Rhoda Morgenstern (fictional character)
| Rhoda Morgenstern | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Love Is All Around" |
| Last appearance | Mary and Rhoda |
| Created by | James L. Brooks and Allan Burns |
| Portrayed by | Valerie Harper |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Window-dresser Photographer |
| Family | Martin Morgenstern (father) Ida Morgenstern (mother) Debbie Morgenstern (sister) Brenda Morgenstern (sister) |
| Spouse | Joe Gerard (divorced) Jean-Pierre Rousseau (divorced) |
| Children | Meredith Rousseau (born after 1978) |
Rhoda Morgenstern was a fictional character on the sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the subsequent spinoff series Rhoda. She was played by Emmy-award winning actress Valerie Harper.
Mary's best friend
Rhoda was a window-dresser at Hempel's department store in Minneapolis, Minnesota and lived in the same house as Phyllis Lindstrom. She lived in an attic studio apartment, having moved to Minneapolis from New York City because she thought she would keep better in the cold.
She had been wanting the large apartment on the level below where she had lived; but it was promised to Mary Richards, since Phyllis had signed a year's lease for her, to keep Rhoda out of the apartment. At first, Rhoda had disliked Mary, but soon, the two bonded and became best friends. She and Phyllis had despised one another from the outset, but Rhoda had a great bond with Phyllis's young daughter, Bess Lindstrom, because she knew it would horrify the oblivious Phyllis. To Bess, she was "Aunt Rhoda". In fact there was much doubt about the Rhoda character, who tested very poorly with audiences in the pilot. Mary Tyler Moore later said when they reshot the scenes with Bess, they had the child say "I like Aunt Rhoda," and this somewhat brought the next test audience around to the Rhoda character, thinking if a child likes her she is not really being "mean" to Mary, but sarcastic.
Rhoda also had to contend with her parents, Ida Morgenstern and Martin Morgenstern. At various times, she had a sister named Debbie (Liberty Williams) and her more well-known sister, Brenda (Julie Kavner). Rhoda also mentions a brother who was never named, but mentioned twice.
After losing weight, Rhoda went to visit Brenda and eventually stayed. She met Joe Gerard (David Groh) and married him not long after she moved back to New York. The marriage soured after two years, and they divorced.
When Mary lost her job, she, along with Phyllis, whom she still had animosity with, flew to Minneapolis to be with Mary in her time of need.
Eventually, she remarried and divorced again. This second marriage produced a daughter named Meredith. The real high point was when she was reunited with Mary, by now, widowed; who had a daughter of her own, named Rose.