Mary Tyler Moore turns 76 today, December. 29, 2012.

In her honor, here is a classic episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Chuckles Bites the Dust.”

At the start of the episode, the newsroom staff receives word that their TV colleague Chuckles the Clown has been killed by an elephant in a circus parade while dressed as “Peter Peanut.” Mr. Grant, Murray, and Sue Ann can’t resist making jokes about the bizarre circumstances surrounding the clown’s death. Mary, on the other hand, frowns on their jocularity, becoming increasingly distressed by their lack of respect. Cut to the funeral, where, seated among the solemn mourners, Mary can’t contain her guffaws.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, “Chuckles Bites the Dust”  (Oct. 25, 1975)