The Mary Tyler Moore Show - The Lars Affair, Part 1 of 2

(1973) From Season 4. Phyllis discovers that her husband is having an affair with Sue Ann Nivens. Cloris Leachman won an Emmy for this episode. This is Betty White's first appearance on the MTM show.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Valerie Harper
• Ed Asner
• Ted Knight
• Gavin MacLeod
• Cloris Leachman
• Betty White

[dodger2829]

skunky - that's a little harsh - yes?  ;|

[woohooboy]

@jordantaylor - Sue Ann's arrival was timely considering the changes that TMTMS was about to undertake. By the end of the season, Valerie Harper would depart to headline her own series and the following year, Cloris Leachman would follow suit with her own show.....

To fill the void, the producers then beefed up Betty White & Georgia Engel's roles within the series. Both proved to be good replacements and it allowed the show to maintain a feminine perspective outside of Mary's own character.....

[jordantaylor]

@woohooboy True, true. I'm reminded of the episode where Sue Ann was being two-timed by the handsome guy she was dating and, at the Teddy Awards, it all came to a head, resulting in Mary comforting a devastated Sue Ann, and Sue Ann's line (I'm paraphrasing): "We're doing wonderfully for two people who don't like each other."

Anyway, great show (maybe the greatest).

[woohooboy]

@jordantaylor - She did, but Phyllis and Mary were friends and ultimately liked and cared for each other. Sue Ann on the other hand felt threatened by Mary. She was younger, well liked and popular with everyone and naturally with her personality, Sue Ann wanted to be Queen Bee around WJM-TV.

The seeds were sowed in this episode for the "frenemies" relationship that the two would share over the next four years....

[jordantaylor]

@woohooboy Well, Phyllis had her moments ...

[mellotron12]

Wow Mary's apartment looks a lot like Will and Grace's apartment.

[UncleIrv]

Look at Mary's eyes at 8:36

[woohooboy]

The introduction of Sue Ann Nivens played by the legendary Betty White was an absolute stroke of genius. To have her play a cunning, manipulative, sarcastic middle aged man hungry domestic goddess was brilliant. It also allowed the writers to have someone who wasn't afraid to throw backhanded remarks at the show's leading character.

Until then, everyone on the show loved Mary so to have someone who didn't think she was all that and wasn't averse to letting her know added more comic spark.......

[laurapetrie37]

Rho- "I love her dimples... I wonder if she made em herself?"

XDDDD

[aegiswings]

The clothes were so great in the early seasons, then the styles of the 70s began to take hold. yuck.

[BillBrd1]

How Betty got the role of Sue Ann:

The "Lars Affair" script described Sue Ann as a sickeningly sweet Betty White type of character. The casting director said "Why not just get Betty White?"