in the episode at the dealership was a Cougar, like the green one. No?
Mary was looking at a green Mustang, not a Cougar. Rhoda owed her money and Mary could not afford the down payment. Rhoda went back and put a down payment on the yellow car because the green one had been sold. Georgette commented that it was the color of lemons. The episode ended. The next year, Mary had a blue Mustang in the closing credits.
Fan fiction: After hearing Georgette’s “lemon” quip, Mary went to the sales manager and asked for a blue Mustang. “We got one in our warehouse!” 😉
Then, Rhoda bought Mary’s white ’70, and dumped the Falcon. Only to sell when she moved back to NYC.
+1. I’ve recently been rewatching the series on Hulu, and saw this episode last night. When Rhoda is asked by the mechanics at the Ford dealer which car was hers, she replies “The ’65 Falcon,” and when asked what color she answers “Sort of a green over rust.” They tell her that her car needs a lot of work, and “That candy bar under the front seat isn’t in such great shape, either,” to which she replies “Most people see a car as transportation; I see it as a big purse on wheels.”
Tom, do you recall the episode in which Mary said that her first car was a Hudson?
It was a graduation gift from her parents…a used brown Hudson.
And the episode of the new Mustang, Rhoda, unbelievably as a window dresser at Hempels dept store, purchased the car for Mary.
Interesting goings on in that old Minneapolis victorian…
The Hudson joke was that Mary was trying to show Rhoda that she didn’t have a ‘perfect HS experience’.
MTM says “…it was brown Hudson!” in her “Oh Rob…” voice.
Yep, I remember. Everyone was joking about what they got for an H.S. graduation gift, and Mary said she got a car. Everyone else left in a huff until she said “Guys, it was a Hudson…a brown Hudson.” Then everyone came back, like “Oh, that’s okay then.”
Wow, why do I remember that? I probably haven’t seen that one in nearly 20 years.
I wish I had the same attention for detail in my job that I do for old cars and TV shows.
Like this one at Country Classics?
A rear wheel drive car might need snoe tires in Minneapolis, but I lived there for 3 winters around 1990 with a Honda Prelude and all I needed was all-season radials. In Minneapolis, they know hoe to PLOW the roads.
A Beetle in Minneapolis? No way a savvy guy like Ted was going to scrape ice off the inside of the windshield on the way to WJM.
Ted would have a new personal lux car every year, as a promotional tie in with his ‘local celebrity’ status. Like a Toronado; from same Olds dealer in the “Fargo” movie, 😉
I too loved MTM but there are a lot of shows now showing in TV Land which feature numerous classic rides. You can literally pick your marquee if you knew who the show sponsor was. Bewitched featured all that was Chevrolet and there is a great CC post to showcase those wonderful Malibu’s, Camaro’s, Impala’s, Corvette’s..and yes even the Corvair. My Three Son’s featured everything Pontiac..a nice weekly parade of Catalina’s and Bonneville’s in coupe, convertible, sedan, and station wagon form. Family Affair featured the Davis Family wagon which was a loaded 1970 Bonneville wagon driven sternly by Mr. French. The Andy Griffith show paid homage to all Ford products and who can forget Doris Day flying over the hills of San Francisco in her Plymouth Barricuda convertible. And who could forget Steve McGarrett’s hot Mercury sedan on the open shots of Hawaii-Five O? It was a weekly automotive feast for a starving 6yr old minature gear head who spent too much time in front of the TV in suburban Upper Arlington Ohio…
Don’t forget all the Elwood Engel-era Chryslers on Beverly Hillbillies. That Miss Hathaway had good taste in cars.
Miss Jane had a 1970-71 Challenger convertible in final ‘Bev’ season. Now, it’s probably a “Hemi Clone”.
Always enjoyed the Drysdales’ Imperials – I think they were usually the LeBarons with the privacy window in back. The 62 was my favorite.
Ozzie Nelson (Ozzie and Harriet) and Bentley Gregg (John Forsythe in Bachelor Father) also drove Imperials – convertibles as I recall.
” Although the classic sitcom ended three years before I came along…”
Thanks again, Tom, for reminding us how young you are compared to many of us here:-)
I recall Ozzie driving a 1953 Pontiac station wagon in the show. A few years back Barrett-Jackson sold Ozzie’s personal 1956 Pontiac station wagon, memorable because it had rare factory air-conditioning.
For a more esoteric selection of car “extras” try the first season of Banacek.
I thought that Mary bought the yellow one even though she hated yellow.
Mary had loaned money to Rhoda to start her business, and was agitated that she had made no attempt to pay it back, despite doing well. Rhoda made the down payment and took Mary, unawares, to see the car. Mary liked everything except the color, but Georgette pointed out that sunshine, flowers and lemons (oops) were all yellow. Rhoda fessed up and said she got a great deal, so Mary decided she loved the car.
Rhoda used her rust colored Falcon as a purse, and the service guys hated it as much as they admired Mary and her clean car.
Wasn’t one of the service guys Craig T. Nelson?
yes, that was him
Rhoda’s car was indeed a Falcon.
Rhoda drove a ’64 Falcon. And on “Lou Grant,” Lou was seen driving an Austin Marina in at least the first season.
I loved MTM. Still do.
I love love love MTM, and the Mustang episode is one of my favorites! It’s actually viewable on Hulu, albeit with a lot of commercials. It’s called “Mary Richards and the Incredible Plant Lady”.
I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen, but Rhoda has a lot to do with Mary’s car choice….
http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/25333
Didn’t Mr Grant get popped for DWI while driving a Plymouth Cricket? He came out of a bar & backed into something before taking off. That may have been Mr Grant in a different show or Ed Asner in a different show. It’s been a while.
hmm; given the total lack of rustproofing on the Avenger/Cricket, I can’t imagine it would have lasted in Minneapolis past the MTM show, which ran until ’77. I remember when I was up there visiting in 1993 seeing Taurii and 86-88 style Accords with holes in the rear wings above the bumper and crusty door bottoms. That’s the price you pay for not having to have snow tyres in the winter. I think I even took a picture of one because it was shocking- even for a boy who grew up in Kansas City- to see ‘new’ cars so rusty.
On the one-hour spinoff “Lou Grant,” Lou drove an Austin Marina for the first two seasons – that show is the first and only time I have seen a Marina in action. Starting in season 3, he drove a small white sedan which I believe was a Toyota Corolla.
Mrs. Pynchon, the publisher of the Tribune, where Lou worked, had a succession of Cadillacs, starting with a 1968 Sedan deVille and ending with a 1979 Seville.
Charlie Hume had a 1973 Ford Galaxie 500 as his daily driver, but for fun, he had his 1954 MG TF.
“Animal,” the photographer, drove a very worn and beat-up 1966 Chevy Impala that clattered and backfired every time he drove it.
Rossi, the investigative reporter, had a 1970 Mustang convertible.
Billie Newman, the red-headed girl reporter, drove (and loved) her 1964 VW Bug convertible every day.
It’s not on IMCDB, but I seem to remember the Marina being black (or dark blue) still having MN plates in one episode.
Something tells me that Lou wouldn’t have regretted the purchase of the Corolla, not only going from British Leyland to Toyota reliablilty standards but from a dark non-AC car to a white one with air after two years in SoCal!
I guess Lou drove the Marina until somebody dropped a piano on it.
Ted Knight in a Beetle? I never really watched MTM, but I recall a little of it, I always thought Ted Knight was the flashy and slightly dim on air talent, probably well paid and a little vain, I could so totallly see Ted rocking a large GM personal luxury coupe, a Toronado with FWD for the snow.
Ted Baxter was also incredibly cheap. A recent episode on Me TV featured a visit from his brother (played by Jack Cassidy) and centered on their sibling rivarly. His brother brags about his new “Italian sports car,” while another character says that Ted drives a “German import that hasn’t changed much over the years.”
I remember that episode. Ted, tried act like a big shot (as usual), bragging “Yeah, well I drive a little German job that hasn’t changed in 22 years, which means my car always looks [trailing off] 22 years old.”
This clearly implied a Beetle. A quick Wikipedia search shows that this episode aired in 1971. The Beetle debuted here in 1949…22 years. Now THAT’s sitcom writing. Shoot, Stephen King couldn’t even keep the number of doors Christine had straight.
I think the plotline also revolved around a double date with Mary and Rhoda, after Ted had told his brother that Mary was his girlfriend.
I am sure it was never in a show, but Lou Grant always seemed like the kind of guy who would drive a Dodge Polara or a Chrysler Newport. Almost everyone I ever knew with one of those cars was pretty much a real-life version of Lou Grant.
That would work, the words “Delta 88” also somehow sping to mind.
I could see Lou in an Electra 225 coupe too, but not a Limited.
After university, I loaded everything that would fit into my rusting-out ’73 2002 in Halifax, NS and drove out to Vancouver, BC to start my new life.
Telling friends about it years later, one of them started singing “How will he make it on his own???” I felt so special….
I never noticed any cars other than Mary’s. I would have pictured Rhoda with a beat-up third-hand VW though, being a New Yorker, Ted with the Bonneville, and Lou with the older ‘German sedan’.
My suggestion for Sue Ann Niven’s car – ’74 Cutlass Supreme.
Yellow with a white interior.
And vibrating seats.
The Big 3 still had huge market share in the early 70’s, especially in the Midwest.
So, I see Murray as Impala/Fury/Galaxie ‘low priced three’ sedan type, with snow tires in the garage.
Sue Ann Nivens [Betty White] would drive a Riviera or Coupe DeVille, red with white interior.
Mary’s various dates would pick her up in GP/Firebird/Monte Carlo/Camaros.
MTM did fly to MN to film the opening credits. I’m thinking the 1970 Stang was from Hertz for the shoot.
Other than VW Bugs, some Saabs and Volvos, that was about all the Imports.
Sue Ann would drive a post-1973 Cougar! Wasn’t she really the first “cougar” on primetime television (even if the term hadn’t yet been invented)?
In the first image you can clearly see what’s now the Doubletree Inn in Bloomington, MN. It’s the black building with the white sides that’s standing all by itself in the background. That would make her driving west on 494. The overpass could be East Bush Lake Road, though they’ve changed so much in the past 45 years I can’t really say for sure. Here’s a streetview that’s probably a bit east of where that image was taken, but today there’s a bunch of other buildings would block your view of the Doubletree from that far away:
https://goo.gl/maps/q3mNpuX2GYF2
I lived in Mpls. from 1974 to1979. Her “apartment” was on Lake of the Isles, there were no apartments! This is a very VERY nice section of old money Minneapolis. It sold for $3.6 MILLION in 2007.
http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/07/07/inside-the-queen-anne-victorian-from-the-mary-tyler-moore-show/
Google 2104 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis, MN.
I lived off Lake Calhoun, nice……..but not THAT nice, just to the south. In a more apt apartment.
I had a 71 Demon 340 at the time that I had to leave in the garage for a few days after a storm………no traction, I just skittered around.
I’ve heard that the old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days!!!
Makes me think? Did Archie Bunker have a car? I always pictured Archie driving a slightly battered low end full size sedan like a Biscayne or a Custom.
I don’t believe Archie ever owned a car, though he drove Munson’s cab part time when not working the loading dock.
While driving, he famously met Sammy Davis Jr in a real classic episode and saved the life of a transvestite with mouth to mouth.
The Bunkers were “car-free”, took subway, bus, walked to Kelsey’s bar. But I can see Gloria and Mike driving a VW or Toyota after they moved to California.
I remember one episode where Archie and Edith were traveling to visit a relative or something. After checking into their motel room, Archie looked out the window and complained:
“Boy, some view for two bucks. Two Pintos and a Toyota.”
The Bunkers visited Mike and Gloria in California in one episode. Gloria meets them at the airport and tells her parents that she’ll be back to pick up them and their luggage with her “Toyota hatchback.”
Which prompts Edith to ask Archie, “What’s a Toyota?”.
Archie’s politically incorrect reply: “It has slanted headlights and runs over you while you’re not looking.”
I do remember that episode!
Probably a TE60 Corolla Liftback.
George Jefferson would have to have a Cadillac. The producers probably would want a black 4-door so that they could film a scene where he goes off on someone who mistakes him for a chauffeur.
Who else remembers before Monday night football when ABC had the Sunday/Monday night movie which would only get exciting on the 2nd half Monday night and I always had Boy Scouts and homework so I had to miss half of it.
This brings up a question I always wonder about — Did the car companies pay for the placement back then, or did they just supply use of free Fords to MTM, or neither?
There was much more car placement (and opportunity for being seen) in some shows than others. Obviously, MTM was on the low side, and would be almost nothing in most episodes, except for the Mustang shot in the credits.
The Quinn Martin shows like the FBI, Cannon and Barnaby Jones were all Ford commercials..Ephraim Zymbalist Jr. driving around DC in whatever car was promoting in the closing credits….Cannon with his Lincoln Mk IV…I remember he had a car phone long before cellular. Barnaby Jones drove around in an LTD
Streets of San Fran too, brown LTD sedans for all 7 or so years of the shows run, I think all the “Quinn Martin” shows had Fords.
I was born in the mid ’80s. Grew up watching Nick at Nite. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a thing for Mary Tyler Moore.
What a wonderful show. The cast and writing were unbelievable. I just rewatched “Chuckles Bites the Dust” on YouTube…and it’s still one of the funniest episodes of any television show I’ve ever seen.
One of my favorite moments from the series involves Mary providing an editorial commentary on a current events show hosted by Ted. Ted keeps interrupting Mary with obnoxious attempts at humor until she finally snaps and yells “Will you shut up, Ted!?!” She looks back into the camera with pure horror over what she’s just done as the shot switches to Lou and Murray watching in the studio:
Lou: “Murray, did I just hear right? Did I just hear Mary tell Ted to shut up on the air?”
Murray: “Yeah.”
Lou: [Starts to smile, leans back in his chair] “…Good.”
Before her sitcoms, Mary was Happy Hotpoint. I remember her tap dancing on a range in black fishnets and a tuxedo jacket. I can’t find that video anymore, but this one shows her fantastic body.
She was also the “voice” of Richie Diamond’s answering service where all that you saw washer legs beneath the desk.
Also Mannix started out in the custom Olds Toronado convertible, then went to a Dart GtS convertible. And finally a Barracuda Convertible. All were dark green.
She was also the owner of the great legs of Sam, the secretary of Richard Diamond, Private Eye. Sam’s legs were the only thing you ever saw of her on TV. David Jansen played Diamond in this late 1950s show.
On the Doris Day show, she had a 73 Charger that had a bench seat installed for 3 person shots on the show. There was an article on it in Hemmings Muscle Machines And the Mannix GtS with custom grille.
I doubt they had to specially install a bench, as there were lots and lots of Chargers in that era that came with bench seats and column gearshifts.
Heres the link to the story.
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/09/01/hmn_feature6.html
Wow…nice link, Nick!
Many iconic cars from TV shows and movies from days gone by are still with us. Several Firebirds and at least one GMC pickup from the Rockford Files are still in existence; they were either returned to GM and sold or were sold directly to fans by the production company. Some of the Mannix cars are still out there as are both Mercurys from Hawaii Five-O. And one of the Mustangs from Bullitt was sold to a crew member (I think) after the shoot.
But I heard that car companies don’t do that anymore. Any cars used in movies and TV shows cannot be titled and are crushed. Anybody know if this is true?
I don’t believe that cars used in movies and TV cannot be titled if they are regular legal cars, now custom built cars that never were street legal is another thing. There are companies that maintain a fleet of all sorts of various cars rent to production companies. Bigger production companies also have lots full of their own cars to choose from. Some compnaies also rent them from private individuals. There is a Travelall in Hunger Games that is owned by a one of the people on the IH forum I’m active on.
There was a gathering last year of Rockford Files Firebirds in California, someone out there owns 2 of the cars used in the show.
Neat trivia, all the cars were repainted by the production company in the same exact shade of gold used in the early cars so they would look the same in cut shots using old footage, also the 1977 and up cars were Formulas with 400’s with the stripes and spoilers removed, James Garner stated he only wanted 400 equipped cars, and after 77, the 400 wasn’t an option on regular Firebirds as it was in the earlier cars. No new Firebirds were used by the show after 1978, even though the show ran until 1980 because Garner didn’t like the “closed up” front end of the 1979-1981 Firebirds.
I know who has the “Mary Tyler Moore” 1973 Mustang convert and it’s still in Minnesota. and for sale!
Who has the car or where can I find it ?!? Im a Vehicle Wrangler in the film industry here in Minnesota and I’m looking for the original white mustang from the show.
http://www.propsonwheels.com
Who has it or where can I find it?! I work as a Vehicle Wrangler in the film industry here in Minnesota and I’m looking for the original Mary Tyler Moore mustang.
http://www.propsonwheels.com
Who has it or where can I find it ?!
I work as a vehicle Wrangler in the film industry here in Minnesota and I’m looking for the original Mary Tyler Moore car for a job coming up around the Superbowl.
http://www.propsonwheels.com
Here’s another cool website of tv cars and their history. Read the story of the tarantula which was Rob Petries sport car that Laura wrecked in the episode although never seen. Enjoy
http://www.tvacres.com/autos_coverpage.htm
OK, ‘The Mary Tyler More Show’ is officially the most-viral CC posting of all time. Who could have guessed? 🙂
Congratulations Tom – you are now Vice-President for Product Development!
I guess it’s quite obvious I didn’t watch much tv!
But yet you worked at a TV station.
I was a vegetarian butcher 🙂
Actually, at the first station, we had programs in 15 different Asian languages and Spanish; the second (Telemundo) was all Spanish. I could talk to you about Novelas, Japanese game shows, Korean dramas, Farsi talk shows, etc…saw lots of Japanese car commercials of the late seventies and early eighties.
Did you know that bartenders don’t drink much?
Until the next CC TV who could talk about Rockford Files, Mannix, Starsky & Hutch, Dukes of Hazzard, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, the Fall Guy, Magnum PI’s Ferrari, The A-Team GMC Van, The Fall Guy’s GMC Sierra, etc…. 😉
And who remember the opening credits of the Incredible Hulk when the Hulk threw a Toyota Celica in a ditch? http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_54119-Toyota-Celica-RA20-1971.html (and there was also an episode of TIH who borrowed lots of stock footage from Duel.)
Regarding what kind of car Murray Slaughter on the MTM Show drives…there was one episode where he was secretly working 2 jobs to buy his wife a car..at episodes end hentold his wife (who thought he was cheating on her) his true intent and said he was able to make enough money to buy her that compact car she loved….from 12 years ago.
This was around 1972/3 so your guess is as good as mine what it was.
If I remember right it was an expensive car that they couldn’t afford as newlyweds. For some reason I used to think it was a Continental or Riviera.
I was quite young when The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended its original CBS run, but nonetheless I remember seeing some of those original episodes as a young child. In fact one of the first automobiles I fell in love with, at the age of 5, was the ’73 Mustang after seeing the medium blue metallic convertible on MTM. Supposedly the actual MTM ’73 Mustang convertible had been given a ground up restoration and sold several years ago. The Mustang was listed as a former Hertz rental car that had two owners afterward, then the third owner performed a ground up restoration.
Anyway, television was so darn good in those days. I love The Mary Tyler Moore Show for its lasting charm. One of the best cast, written, produced and directed comedy’s ever to be broadcast.
Mary Tyler Moore certainly made it after all with her ingenious sitcom.
Ha Ha, look at that empty highway! You wouldn’t see that now, not even at 2 a.m.
No kidding. And only two lanes? I’m trying to figure out where that shot was taken; it looks like 3M headquarters in the background there, so I’d estimate that’s about where Woodbury and Oakdale meet just east of St. Paul.
I posted the same thing above, but I’m pretty sure she’s on 494 at about East Bush Lake Road. The building in the background is the Doubletree Inn in Bloomington (which still exists) though nowadays has a more other buildings around it.
We can “thank” everybody’s Duggering for that. :/
This is one of my favorite CCs. I loved Mary Richards and even followed her career path!
Sad that Mary Tyler Moore isn’t doing well these days. It’s hard to watch stuff from your childhood fade.
Someone did a superb job choosing the exact correct car for the unmarried Mary Richards character opening shot arriving in Minneapolis for her new tv station job: a poverty-spec (notice the dog-dish hubcaps) ’70 Mustang coupe. Although she purchased it new (the show started in 1970), it was undoubtedly equipped with a base six cylinder and the only options being an automatic, white-wall tires, power steering, and AM radio (who needs A/C in 1970, especially in Minneapolis). IOW, about as typical a low-paid secretary special as you could get.
I know this is off-point but just the other day I was flipping around and saw Donna Reed driving an Edsel wagon! I only bring this up because, I thought to myself, “who would find that interesting?” Yup,
I seem to recall reading somewhere that Lou drove an Austin marina
I remember reading an article in hemmings classic cars a few years back about a guy who bought a 72 charger se from an elderly neighbor who had had it from almost new.
it had some very strange options on it which made him check into its history and it turned out it had been special ordered for the doris day show! I remember it was an odd colour combo, no tinted glass and a couple of strange trim bits. it seemed weird for street use but made perfect sense for being on tv he said.
I know that person. The car is orange with tan interior and a sunroof. It is beautiful
Looks like Mary could have used some parking lessons. There’s a few dings in the upper grille surround and front bumper. Thank God they didn’t give a 1970 Thunderbird!
Agree! All those “nosey” cars (T-birds, Pontiacs, Karman Ghias) got quite beat up & smooshed in, parallel parking in the tight streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter.
After all the comments above I’m thinking how very few women, professional women buy Mustangs. It’s become such a macho transportation piece after fifty years. As you know when the Mustang hit the market it could be tailored for every type of person living their lives at whatever income level.
Buy the time I bought my first Mustang in 1979, it was still a popular car and somewhat affordable across many income levels. The teacher I knew who lived across from my future inlaws had a more basic Mustang coupe, perhaps a Ghia as compared to my Cobra fastback. We both had the turbo 4 with four-speed manual transmission. The exhaust note was just as sweet from either car. But she certainly paid less for her Mustang than I did.
I no longer see young women driving the latest generation of Mustang, it’s simply too big and too expensive. As a senior if Mary Richards was still driving, I could see her something small and simple. A Fiesta?
Most likely the modern “Marys” would be in a CUV/SUV, especially in Minnesota. Ford Escape for sure.
I was just watching an episode of 20/20 done in tribute to Mary, in which they described Mary Richards as driving a “quintessential muscle car”….Either they don’t really understand the meaning of the term “muscle car”, or they don’t realize that the Mustang’s market position hasn’t always been what it is today.
I’ve always envisioned MTM’s first white Mustang as being equipped with the 200 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine, automatic tranny, blue vinyl interior and (for that area of the country) the unusual “luxury option” of in dash factory air conditioning.
Yup, that’s sounds about right for a chic car back then.
Considering that Sue Ann Niven (Betty White) was always on the prowl, she might have driven a Cougar/
Cars of other MTM characters:
Lou – LTD
Murray – Torino
Ted – Grand Prix
Phyllis – Olds 98
Rhoda – VW Bug
and yeah Sue Ann in a Cougar!
In an older thread, someone pointed out that Lou Grant drove an Austin Marina on his spin off show in LA.
I’d amend post to say Lou had a ’68 Falcon until he moved to LA and got the Marina, cheap.
And Sue Ann would have a ’74 or later ‘big’ Cougar, 😉
Rhoda drove a Ford Falcon. They stopped making them in 1969 and that would be about right for someone in Rhoda’s income level.
No comment. I think I only saw it twice…maybe.
Was saddened to hear of her passing today. Even as a small child, I was touched by her cheery personality and warm smile when watching re-runs with my grandparents. RIP MTM
This is sad news. Mary Tyler Moore was such a talented actress and had a very impressive range, from her warm comedic skills to her excellent dramatic skills as showcased by her portrayal of the icy upper-middle class mother in “Ordinary People.” Just as with the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the car casting in “Ordinary People” was spot-on: the brand new 1980 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight was the pitch-perfect choice for a Lake Forest housewife at that point in time.
I stop whatever I’m doing just to see Mary Tyler Moore driving that pretty ’70 Mustang in the opening credits of the show. (Personally, I think the car probably had a 302 V-8 with the 2-barrel carb and Ford’s SelectShift automatic transmission.)
I also enjoyed seeing Mary Tyler Moore drive a big 1980 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency, while her husband, played by Donald Sutherland, drove a 1980 Oldsmobile Delta 88 in the 1981 movie, “Ordinary People.”
Finally, who could forget Mary Tyler Moore playing the part of a socialite unhappily married to polo playing playboy and driving around Switzerland in a white Mercedes-Benz 230 SL in the 1969 TV movie, “Run a Crooked Mile.” (Lots of other interesting cars in the movie’s settings of London and Switzerland.)
Even though I love her, she was not a car person. Once on a talk show she told a story about how she (inadvertently and unintentionally) stole a car. Back in the 1990s when she lived in New York, she had to attend a dinner to receive some sort of honor in Los Angeles.
When she landed in L.A. she went to an auto rental counter and they gave her a “luxury car,” a then top-of-the-line Chrysler LHS in black and she drove it to her hotel and to the awards ceremony where they had valet parking. When she left the valet gave her a black sedan, a Lexus LS400, and she didn’t notice that it was not the same car she had driven to the ceremony. (Or maybe she did and she just wanted to keep the Lexus.)
The Lexus owner at the ceremony reported the car stolen, the cops eventually figured out what happened when no one picked up the Chrysler, they tracked her down and an exchange was made.
I saw this story told on the David Lettetman show. She rented a white Lexus. A valet gave her a white Chrysler and she did not notice the difference.
Here’s the link from Youtube to the episode where Rhoda puts a down payment on a car for Mary. Season 3, Episode 24.
I was in Minneapolis a couple of years ago on business, and took a free afternoon to tour the Lake of Isles district. Here’s what Mary’s house looks like today – a lot better than its condition in the 70s.
The copyright police scrubbed the videos, but one cool thing about the early season theme song was the visuals – and lyrics – told the story of her leaving wherever she was, and striking out for Minnesota in her white Mustang.
I wonder how many people remember the lyrics changing from S1 to S2?
A proposed version of the opening credits had Mary starting her trip by backing the Mustang out of her parents driveway in her home town and then driving on various highways until the scene on the highway when she goes under the bridge with the car coming towards the camera. Then she arrived at the apartment house. TV magic: the parents house is across the street from the apartment house. They just turned the camera around. The edited the sequence down to just her arriving in Minneapolis. How fun that people are still commenting on this post after 10 years.
I could see Lou Grant as a Dodge Monaco driver. Definitely a 4-door.
As for Ted and his Volkswagen, I can believe it. One of the Pittsburgh TV anchors lived near me in the mid-70s, and his car was a station-pool Pinto, complete with “Channel 4 Action News” graphics. Talk about cheap.
At risk of being too harsh or judgmental but briefly, I watched a MTM episode & the outro features a blue convertible (White top) being washed by Mary. I’ve always loved the car (its some unusual & special type of Mustang i thought). So I googled & found this thread. Not one mention or this scene pictured briefly at end of every episode. Great posts from car aficionado’s & MTM experts alike.. yet no mention of this car (different from others in scenes from show itself. Mind-boggling. I read entire thread several times. If I missed it please forgive me.
Shane
Excellent piece! Yes, I also really like the MTM show. One of the all time television classics. And she drove some pretty neat cars.
Loved this! Is there still a statue of MTM in downtown Minneapolis?
Bob
Statue is now indoors in a retail space, downtown Minneapolis.
Years later, MTM met with the lady wearing the cat’s-eye glasses (My late mom wore a pair back in the day) who is watching her in the background when she throws her cap in the air.
There is just such a 1955 Nash look in the front end of a 1970 Mustang. I’ve always seen it and always will.