DTHOmnibusThursday; February -2a'19897
Bergen's 'Murphy Brown' creates biting comedy
By BELLY STOCKARD
Staff Writer
With all the political humor
that's around nowadays, from the
"Doonesbury" comic strip to Den
nis Miller's "Weekend Update"
installment on "Saturday Night
Live," television cant bear to be
left behind a political sitcom had
to appear sooner or later.
CBS'"Murphy Brown," set in a
Washington, D.C television news
room, centers around a somewhat
snide lady reporter and her dizzy
compatriots. But when the pro
ducers of the new comedy were
casting for the part to play
Murphy Brown, they didnt pick
your typical comedic actress like
Mary Tyler Moore or Jane Curtin,
they instead approached Candice
Bergen. It was a wise choice;
Bergen's beauty and sarcasm give
"Murphy Brown" a style that
doesnt fit the typical TV comedy
mold.
But who is Candice Bergen? The
blonde, blue-eyed, 42-year-old
actress is the daughter of ventril
oquist Edgar Bergen and was
raised around some of Hollywood's
biggest and best She's modeled,
acted on the big and small screens,
and even written for various
magazines, but had never done
comedy until a "Saturday Night
Live" guest appearance last year.
Maybe that's what caught CBS'
eye, along with her portrayal of
Sydney Biddle Barrows in the
"Mayflower Madam" TV movie
(more realism than comedy
there). "Murphy Brown" gives
Bergen a chance to exercise her
comedic talent, to gain some
attention for herself and to spend
time with her family in the pro
cess. Bergen's charm makes an
otherwise bitchy character seem
much more likable and real.
The actress had been hoping for
a chance to use her wit and has
confessed a hope that viewers will
enjoy seeing her satirize
life. "Murphy Brown" may be fun
even without Bergen in the lead
role but, somehow, she makes it
more worthwhile.
The show itself may be com
pared to "The Mary Tyler Moore
Show." because both programs
feature a female television repor
ter heading up a cast of rather
bizarre fellow journalists. But
that's not to say that "Murphy
Brown" is a complete take-off on
the popular 1970s series. Moore
played an innocent astounded by
her potpourri of zany co-workers.
Bergen, on the other hand, repres
ents a lady with a chip on her
shoulder, an attitude that seems
understandable in view of the dim
witted shallowness of her col
leagues. "Murphy Brown" shows
viewers the 80's version of Mary
Tyler Moore's innocent reporter:
an independent, clear-minded
career woman who is unafraid of
stepping on a few toes to tackle
a story. And she does it with such
wit, too. Bergen has said that she
feels Murphy Brown is sort of a
caricature of former NBC anchor
woman Linda Ellerbee, someone
who has rocked the boat of TV
journalism in the past, indeed,
Murphy has some of that flair for
being in control, just like so many
of the Diane Sawyerish reporters
today.
When watching "Murphy
Brown," the viewer feels Washing
ton springing to life in a news
room. The careers of the journal
ists are racked with a tension and
satire relevant to the present. One
episode, airing right around the
presidential inauguration, fea
tured Murphy flying off the han
dle for not receiving her tradi
tional invitation to the inaugural
ball, while everyone else in the
office did. Through several twists
and turns of plot that are blessed
all the way with Bergen's snappy
humor, the show ends by reveal
ing that Murphy's ticket had been
given by mistake to the janitor,
Murray Brown. In a rarely-seen
caring moment, the cynical repor
ter lets the man go in her place
without telling him he was not
really invited. Murphy then goes
out and parties with her strange
butler. The more significant result
was that Candice Bergen was
invited to the actual inaugural gala
after a Bush advisor saw the show.
Even if a viewer cant relate to
the hectic life of Murphy, though,
there are plenty of other ways to
laugh at ourselves. There's the
wimpy but moral Miles, Frank, the
lady's man, the stuffy and well
mannered Jim and the sweet but
airheaded Corky (maybe she's
Mary Tyler Moore's caricature).
The show pokes fun at political
figures and at Washington in
general, leaving a viewer laughing
but thinking, "I wonder if if s really
like that . . ." Apparently someone
in the Bush Administration felt
some sort of link with the show;
it's my bet that anyone can.
in the show's first season, the
Nielsen ratings have treated it
well. It also has the advantage of
preceding "Designing women," a
powerhouse of TV comedy in its
own rightthus benefiting from
that program's popularity. With
any luck, Bergen's show will be
renewed by CBS and push other
networks to come up with equally
bright, relevant programs. After a
half-hour of "Murphy Brown,"
you'll see Diane Sawyer (and Can
dice Bergen) in a whole new light.
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