Mary Tyler Moore’s death has inspired plenty of lists celebrating the best episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore show. But this compilation of bloopers proves the series was just as entertaining behind the scenes as it was in finished form. The YouTube channel FrownsUpsideDown shared the following 11-minute video, which is charming from end to end. It starts with Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, and Ted Knight singing a tribute to Moore then transitions into a bunch of dropped lines, on-set pranks, and even Moore joking about her “tits.”
What comes through most strongly throughout the video is how much the cast members seem to really love each another. Their chemistry is palpable even when they’re just goofing off or ribbing each other. Betty White is gleeful in her teasing of Moore over a dropped line around the 6:45-minute mark, and White gets in her own impressive bobble around 5:35. The live studio audience eats it all up, particularly when the actors deliver sassy comebacks to directors who request that they redeliver a line. When asked to take another crack at a speech around 6:04, White quips, “All right, Jay, did you like it that much?” Around 6:59, writer-producer Stan Daniels performs a Yiddish-themed “talk singing” version of “Old Man River,” which is as funny as it is strange. Like Moore herself, this blooper compilation can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.