Tinker in Television: From General Sarnoff to General Electric

In this casual biography written with freelancer Rukeyser, Tinker, who has been in network television from the beginning, relates his hits and misses. After graduating from Dartmouth in 1949, he went to work for NBC radio. Shifting jobs to an advertising agency, he became involved in developing TV programming. While working for NBC on the West Coast as head of programs, he married Mary Tyler Moore. Tinker's dissection of The Dick Van Dyke Show, on which Moore co-starred, is a textbook example of what it takes to make a successful show. During this time, Tinker introduced such NBC shows as I Spy, Dr. Kildare and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.; he also rejected Bewitched. He next went to Universal, where he helped produce It Takes a Thief and Marcus Welby, M.D. Tinker also reveals that Ralph Bellamy was orginally slated to play Welby, not Robert Young. But it was at MTM Productions that Tinker made his name, first with The Mary Tyler Moore Show and then with spin-offs Lou Grant and Rhoda. Back at NBC as president, he secured the network's lineup with Cosby, Hill Street Blues, Cheers and St. Elsewhere. An interesting, often humorous read for industry and TV buffs. Photos. (Sept.)