The Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Challenge!
9Norman Lear’s satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman premiered in syndication on January 5, 1976. There are 325 episodes, a sequel/continuation titled Fernwood Forever, and two seasons of summer replacement Fernwood 2 Nite and America 2 Nite. I’m going to try to watch the whole thing in order on as close to the original airing dates as possible, if possible. It’s going to take a year and a half. I’m excited.
Here’s the first episode:
It’s a little terrifying!
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Are they all on YouTube? I may join you!
@sammydog01 I’m not sure! A google search said it’s available on Sony’s YouTube channel, but I couldn’t find it using my phone. I have the series boxed set, but I can’t remember if it has Forever Fernwood and it definitely doesn’t have Fernwood 2 Nite. I hope it’s all on YouTube, because a group watch would be super fun!
“What kind of a madman would shoot two goats and eight chickens?”
/showme a madman shooting two goats and eight chickens
@Pavlov Here’s the image you requested for “a madman shooting two goats and eight chickens”
@mediocrebot @Pavlov Geez. I preferred it when the bot rejected violence.
@Kyeh @mediocrebot @Pavlov It looks like that particular madman is protecting the sheep and goats who are under attack.
@mediocrebot @mossygreen @Pavlov
It does, I guess. I’m still shocked at the gore.
@Kyeh @mossygreen @Pavlov I wouldn’t give the bot too much credit for using correct perspective. And, on a side note, it looks like David Arquette really let himself go!
@ircon96 @Kyeh @mossygreen @Pavlov I thought Mad Max (Mel Gibson) when I first saw the image.
Looks like the hen in the middle ducked at the right time.
@Kyeh @mossygreen @Pavlov @phendrick “Ducked”
… Yeah, that poor girl is like, What the cluck…?!
/showme a kitchen floor with a yellow waxy buildup.
@phendrick Here’s the image you requested for “a kitchen floor with a yellow waxy buildup.”
@mediocrebot that buildup was a letdown
Episode 2 from the same youtube account:
“I got a mother and a father and a chicken and a goat, and I’m a riding the train to heaven.”
/showme a mass murderer with a chicken and a goat riding a train to heaven
@Pavlov Here’s the image you requested for “a mass murderer with a chicken and a goat riding a train to heaven”
@mediocrebot @Pavlov Missing a negligee from Frederick’s.
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
This was on American airwaves for 300 episodes? This seems like a British series.
@pakopako 325, plus a sequel and summer replacements. In that way, the exact opposite of a British series.
@pakopako OF COURSE, Norman Lear was known for retooling British sitcoms for the US market, so while I don’t know how much he had to do with the actual nuts and bolts of creating the series, it makes sense that there’d be some UK dna in there.
@mossygreen @pakopako The US version of The Office is SO MUCH better that the English one! Same thing for the show Ghosts.
@mossygreen @pakopako @therealjrn Love the US version of Ghosts and was sooooo disappointed with the UK one.
I found episode 3 here:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5cmyom
“I’m sure you were very attractive.”
“Really? What do you think happened to me?”
/showme an attractive young girl drinking from a water fountain with water going up her nose
@Pavlov Here’s the image you requested for “an attractive young girl drinking from a water fountain with water going up her nose”
@Pavlov Thanks, I was just about to post this! It looks like they have a lot of the episodes. There’s a guy on YouTube who streamed reaction videos of the whole series but didn’t show the actual episodes until episode 60. I haven’t checked them out yet to see if the viewing experience is enhanced by a middle-aged Asian man smiling in the lower left corner. I’m kind of hoping it is.
From today’s episode (S01E04):
/showme a breakfast cereal endorsed by Billie Jean King
@Pavlov Here’s the image you requested for “a breakfast cereal endorsed by Billie Jean King”
@Pavlov Does Fernwood even HAVE a House of Pancakes?
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5cmyzk
Lots of commercials on daily motion.
@mossygreen Sgt. Foley’s caress of Mary’s cheek was almost unbearably erotic.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5cmzab
@mossygreen IMDB description:
S1.E5 ∙ Episode #1.5
Fri, Jan 9, 1976
Word begins to spread that Heather is a suspect in the murder investigation; Cathy gets fired; Mary receives a threatening phone call.
https://dai.ly/x5cmzm5
@mossygreen
Where’s your couch?
You see, I work for the county and they won’t buy me one.
@mossygreen IMDB description:
S1.E6 ∙ Episode #1.6
Mon, Jan 12, 1976
Mary musters the courage to check out sex books from the library; Grampa Larkin visits psychiatric social worker Roberta Wolashek; a strange man follows Heather home from school.
I’m going to have to watch these soon.
@therealjrn I don’t think they’re going anywhere, but the original airdates won’t match after February because 1976 was a leap year.
HOLY CRAP DAILYMOTION WORKS ON MY LAPTOP TIME TO WATCH KIRBY RIGHT BACK AT YA!
IMDB description:
S1.E7 ∙ Episode #1.7
Tue, Jan 13, 1976
Mary turns to the police after Heather confesses that she saw the killer; Loretta is arrested for picketing; Charlie stumbles on Mary’s sex ed books.
https://dai.ly/x5cmzwo
Thrilling star sighting: Norman Alden as Coach Fedders!
https://dai.ly/x4undzk
IMDB description:
S1.E8 ∙ Episode #1.8
Wed, Jan 14, 1976
Grampa Larkin’s social worker confesses that she’s fallen in love with him; Mary’s washing machine is broken, Martha’s no-stick starch is sticking, and Heather’s story makes the evening news.