Mary Tyler Moore

‘What’s So Bad about Feeling Good?’ is eerily current

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


The 1968 film What’s So Bad about Feeling Good? stars George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore in a story that is eerily close to the current state of the world. The show is about a virus that is infecting New York City and spreading rapidly.

Pete and Liz (Peppard and Moore) live a bohemian lifestyle. They sleep during the day and hang out with their friends at night. They all hate the state of the world and think it is going down the toilet. Just look at the newspapers or walk down the street. People are cruel and all the happiness and civility of life has disappeared. Then a Toucan from Cuba brings a strange virus that changes everything.

This is a good virus. It makes people happy and friendly. Once someone is infected, he/she is full of love and generosity. As the virus spreads the city is like a wonderland. People are enjoying life. But the powers that be do not want this virus to spread.

Masks are mandated (sound familiar?) and people are weary of each other. But those who have the virus want everyone to get it, especially Pete, Liz, and their friends. It brings sunshine into their lives and opens up a world and future of hope and kindness.

Besides the masks, there are several other references that are strangely related to what the current world is going through with COVID 19. They speculate the virus was brought in by communists, either Russia, Cuba, or China. After all, there had previously been a China Virus so that is not a far fetched idea.

As the city changes from gruff to glad, the government is quickly working on an antidote. But how will they deliver this to the population? Via vaccinations? Well, that is not the solution they arrive at. But they do find a way to stop the happiness, aka virus, and revert the city to the mean, selfish, cruel population it had prior to this little Toucan arriving on our shore. Bye, bye euphoria. Hello pessimism.

The title song is fun and catchy.

Dom DeLuise, Susan Saint James, and John McMartin costar in this 1968 comedy about life, happiness, and governmental interference.

‘You’re Gonna Make it After All” by Marc Shapiro – Book Review

Posted on by Francine Brokaw



Mary Tyler Moore’s passing in January 2017 was a shock to her fans. As the spunky wife of Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966) and the spunkier associate producer in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977), Moore has been an icon in TV history. “You’re Gonna Make it After All: The Life, Times and Influence of Mary Tyler Moore” is a book that encompasses the personal and professional lives of the actress from the start to the end.

Marc Shapiro has researched Moore’s life extensively and composed a fact-filled book for Moore’s fans. With quotes from interviews by the actress as well as information comprised in the countless articles and books written about Mary, this biography fills in the gaps and puts her life and career into perspective. While her personal life was not all roses and rainbows, we remember her as a wide-smiled woman with spirit.

Mary Tyler Moore was one of the first women to wear pants on TV. Prior to Laura Petrie, the television women/wives were dressed in, well, dresses. They wore aprons over their dresses when cleaning the house, along with their pearls. This was not a realistic view of the American homemaker, then called “housewife.” Readers might be surprised to know that initially the network gave Carl Reiner static about Mary’s wardrobe, initially allowing her to wear pants in one scene per episode. But slowly Reiner added more scenes with Laura Petrie dressed in slacks and this simple wardrobe change was a turning point in TV history.

Later, MTM would make more history as the first career woman who wasn’t attached to a man. Marlo Thomas is credited with being the first single career woman in her show That Girl (1966-1971), but as Ann Marie, she had a steady boyfriend. That was not the case for Mary Richards. Mary was happy with her life and didn’t need a man around to lean on.

In her personal life the actress felt pangs of guilt for being away from her son a lot. She felt she was not a good mother to her son Richard.

Moore suffered from Type 1 Diabetes and alcoholism. Both of these issues are covered in the pages of this book. As Shapiro weaves the life history of MTM from cover to cover, he adds plenty of quotes from Mary from her numerous interviews.

In 2011 the actress underwent brain surgery for a benign brain tumor and after that her health declined and caused many issues with her mental and physical wellbeing. She basically retired from acting except for a brief appearance on the sitcom of her former co-star Betty White, Hot in Cleveland (2010-1015). In that appearance, viewers got a final view of the woman who had adorned TV sets throughout the years with her vivaciousness, comedy, singing, dancing, and definitely spunk.

Fans of Mary Tyler Moore will get a well-rounded look at the life of this woman in the new book “You’re Gonna Make it After All: The Life, Times and Influence of Mary Tyler Moore” by Marc Shapiro.

Paperback: 194 pages
Publisher: Riverdale Avenue Books (October 11, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1626014116
ISBN-13: 978-1626014114

About the Reviewer

Francine Brokaw writes about products, travel, and entertainment. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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