Mary Tyler Moore Show: Mary's job interview in which she's asked if she's married.

[Democrats_win]

http://www.mtmshow.com/chpressbook.html

LOU
How old are you?

MARY
(NOT BATTING AN EYE) Thirty.

LOU
(SURPRISED) No hedging? No "How old do I look?"?

MARY
Why hedge about it? How old do I look?

LOU
Thirty. What religion are you?


MARY
Mr. Grant, I don't know
quite how to say this, but you're not allowed to ask that
when somebody's applying for a job. It's against the law.


LOU
You wanna call a cop?


MARY
No.


LOU
Good. Would you think I was violating your
civil rights if I asked if you're married?

MARY
(THINKS IT OVER) Presbyterian.


LOU
(REACTS) Huh?


MARY
I decided I'd rather answer your first question.

LOU
Oh, you're divorced.

MARY
(QUICKLY) No.

LOU
Separated?

MARY
No!

LOU
Never married?

MARY
(EMPHATICALLY) No.

LOU
Why?

MARY
Why? How am I supposed to answer that?

LOU
(DISMISSES IT, BRUSQUE) I guess I know the answer. Do you type?

MARY
(FEISTY) There's no simple answer to that.

LOU
Yes, there is. You can either say, 'No, I
can't type' or 'Yes, I can.'

MARY
(POINTING OVER HER SHOULDER TO THE QUESTION
BEFORE THAT) There's no simple answer to why a person isn't married.


LOU
(DISINTERESTED) There can't be that many reasons.

MARY
Sixty-five.


LOU
Sixty-five reasons?

MARY
Let me guess. (POINTS AT HER)
My typing question.

MARY NODS.


LOU
Look, Miss...just so you're not the first person to get
overtime for a job interview, why don't you try
answering the questions as I ask 'em.

MARY
It's not easy when you ask questions like,
'Why aren't you married?'

LOU
Okay, so you want to be married.

MARY
Who doesn't?

LOU
Me.

MARY
Are you married?

LOU
Of course I'm married. Would I say I didn't
want to be married if I wasn't married?

[dflprincess]

1. It's also when "Mr. Grant" told her she had spunk.

"I hate spunk."

[NYC_SKP]

5. Here's the whole interview, including "I hate spunk"... YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNyj4FV56JY

:P

[The Doctor.]

2. Loved the show... what I can remember of it.

Didn't Rhoda go on to have a show?

[WCGreen]

8. Carlton the Door Man...

[Chellee]

13. Yes.

Rhoda got one.

Phyllis got one.

Lou Grant got one.

[bliss_eternal]

3. Don't know about anyone else...

...but asking those questions in a job today, is in violation of the law (in my state). I've reported people for asking such questions on job applications, and in interviews.

[dflprincess]

7. It was a violaton when Mr. Grant asked them as well

even in Minnesota where they were supposed to be located. TV Land even erected a statue on the spot in downtown Minneapolis where Mary threw her hat in the air during the show's opening.

[bliss_eternal]

9. really...?

:shrug: good to know, as i wasn't sure if at that time (70's i think) if the laws were in place protecting women, people of color, etc. from being asked certain questions.

[dflprincess]

10. You'll notice in the script Mary does tell him the questions are against the law.

Though how well the laws were enforced then may be questionable. It took some lawsuits before a lot of employers caught on to it being serious.

[bliss_eternal]

11. lol...

oh, i bet...! much like sexual harassment wasn't taken that seriously until the 90's...and in some cases, still isn't. :(

quote:
It took some lawsuits before a lot of employers caught on to it being serious.

[mzteris]

14. how well the laws are enforced NOW

are also questionable....

they have to be reported first. Then believed and followed up on. And substantiated.

And in these times when jobs are scarce and there are way more applicants than open positions, you can bet your @ss that some people will say and do just about anything in order to get a job.

[EFerrari]

15. Most unemployed people at that level didn't have the $$$ to launch law suits.

There's that.

[Captain Hilts]

4. GREAT. nt

[Faygo Kid]

6. Funny. The Bio channel had two hours about the MTM Show just tonight.

Caught much of the last hour, then it was followed by a biography of Betty White for an hour. Great stuff!

[K8-EEE]

12. They don't write sitcoms like they used to.

Great writing in that show.