Thursday, November 6, 2008

TUNE IN AND TURN ON... WITH A SMILE

During the last episode of the US version of 'Life On Mars' ("Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows?"), Sam Tyler lied to Annie on the phone when she could hear Adrienne in the apartment. He told her he was watching Mary Tyler Moore:

"That Mary Tyler Moore, she really can turn the world on with her smile."

There was no mention of the actual 'Mary Tyler Moore Show', just that Mary was on the tube. And the use of the song's catch-phrase doesn't count, because theme song lyrics don't factor into the actual life of Toobworld. Lyrics are for the benefit of the viewers in the Trueniverse, serving usually as background information... information... information. For instance - the lyrics from 'Gilligan's Island' are a recap as to who the castaways are and how they ended up on the island. The 'My Mother The Car' theme song establishes reincarnation as a fact of life after death.

So when Sam says that Mary Tyler Moore is a girl "who can turn the world on with her smile", he's stating an opinion, not quoting the song.
Put that Zonk in your cap and toss it!

BCnU!
Toby O'B

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