Practically Perfect Mary

In a perfect Retro world, there would be more Moore.

Mary Tyler, that is.

And the Retro world is about to become perfect. Fans of her classic CBS series, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” will be turning the world on with a smile this week.

During its seven-year run on CBS (1970-77), “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” earned 67 Emmy nominations and won 27 Emmy Awards, including three for outstanding comedy series and three for Moore as best actress in a comedy series.

The sitcom broke new ground. Its heroine, Mary Richards, was thirtysomething, career-minded, not a virgin and not desperate to get married. And thankfully, the series seems as fresh and funny today as it was more than 20 years ago.

Four memorable episodes of “MTM”--including the Emmy-winning “Chuckles Bites the Dust” and “The Last Show”--air Sunday on TBS’ summer festival, “The Best of Television,” hosted by comic Louie Anderson.

And Monday through Thursday, Orange County’s KDOC will air a “Mary Tyler Moore Marathon,” featuring three episodes daily of the series.

Look for Nick at Nite to add reruns of “MTM” to its nightly schedule Sept. 19, pairing it with “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the Emmy-winning comedy which featured Moore as Laura Petrie.

Nick is celebrating Moore’s arrival in a big way. This Saturday, the cable channel presents the “Mary Tyler Moore Cast Party,” which features guest appearances from the cast of “MTM” in episodes of other Nick series. Ed Asner (Lou Grant) and Cloris Leachman (Phyllis) appear in installments of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” Ted Knight (Ted Baxter) tries to “Get Smart” and Georgia Engel (Georgette) pops up on “Mork & Mindy.”

Nick’s big kickoff will be “The Mary-Thon,” beginning Sept. 12 and continuing through Sept. 18.

The seven-day marathon of “MTM” episodes will preempt Nick’s regular programming for the week. A different season in the original run of “MTM” will be highlighted each night, including the most memorable episodes from that year.

“The Best of Television: The Mary Tyler Moore Show” airs Sunday at 4 p.m. on TBS.

“Mary Tyler Moore Marathon” airs 10 a.m. Monday-Thursday on KDOC. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” airs Monday-Thursday at 5 p.m. on KDOC.

“Mary Tyler Moore Cast Party” airs Saturday from 10 p.m. to next Sunday at 1 a.m. on Nickelodeon.