This episode involves the neurotic over the top Phyllis Lindstrom. She needs Mary to look after daughter Bess (Lisa Gerretson) for a while. Phyllis is anal and wise to all the books on child rearing. Bess proves to be much more mature than her mother. Mary hits it off with her quickly and the two of them do things together. The problem is that Bess doesn't want to go home and Phyllis is willing to let her stay, much to Mary's bewilderment. Soon she shows up at WJM which infuriates Lou Grant because he is unable to cuss. There is a great scene where Ted is told the cue cards are idiot cards. Of course, there are several idiot jokes directed at him. This is a lesser episode but it's not too bad. That little girl was one of the better child actresses of that time.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (TV Series)
Bess, You Is My Daughter Now (1970)
User Reviews
Review this title6 Reviews
Fun episode
Rrrobert21 June 2019
Most of the elements work well here. Lisa Gerritsen is good as Bess (but since when didn't she like Mary?) and Cloris Leachman is manic as the egocentric Phyllis.
Ted wasn't a main character early on but he has some funny scenes here, as does Lou.
Ted wasn't a main character early on but he has some funny scenes here, as does Lou.
Not a bad one!
Analog_Devotee31 October 2021
An enjoyable episode, though a bit of a letdown after the very humorous one preceding it. The highlights of this episode was the development of those of whom Mary has found herself working with. The actual plot involving the young girl isn't all that interesting, but it's far from bad.
Good early episode
ronnybee21123 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It is hard to believe that this is only the 3rd episode of MTM. This is a showcase of how strongly the show started. The writing was great. The acting was believable and pretty funny throughout. Mary gets stuck babysitting "Bess",the daughter of "Phyliss",Mary's vain,selfish and bizarre landlord/neighbor. The girl's father/Phyliss' husband "Lars" has chickenpox,so the girl has to stay with Mary awhile. (Lars seems to be a shadowy character that is mentioned here and there but rarely/never seen) The girl Bess is slightly troubled but it turns out she is more grounded and sensible than her wacky mother. The mother Phyliss is not an evil woman,she is just a bit different and a bit ditzy.
Mary somehow gets stuck with Bess longer than had been planned on,because the girl would rather stay with Mary than with her parents!
The young actress that plays the "Bess" character does a very good job,she was talented and she didn't over-do things by being obnoxious,instead she exercised restraint with her part .
This is a fine early episode of a great show.
Mary somehow gets stuck with Bess longer than had been planned on,because the girl would rather stay with Mary than with her parents!
The young actress that plays the "Bess" character does a very good job,she was talented and she didn't over-do things by being obnoxious,instead she exercised restraint with her part .
This is a fine early episode of a great show.
Bess, You Is My Daughter Now
studioAT17 July 2020
The 1st half of this episode is good, with some sweet moments as Mary looks after Bess, but it does fall away a little towards the end.
Nice to see the characters at the newsroom being fleshed out a bit more though, and the 'cuss' scene between Mary and Lou was fab.
A mixed but enjoyable episode on the whole.
Nice to see the characters at the newsroom being fleshed out a bit more though, and the 'cuss' scene between Mary and Lou was fab.
A mixed but enjoyable episode on the whole.
featuring a character I never really took to on the show.
planktonrules28 January 2024
Of all the characters introduced in episode one of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", the one that never really appealed to me was Bess. I certainly DON'T blame the young actress playing the part...she was very talented. But the way she was written seemed very unusual and difficult to believe as a real person. Also, I never really found her quirky qualities particularly endearing or fun to watch. This is personal taste...and perhaps others might feel very differently.
Lars, Phyllis' husband you NEVER see on the show, has chicken pox. So, Phyllis asks Mary to do her a favor...to watch Bess until Lars has recovered. Mary agrees but at first finds it tough going with Bess, as the child is precocious...too much so. It's obvious that Phyllis is a strange sort of parent and has a very 'modern' style of parenting. As a result, Bess is a weird kid and Phyllis treats Bess like a mini-adult. Eventually, this strangeness causes problems as Bess decides to stay with Mary forever...and dopey Phyllis seems okay with that!
The weirdness of Bess combined with an odd montage make this a most atypical episode of the series. While episodes one and two were very good, this one seems pretty awkward by comparison. An okay episode but not a funny one.
Lars, Phyllis' husband you NEVER see on the show, has chicken pox. So, Phyllis asks Mary to do her a favor...to watch Bess until Lars has recovered. Mary agrees but at first finds it tough going with Bess, as the child is precocious...too much so. It's obvious that Phyllis is a strange sort of parent and has a very 'modern' style of parenting. As a result, Bess is a weird kid and Phyllis treats Bess like a mini-adult. Eventually, this strangeness causes problems as Bess decides to stay with Mary forever...and dopey Phyllis seems okay with that!
The weirdness of Bess combined with an odd montage make this a most atypical episode of the series. While episodes one and two were very good, this one seems pretty awkward by comparison. An okay episode but not a funny one.
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