For Whom the Tinker Bell Tolls

Former television executive and former husband to Mary Tyler Moore, Grant Tinker, died at the spry age of 90.

Tinker toyed with NBC in the early 80s, a time that saw such great shows as Family Ties, Cheers, Manimal,  and The Cosby Show (although, we don’t like to mention that last one so much).

In 1969 he and his then wife, Mary Tyler Moore, started MTM Enterprises (meow) where they hired James L. Brooks… because that’s what you do in TV.  You hire James L. Brooks.

The company’s 1st show was The Mary Tyler Moore Show [a title which was kicked around

Tinker got his NBC job by winning a Johnny Carson look-alike contest.

in development for years], it was moderately successful and some people liked it enough.  The show is known to be reviled in clown communities.

MTM (meow) went on to make shows such as Rhoda (“This is Carlton your doorman.”), The Bob Newhart Show (“Hi, Bob.”), WKRP in Cincinnati (“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”), Hill Street Blues (“Let’s be careful out there.”) and St. Elsewhere (which was really created by an autistic kid holding a snow globe, so they don’t get a lot credit for that one).

After he foolishly divorced Mary Tyler Moore (Because who the hell would divorce her?  She’s fuckin’ awesome!), Tinker left MTM (meow) because, well… awkward…

He became chairman and CEO of NBC trading the “meow” of “bong bong bong.”  He left in 1986 to make way for his replacement, John Francis “Jack” Donaghy.

Tinker then tried to repeat his success with MTM by forming GTG Entertainment (ummm… woof?) but the business venture failed because it was a hollow shell of what can be created with Mary Tyler Moore at your side!  (Dresses be damned!  I’m wearing mother-fuckin carpris,bitch!)

This hit goes to: Josh!  Josh literally pulled this pick out of his ass in the 58th round.  I guess he was at the point in the night where he was like, “Fuck it, I’m Googling ‘old people” and seeing what comes up!”  Because when I told him about his hit, he had no idea who it was.

Though, I can’t fault him.  I don’t know who half of my picks are.  Between me, the obscure names and the alcohol, a thought don’t have much of a chance.

Happy pooling,

SPMI

Current Standings:

Wes: 50 – (Holly Dunn – 50)

Josh: 30 – (Florence Henderson – 20, Grant Tinker – 10)

Gianna: 20 – (Leonard Cohen – 20)

Jami: 10 – (Fidel Castro – 10)

Tailgating w/ Jesus: 10 – (Ralph Branca – 10)

One Life Lived

Ghost Singer Agnes Nixon… no?  She wasn’t a singer?  OK, former 1st Lady, Agne… That was Pat Nixon?  Then who the hell is Angie Nixon?

Angie Nixon who used soap operas as a soap box (Soap Opera Box?  No, I think it’s Soap Box Opera) died at the spry age of 93.

In 1962 she wrote a “Guiding Light” storyline in which a character is diagnosed with uterine cancer after waiting too long to undergo a Pap smear.  She had to do this without using the words “cancer,” “Pap Test” or “uterus.”  I think she called cancer “a bummer,” the Pap test “scrapey-scrapey” and the uterus was just “the baby pocket.”

This was considered the first medical storyline in a daytime drama.  This is pretty significant when you consider that every soap opera has a hospital set that plays a

Nixon, on her deathbed, confessing to her adopted daughter that she married her twin brother who is now in a coma. 

prominent role.  (Not to mention the comas… So.  Many.  Comas.)

This storyline had a huge impact because it educated women that they needed to undergo the joy that is a Pap smear every so often.  In 2002 she was granted the Pioneer for Health Award by Sentinel for Health (which totally sounds made up)  for raising awareness… back in 1962.  Timely, guys.  Timely.  

In her career, she would tackle child abuse, AIDS, racial segregation, racism, abortion, addiction and the Vietnam War in the two soaps she created: “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”  She would then go on to create NBC’s “The More You Know” segments because people got ass-tired of “A-very-special” episodes.  This shift in opinion came about the time a young Arnold Drummond was inappropriately propositioned by a former Cincinnati radio station manager.

Her shows featured gay characters, transgender characters, characters with AIDS and alcoholism and drug addiction, characters who abused children or were abused as children.  She really went for the laughs.  

She even cast two black actors (or, as they were called at the time “neeegro actors”) in the lead of “One Life to Live.”  A texas station promptly cancelled the show.  Really.  But it being the 60s, I guess I should be surprised that it was only one station.

This hit goes to: Gianna!  Again!  This moves her up to 80 points, a mere 110 behind the leader.

SPMI

PS: Draft night is 11/5 – a mere 37 days away!

Current Standings:

Jami: 190 – (Scott Weiland  – 60, Pat Harrington, Jr. – 20, Umberto Eco – 20, Rob Ford – 60, Erik Bauersfeld – 10, Edward Albee – 20)

Tailgating w/ Jesus: 140 (Dolph Schayes – 20, Meadowlark Lemon – 20, Monte Irvin – 10, Muhammad Ali – 30, Pat Summitt – 40, Buddy Ryan – 20)

Joanne: 130 (Joey Feek – 60, Joe Garagiola – 10, Julius La Rosa – 20, Buckwheat Zydeco – 40)

Lee Kwang-Soo (Giraffe): 130- (Daniel Fleetwood – 70, Abe Vigoda – 10, Nancy Fucking Reagan! – 10!, George Martin – 10, Elie Wiesel – 20, Mike “Mighty Atom, Jr.” Greenstein – 10)

The Girl on Fire: 120 (Wayne Rogers – 20, René Angélil – 30, George Gaynes – 10, James Noble – 10, Doris Roberts – 10, Marni Nixon – 20, Fyvush Finkel – 10, Steven Hill – 10)

Harmony: 100 (Harper Lee – 20, George Kennedy – 10, Frank Sinatra, Jr. – 30, Gene Wilder – 20, Arnold Palmer – 20)

Occupy the Casket: 100 – (Natalie Cole – 40, Vanity – 50, Boutros Boutros-Ghali – 10)

Gianna: 80 (Robert Stigwood – 20, Lois Duncan – 20, Herschell Gordon Lewis – 20)

Team Sushi: 80 (Chyna, aka Joanie Laurer – 60, Morley Safer – 20)

Mostly Mike: 60 (Marvin Minsky – 20, Mihaly “Michu” Meszaros – 30, Janet Waldo – 10)

Age of Aquarius: 60 (William Guest – 30, Merle Haggard – 30)

Nathaniel: 50 (Alan Young – 10, Kenny Baker – 20, Glenn Yarbrough – 20)

Mortician’s Daughter: 50 – (Justice Antonin Scalia – 30, Bud Collins – 20)