Turning the World on With Her Smile

By Susan Ellen Holleran

When Mary Tyler Moore took center stage at AFSCME's Equal Partners Breakfast, the warm applause showed she had lots of fans in the audience. They were fans who had loyally followed the life of her TV character and whose support helped her overcome tragedy.

This event has been organized for years by the Women's Rights Department. As in the past, the goal was to demonstrate that — in the eyes of this union — men and women are equal.

Moore broke into TV as the singing and dancing Hotpoint Elf on Ozzie and Harriet, but it was The Dick Van Dyke Show that made hers a household name. "For five seasons, the Van Dyke Show was my home — a wonderful home."

Life away from the spotlight was different. Her first marriage, to "the boy next door," had fallen apart; her second was dissolving — partly because of her problem drinking. Meanwhile, she was "turning the world on with her smile," in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

"For the first time in my life, I was a truly independent woman, determined to make it on my own." But independence brought loneliness and heavier drinking. Then she met and married a doctor who got her help. "I haven't had a drink since, and I haven't wanted one."

Now she volunteers in behalf of causes she believes in: "Being passionate about goals from animals to diabetes has made my life worthwhile."