You’re Gonna Make It After All

Although Mary Tyler Moore made a number of feature films and was even nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for ‘Ordinary People’, it is for the part she played in the classic age of TV that she will be best remembered.

She first won national and international acclaim - and two Emmys - as Laura Petrie, the wife of Rob Petrie on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ (which ran from 1961 to 1966 on CBS) but her crowning achievement was as Mary Richards on ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ which notched up a total of 29 Emmys during its 168-episode seven-year run on CBS from 1970 to 1977.

The latter was quite simply one of the most influential situation comedies ever. In moving the sitcom from the home to the workplace it broadened the concept of family to include co-workers. More fundamentally, it helped to subvert traditional notions of what was acceptable by portraying Moore’s character as an increasingly assertive professional woman (an associate producer of the six o'clock news on a Minneapolis TV station) who remained, most significantly, happily unmarried.

Mary Tyler Moore and her eponymous show have thus come to be seen as integral to the narrative of the movement for women’s liberation in the US by challenging traditional stereotypes.

Marc Shapiro’s ‘You’re Gonna Make It After All’ is keen to pay due regard to this perspective, as indicated by his book’s subtitle: ‘The Life, Times and Influence of Mary Tyler Moore’. Indeed, his stated intention is to eschew traditional “celebrity biography” in favour of an account that would effectively “be two books, equal parts biography and history of a movement.”

How well does Shapiro succeed? The answer, I’m afraid, has to be ‘only partly’. Shapiro has researched Moore’s life very thoroughly and produced a highly readable account of her eighty years both in the public eye and as a private individual. He has, however, not been quite so assiduous in doing his homework on her times.

One small indication of that is that he perpetuates the myth of “symbolic bra burnings”. More importantly, his discussion of the impact of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ is seriously weakened by his failure even to mention Marlo Thomas’s ABC sitcom ‘That Girl’, which predated Moore in its sympathetic portrayal of an unmarried career woman.

Shapiro talks about how he was approached by his editor to write this book “a couple of days after Moore’s passing” on 25 January 2017. One can understand his desire to be the first into print with a biography after that event and commend him for his decision to deal with the times as well as the life whilst still wishing he’d spent a little more time on the times.

I am an unabashed huge fan of The Mary Tyler Moore show and the woman herself. I would venture to say that it's my favorite sitcom of all time. I taped every episode off a Nickelodeon "Marython" in the 90's to play on my VCR over and over again. Then I acquired the entire collection on DVDs in the last decade. I've also read her superb autobiography from 1995 entitled, "After All", which this book culls from to a massive degree. It also draws upon another book called "Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted: And all the Brilliant Minds Who Made The Mary Tyler Moore Show a Classic", released in 2013 (which I do own, but have yet to read). Lastly, it extracts from a more recent memoir from MTM called "Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes", released in 2009.

When I read the "Author's Notes" that began the book, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like it. Author Marc Shapiro wrote about how he was a fan, how Mary had just died and his Editor came to him about writing the book. He pointedly declared that it was very important to get it out first (while the interest was there follwing her death). He also rambled on about the challenge of coming up with something new to say about Mary with her two autobiographies out there, and the only new thing to report being her death. His fresh idea was to tell Mary's life story in the context of the parallel history of the womens' movement and the strides in womens' equality. I kept thinking, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...I just want to read about Mary."

Having read Mary Tyler Moore's excellent autobiography "After All" back in the nineties, I wondered how relevant or necessary this book was. However, I was pleasantly surprised and enchanted with many factoids sprinkled throughout the book. In addition to quoting from passages in the three books I've mentioned, Shapiro has many other quotes from Mary herself as well as her colleagues, from TV and print interviews that are very illuminating. Towards the end of the book, there's a really cute chapter called MARY TYLER MOORE TRIVIA that will delight the major fans. You'll find out the name of the lady with the glasses who is captured in the background in the beginning sequence of the show when Mary throws her hat up into the air. There is also an interview with the gentleman who was luckly enough to be chosen to ride an elevator with Mary for a new opening sequence in one of the later seasons of the show. He talks about the little chats they had between takes. There is also detailed information about exactly where all the shots were filmed in Minneapolis that you see Mary in during the opening sequence. You'll also find out the real address of Mary's apartment in Minneapolis that was known as 119 North Weatherly in the show.

Since Mary's last memoir was in 2009, this book served as a bridge to cover those last 8 years of her life. Shapiro writes of her last moments on film, her struggle with illness in the final days, and even where she was buried after she passed. There was even an interview with a fan who drove 15 hours in the cold weather just to attend Moore's funeral.

This was an enjoyable book with a lot of valuable information about a film icon and a lovely lady.

You’re Gonna Make It After All
The Life, Times and Influence of Mary Tyler Moore
by Marc Shapiro

Riverdale Avenue Books

Pop
Biographies & Memoirs , Entertainment

Pub Date 11 Oct 2017

I am reviewing a copy of You’re Gonna Make It After All Through Riverdale Avenue Books and Netgalley:

Born on December.29.1936 to George Tyler Moore and Majorie Hackett Moore in Flattbush Brooklyn. Her Mother became an alcoholic, at the age of six Mary Tyler Moore tells her Mother that a friend of her Mother’s Molested her, but Majorie refused to believe her daughter, driving an even deeper wedge between Mother and daughter. In her later books she would talk about how much closer she was to her Father than her Mother. Seven years after she was born, Mary’s brother John was born.

On July.3.1956 Mary Tyler Moore would give birth to her son Richie Meeker in Los Angels California. Despite being a very good Mother within a year of being a stay at home Mother Mary was growing restless, in 1959 she got a guest shot on the George Burns show, she would be listed as Mary Moore, after that point she would always be listed as Mary Tyler Moore. In 1961 Moore was not in a good place physically or emotionally but would get a call to audition for a show called The Dick Van Dyke show, a show that would help launch her career. At first Dick Van Dyke feared the show would not work due to the age difference, but their chemistry on the show was immediately evident. On October.03.1961 The Dick Van Dyke show debuted. Mary Tyler Moore played Laura Richards on the show, and in the 60’s she did something you did not see women doing on television, she wore pants. The show would run until 1966.

Moore would take on roles through Broadway and the big screen, shows likeThoroughly Modern Millie which opened in 1967.

In 1970 Moore would be diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Her symptoms had progressed so much that she had become withdrawn and she rarely socialized with her other cast and crew members on Change Of Habit.

Moore would miscarry, and her relationship with her son Ritchie would become strained.


Mary Tyler Moore helped to pave the way for women in Television. The Mary Tyler Moore show was the first show of its kind, a single career women, who worked in a News room, would change the face of television and help pave the way for women in the industry.

Though the Mary Tyler Moore show was popular among feminicist, Mary Tyler Moore never considered herself a feminiscist. By 1975 other shows would be pushing boundaries as well. In 1977 after a seven year run, The Mary Tyler Moore would end. In 1979 The Mary Tyler Moore hour would begin, but would be short lived.

On October.15.1980, Moore was awakened from a sleep to the sound of the phone rings, on the other end is Grant, telling her, her Son Ritchie was dead.

In 1986 Mary Tyler Moore was inducted into the television hall of fame, and in 1988 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award for comedy through The American Comedy Awards.

In 1990 Moore played in The Last Best Year and Thanksgiving Day, in The Last Year Moore plays a therapist who is reluctant to counsel a young women who has fallen critically ill. Thanksgiving Day is about a family who comes together during the Holidays to combat family and buissness problems.

In 1993 in Stolen Babies Moore plays an adoption agency head who was secretly running a black market baby selling scam.

By 2010 Moore’s eyesight had been severely affeceted by the diabetes, in 2012 her mobility was so severely affected by the disease she often required a wheelchair. By then she was pretty much confined to her home, but kept in touch with friends by phone.

Mary Tyler Moore passed away on January 25.2017 but her legacy lives on.

I give You’re Gonna Make it After All five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Interesting but brief look at the life and times of Mary Tyler Moore

I enjoyed this book. I It wasn’t a detailed biography, but more of framing Mary Tyler Moore’s life into the times. As this is the first biography of MTM I’ve read, I found it interesting. There was so much about her that I didn’t know even though I am a fan of both The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. But because the biography wasn’t that detailed, and there wasn’t a lot of historical or social context, I think that this book is best-suited to fans of MTM and not for readers interested in an insightful history, such as Radium Girls.

Mark Shapiro’s biography about Mary Tyler Moore is informative and well researched. Tracing her highs and lows, there is a sense that she really never accomplished what she could have accomplished even though she is a television icon. There was always a sense that she never quite given the chance to really shine even though her body of work does stand on its own.

From her beginnings as a model and working her way through the television years, she put career first and according to Shapiro, always regretted this as it inflicted with her personal life. There were some problems with the biography which at times I felt lack emotional depth but this maybe because the book is written from resource material and not personal interviews.

It is enjoyable and I really delved into the book which moved along at a steady pace. The book is well written and although it would have been nice to have some more insight on her as a person through interviews from friends, family and co-workers, it works well altogether.

Her last years were sad and felt that she probably didn’t get the send-off she deserved considering that her show changed the face of television. Although I learned a lot about the actress, I wish I could have learned more about the woman behind the career on a more emotional level.

Marc Shapiro was given the opportunity to write a dream book. He is a fan, first.

This book was written very closely after the beloved Mary Tyler Moore passed and covers the last...8 years of her life...that weren't covered in her own books. I was a little worried that I would be reading things I had already read, but was surprised and pleased on the little facts and insights that I learned.

This is a book for anyone who is a fan of Mary and wants to capture the very essence of "Mary Richards."

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A biography, of sorts, of one of American television's icons of the 70s and 80s. At first I was disappointed that so much of the narrative focused on feminism and the feminist movement and MTM's connection (or not!) to the topic rather than just a traditional biography. But as the book progressed, I found enough details about MTM's life to understand that this was not just a biography, but a look at her influence on American culture. The political details gave her life a sense of time and place and separates this book from "just another Hollywood biography". Well worth the time! Definitely recommended for any fan and I dare you not to cry when the author describes the last few months of Mary's life. She wasn't perfect (far from it!), but she was definitely someone to admire both professionally and personally.

A real insight into a troubled woman and an incredibly influential actress. A well researched and beautifully written book: a page-turning great read.

You're Gonna Make It After All is a book about the Life, Times & Influence of Mary Tyler Moore. There were already 2 memoirs written by Mary Tyler Moore herself and she was very up front about her life and her fight for women's rights so the author had to figure out how to tell a story in a way that it hadn't already been told before. I didn't realize how much she did for Women's Rights - she wanted to wear pants on the Dick Van Dyke show and initially they only allowed for her to have pants on in one scene per episode! That's so crazy. Mary Tyler Moore loved the spotlight and after her son was a bit older she dipped her toes back in. She gave up on going to college in order to be a star. I didn't realize that her final resting place is here in CT! At the end of the book there is some trivia and details on the awards that MTM had won which was really cool to look at.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

Having grown up watching the Mary Tyler Moore show I was very excited to read this book. It takes an interesting look at Mary's acting career. He compares the women's right movement with the different characters that MTM plays. As a youngster when I watched the show I didn't realize how much of a trailblazer she was for women even back during the Dick Van Dyke show days. One thing I did find funny was that MTM had to fight to wear pants on the DVD show and advertisers threatened to pull their advertisements from the show. There was actually a written rule about having twin beds in couples bedrooms on TV. Oh how far we have come, not necessarily for the better. I knew about the diabetes that MTM suffered from but not the alcoholism, nor the estrangement from her only son. She worked steadily up until the end. Her last guest appearance on the show Hot in Cleveland with several MTM cast mates. While Mary and a young girl in Alabama thought the MTM show was about a 30 something getting a job in a newsroom many felt that MTM was paving a way for women in the world of work. I'll leave that for you to decide.

Mary Tyler Moore a 60's and 70's icon the woman every little girl wanted to aspire to become. Her accomplishment, as well as her tragedies, are all part of wh she was. A very well written book by someone who truly admired her. A must read for any Laura Petrie or Mary Richards fan.