'' is an
American television
Situation Comedy which initially aired on
CBS from
October 3 ,
1961 to
June 1 ,
1966 , created by
Carl Reiner and starring
Dick Van Dyke and
Mary Tyler Moore .
Totalling 158 episodes and five seasons, the show was also produced by Reiner, who wrote many episodes and played the part of Alan Brady. Reiner based the main character on himself and the Brady character on his former boss
Sid Caesar . Many of the show's plots were inspired by Reiner's experiences as a writer for ''
Your Show Of Shows '' (which starred Caesar).
- ( Dick Van Dyke ), the Head Comedy Writer for a fictional New York TV variety series called ''The Alan Brady Show''. The role of Rob Petrie was almost given to Johnny Carson , but Sheldon Leonard , the show's executive producer, suggested Van Dyke.
- ( Mary Tyler Moore ), Rob's wife. A stay-at-home mom and former dancer in the U.S.O. (where she met Rob). The role of Laura proved to be the most difficult to cast. About 60 actresses auditioned for the part before Moore was signed, and she almost didn't go to the audition.
- ( Morey Amsterdam ), an energetic (and at times facetious) "human joke machine," one of the comedy writers; he's constantly making fun of Mel Cooley (the show's producer) for being bald (and dull). Amsterdam was recommended by Rose Marie as soon as she had signed on.
- ( Rose Marie ), another of the comedy writers (and the comedy trio's designated typist), who is always on the lookout for a husband.
- Richard "Ritchie" Petrie ( Larry Matthews ), Rob and Laura's son.
- Melvin "Mel" Cooley ( Richard Deacon ), the balding producer of the "Alan Brady Show" (and Brady's brother-in-law), who is constantly fighting with Buddy
- Jerry ( Jerry Paris ) and Mildred "Millie" Krumbermacher Helper ( Ann Morgan Guilbert ), the zany next-door neighbors.
Other less frequently seen characters include:
- Alan Brady ( Carl Reiner ), the toupee-wearing star of the "Alan Brady Show".
- Stacy Petrie ( Jerry Van Dyke ), Rob's brother, banjo player, and sleepwalker, played by Dick Van Dyke's real-life brother.
- Fiona "Pickles" Sorrell (Barbara Perry/Joan Shawlee), Buddy's slightly nutty wife.
- Herman Glimscher (Bill Idelson), Sally's occasional and "nerdy" boyfriend.
- Sam and Clara Petrie ( Tom Tully / J. Pat O'Malley and Isabel Randolph ), Rob's parents.
- Mr. and Mrs. Alan Meehan ( Carl Benton Reid and Geraldine Wall ), Laura's Parents.
- Freddie Helper ( Peter Oliphant ), Millie and Jerry Helper's son.
Storylines deal with Rob and his two coworkers, Buddy and Sally, who write material for the TV show. Mel Cooley, a balding straight man (and recipient of numerous insulting one-liners from Buddy), is the show's producer and the brother-in-law of Alan Brady, the show's seldom-seen star. As Rob, Buddy and Sally write for a comedy show, the premise provides a built-in forum for them to "be funny". Other stories focus on the home life of Rob and Laura, who live in suburban
New Rochelle, New York . Frequently seen is their young son, Ritchie, as well as their neighbors, Jerry and Millie Helper.
- "Oh, Rob!" -- Laura to Rob
- "Yeech!" -- Mel's reaction to Buddy's insults
- "Shut up, Mel!" -- Alan Brady's usual reply to Mel
- "Oh yeah, I forgot." -- Ritchie Petrie (Rob and Laura's son)
The show was an excellent vehicle for Van Dyke's
Physical Comedy and sight gags. The classic example is the scene in the
Opening Titles , in which Van Dyke enters through the front door and trips over the
Ottoman . Producers filmed three versions: one in which Van Dyke trips over the ottoman, one in which he steps around it, and a rarely seen third variation in which Van Dyke avoids the ottoman and then trips on the carpet. Viewers were kept wondering which version would be used on any particular episode, as the show's editors were instructed to use them randomly. ''(The famous ottoman opening was added beginning in the second season of the series. The first season's opening credits were a composite of promotion stills and screen grabs from the pilot episode.)''
The series was considered a trailblazer for its comparatively realistic portrayal of relationships — although the Petries slept in separate beds — and caused some mild controversy because of Mary Tyler Moore's decision to wear
Capri Slacks in an era when most sitcom wives wore dresses and skirts, even though
Lucille Ball had previously worn capri slacks on ''
I Love Lucy ''.
The show included humorous but intelligent portrayals of other subjects not previously seen on sitcoms, including religion, race, death, infidelity, and psychiatry. One episode dealt with Ritchie Petrie's use of profanity; another involved his parents' explaining to him the "facts of life". The most notable episode to tackle such issues concerned Rob and Laura's attendance at a banquet hosted by an African-American society to accept an award. Rob and Laura had accidentally dyed their hands black and had to wear gloves to hide them.
The storylines gave viewers an "inside look" at how a
TV Show was run and written. This was rare at a time when situation comedy was limited to occupations other than show business. It also gave the cast an opportunity to do "variety" episodes that included stand-up comedy, music, and other non-situation segments.
Carl Reiner originally planned to produce and star in the series, which was going to be titled ''Head of the Family''. A pilot episode was made in July of
1960 , but it was unsuccessful. He ended up playing the role of Alan Brady, the egotistical television star for whom Rob Petrie worked.
Reiner always maintained that he never intended for the series to run more than five seasons, making this one of the first successful American TV series to end on its own accord while still popular rather than through cancellation. It has done extremely well in
Syndicated Reruns , most notably on
Nick At Nite from 1991-2000, and on its sister cable network
TV Land from 2000 - 2007.
''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is considered to have been an inspiration for many later sitcoms, in particular the long-running ''
Mad About You '', which was in many ways a modern-day remake. Carl Reiner even reprised the role of Alan Brady for an episode. The relationship between Reiner as writer and Van Dyke as actor can be compared to that between
Larry David and
Jerry Seinfeld .
Van Dyke returned in 1971 in an unrelated vehicle, ''
The New Dick Van Dyke Show '', which despite running for three years is rarely shown in syndication and has been largely forgotten, in contrast with ''
The Mary Tyler Moore Show '', which became at least as successful as the original ''Dick Van Dyke Show''.
On
May 11 ,
2004 , CBS aired a reunion special, ''The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited''. Produced by Carl Reiner, who referred to the hour-long special as "The 159th Episode," the show reunited cast members Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Larry Mathews, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and
Jerry Van Dyke . Reiner reprised his role as Alan Brady. Deceased cast members
Morey Amsterdam ,
Richard Deacon , and
Jerry Paris were remembered in flashbacks.
The main plot of the special involves the relatively healthy Alan Brady asking Rob and Sally to write his
Eulogy so that he knows in advance what will be said about him after he dies. The Petries and Sally, along with Rob's brother Stacey and longtime friend Millie, discuss ideas that are illustrated by way of flashbacks to the old show. The special ends with Van Dyke and Moore, out of character, reminiscing about the series as more flashbacks are shown.
Ray Romano hosts the special.
For reasons that are unclear, six episodes from the second season have lapsed into the
Public Domain , and as a result are widely available at Walmart and 'dollar stores' for $1-$2 per DVD or VHS tape.
Image Entertainment has released all 5 Seasons of ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. Season sets were released between October 2003 - June 2004. Also, on May 24, 2005,
Image Entertainment released a 25-disc boxset of the entire series.
See Also: List of The Dick Van Dyke Show episodes
