Phyllis (TV series) had higher overall ratings than "Rhoda" that season, as well as equal ratings with its parent show, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". The stigma of the deaths of several cast members during the show's run, as well as the ill health of actress Jane Rose, are also said to have been factors in the series' cancellation. The final episode ("And Baby Makes Six") had Bess announcing that she and Mark were expecting their first child. This installment aired Sunday, March 13, 1977. The same week, on Saturday, March 19, Leachman made her last appearance as Phyllis Lindstrom on the final
Convoy (1978 film) was filmed almost entirely in the state of New Mexico. Production began in 1977 when the CB radio/trucking craze was at its peak, made during the same period as such films as "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977), "Handle with Care" (1977), "Breaker! Breaker!" (1977) and "High-Ballin'" (1978), as well as the television series "Movin' On" (1974–1976) and "B. J. and the Bear" (1979–1981). During this period of Sam Peckinpah's life, it was reported he suffered from alcoholism and drug addiction. His four previous films, "Cross of Iron" (1977), "The Killer Elite" (1975), "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974),