The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Ken Whittingham

Writer:

Carl Reiner (creator)

Release Date:

11 May 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A reunion of the surviving cast members from the original 1961-1966 TV series finds Alan Brady wanting Rob and Sally to collaborate on a eulogy for him before he dies.

Plot Keywords:

Eulogy | Reunion | Based On TV Series | Computer Animation | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ray Romano	...	Himself - Host
Dick Van Dyke	...	Robert 'Rob' Petrie
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie
Larry Mathews	...	Richard 'Ritchie' Petrie
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Millie Helper
Jerry Paris	...	Jerry Helper (archive footage)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Maurice 'Buddy' Sorrell (archive footage)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers Glimscher
Jerry Van Dyke	...	Stacey Petrie
Carl Reiner	...	Alan Brady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeanne Allen
Richard Deacon	...	Melvin 'Mel' Cooley (archive footage)
Mimi Dillard	...	Mrs. Peters (archive footage)
Bill Idelson	...	Herman Glimscher
Sandy Kenyon
Greg Morris	...	Mr. Peters (archive footage)
Hazel Pierce	...	(archive footage)
Lana Whittington	...	Jerri

Runtime:

USA:45 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Color

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Calvada Productions

Trivia:

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961) had Rob and Laura sleeping in twin beds because the censors did not allow couples on television to sleep in the same bed back then. In this special, Rob mentions that he and Laura have a king size bed.

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Comedy Spot: Head of the Family" (1960)

An Okay Reunion

This was probably one of the best reunions of a 60s sitcom in the last ten years or so. Instead of having an hour of reminisces, Carl Reiner decided to write a good 45-minute storyline of the Petries in 2004. Some, in fact, a lot of this story-line works: Alan Brady is not dying, but wants Sally and Rob to write his eulogy so he can have the chance to rewrite it. Laura now has a small dance studio at home, and Sally is finally married to the guy she was always going out with.

Yet, there are some parts of the reunion show that doesn't make sense: Why did Rob stop writing? Didn't he write a book? Also Millie and Stacey's little "date" is strange, but funny. Yet, despite these few flaws, The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited still retains some of that old "magic," mostly because Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and Carl Reiner stepped right back into the shoes of their old characters. Unfortunately, though, Mary Tyler Moore's performance is a bit stale and rushed, almost as if she forgot how to make a comedy show. Larry Matthews' appearance is quick, strange, and we really don't learn what he's doing forty years later.

And why did Ray Ramano host this? What does he have to do with Dick Van Dyke? His scenes are even stranger than some of the weirdest parts of this reunion.

Finally, the clippings of the old show also make this reunion. When the new footage starts going a bit stale, they add in footage of the "good 'ole days" when these people were younger and funnier. Yet, all in all, this was a pretty good reunion, and I recommend it to every fan of The Dick Van Dyke Show to watch.