I’ve been a fan of Mary Tyler Moore for a long while. The Dick Van Dyke show, where she was a supporting character, and the Mary Tyler Moore show where she starred. I even remember her appearance on Shalom Sesame, which I found this Youtube clip of.
The laughs aside, the thing that stays with me out of her body of work the most is the end of the Mary Tyler Moore show. In the show, a new manager has arrived and wants to do something about the low ratings of the news program the characters produce. He fires the production staff, but keeps the on-air talent…a well meaning type known for flubbing his lines. The same individual tries to write his own goodbye to his friends, deciding that the right words are, for reasons unknown, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, it’s a long way to go.”
The scene is one of the most memorable in TV history, with Mary’s character expressing that a group of people who work together, who spend time together…become like your family. Despite all of the sadness in the scene, the characters leave their office…their home away from home…for the last time, heads held high, singing. There is a lesson in that scene that resonated with me.
It’s a long way to Tipperary. It’s a long way to go.
