A very good book about "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" not mentioned in the "Additional Sources" is Robert S. Alley and Irby B. Brown's "Love Is All Around: The Making of The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
Alley and Irby include an informative chapter on the casting of the show. They mention that a well-known comedian was strongly considered for the role of Lou Grant, but was ultimately passed over because it was felt that he would unbalance the show. I was curious for years as to who this actor had been; it turns out that it was Shelley Berman. (This is revealed in Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's book.) I agree with the carpers that he would have been too manic and probably thrown the show out of whack. He did appear as a guest star in Episode 4 of the first season (and is pretty over-the-top in it).
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A very good book about "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" not mentioned in the "Additional Sources" is Robert S. Alley and Irby B. Brown's "Love Is All Around: The Making of The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
Alley and Irby include an informative chapter on the casting of the show. They mention that a well-known comedian was strongly considered for the role of Lou Grant, but was ultimately passed over because it was felt that he would unbalance the show. I was curious for years as to who this actor had been; it turns out that it was Shelley Berman. (This is revealed in Jennifer Keishin Armstrong's book.) I agree with the carpers that he would have been too manic and probably thrown the show out of whack. He did appear as a guest star in Episode 4 of the first season (and is pretty over-the-top in it).
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