That Girl was the first sitcom to focus on a single woman who was not a domestic or living at home. Some consider the show the forerunner of highly successful series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Murphy Brown, and an early indication of the changing roles of American women in Feminist-era America. Thomas’s goofy charm, together with Bessell’s dry humor and the strong chemistry they shared, made the show a strong performer during its five-year run. Oddly enough, although Bill Persky and Sam Denoff are credited as the “official” creators and executive producers of the series, Marlo Thomas was in fact the de facto creator and executive producer through her Daisy Productions, which she had established prior to the start of the series.
That Girl was reputedly inspired by the life of its star. The daughter of legendary comedian Danny Thomas, Marlo wanted to achieve success on her own merits. In order to achieve that, she moved to England where her father was largely unknown. After five years of little work, she won acclaim in Mike Nichols’ 1965 London version of Barefoot in the Park. Back in the States, she did a pilot for ABC called Two’s Company, which the network declined to pick up. Later, she was offered the Lead in My Mother, the Car which she wisely declined. Instead, she went to the network with an idea for a show called Miss Independence focused on the life of a young, single career girl; That idea eventually hit the air as That Girl.
The series revolved around Ann Marie (Marlo Thomas), an aspiring who has moved from her hometown of Brewster, New York to make it big in New York City. Watched over obsessively by her father, Lou Marie (Lew Parker), a restaurant owner who feared the corrupting influence of the city and the theatre lifestyle on his daughter, Ann found it difficult to navigate her romantic life with Lou’s constant interruptions. Ann’s boyfriend, Donald Hollinger (Ted Bessell), is one of NYC’s most sought-after writers (he writes for Newsview magazine); his easy going, collected demeanor is often put to the test when Ann’s personal and professional hiccups threaten to spin out of control. But through it all, they both love each other and Donald’s persistent overtures about marriage finally pay off when Ann accepts his engagement ring.
During the first four seasons of the series Thomas clearly wanted to try and touch on some political issues of the day (as much as the network would let her). Certainly times were changing in the mid-sixties and Ann Marie exemplified that simply by being a single, career woman living on her own. Through the years, the show touched on racial prejudice, preparing to vote in her first Presidential election and spousal abuse. Granted, these issues are handled in a strictly comical fashion and in not any way controversial. It is also important to point out, unlike popular sixties females Helen Gurley Brown and Jacqueline Susann, who wrote about the pleasures of pre-marital sex, Ann Marie remained, at the behest of network standards and practices offices, chaste. Though network executives wanted to end the series with a marriage between Ann Marie and Donald, Thomas refused because she didn’t want to leave women with the idea that marriage was the ultimate goal for them.
Given the series’ history, season five turns away from political issues and takes on a more traditional sitcom feel; Ann Marie continually finds herself in a series of wacky situations. Learning all about her unwilling neighbors to win a TV quiz show (No Man is Manhattan Island), losing her engagement ring in a cheese cake (That Cake), consoling her father who’s feeling his age (That Girl’s Daddy), wrangling her con-man Uncle Herbert (An Uncle Herbert For All Seasons), doing a stand-up act with Milton Berle and her father, Danny Thomas (Those Friars), sheltering a defecting Russian comedian (The Russians Are Staying), becoming an unwitting professional shoplifter (That Shoplifter), trying to manage her father’s restaurant (Chef’s Night Out), and losing the ticket to a winning horse race Two for the Money), There are a couple of politically themed episodes but they don’t dominate the show as they did in past seasons. There’s an episode about demeaning racial stereotypes in entertainment (That Senorita) and Ann’s involvement with an environmental group (Soot Yourself) and the women’s movement (The Elevated Woman).
I imagine some viewers were upset that Ann Marie and Donald never married. Especially given the fact that she was given a bridal shower and he a stag party; however, given how the show played out, I’ve always been satisfied with the ending. It was 1970, and the idea that women had to marry was still very much in place; as a result, the idea that two people like Ann Marie and Donald could still have a loving relationship without the institution was a gratifying one for some viewers.
That Girl was was a well written, funny sitcom featuring two pros uniquely suited to each other’s chemistry. Marlo Thomas and Ted Bessel (seriously underrated) make for one of television’s brightest, funniest couples; it’s a shame they couldn’t have continued on for a couple more seasons.
Shot on 35mm film, That Girl – Season Five looks great in this full screen transfer (just like the previous seasons I’ve watched). Colors are saturated, and only one or two scenes seem a bit faded. Normal, minor screen anomalies associated with 40-year-old series occasionally pop up. Compression issues are negligible.
The Dolby Digital English mono sound mix accurately reflects the original broadcast presentation. It’s sharp and clear. Closed captioning is available.
There are several episode commentaries by Marlo Thomas and co-creator Bill Persky that are kind of painful. Consisting of long, long passages of silence punctuated by an occasional, “Oh, that’s cute,” or “I wonder what’s going to happen next.” There’s little concerning the show, its production, or reception.
