Seven Episodes From Mary Tyler Moore’s Career You Must See

If you were to build a Mt. Rushmore of women in television history, Mary Tyler Moore would be on that mountain. For women from my generation, she, along with Marlo Thomas, were inspirations, that there was more to life than getting married and having kids, that you had choices. For guys like me, she was smart, sexy and funny.

Just last night I was watching a Dick Van Dyke Show episode on Netflix of how difficult it was for Rob and Laura Petrie to get married. She was the funniest crier ever. "My Aunt Mildred came all the way from OOOO-Hi-OHHHHH".

With that in mind, here are seven essential episodes from Mary Tyler Moore's sitcom career. The Dick Van Dyke Show is on Hulu and Netflix, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show is on Hulu and you can find episodes of both on YouTube.

1.  Dick Van Dyke Show; Season 1, Episode 2: My Blonde Haired Brunette. (Laura Petrie (Moore) is feeling insecure about her husband's level of interest, so she bleaches her hair blonde, until husband Rob on the phone, tells her she'd look like Harpo Marx.)

(Ifilima Ojefeyo via YouTube)

2. Dick Van Dyke Show; Season 1, Episode 16: The Curious Thing About Women. (Laura can't help but open a package for Rob.)

3. Dick Van Dyke Show; Season 2, Episode 20: It May Look Like a Walnut. (This one is all sci-fi, but one of the two most memorable of the series' run.)

(brendan curry via YouTube)

4. Dick Van Dyke Show; Season 5, Episode 1: Coast To Coast Big Mouth (Laura tells the entire country that Rob's boss, TV star Alan Brady, is bald!) (This episode was recently colorized and just broadcast on CBS earlier this month.)

(GetKempt via YouTube)

5. Mary Tyler Moore Show; Season 1, Episode 1: "Love is all around" set up the entire series and inspired a generation of women. Mary Richards had "spunk".  It was also the first time we heard the theme song, that would be covered by the likes of Joan Jett and Husker Du.

(Alec Deguzman S via YouTube)

6. Mary Tyler Moore Show; Season 6, Episode 7 (Chuckles Bites the Dust) A classic; I read where Mary almost tore through her lip and cheek to keep from laughing.

(mtmepisodes via YouTube)

7. Mary Tyler Moore Show; Season 7, Episode 24: The Final Show. (This should start with Mary's farewell speech. It is unforgettable )

(Dodger2829 via YouTube)