Mary Tyler Moore Show, The: "The Lars Affair"
About This Show
"The Lars Affair" was the fourth season opener of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and is noted for Cloris Leachman's performance (she won an Emmy that year) and for introducing Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens- the Happy Homemaker at WJM. Airing on September 15, 1973, the episode, about Sue Ann Nivens' affair with Phyllis' (Cloris Leachman) husband, has since become a TV classic.
In reviewing this episode Variety lauded Cloris Leachman's performance and also noted that Betty White satirized the TV homemaker "to a tee" furthering that this "preem's inventiveness indicates that the series is off and running for another successful year."
In ranking the top 100 sitcom episodes of all-time, TV Land To Go: The Big Book of TV Lists, TV Lore, and TV Bests by Tom Hill (published in 2001) ranked the episode #22; in 1997, TV Guide in its ranking of the Greatest TV episodes of all-time, placed it at #27.
Written by: Ed. Weinberger
Directed by: Jay Sandrich
Resources
Links:
Book: Love Is All Around: The Making of the Mary Tyler Moore Show
Book: TV Land To Go: The Big Books of TV Lists, TV Lore, and TV Bests
DVD: The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Fourth Season [which includes "The Lars Affair"]
IMDB entry on The Mary Tyler Moore Show: "The Lars Affair"
Highlights
Mary Tyler Moore on the casting of Betty White as a guest star, playing Sue Ann Nivens- the Happy Homemaker, on the Mary Tyler Moore Show episode "The Lars Affair" (02m 05s)
Betty White on being cast on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Sue Ann Nivens- the Happy Homemaker, on the episode "The Lars Affair" (05m 05s)
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