MARY, MARY... er, MARY

Mary McKinnon was a famous actress in Toobworld, who starred in 'The Mary McKinnon Show' on TV. It was a variety show which featured appearances by such stars playing themselves as:

Dick Van Dyke*

Lucille Ball

Beatrice Arthur

Nancy Walker

Linda Lavin

Bonnie Franklin

Ken Howard

Hal Linden

Paul Williams

Mike Douglas

Gene Kelly

Johnny Mathis

There was also a Mary McKinnon who lived in Bay City, whose life was in constant turmoil. Five years after leaving Bay City, Mary came back to reunite with her children and move the whole family to Minneapolis.

By an odd coincidence for which Toobworld is well-known, another woman who lived in Minneapolis was Mary Richards, formerly a producer of the WJM-TV news. She may have already moved away by the time Mary McKinnon moved there, however. After being fired from WJM in 1977, she married a politician and raised a daughter, eventually moving to New York.

I said it was an odd coincidence because Mary Richards looked exactly like the Mary McKinnon who was the big Hollywood TV star.

Whether or not the two Mary McKinnons were related, I don't know. It could be that they were cousins whose parents both insisted on using the name of "Mary" for their daughter. (I've seen the same situation happen in my family, so I know it can happen.)

Now, it could be that Mary McKinnon the actress, being the cousin of Mary McKinnon of Bay City, originally came from Minneapolis as well, or perhaps from nearby... say, Roseberg, perhaps. If so, it might be interesting to have Mary Richards Cronin and Mary McKinnon take blood tests, just to see if Dr. Walter Reed Richards was a "rambling man"......

Just sayin', is all.....

BCnU!

Toby OB

*We know there's no fear of a Zonk in regards to Mr. Van Dyke ever thinking Mary McKinnon looked like his co-star Mary Tyler Moore. That's because 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' in Toobworld is not the same series as in the real world. Our 'Dick Van Dyke Show' was part of the same TV universe as 'The Mary Tyler Moore Hour'. However, the tele-version of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' probably dramatized the "real life" of comedy writer Rob Petrie. This would negate the Zonks to be found in shows like 'The Jackie Thomas Show'.....