The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Happy Birthday, Lou!

Happy Birthday, Lou!
Season 4, Episode 15
Airdate	December 22, 1973
Production Number	7319
Written by	David Lloyd
Directed by	George Tyne
Produced by	Ed. Weinberger
← 4x14 Almost a Nun's Story	4x16 → WJM Tries Harder
The Mary Tyler Moore Show — Season Four

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Happy Birthday, Lou! is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the eighty-seventh episode overall.

Starring: Mary Tyler Moore (Mary Richards)

Co-Starring: Edward Asner (Lou Grant)

with Valerie Harper (Rhoda Morgenstern), Gavin MacLeod (Murray Slaughter), Ted Knight (Ted Baxter), John Amos (Gordie)

and Priscilla Morrill (Edie Grant)

Guest Star: Betty White (Sue Ann Nivens)

Plot Overview

Lou receives what look like greeting cards in the mail at the office. Mary suspects and does confirm that it's his birthday. She also figures that he may be feeling a little depressed on this day since it will be his first birthday since he and Edie separated. As such, she decides to throw him a last minute surprise party at her place. The plan is to invite him over for a quick drink that evening, with all the guests to show up after his arrival. A few snags occur in pulling off the party. First, Sue Ann hijacks the party planning and implementation, with nobody's input meeting her exacting standards. Second, Lou arrives a little earlier than expected, which means that Mary has to keep him there a little longer than expected. And third, Lou drops a bit of news before everyone's arrival which may make Mary want to hide all the guests when they arrive. Regardless of everything happening around him, Lou ends up handling the evening in his own way.