User Reviews

Mary Hartman was definitely the main attraction - other than her weird dialog, she would often wipe the front of her teeth to give them a quick cleaning, and sit on the couch to open and close her legs in moment of anxiety, giving the viewers a blue pantie-shot. Mary's mom and dad were good, too: with the dad needing to sit on an air dough nut for his hemorrhoids while he stated the need to hire F. Lee Bailey as his attorney to settle a legal matter. Mary's sister, Debra Lee Scott, did well as a sexy slut. This program gave Mary Kay Place notoriety; who, in this program was a terrible singer, and married to an ugly goof who lost his balls - he often talked about his awaiting operation to obtain a pair of dog gonads as a replacement. This program was so crazy you had to watch it.

I first began watching MH2 in the eighth grade on the advise of my friend Todd. We would laugh hysterically each morning in homeroom at the strange absurdity of it all. Though we weren't getting all of it at that age, we understood a lot of their references and learned a lot in the process. And suffice it to say that when "Soap" came on the air a couple of years later, we could only see it as a network ripoff of a show they didn't have the guts to take on before the waters were tested (and by the way, I'm not knocking "Soap" which was a good show. It's just that MH2, for all its absurdities, was riskier and more truly satirical, and...it didn't have a laugh track). One of the most special traits of MH2 was that it tended to focus on small town America's working class and the places they congregate such as the bowling alley or the factory break room. Though serials like All My Children and One Life To Live had revolutionized the soap genre in the 70s by focusing on more "topical" characters, it was still unusual for a soap (or a satire of one) to focus empathetically on the denizens of the other side of the tracks, sometimes referred to as dirty white trash (Roseanne would later revolutionize sitcoms in a similar manner). This was certainly part of MH2's charm. I grew to love Mary Hartman's kitchen (and other Fernwood locales) as if they were an extension of my own town and home. Too bad the show couldn't have lasted longer than it did. Let me finish by saying this...about 5 or 6 years ago Lifetime network began reruns of this show and I was in my glory. For some strange reason, they stopped very soon into it and never resumed. But, I was fortunate enough to have viewed, for the first time in 20 years, the first episodes in which Mary is held captive by the guy who "killed the whole Lombardy family, two goats and six chickens" and, from the vantage point of my 30s, I was finally able to really "get it"; Mary Hartman is one of the great emblems of the distress of the mid-20th century American woman. Her hair in childish pigtails while wearing those little girl dresses, Mary was an example of the overly-consumered, growth-stunted American housewife trying to function while in a semi-daze. Her confrontations with adultery, contemporary feminism, and countless other social issues (often found within her own family) while trying to be the perfect little housewife and mother makes her eventual nervous breakdown more than just another crazy plot twist. In actuality, it was an inevitable progression. Compare her and her friends and neighbors to Carol Burnett's Eunice and other 70s television characters like Edith Bunker and you'd have a rather fascinating college course, I think. Perhaps I need to put one together! So, for those of you who have a similar fondness for this groundbreaking, offbeat series and to those who have never seen it, here's to bringing Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman back in reruns. Fernwood deserves to be revisited! P.S. If you want to see Louise "Mary Hartman" Lasser in a recent role, rent "Happiness". Beware, though,

A sharply satirical soap opera about a modern-day "Candide" (Louise Lasser) and the dysfunctional pre-fab Americana she inhabits. In the opening episodes (beginning 1/76), Mary has to contend with her impotent husband, indifferent daughter, pervert grandpa, hot-to-trot sister, and the massacre of a local family (along with their 2 goats and 8 chickens) but it seems the waxy yellow build-up on her kitchen floor subliminally affected the mass media-influenced Mary more than all the domestic drama combined. The absence of a canned laugh track can make viewers feel they're either losing their mind or experiencing a darkly comedic, penetrating pop-culture parody. Possibly both. I loved it then and I love it now!

Who would have guessed that 30 years later Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman would still be an absolutely hilarious and entertaining program? Controversial for its time, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman still seems to walk the line of racy subject matters.....not subtle and not over-the-top. Watching takes you back in time. It is entertaining to see the fashion statements and listen to the dialog from so long ago. The series is really like a time capsule! Also enjoyable is the product placement, a real blast-to-the-past! Thanks to everyone who brought this program to DVD. I certainly hope that the entire series makes it to video.

Just when you thought Norman Lear couldn't produce a more cutting-edge sitcom than All In The Family, he goes and outdoes himself, by creating Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Actually Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, was not truly a sitcom at all. It could be more accurately described as a prime-time soap-opera. More specifically, a spoof of the soap-opera genre. Like the film Airplane poked-fun at those airport disaster movies, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a satire of the classic soap-opera.

This show set the template for other bizarre comedy series that followed in its wake, such as Married With Children, and Strangers With Candy. Like both of those shows, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was funny precisely because of it's warped premise, not in spite of it. It was the first TV comedy of it's kind, and the most avant-guard comedy on TV in the 70s.

Louise Lasser was brilliant as the flummoxed housewife, Mary Hartman. She played Mary with such a droll, dead-pan style, that she was utterly hilarious. Only Mary Kaye Place as Mary Hartman's neighbor, Loretta Haggers, was as drop-dead funny as Lasser. The other characters in this show, were only mildly amusing, by comparison.

I don't believe that Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman is in syndication anymore. But it's on DVD now. I definitely recommend it. Especially if you want to see a show by Norman Lear, that topped all of his others.

I'm 58 (in 2019) and I remember watching MHMH when I was a kid. Yeah I know, OK so I was a really weird kid, anyway... We picked up this box set almost two years ago and have been watching about an episode a night since. As we near the end we are both sad to see it go. It's a Soap Opera but what a Soap Opera! Surprising how just ahead of its time it was and how much of the same issues are still at the forefront of our world today. Even Bigfoot!

A satire on soap operas dealing with a VERY strange housewife named Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser) and her heavily dysfunctional family and friends. It dealt with homosexuality, alcoholism, wife beating, drug abuse, rape, murder ALL done with a comic twist. Most TV shows wouldn't touch those subjects--but this one did.

This was considered very strong material for its time. It usually played during the afternoon hours but parents were horrified that their children were being subjected to this. Personally I was 14 when it started--I just found it funny and not even remotely shocking. It was moved to late night (11:30) in most areas on the country. It had a successful run for a few years until creator Norman Lear decided to end it. There was a final episode that tied together all the loose ends.

In terms of subject matter this was extreme...but its also very much of its time. The show didn't get too controversial (two gay characters were only allowed to talk to each other--no kissing or hugging) and the off the wall humor kept giving the show a light touch. So it was ahead of its time--but today it comes across as pretty slow and dated. The humor seems pretty silly now and the subject matter isn't even remotely extreme anymore. TV Land tried to revive it a few years ago and it didn't work.

So--it did help push the boundaries of what could be shown and talked about on TV but, unfortunately, it doesn't age well.

Mary Hartman is brilliant and timeless. While it was parodying life in the 1970s, it is even more true today. Some regard All in the Family as Mr. Lear's greatest show, but I believe Mary Hartman was even better. It is an escapist show that like the Honeymooners is only for adults. Like many new shows, it starts a little slow but quickly finds its groove of just getting deeper and crazier with each episode. The feel of the show is great. It would have been ruined if they had added a laugh track. This show was a pioneer in the art of BS, long before Dave Barry and Stephen Colbert.

I watched Mary Hartman in college during the first run, which was before VCRs, and you had to watch it or miss it. I always told my spouse how great it was, and then the entire show came out as a massive DVD set which we bought. We are watching it at our leisure and it is better than I remember.

I'm not sure why it gets such great reviews. It's really JUST OK. There are some very funny parts, but there are characters, main characters, who would drive anyone into insanity. Oh, just got why the great reviews. But honestly, it's something that should be seen and accepted as a beginning. It's not great, at times not even good, but it was a first attempt at a soap opera satire. So, as a 1st attempt, it's as subtle as a sledgehammer. It's comparable to the Wright Bros. Airplane--- something that had to be made so that future and much better things could be created. I wish I could have seen the year without the main lead, because that would have gotten rid of the worst part of it. Yes, it's interesting to see the decline of someone, but she was incredibly annoying, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE YELLS FOR NO REASON. YES, I KNOW THAT WAS THE POINT BUT HOLY MOLEY, is it annoying. Sorry, but just mimicking a soap and pretending it's satire, isn't actually intelligent. It's just a copy. It was a good satire early on, then about 60% or so just became a soap copy. Fun but, not actually worth watching.

This should MUST be resurrected.

A more insightfully absurd and comically astute series has not been made. Mix the daily grind of ALL MY CHILDREN, the experimentation of MONTY PYTHON, the self-absorbed and urbane existentialism of WOODY ALLEN and the offbeat quality of BLUE VELVET and you have MARY HARTMAN MARY HARTMAN.

What a fabulous cast and what kooky writing! This is black comedy at its most tongue-in-cheek.

TVLAND bring it back, please!

This was indeed a work of art for many reasons. First, it was done tongue-in-cheek, but believe it or not really depicted real situations, which actually continue to happen in American life.

For example it is astounding that a recent survey found that something like 20% of Americans actually believe that the Sun revolves around the earth. Another example of just plain dumb, or totally uninformed people, can be found by remembering that during the early World War II years, polls showed that in spite of ads, posters, war campaigns, and other national information efforts, about 25% of Americans still had no idea who Franklin D. Roosevelt or Adolph Hitler were.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a classic because it warned us that we still have a long way to go, if we want to be accepted as an informed society.

I would love to get a copy of the entire production, so I could play it for my grand children. We, and they, need to know that these types of people are still out there, and must be understood and dealt with on a daily basis.

Luis J. Orozco, II

I was 5 and 6 years old when this originally aired, and I remember it vividly. It was my parents' favorite, and I loved it! The organ, the looks right into the camera, the contrasting high drama with absurd commercial culture. I dressed in red braids and a Peter Pan collar for Halloween in my 30s, and was stunned to find *no one* I currently knew had ever heard of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (MH,MH) is the most fascinating tv show I have come across in the last year, possibly ever. Developed by the great Norman Lear (All In The Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Good Times, Jeffersons, Facts of Life, Princess Bride, Fried Green Tomatoes) this series is one not often mentioned or even known to modern audiences. And honestly what a shame. MH, MH is a heavy satire of the soap opera genre, deeply layered in sarcasm, ironic product placement, mass murder, infidelity, indecent exposure, waxy floor buildups, the list goes on. It's an insane shows that feels right out of uncanny valley. Originally airing only through syndication MH,MH didn't get near the long term recognition of series like Soap, a sitcom premiering just one year later in 1977 on ABC in primetime. Instead MH,MH is not a comedy, it is a satire. Unlike Soap, it is not a sit-com, it is a real soap opera. And with that realness comes true tense, dramatic scenes, long story arcs carrying across weeks of episodes, multi-camera set up across multiple standard scene locations, no laugh track, long multiple minute scenes without cuts or retakes to save costs, and enough episodes to air five days a week. This means in its 2 seasons MH,MH had 325 half-hour episodes available for syndication. Constant repeating of scenes, retelling of last weeks drama, rehashing of old arguments, and all again heavily laced in satire, MH, MH ends up being what is essentially a 120 hour long dead-pan joke. It would have never made it to production without the name recognition of Norman Lear behind it and nothing but applause goes out to the fantastic creators and head writers Gail Parent and Ann Marcus (and many others); this show was well beyond its years. With only the first 25 episodes available to me to view I can say those few were a treat and I have immediately vowed to watch all 325 episodes within my lifetime.

When this was on the air, I was in my early twenties and living with my parents. It came on at 11:30 pm. My mother loved it and always stayed up to watch. The first time I saw it, I watched for about a minute and then said, "This is the silliest thing I ever saw, I'm going to bed." The second time, I watched for 5 minutes and then said, "This is the silliest thing I ever saw, I'm going to bed." The third time, it was after watching for 10 minutes. By the fourth or fifth time, I was watching all the way through, and I was hooked.

If you like useless TV trivia, you know that Norman Lear was the first to get a flushing toilet onto television. It happened on All in the Family. Good ol' Norman was known as edgy and innovative for such things.

But he pushed too far with Mary Hartman. The networks considered Mary Hartman to be even more shocking than a toilet, and they rejected it. Luckily, there were plenty of independent stations that thought that a flushing toilet was very artsy, and Mary Hartman came to life.

And so we were presented with a pervert grandpa, a eunuch, death by soup, death by tree, etc. Like the flushing toilet, none of this is vital to the plot. They appear simply to shock. All in the Family didn't need the flushing toilet, but Norman did write an entire show based around the sound of a toilet flushing.

Mary Hartman was a show in which each episode concerned something shocking. The writing, acting and directing ranged from exceptionally poor (Lasser) to average. None of that really mattered. The fans tuned in to see what shocking situation Mary found herself in.

Mary Hartman had one hook: either Hartman wouldn't understand the shocking events that happened or she would fixate on a trivial detail. Take a gander at the glowing reviews written by those frustrated liberal arts students. They all talk about the shocking situations, but not a one of them can remember the plots.

It wasn't art. It wasn't cutting edge. It wasn't even sitcom noir. It was a series of unfunny jokes delivered by a severely drug-addled D-list star about some "shocking" situation that happened.

Not as well-written as Zombie Cheerleaders in the All-Night Bowlerama. Not as well-acted as My Mother the Car. Not as shocking as seeing Grandma in her nightie. The perfect gift for the average mother-in-law.

Truly one of the greatest-and least remembered -TV shows of all time.I loved this show back in the seventies. It was a rich tapestry of comic-and touching- characters, exemplified by the naive heroine, Mary Hartman,and her friends, perhaps most unforgettable of whom was would be Country Music queen,Loretta Haggers, played by the sadly underused -and brilliant-Mary Kay Place.But then this show was rich in fine acting-Dabney Coleman, martin Mull, and Marian Mercer, among others.If the Comedy channel can rerun "soap" why cant they rerun this masterpiece?

Well perhaps not the worst show ever, the Star Wars Christmas special was pretty bad. But at least most people agree that the SW special was god awful. And I'm not 100% certain it was actually worse.

I never understood what people saw in it when it aired, I don't get it now.

Louise is not funny, she seems to actually have serious problems. This is a notion that would be vindicated when she hosted Saturday Night Live where she was also, not surprisingly,...not funny.

Supposedly this is a powerful feminist show. I'm not sure how portraying a person who is this messed up as some kind of icon to be aspired to advances the cause of feminism. I think the Mary Tyler Moore Show and it's spin off Rhoda are certainly more effective in that role.

But the show did seem to appeal to people who also had serious personal problems. Maybe that explains it.

This was one of those seminal moments in television history, because the 70s seemed to be more open to experimentation and strangeness than certainly the 80s and definitely the 90s.

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a show that was unclassifiable by any standard of TV today. Now, I haven't seen the show in about 15 years (I watched the whole series on tape at a friend of mine's back in the mid or late 80s), but I am sure that it would be just as bizarre and wonderful today as ever.

Martin Mull was brilliant as the psychopathic wife beater, Barth Gimble. I hope that TV Land or some other such channel will pick this show up, because I would really love to see it again.

This show sucked then and it still sucks now! And it hasn't gotten any better