A Ticket to “The Last Show”

NEW YORK, NY --  Following early success on The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961-66, Mary Tyler Moore envisioned a sitcom with herself as the comedic star, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show was born. Playing Mary Richards, a single 30-year-old woman in Minneapolis who lands the position of Associate Producer of The Six O’Clock News on the television station WJM, Mary’s kind and sincere demeanor often served as a foil to the more abrasive personalities of her co-workers and friends. The show, which aired from 1971-77 also starred Ed Asner, Cloris Leachman, Ted Knight, Betty White and others, was an instant success, winning 29 Emmy Awards, a record held until 2002. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is consistently and deservedly placed on lists of the greatest television shows of all time and, while all episodes are charming and funny, the final episode which concluded the series is particularly well-loved among fans. Offered in The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore is a ticket to the filming of that final episode.

The 168th episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, titled "The Last Show," was filmed on February 4th, 1977, in front of a live studio audience and aired on March 18th. One of the best-loved finales in television history, the episode cemented The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its namesake star as an American cultural icon. In the episode, the new station manager of WJM-TV is rapidly firing people due to low ratings. Much to everyone's surprise and chagrin, Mary, Lou, Murray, and Sue Ann are fired, but the person widely perceived as the cause of the low ratings, Ted, is kept on after the clever stunt of dragging his whole family in front of the new owner. To cheer Mary up, Lou arranges for Rhoda and Phyllis to fly to Minneapolis to visit Mary at her apartment, and it is debated whether Mary should move to San Francisco or New York before she decides to stay in Minneapolis. On the final news broadcast, Ted gives his colleagues a strange but sincere send-off, quoting the English music hall song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." After the Six O'Clock News, the staff gathers in the newsroom to say goodbye. In one of the most memorable scenes in television history, a group hug turns into a tight huddle with no one wanting to let go, and needing some tissues, the group shuffles en masse toward a box on Mary's desk.

The most important element of the episode, though, is what Mary keeps trying to say but is continuously stopped by Lou. Mary Tyler Moore's restraint in the episode is comedic perfection, but her final line is emotionally and powerfully delivered:

"I just wanted you to know that sometimes I get concerned about being a career woman. I get to thinking my job is too important to me, and I tell myself that the people I work with are just the people I work with. And not my family. And last night, I thought, 'What is a family, anyway?' They're just people who make you feel less alone... and really loved. And that's what you've done for me. Thank you for being my family."

The group eventually leaves one by one, singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," and Mary Richards is the last, who momentarily stops to look appreciatively at the newsroom before turning off the lights and retreating down the hall.

The original broadcast included a curtain call in which Mary Tyler Moore introduced her castmates -- it was a rare moment as never had all eight characters appeared on stage at one time together. The photograph that accompanies this lot captures that moment, and this ticket is surely evocative of one the most important moments in American entertainment.

The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore

Auction Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 10am
Exhibition May 30 - June 2

Lot 71. Ticket to the Final Episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Offered with a photograph depicting the cast during the final curtain call of "The Last Show."
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