I think a lot of people can relate to the idea of having your own business. A person can start a business, or buy an established business. The reality may be different from the dream, and everyone probably knows that, too.
There's an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that illustrates the journey of one such enterprise --
Season 3, Episode 16, "Lou's Place"
(available to watch on You Tube).
Lou Grant is head of the WJM newsroom where Mary Richards works. When the owner of Lou's favorite bar, McCluskey's, passes away Lou buys the place. He thinks because he enjoys being a customer there, he's going to enjoy running it. "It's a goldmine!" he says.
Customers stop coming in, it gets real quiet in the bar, and Lou is dismayed. 'What's wrong?' he wonders. And he figures it out pretty quickly.
One evening Mary and Rhoda are hanging out in Rhoda's studio apartment (those beads in the doorway...) and Lou Grant stops by unexpectedly. He says he's been out walking in the city, thinking about what's going wrong at the bar, why he's losing customers. He says the thing that's missing at McCluskey's is McCluskey. He says, "McCluskey was lovable -- I'm not lovable."
"Oh Mr. Grant, that's not true," says Mary automatically.
Lou says, "Yes it is, Mary, I've never worked at being lovable. It was always enough that people were afraid of me. McCluskey -- he had a gift for people. He'd tell them jokes; he'd get them to sing. He remembered everyone's name who ever came in there."
Resolving to try a new approach, Mr. Grant leaves. Next scene, on another evening: he's in his bar, two customers walk in, he greets them with enthusiastic friendliness (almost too enthusiastic - a little overwhelming). He introduces himself and asks their names. Al, and Tim.
Pretty soon a group of 4 -- two men and two women -- walk in, Lou greets them with high energy and gets their names and introduces them to Al and Tim -- except it costs him some effort to remember the names, he gets three of them right and one wrong. (LOL - already it isn't easy for him, at all!)
The two couples at their table are trying to have conversation together, but Lou Grant sort of claims their attention and drowns out their talk by telling a joke, aiming it at the table of four and Al and Tim who are seated at the bar.
Then Mary and Rhoda walk in -- they want to support Lou's enterprise. Lou greets them and says, loud and jolly, "You're just in time for the Sing-along!" after, of course, introducing everybody and stumbling over a couple of the names -- "wait a minute - wait a minute...".
You can see the six original customers are reluctant to -- sing, right at the moment. Lou Grant starts singing "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Mary tries to tell him, gently, "Mr. Grant you don't have to do this. It isn't you!" But he plunges in, sings a verse, and Mary and Rhoda join him, to try and be supportive.
Some of the other customers sing along, half-heartedly. (Maybe they don't know the words. Or maybe they would like to be left alone. ...)
When they get into the second verse, they are several voices strong, but throughout the first five lines the number of voices is dwindling and so the sound is getting thinner and weaker. Everyone is embarrassed and uncomfortable. It's just awkward.
Come on along, come on along
Let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, up to the man
Who's the leader of the band
And if you want to hear the Swanee River
-- played in ragtime --
Come on and hear, come on and hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band
When it gets to the Swanee River part, all the voices have stopped except for Mary and Rhoda, then Mary gives up, and Rhoda, left singing by herself, sitting on a barstool, snaps her fingers and sways a little as she finishes --
Come on and hear, come on and hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band! - with a flourish.
Rhoda has a Bronx New York accent, so it's
Come on and hee-ah, come on and hee-ah...
Rhoda is valiant.
Then Lou Grant addresses his six customers: "What the hell is wrong with you?!" (LOL) - "We asked you nicely..."
Al and Tim are heading for the door.
Lou Grant: "Siddown!!"
(They go back to their bar-stools.)
"Now, this is the Happy Hour! [emphatically] - Is it too much to ask for you to have fun? Al, Tim..." and he proceeds to address the two couples at the table by name, getting each name wrong -- "We're all gonna sit here -- and sing along. All right! -- Let's Go."
(and he adds, in a surly Voice Of Doom) --
"...and this time -- I REALLY. WANNA. HEAR-IT."
-30-
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