A professional pool player was on standby to make that shot after the live taping, but turns out, he wasn’t needed! Mary Tyler Moore sank the difficult shot herself during a live taping of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was unexpected, but as the great actress she was, she stayed in character and carried the scene flawlessly.
Moore was ahead of her time in more ways than one: she changed the way women in the entertainment industry were perceived, she was a steadfast and outspoken champion of #genderequality, and she improved representation for women, both on screen and behind the camera.
In fact, by the mid-1970s, her production company had hired more women than the entirety of CBS (the network that broadcasted the hashtag #MaryTylerMoore Show) and employed more female writers than any other sitcom at the time.
Here’s to sinking the shot, and leaving a legacy that still inspires today.
