AllMovie

"A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants?" The newsroom is appalled to learn that WJM-TV's beloved kiddie show host Chuckles the Clown has been killed in a freak accident. It seems that Chuckles was marching in a parade dressed as a huge peanut, when a rogue elephant trampled him to death. Once they've gotten over their initial shock, the newsroom staff can see only the humor inherent in Chuckles' bizarre demise, and soon everyone is cracking hilariously tasteless death jokes -- everyone but Mary (Mary Tyler Moore), who is disgusted by her co-workers' irreverence. And then comes the day of Chuckles' funeral. Originally telecast on October 25, 1975, the Emmy-winning "Chuckles Bites the Dust" is, by popular consensus, the all-time funniest episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.