Sue Ann Nivens

Sue Ann Nivens is a fictional character from the long-running situation comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She was played by Betty White.

Sue Ann Nivens
Sue Ann on the air as "The Happy Homemaker"
First appearance"The Lars Affair"
September 15, 1973
Last appearance"The Last Show"
March 19, 1977
Created byJames L. Brooks and Allan Burns
Portrayed byBetty White
In-universe information
GenderFemale
Occupation"The Happy Homemaker" presenter
FamilyLila Nivens (sister)

Casting

The role of Sue Ann Nivens was not specifically written for White, but script #73 of the series ("The Lars Affair", originally aired September 15, 1973)[1] called for an "icky sweet Betty White type". The show's casting director decided to approach the star herself, who with her husband Allen Ludden was already good friends with Mary Tyler Moore and her then husband, the show's producer Grant Tinker. Producers were aware of Moore and White's friendship and were initially hesitant to audition White for the role. The fear was that if Moore wasn't right, it would create awkwardness between the two.[2] In playing Sue Ann, the actress played up her character as a cheerful, home-and-hearth loving woman as a contrasting cover for a backbiting, sexually voracious nature.[3] Her debut appearance was in the sitcom's first episode of the fourth season.[4] This was supposed to be a one-time guest role but James L. Brooks, who created the series, said, "Don't make too many plans."[5]

The Happy Homemaker (and homewrecker)

Sue Ann Nivens was the relentlessly perky star of The Happy Homemaker on the fictional WJM-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her program delivered advice to housewives on cooking and decorating. She chose unusual and sometimes ludicrous themes for some episodes, such as "What's all this fuss about famine?" and "A salute to fruit". Nivens was a perfectionist; she once confessed she would rather flush her Veal Prince Orloff down a toilet than serve it reheated. She was also full of helpful hints for all occasions and always ready to make lemons into lemonade; she once suggested buying colorful, happy goldfish as companions for the infirm and then, when the goldfish died, using them as fertilizer for houseplants.

Although Sue Ann presented an image of a sweet, perfect wife and homemaker on-screen, she was actually sardonic, man-obsessed, and very competitive.

Relationships

With Mary and Phyllis

Sue Ann premiered on The Mary Tyler Moore Show as a guest at one of Mary Richards' famously disastrous parties. At the conclusion of the party, Lars Lindstrom (the never-seen husband of Mary's friend and landlady, Phyllis Lindstrom) gave Sue Ann a ride home. Phyllis subsequently realized Lars and Sue Ann were having an affair because Lars came home with cleaner clothes than when he left. When Phyllis threatened to "rip Sue Ann's face off", Mary was forced to mediate between Phyllis and Sue Ann to end the affair.

Eventually, Sue Ann and Mary became somewhat friendly, or perhaps were friendly adversaries. She often called Mary "Dear, sweet, naive Mary"; and she, along with Georgette Franklin, helped to fill the void when Phyllis and Rhoda left (Cloris Leachman and Valerie Harper each got their own spin-off show). Nonetheless, Sue Ann's relationship with Mary could be competitive, as Mary, who was younger and more attractive, more easily drew the attention of men.

With others
Lou and Sue Ann. Lou has just given her the bad news that her program was cancelled.
  • Sue Ann also often sparred with news writer Murray Slaughter, making veiled remarks about his baldness, while Murray, in turn, fired quips about Sue Ann's age and promiscuity.
  • She was "very close" to WJM's children's television show host Chuckles the Clown, having baked the first custard pie he ever sat in.
  • The one man whom she most wanted to bed was Lou Grant. After being turned down on numerous occasions, she finally succeeded in a sixth-season episode ("Once I Had A Secret Love"); Lou went to great lengths to try to ensure that the rest of the WJM staff didn't find out about this.
  • Sue Ann also had a younger sister, Lila (Pat Priest), with whom she had a severe case of sibling rivalry. Lila caused Sue Ann a lot of grief, especially when Lila accepted an offer to host a rival cooking show in Minneapolis.

In the series' final season, Sue Ann's Happy Homemaker show was canceled because of low ratings. She still was under contract to WJM, but would only continue to get paid if she worked at the station – and, after being assigned to a series of menial positions (recording station break announcements, appearing as foil to a pair of puppets on a children's show), Lou coerced Mary into hiring her as a production assistant on the Six O'Clock News.

In the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sue Ann was fired, as was almost everyone in the WJM newsroom. She immediately bounced back, however, finding work as a travelling companion and "sort of a practical nurse" to a wealthy, elderly gentleman.

Impact and legacy

Reflecting on the role, White has said, "Of course, I loved Sue Ann. She was so rotten. You can’t get much more rotten than the neighborhood nymphomaniac."[6] The role earned White two Emmy Awards as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1975 and 1976), with a further nomination following in the show's final season, 1977.[7] Asked about her favorites among her many awards to date, she cites these won for The Mary Tyler Moore Show.[8] White gives a great deal of credit for the role's success to the scripts, speaking of being "blessed with the kind of writing on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and [the later series] The Golden Girls"[9]

On The Golden Girls, debuting eight years later, White was originally cast as man-hungry Blanche Devereaux; and Rue McClanahan, the befuddled Vivian Harmon on Maude, was cast as naive Rose Nylund. The two actresses realized how similar their new roles were to their previous ones and, at the suggestion of veteran comedy director Jay Sandrich, approached the producers about switching roles. (White quotes Sandrich as saying, "If Betty plays another man-hungry neighborhood you-know-what, they're going to equate it with Sue Ann and think it's just a continuation of that.")[10] The producers agreed, and the show went on to great success.[11] White stated in January 2017 that she greatly enjoyed playing the character of Rose, as opposed to Blanche.[12]

References
  1. IMDb: Mary Tyler Moore: The Lars Affair.
  2. A 2011 Archive of American Television interview of Moore
  3. Cary O'Dell, The Museum of Broadcast Communications
  4. IMDb: Mary Tyler Moore: The Lars Affair.
  5. "16th Annual NATPE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards". Broadcasting & Cable. January 21, 2019. p. 12.
  6. Cindy Pearlman, "Exclusive Interview With Betty White!" (p. 3), updated May 18, 2011.
  7. Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
  8. "The TGB Interview: BETTY WHITE"
  9. Seth Abramovitch, "Betty White: The Movieline Interview", June 15, 2009.
  10. Danielle Henbest, "Still Golden – A Talk With Betty White" http://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/still_golden_a.html
  11. "Wild About Movies: Golden Girl Betty White". Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  12. Betty White on her 95th birthday

Further reading
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