An extended dream sequence presents a biblical allegory about the creation, downfall and rebirth of humanity, told through a series of surrealistic vignettes and musical numbers.
USA
USA
America's TV sweetheart's fascinatingly horrifying interpretation of biblical Genesis via song and dance. Huge Berkleyesque numbers edge into JC Superstar territory (minus the JC part), as MTM marinates in outrageous sets. It's exquisitely tone-deaf and trashy. Also very entertaining.
Hey!
In 1976 somebody came up with the idea of Mary Tyler Moore falling asleep and having a dream about the book of Genesis being told as an elaborately staged 1930s movie musical full of recycled showtunes. And then they actually made it! And they put it on TV! On CBS! It stars Mary Tyler Moore and Ben Vereen and Doug Kershaw! Doug Kershaw! All of them play The Devil at some point, and also God! Ben Vereen tempts Eve while dressed like a payday loans commercial with "666" emblazoned across his chest! Mary sings a bawdy dance hall tune while dressed as a leprechaun dominatrix! The Manhattan Transfer is a Greek chorus singing about the Bible! Bits of scripture…
Mary Tyler Moore goes to sleep and dreams about the early stories of the Bible and then takes a trip through pseudo-history set entirely in a musical song and dance form that features Ben Vereen as a Leprechaun version of Satan, a jamboree set to Aaron Copland, several standards and showtunes, a montage of Henry Kissinger footage backgrounded by atomic bomb explosions, and then finishes off with a different Satan(??) who looks more like Dracula and sings "Sympathy For The Devil". It only aired once on the East Coast and was pulled before it made it to the West Coast and it's probably one of the best things ever shown on television*. This is what cable television stole from us.
*Brought to you by Drugs
there’s literally nothing more intoxicating than mary tyler moore selling her soul to the devil
It’s like watching the medium of television babble to itself while dying of a violent brain aneurysm! 😺
I don’t even know what to think. It’s like a theater kid who loved a bunch of 30s musicals did way too much coke and filmed it. Which you’d think I’d love but I was just flabbergasted the whole time. Got me using archaic ass terms, but you have to.
Mary giving me so much Dietrich, and as a Bostonian I have experienced so much Arthur Fiedler in my life. Nothing compares to Ben Vereen, of course, but I have never been able to stand Manhattan Transfer. Ever. Milkfed ass jazz lite.
I want church sermons centered around teaching the ideologies used in this variety special.
This was waaaaaaay weirder than I ever expected it to be and I'm so happy I came across this. Mary Tyler Moore is exceptionally charismatic and funny in this. I actually went back to her autobiography to see what she said about this, and it turned out she was really digging the concept of this thing, and she really wished they had a bigger budget to make something that looked spectacular (and I completely agree.) I also know that dancing is one of her biggest passions, so I'm glad to see her do that so well in this.
But okay, I need to tell you that…
Produced and written by the legendary Jack Good, who was behind 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee and this is just as delightfully bonkers!!! It never lets up and Mary is game! A loose dreamscape Biblical theme that focuses more longingly and lavishly on temptation and the devil.
Mary has an interesting and talented array of guest stars giving their all. If you loved Ben Vereen in All That Jazz you will absolutely love him here. And Doug Kershaw bringing the cajun fiddle -it's an odd feeling seeing him on a variety show after seeing him in Days Of Heaven and learning about him on the Cocaine and Rhinestones podcast.
This special is a joy!
i guess we watched this but anything with mary is beautiful. -kindly, the one that’s still sore waist down from mary tyler moore’s workout routines
