Louise Lasser for starring as the neurotic, unhappy housewife Mary Hartman in the serialized satire "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" appearing on the covers of "Newsweek", "People", and "Rolling Stone" during the run of the show. "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" aired five nights a week for two seasons from 1976-1977. In his autobiography, producer Norman Lear says that the casting of Lasser took less than a minute after Charles H. Joffe told him there was only one actress to play the part of Mary Hartman and Lear met the former Mrs. Woody Allen. Lasser refused the role at first. Of the casting process,
S. Ramanathan S. Ramanathan S. Ramanathan (1917-1988) was a Carnatic music singer and musicologist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1985. He learned music from Tiger Varadachariar, Sabesa Iyer, Ponniah Pillai, and Sathur Krishna Iyengar. Post this, he also trained under Vidwan Valadi Krishnaiyer known as "Kirthana Kutir" - Granary of Kirthanas for vocal music and Devakottai Narayana Iyengar for the veena and acquired proficiency in both fields. He received a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, where he also taught. He had disciples who have carved names for themselves such as P. Unnikrishnan, S. Sowmya,