Love Is All Around

After a long day at the WJM-TV newsroom, Mary would head home to her studio apartment—where she was known for hosting dinner party after disastrous dinner party. The Harpo design crew has recreated Mary's apartment, from the '70s-era furniture down to Mary's signature "M" hanging on the wall.

There was another cast of characters waiting for Mary once she got home. Valerie Harper played Mary's best friend, Rhoda, a funny, loyal, tell-it-like-it-is kind of girl. Valerie says the best part about Mary and Rhoda's friendship was its authenticity. "That really was how girlfriends are and that your best girlfriend could be really jealous of your hip measurement, as I was of Mary's, but really be there for her," Valerie says. "Tell her the truth."

Although they became two peas in a pod, Mary and Rhoda didn't start out that way when Mary moved into the apartment Rhoda wanted. "They started out that we are going to be adversaries, but then it turned into a friendship."

Valerie went on to star in her own popular spin-off, Rhoda. Always known for being man-crazy, when Rhoda finally got married on the show in 1974, her TV wedding was one of the highest-rated events of the entire decade. Valerie herself is now a four-time Emmy winner.