Popular Culture Review 30.1
gram ” ( 286 ). This control contributed to the Ann Marie persona . Although Ann ’ s father is over protective and her boyfriend Donald is a big part of her life , she forges ahead with her own ambitions , confronting the difficulties of doing so . Making it in acting is not easy , as evidenced by Ann ’ s grueling auditions and roles she plays : gagged hostage , mop , dancing chicken , elf in a department store , villain in a soap opera , dancer in a gypsy revival , model wearing chinchilla , and caterer in a cave girl outfit , all of which made her appear totally ditzy . Still , Ann is committed to building her own self-identity and career , and the series ends not with Ann ’ s marriage to Donald but instead with the duo attending a gathering of feminists ( Mitchard ).
In 1970 , just before That Girl ended , The Mary Tyler Moore Show appeared , with Mary Richards seeming much like an older and more sophisticated Ann Marie . Like That Girl , The Mary Tyler Moore Show featured women behind the scenes , including Moore as producer , Treva Silverman and Pat Nardo as writers , and Ethel Winant as talent and casting director . They created what Hope Reese regards as “ the first time in television history when a woman ' s perspective was not only highly regarded , but crucial to the success of the show ” or , in essence , " TV ' s first truly female-dominated sitcom " ( Reese ). The series begins with Mary Richards leaving her boyfriend , whom she has been putting through medical school , to move alone across country to Minneapolis , where she and old friend Phyllis and new friend Rhoda become confidantes . She rents her own apartment in the same building as the two , interviews for a secretarial position at a local broadcasting station , and lands a job as an associate producer of a television news show after her new boss , Lou Grant , asserts , “ You have spunk . I hate spunk .” Mary is unsure of herself but proud of her position , mustering up enough courage to
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