America’s Favourite Housewife That Television Forgot
In the 1970s, women were something to be feared. The nuclear family, while very much the norm at the time, had been on the decline since the swinging 60s and was increasingly becoming less commonplace due to a wide range of factors including same-sex marriage, divorce and single-parent households. Because the nuclear family was no longer a must, and due to the growing second-wave feminist movement that was pushed by many prominent female minds, including Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinham, american women were no longer expected to be in the house all day tending to the children while waiting for their husbands to bring in the big bucks. This new modern woman was exciting, dynamic, brave and unafraid. She exuded confidence without having to resort to archaic male fantasies and she did it in every field whether it was science, medicine, business or even journalism. She was so prominent in fact, that TV execs fought to get her on screen and this came in the form of the iconic, much-renowned Television series, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was produced by Mary’s own company, MTM Productions.
American audiences were already familiar with Mary as she appeared in the much beloved Dick Van Dyke show as Rob Petrie’s wife, Laura Petrie. So it was more than easy for audiences to accept her as a semi-autobiographical 30 year old news producer in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The character she played was self-assured, quietly ambitious and funny in a mostly understated way. She carefully and self-assuredly handled the newsroom with feminine style and grace while still managing to avoid the quips of newswriter Murray Slaughter and the effortlessly hilarious news anchor Ted Baxter.
The natural chemistry between these three characters as well as her interactions with best friend Rhoda Morgenstern, News Director Lou Grant, TV personality Sue Ann Nivens (who also happened to be played by the great Betty White) and the sweet, soft-spoken Georgette Franklin, was what set the show apart from many other sitcoms of the time and would go on to inspire a great many including the much beloved Seinfeld. Every character brought something to the table, whether it was comedy or a big dollop of reality in the form of relationship squabbles or job woes. However, over the years, it’s safe to say that not every character has received their just dues. Through the course of time, one might argue that some have even been forgotten, as if they never existed at all and one of these individuals is Georgette Franklin.
Georgette Franklin, played by Georgina Engel, is the soft-spoken girlfriend, who would later become the wife of Ted Baxter. If you don’t remember her name, you’re bound to at least remember her voice. Georgette embodies characteristics that many of us desire in a partner or friend. She is highly approachable, has a great sense of humour, is very attuned to her environment and genuinely cares about others. It’s this very innocence that sometimes makes her susceptible to manipulation, but as the show progresses, it’s clear to see that there is more than meets the eye with Georgette. Take for example Season 3, episode 18, Ted is taking Georgette for granted and after a discussion with Rhoda and Mary, Georgette demands that Ted leaves the house. It was entirely unexpected. Georgette making a brave decision like that could not have been predicted by even the most analytical television fan and yet it happened. In one single moment, Georgette went from meek to marvellous and she did it without breaking a sweat.
Probably the most memorable and surprising Georgette moment that would cement her legacy as one of the best characters to appear on television, was in Season 7, episode 10 titled Murray Can’t Lose. Georgette effortlessly danced away on stage singing, “Steam Heat” and received a standing ovation at the end. Ted naturally disapproved and his reaction was unsurprisingly typical, but it was yet another example of the amount of influence and sway Georgette now had within the relationship. Just like Mary, Sue Ann Givens, Rhoda and the rest of the self-assured women on the show, Georgette was now a force to be reckoned with.
Georgette is representative of a lot of individuals out there who hide behind an exterior carved out by those closest to them without acknowledging or accepting their true selves. In other words, Georgette was so much more than she let on and when the opportunity came about she seized it and let the world know who she truly is. We’ve all seen shades of this character arc within films and TV Shows such as Breaking Bad, Fargo, Little Voice, Whiplash and even The Matrix. But more importantly, we see this type of individual everyday. Yes, Georgette was kooky and sometimes naive, but beneath all of that was an archetypal everywoman and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. To expect every woman to be a headstrong feminist is ridiculous. Similarly, to expect every man to be a boisterous womaniser is foolish. The Mary Tyler Moore Show excelled at holding up a mirror to the world and allowing us to laugh at our differences. Human beings come in different shapes, sizes and colours and it’s this unique mixture that makes us great.
