Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration Page #2

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-What do you mean by that?!

It may be a good morning for you

but it wasn't for me.

You didn't have to clean up

the mess that this one made

when he decided to finger paint

all over the bathroom mirror

with the toothpaste.

And you don't have to be

concerned at all about the fact

that the cleaning woman

isn't coming today

and you have five

people coming for lunch.

Sure, go ahead.

Good morning. Why not?

-Honey, give me another chance!

-NARRATOR:
Carl Reiner packed

the cast with

experienced comedy pros like

Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam,

and Richard Deacon.

It might have been

an intimidating environment

for a newcomer like Mary,

but Reiner knew just how to

nurture the budding actress.

-MOORE:
He became, to me,

my father, my confessor,

my best friend,

my brother.

He was everything that a woman

would like to have around her

to make her feel strong

and appreciated.

-REINER:

I was those things to her,

and she needed those things.

Her father was a man who never

said a word to her.

-NARRATOR:
Reiner brought Mary

along gradually,

building her confidence

by letting her do

what she knew best --

dance.

[Cheering and applause]

-NARRATOR:
Soon Carl Reiner gave

Mary small physical bits

to build her comic skills.

-Aah! Aah!

[Laughter]

-And we only could do it

one time

because we only had

one inflatable boat.

We never practiced.

We said whatever happens on

the show is what we use.

-No! No!

[Laughter]

-That's good acting, using

the moment and being yourself.

-She just got it so quickly

that I'm still fascinated by how

fast she grew on that show.

-NARRATOR:
A key step came when

Carl Reiner gave Mary a chance

to "cry funny."

Always the student,

Mary went to everyone she could

for advice.

-It's got to be a funny cry.

She said,

"How do you cry funny?"

She said, "I really don't know

how to cry at all," she said.

She said, "Show me."

-Well, yesterday morning...

and I kissed you...

and you said, "Don't do that,"

and you came down

to breakfast...

your yucky shirt!

I got to go to pieces

in front of him

and tell him what madness

drove me to this act

and how sorry I was

and how stupid I was,

but he did seem to not be giving

me very much attention

and so on,

and I got to cry.

-And the gray hair!

And Harpo Marx!

And the general yuckiness!

-Aw, honey.

-I prepared very well

for that crying scene.

I copied everything that

Nanette Fabray ever did

in a crying scene --

and she was the master.

[Wailing]

-Nanette! Nanette,

I'm terribly sorry.

Nannette, I didn't mean

to make you cry.

Really, I'm sorry.

-Take your hands off me,

Phillip Pendleton!

-NARRATOR:
Years later,

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