"The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961) TV series 1961-1966

Creator:

Carl Reiner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

3 October 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Comedy Sketch | Musical Number | Marriage | Television Writer

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 20 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Dick Van Dyke	...	Robert 'Rob' Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie (153 episodes, 1961-1966)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers (131 episodes, 1961-1966)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Maurice B. 'Buddy' Sorrell (131 episodes, 1961-1966)
Richard Deacon	...	Melvin 'Mel' Cooley (108 episodes, 1961-1966)
Larry Mathews	...	Richard Rosebud 'Ritchie' Petrie (70 episodes, 1961-1966)

Also Known As:

All in a Day's Work (USA) (working title)
Double Trouble (USA) (working title)
Full House (USA) (working title)
Head of the Family (USA) (working title)
The Dick Van Dyke Daytime Show (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

30 min (158 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Calvada Productions

Trivia:

During Richard Deacon's first season as Mel Cooley, he was also finishing up the last season as Fred Rutherford on "Leave It to Beaver" (1957).

Quotes:

Laura Petrie: Rob, if I thought that you sent this boat here to trap me...
Rob Petrie: No, honey, I ordered this long before we did the sketch. This is what gave me the idea. Honest.
Laura Petrie: Rob, I tried not to open it, I really did, but I - I guess I'm just a pathological snoopy-nose!
Rob Petrie: Oh, honey, everybody's a snoopy-nose. We all like to know what's inside things.
Laura Petrie: I guess so.
Rob Petrie: Why, I know so. You know something? I'm very, very curious about something right now.
Laura Petrie: What?
Rob Petrie: Well, I'm wondering how long we're going to keep on with this polite talking before we get down to serious kissing!
Laura Petrie: [smiles] About three seconds.
Rob Petrie: Three?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Mary Tyler Moore: All American-Girl (1995)" (????)

"Oh, Rob!"

The Dick Van Dyke Show has always been one of my favorites; from the first time I saw it in syndicated reruns, to the recent dvd releases. Despite the passage of time, it still holds up. The reason? It had the best writing and performances of any show and it presented real characters in believable situations. You can argue about other classic shows, like I Love Lucy, All in The Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Seinfeld, or Cheers; but, in my opinion this was the finest comedy show on television.

Carl Reiner is a comedy genius who turned his own life into a comedy goldmine. After starring in an unsold pilot, he was faced with the fact he was wrong to portray his own life. With the help of Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas, he was able to bring Rob Petrie to life, via Dick Van Dyke. He filled the series with great actors and the best writing on television. It was a perfect format, a show about a writer for a top variety show. It lent itself to logical guest appearances and a host of unusual and amusing situations. It was filled with a cast of great characters: lovable, if klutzy Rob Petrie, beautiful and talented wife Laura, joke machine Buddy Sorrell, sarcastic and love-starved Sally Rogers, pompous, but exploited producer Mel Cooley, demanding egomaniac boss Alan Brady, neighbors Jerry and Milly Helper, and cute son Richie Petrie. Everyone had their moments.

So many of the shows were classics that it is hard to pick favorites. There are the wonderful dream stories, such as "The Gunslinger", "It May Look Like A Walnut", and "The Bad Old Days". There are the performance shows, like "The Alan Brady Show Presents", "The Sam Pomerantz Scandals", and "The Alan Brady Show Goes to Jail". There are the flashbacks to Rob and Laura's courtship and early days of marriage, as well as Rob's beginnings with the Alan Bady Show. Then there are the ones that are just plain fun, like "A Ghost of A. Chantz", "Never Bathe on Saturday", and numerous others. The shows could also be quite touching, like "Buddy Sorrel, Man and Boy". Even weaker shows had great moments.

One of the reasons the show holds up well is that it lasted only 5 seasons and didn't get a chance to wear out its welcome. Everyone was at the top of their game when they called it quits.

When the show first came to "Nick at Night," I was ecstatic. I hadn't seen the show in several years and proceeded to tape the entire premiere marathon (which meant getting up early in the morning to change tapes). Those tapes quickly became worn out. Now, I have them on dvd, complete with promos, commentaries, features and other extras. This show will continue to live on as testament to the best of television comedy. Too bad they don't make shows like this anymore.