📺 "That Girl" in Philadelphia

"That Girl" was a TV sitcom that ran on ABC from 1966-1971. In this particular episode which aired in 1967, it's been one week since Ann left New York City to head to Philadelphia, where she is appearing in her first-ever Broadway play, "And Everything Nice". The play is starting its ten-week out of town rehearsals and previews when she arrives. Both she and Donald, her boyfriend who remained in NYC, are lonely without the other. 

While Ann tries to preoccupy herself by rehearsing, doing copious amounts of laundry, and spending time platonically with fellow actors Harvey and Pete, Donald is constantly bugging Jerry to keep from missing Ann. Then, Donald comes up with what he considers a brilliant idea to do a feature article on the birth of a play and the birth of a Broadway actress. He gets the okay from his editor, which means he can follow Ann and the play for its entire out of town run. Part of his assignment is to review the play on its opening night.

As happy as Donald and Ann are to see each other, they both realize that they have to maintain a sense of professionalism when it comes to his review. At the end of the opening, a starry-eyed Ann believes everything went well. Her more seasoned colleagues know that she is looking at the situation through rose-colored glasses because the play actually bombed. The question is, will Donald be truthful in his review and if so, will their relationship be able to survive a negative review? Sorry, but no spoilers here and you'll have to find a way to watch the episode to see how it ends. Good Luck!

Footnote For Women's History Month

I was 8 years old when "That Girl" originally aired in 1966. I loved the show and never missed an episode.

Marlo Thomas, daughter of The Late Danny Thomas, was the first actress I saw on TV who strayed from the previous generations' idea of girls growing up, getting married, and having kids the minute they walked out of their parents' house. Marlo, to the contrary, presented the first female TV character (Ann Marie) who wanted to be independent, live on her own, and take some time to discover "what" she wanted to do and "who" she wanted to be before making a lifetime commitment to a husband and children.

Some people might disagree, but the dates and facts speak for themselves. This extraordinary "first break" from tradition during that period in time was erroneously credited to Mary Tyler Moore of the "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" — when in reality, her TV series didn't begin until 1970 and ended in 1977. Now, don't get me wrong... I loved Mary and never missed an episode of her show either. Even further, I loved Valerie Harper and never missed an episode of her TV series, "Rhoda", which was a spin-off from Mary's show.

The truth is, all three of these women influenced the course of our lives through the roles they portrayed. And, we owe them a debt of gratitude for opening the door to making it socially acceptable for women to have time to find themselves before pursuing marriage and family. But, the person who actually deserves "the crown" for doing that FIRST is Marlo, not Mary... and, I sincerely hope she receives that long overdue acknowledgement while she is still here to appreciate it. I also want to give her a shout out for filming that 1967 episode in my hometown, Philly.

🌹 R.I.P. Mary Tyler Moore (1926-2017) and Valerie Harper (1939-2019). Both of you are gone now, but certainly not forgotten, and thank you!