The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Paranormal Stories, Haunted Minneapolis, and Tragedy Behind the Laughter
On September 19, 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted on CBS, forever changing the landscape of television. With Mary Richards as a single, independent career woman in Minneapolis, the show captured the optimism and challenges of the 1970s. It wasn’t just comedy, it was cultural revolution.
But behind the laughter, several members of the cast lived lives touched by tragedy, paranormal mysteries, and even brushes with UFOs. Add to that the haunted history of real Minneapolis landmarks featured in the show, and the story of The Mary Tyler Moore Show becomes as much about ghosts and mysteries as it is about groundbreaking television.
Here’s the paranormal and haunted side of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Mary Tyler Moore’s Personal Tragedy
Mary Tyler Moore’s life seemed charmed on screen. But off-screen, she endured profound heartbreak. In 1980, Moore’s only child, Richie Meeker, died in a freak accident at just 24 years old. While handling a small shotgun in his apartment, the weapon accidentally discharged, killing him instantly.
The tragedy left Moore devastated. Friends recalled that she threw herself into activism and her career to cope. The heartbreak also resonated in her film work... her role in Ordinary People (1980), playing a grieving mother, carried echoes of her own unimaginable loss.
Ed Asner and the UFO Cover-Up
Ed Asner, who played Lou Grant, was famous for his gravelly voice and brusque charm. But he was also outspoken about politics, social issues... and the paranormal.
In a tweet, Asner revealed a story from his Army days in the 1950s, when he and his fellow servicemen witnessed something extraordinary in the skies over New Jersey.
“When I was with the army in New Jersey in the 50s, we had an incident on the base where many people saw a UFO. The next day we were ALL told: ‘Many of you went home last night and told your loved ones that you saw a UFO.’ They then gave the order: ‘You will go home tonight and tell them that you were mistaken and that what you saw was not a UFO.’”
Asner admitted he remained agnostic about extraterrestrials but always wondered why the government seemed so eager to silence witnesses.
Betty White: Hollywood’s UFO Enthusiast
Betty White, who joined The Mary Tyler Moore Show in season four as Sue Ann Nivens, had an unlikely fascination: UFOs. Long before “aliens” became a tabloid punchline, she openly discussed the phenomenon on The Betty White Show in the 1950s.
On one episode, she interviewed Major Donald Keyhoe, director of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena. Keyhoe told White and her audience that “flying saucers do exist” and accused the Air Force of withholding evidence from the public .
In another broadcast, White spoke with a young boy named Ralph Richardson who claimed to have seen a flying saucer in Los Angeles.
“I heard that that you saw a flying saucer... I'd like to hear about it I'm very interested in it, what did you see? ” she asked.
"When I used to live in Los Angeles... just rounded and white, I heard the next day in the papers that other people saw it too."the boy replied.
"Were you scared?" she inquired.
"Why should I be scared?" he quickly answered.
"Well, that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard,” White responded. “I'll buy that answer right this minute. Maybe somebody’s trying to get acquainted with us. You shouldn’t be scared of that, should you?”
Her openness to the topic continued into the 1980s, when UFOs were even joked about in The Golden Girls.
Cloris Leachman and The Demon Murder Case
Cloris Leachman, who played Phyllis Lindstrom, ventured into paranormal storytelling with the NBC film The Demon Murder Case (1983). The film dramatized the infamous “Devil Made Me Do It” case from Brookfield, Connecticut.
In 1981, Arne Johnson murdered his landlord, claiming he had been possessed after attending an exorcism of 11-year-old David Glatzel. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren backed up the story, and the case went down in history as the first U.S. trial to attempt a defense of “not guilty by reason of demonic possession.”
Leachman starred alongside Kevin Bacon, Andy Griffith, and Eddie Albert in the chilling production, which later inspired The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) .
She also appeared in The Fields (2011), a suspense film based on the true story of a Pennsylvania boy terrorized by unknown intruders in the 1970s. The project was written from real-life experiences, and Leachman’s performance added eerie weight to the true-crime inspired tale.
Valerie Harper’s Ghostly Encounter
Valerie Harper, beloved as Rhoda Morgenstern, once shared a story of her own ghost sighting. During a segment with medium Theresa Caputo, Harper described seeing an apparition of a woman dressed in late 19th-century clothing... a long dress with lace and puffy sleeves.
Caputo confirmed the presence, saying she felt overwhelming dread and even heard what she believed was the echo of a gunshot while inside the building. She suggested the spirit had been an actress who performed there and still rehearsed her lines in death .
Harper’s experience showed her belief that old theaters, with their layers of history, often carry the energies of those who lived and died within their walls.
Haunted Minneapolis: Exploring Mary’s City
For fans of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Minneapolis is as much a character as Mary herself. The opening credits immortalized its streets, lakes, and skyscrapers. Many of those locations are not only real—they’re rumored to be haunted or marked by tragedy.
- Mary Tyler Moore House (2104 Kenwood Parkway)
The exterior of Mary’s apartment still stands. Though not haunted, it remains a fan pilgrimage site, attracting visitors from around the world. - Lake of the Isles
Mary’s famous stroll was filmed here. While not directly connected to ghost stories, its winter fog and icy stillness have long made it a place of whispered legends. - IDS Center and Crystal Court
The IDS Center, featured in the show’s opening sequence, has been the site of tragic deaths. In 1999, a man jumped to his death inside the Crystal Court atrium, shocking shoppers and workers below. Other suicides have also been reported at the skyscraper, leaving the building with a reputation for heaviness and sorrow . - Minneapolis City Hall
This 19th-century landmark, also seen in Mary Tyler Moore footage, is one of the city’s most haunted sites. The ghost of John Moshik, executed there in 1898 after a botched hanging, is said to wander the fifth floor in his boxer shorts and can sometimes even be seen hanging from the ceiling. - Mary Tyler Moore Statue on Nicollet Mall
In 2002, TV Land unveiled a bronze statue of Mary tossing her hat into the air at 7th and Nicollet. While not paranormal, it has become a shrine where fans leave flowers, notes, and even hats in tribute.
TV Nostalgia Meets Haunted Tourism
The anniversary of The Mary Tyler Moore Show isn’t just about remembering a sitcom... it’s about connecting cultural history with lived memory, tragedy, and the supernatural. From Ed Asner’s UFO testimony to Betty White’s cosmic curiosity, from Cloris Leachman’s demonic courtroom drama to Valerie Harper’s ghostly encounter, the cast’s stories blur the line between television fantasy and life’s darker mysteries.
And in Minneapolis, fans can walk the very streets Mary Richards walked, past lakes, skyscrapers, and city halls that hold their own haunted secrets on our Minneapolis Ghost Walk, the Twin Cities' original haunted tour since 2015.
