Ed Asner made this a fantastic show, but I always felt that she was the secret sauce that made it even better.

Lazy River Letterpress, oh, Ed Asner is a tremendous actor and greatly respected. I remember that part of his CV includes summer roles in Shakespeare in the Park productions in New York City. His Lou Grant character is the only which has transferred from a comedy series to a dramatic series, and his ability to successfully maintain the integrity and continuity of that character across shows of two completely different genres. He was also president of the Screen Actors Guild.

@@inkyguy Still before LOU GRANT he was seen in several roles but did not made it to become a WORLD WIDE householde name as with LOU GRANT

Those of us who watched Asner for 50-plus years, that's who realized he was so good.

Lazy River Letterpress it’s spelled “Rossi.” He’s Italian. Probably shortened from Rossini. Actually, I’m impressed with the basic underlying respect each of the characters has for each other except to some degree the ego they give Rossi’s character tends to make him rather patronizing toward his colleagues sometimes.

I would say that Billie Newman had that all along. We see in in her first appearance, in "Henhouse", both in breaking the story and in how she held her own with Rossi (which, by the way, was the beginning of a great friendship, which continues in this episode, as noted at the bar and in the break room at the "Tribune"). As for Lou Grant, his line to Mary Richards, which you quoted, notwithstanding, he respected that. That's what made that one of the all-time classic lines. It's also why he was really the only one who, I think, could get away with saying it.

Yes, that is Clyde Kusatsu, who appeared in a couple of roles on "M*A*S*H", as Mr. Quang (the bartender in the Officers' Club and occasional anesthetist, and later as an Asian-American pilot confronted with personal guilt from attacking Asians).

Plus Arnold from Rons "Happy Days" at 7:11.

@@arttrombley7385 Indeed. Pat Morita also played Captain Pak on "M*A*S*H".

I have a memory of that scene but I always thought it was from a blooper reel, lol