To every generation that grew up with the idea of reruns, the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show are iconic. They were a little bit different every season, but they invariably followed Moore driving or strolling around Minneapolis to the swells of the soothing theme song and always ending with her throwing her hat triumphantly into the air. Also always featured — amid the otherwise blurry pedestrian mob — was one face in the crowd: an older woman standing behind Moore, caught staring at her as if she’d lost her mind. For decades, no one knew who this woman was. She certainly wasn’t a paid extra — this show aired in an era when producers didn’t bother blocking off streets for their shoots. It wasn’t until 1996, when Moore returned to Minneapolis to promote her memoir ("After All"), that Hazel Frederick decided to formally introduce herself, delighting Moore so much that she pulled the 88-year-old woman onstage and declared her “my co-star.” It turns out that Frederick’s presence on the street that day was pure chance. It was her day off and she had gone down to Dayton’s to shop. She saw the crowd and was curious, but she had no idea a TV show was even being filmed. She never saw a camera; she just thought Moore was a lunatic throwing her hat in the air. Frederick died just three years after identifying herself, having never earned a dime for being one of the most iconic faces on ‘70s television. As for the famous hat, Moore said she had no idea what happened to it or where it ended up.
