HUMOROUS HOMAGE TO MOORE SHOW

Last Wednesday, while the TV world was watching the introduction of “Dynasty II: The Clones,” as it should be called, most viewers missed the best program on television, “St. Elsewhere,” and its humorous homage to the old “Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

The vehicle for paying tribute to “Mary Tyler Moore” and other series from the MTM production stable was John Doe, a psychiatric patient who didn’t remember who he was. For one episode, John Doe took on the identity of Mary Richards, the “Mary Tyler Moore” heroine.

The St. Eligius hospital staff thought it would be productive therapy to play along with John Doe’s fantasy. Doctors became Mary’s friends and co-workers at WJM, the fictitious Minneapolis TV station and setting for the show. John even threw one of Mary’s dreadful parties.

John wore Mary’s famous tam-o’-shanter, the one she tossed skyward in the opening credits to signify that, yes, she would make it on her own. His feelings shuttled between alienation and affection, like Mary’s did. He hugged his friends, got mushy and spoke like Mary: “I treasure you people.”

Betty White, who’s been playing a Washington bureaucrat on “St. Elsewhere,” was in a different storyline last week, but the producers capitalized on her previous identity as Sue Ann Nivens, the man-hungry cooking-show hostess from “Mary Tyler Moore.”

“It was so ironic,” said producer Tom Fontana. “We had intended to use Betty on the show before we wrote the John Doe story. When we realized we had Sue Ann, it was like the sky had opened up. It was as big a surprise to us as it was to viewers.”

One avid viewer, NBC Chairman Grant Tinker, called it a “great moment” when John Doe spotted Betty White:

“Sue Ann, the Happy Homemaker!” John shouted with glee.

“You must have me confused with somebody else,” said White’s character.

“It’s me. Mary. You know . . . Mary.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

In a way, last week’s episode was a testimony to Tinker, who founded MTM Enterprises with his ex-wife, Miss Moore, just to make the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” With the success of that show, MTM went on to create such award-winning series as “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Lou Grant,” “The White Shadow,” “Hill Street Blues” and “St. Elsewhere.”

Another MTM reference last week involved Elliot Carlin (Jack Riley) from the old “Bob Newhart Show.” Mr. Carlin, the acerbic neurotic from Newhart’s therapy group, reappeared as Mr. Carlin, a psych patient in “St. Elsewhere.” He hadn’t lost any of his venom.

Before hitting on his Mary Richards identity, John Doe turned the TV dial to “The White Shadow.” The guy who made that show was a “smoothie,” Doe said, making an inside reference to Bruce Paltrow, now executive producer of NBC’s “St. Elsewhere.”

“Bruce didn’t write that line, but he allowed it to stay in,” said Tinker, laughing.

John Doe assumed Mary’s persona after watching MTM’s logo, the meowing pussycat. “The trademark was my idea,” said Tinker. “It was just a silly takeoff of the MGM lion. We were searching around for a signature for our embryonic company and decided to do that.”

Since then, the cat has dribbled a basketball after “The White Shadow,” worn a police cap after “Hill Street Blues” and put on a surgical mask after “St. Elsewhere.”

“(Last week’s) episode was our salute to our predecessors at MTM,” said Fontana.

Tinker also caught another inside reference during the scene in which some doctors were discussing how babies aren’t named John, Thomas or Mark anymore. John Masius and Tom Fontana are the show’s producers; Mark Tinker, who is Tinker’s son, is supervising producer. Another son, John, is story editor.

“They just have a lot of fun with that stuff,” said Grant Tinker.

Which points up a unique feature of “St. Elsewhere.” It’s remarkable that a drama series, particularly one dealing with life and death, can be so funny.

“Our humor is so varied,” Fontana said. “We do farce, comedy of manners, character comedy and as many bad jokes as any sitcom.”