The Lady in the Background of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” Opening Credits

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.

 

 

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California Mom Gave All Four Daughters the Same Name

Mary Heffernan, from Fort Jones, Calif., has left many people on social media scratching their heads after she revealed in a post that she and her husband Brian had named their four daughters Mary. In her post, the 47-year-old explained that their family had a long history of strong Catholic women named Mary on both sides, so when they started having kids, they decided they wanted to carry on the tradition. Her admission raised a lot of questions on social media, with many users wondering how she avoids confusing her daughters. It’s simple: her eldest, Mary Frances, goes by Francie; her second, Mary Marjorie, goes by Maisie; her third, Mary Jane, goes by JJ; and her youngest, Mary Teresa, goes by Tessa. Needless to say, social media is a haven for critics, and this post was no different. “The Internet always has opinions,” said Heffernan, who says she’s not fazed by the scrutiny and is proud of her decision to name all four of her daughters Mary. The bottom line: "Our family doesn't need outside approval. The girls love their names, and that's what matters.”

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Why Can’t NFL Players Show Their Legs During Games?

Viewers tuning in to watch football are likely to see plenty of brawn and brute strength, but the one thing that won’t be visible is the players’ bare legs. Since 1945, the NFL has mandated that players cover every inch of their legs, via some combination of pants, stockings or socks. The current rules, as outlined in the official NFL rule book, state that leg coverings “must cover the entire area from the shoe to the bottom of the pants” and conform to the colors approved by the league. Skin exposure of the lower leg and ankle area due to improper wear of game socks is prohibited throughout the game. The only exception is for kickers who prefer to go barefoot, though there hasn’t been one of those in years. That doesn’t mean some skin doesn’t peek through from time to time. It happens occasionally as the result of strenuous play, and it’s mostly tolerated. However, failure to wear the appropriate leg coverings can — and has — resulted in fines. When the rule was implemented in 1945, then-NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden thought players had “unsightly legs.” That proved to be true in 2013, when Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers (pictured below) rushed for a 9-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Atlantic Falcons with his bare legs showing. When confronted, Gore admitted he was too preoccupied with the game to pay attention to his socks. “I was wrong. Next time, I’ll do better,” he said. Rules regarding leg coverings have remained on the books for nearly 80 years, so it’s unlikely viewers will see any legs at NFL games in the future.

 

 

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New Study Pinpoints Why Some People Never Recover From the Death of a Loved One

It’s well known that grief is not linear, but for a small percentage of people, it’s also never-ending. It’s estimated that 10% of people who have lost a loved one experience Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), which is defined as having very difficult feelings, such as sadness or guilt, which last more than six months. PGD is a psychiatric disorder and is characterized by elevated levels of bereavement-related distress. People with PGD spend a lot of time thinking about the person who has died, have difficulty accepting the death, and struggle to return to everyday activities. They may feel that life has lost its meaning, that they have lost part of their identity, or simply cannot accept the death, even though they know it has occurred. It doesn't affect everyone who has experienced such a loss, leaving scientists puzzled. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia, argue that PGD shares some of the brain patterns seen in patients with depression and anxiety, and there's also activity in the systems involved in reward and attachment. This could mean that people are craving the presence of their lost loved one on a deep psychological level, making it harder for them to effectively move on. Lead author Richard Bryant hopes to expand his research in the future by working with larger groups of bereaved people to monitor how their brain activity changes as they move through — or get stuck in — grief. "We do have treatments that can address it, but we can't do that if we can't identify these people,” said Bryant.

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