WEEKEND REWIND: The Dick Van Dyke Show

THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
October 3, 1961 - June 1, 1966
158 episodes
Starring: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Mathews

One of the best-written and enduring sitcoms of all time, The Dick Van Dyke Show, is a television classic. Airing in a decade filled with absurd fantasy or dumb sitcoms (The Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, Mister Ed to name a few), it was one of the only sitcoms with an adult feel and perhaps that is why it has held up so well over the years. Aided by a brilliant cast, the show has a very classy feel to it and many associate it as the TV equivalent to the iconic JFK "Camelot" era. Of course some of the more outrageous sitcoms from that era have had lasting appeal too, but this one has stood the test of time due to quality not nostalgia.

Of course at the center of the show is Dick Van Dyke. One of the most gifted physical comedians ever, his performance as Rob Petrie was especially memorable. Van Dyke was nimble and manic both in his physical actions and his conversations and he could act out any comedy routine with hilarity. He gave Rob a nervous energy that always kept the show's tempo up but he was never over the top. In the first of two very classic sitcom roles, Mary Tyler Moore shined as his beautiful wife Laura. Only in her mid 20s when she started the role, she was originally intended to be more of a background figure until the writers and creators saw what a gifted comedienne she was. This is never more apparent that when she gets upset and her tearful tirades filled with "Oh Rob"s are legendary. Together, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore were the TV JFK and Jackie - a classy couple with enviable lives. Their son Richie (Larry Mathews) was not a very memorable part of the show but sometimes allowed Rob and Laura to have some funny parenting scenes.

Equally important to the show were Rob's co-workers - fellow writers on the fictional variety series The Alan Brady Show. Man-hungry Sally Rogers was played by Rose Marie with a tremendous amount of self assurance despite the character being a girl in a boy's world of TV writing. In the few instances where Sally appeared vulnerable, Marie gave a very dynamic performance. Wisecracking Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) rounded out the writers room and was a great throwback to a Vaudevillian era. He had a joke a minute and had a very funny back-and-forth with frazzled producer (and Alan Brady's brother-in-law) Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon). Other less-seen supporting characters were fantastic too including the Petries' neighbors Jerry and Millie Helper (Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert) and the egotistical star himself Alan Brady (played by series creator Carl Reiner).

With the backdrop of show business like I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show was able to incorporate many musical and comedic numbers and had such a talented cast to do so. Moore and Van Dyke were gifted dancers, Marie was a singer, and Amsterdam a throwback comedian and cello player. The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of TV's first real adult sitcoms (of course it aired in a much more innocent age so it doesn't have adult themes like sitcoms do now). It was written intelligently for intelligent audiences. Despite being nearly 50 years old (it will be in October!), it feels fresh and funny because it was so well-written and so well-acted. It's a classic TV treasure.

THE TOP 10 EPISODES OF "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW"
Note: This is based solely on personal opinion.

10. #76 "The Alan Brady Show Presents" (first aired December 18, 1963)
The show's only Christmas episode was unlike any other episode of the series. Presented as a sort-of family Christmas special on The Alan Brady Show, Rob, Laura, Buddy, and Sally do a variety of musical performances including the sweet scene of street Santas Rob and Laura falling in love the musical homage to Alan Brady.

9. #63 "All About Evesdropping" (first aired October 23, 1963)
Rob and Laura overhear Millie and Jerry insulting them on their son's walkie-talkie just before they are supposed to go to a party. They do go but appear outwardly annoyed and angry throughout the evening in a very funny performance.

"My Blonde Haired Brunette"

8. #9 "My Blonde Haired Brunette" (first aired October 10, 1961)
Laura thinks her marriage is growing dull and tries to dye her hair blonde to add some spice to the marriage but as things don't work out and it turns out half blonde and half brunette, hilarity ensues. This is the first great performance by Mary Tyler Moore and the one that convinced the writers and producers to use her in comedic situations more. Because of how strong it was, it was actually the second episode to air despite being the ninth one filmed.

7. #106 "Pink Pills and Purple Parents" (first aired November 25, 1964) 
This episode is another great Laura showcase. In a flashback, we see Laura taking pink pills to feel better on a night when Rob's parents are coming for dinner, but the side effects of the pills make her completely loopy. Mary Tyler Moore puts on a physical comedy clinic as she gets increasingly crazy during the disastrous dinner.

6. #6 "Oh How We Met on the Night that We Danced" (first aired October 31, 1961)
In the first of many flashback episodes in the series, we see how Rob and Laura first met when they both worked on an army base in Kansas. It's a sweet throwback to their first encounter despite the comedic pratfalls that happen.

5. #122 "100 Terrible Hours" (first aired May 5, 1965)
In an unheralded but hilarious episode and yet another flashback, Rob is working as a DJ and agrees to do a marathon to set a record to most consecutive hours logged on the radio but gets the news part way through that Alan Brady wants to interview him for a job. This is a comedic masterpiece by Dick Van Dyke who plays a loopy and sleep deprived Rob to perfection.

4. #60 "A Surprise Surprise is a Surprise" (first aired April 24, 1963)
As Rob's birthday approaches, he thinks he has Laura's plans for a surprise party figured out and spend the entire episode as a very arrogant know-it-all but Laura gets the last laugh when she throws a party for him bright and early in the morning. This episode is memorable due to Rob's complete smugness for supposedly being able to figure out his wife.

3. #45 "The Cat Burglar" (first aired January 2, 1963)
There is a cat burglar in the neighborhood and Rob and Laura are on edge and for good reason as they do indeed get hit. This episode has many classic moments including Rob trying to get a bullet quietly out of Laura's musical jewelry box and the seemingly normal morning where they don't notice their dining room table is missing.

2. #128 "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" (first aired September 15, 1965)
In a very classic episode of the series, Laura accidentally tells the world on TV that Alan Brady wears a toupee. This episode has so many classic moments including Laura's tearful admission to Rob and his panicked reaction and Laura's nervous visit to Alan Brady to try to fix things. It's often regarded as the best episode of the series and for good reason.

"Where Did I Come From?"

1. #19 "Where Did I Come From?" (first aired January 3, 1962)
But it's not as good as this one, which is also Dick Van Dyke's favorite episode. In another flashback episode, Richie asks about the story of when he was born. We are taken back to that time where Rob is extremely nervous about the impending birth of his child. There are the memorable scenes of Rob practicing putting on his hat in bed so he's ready to go and then when he actually does get the word that it's time at work, a hilarious physical comedy routine begins that ends with Rob running into the house wearing someone else's pants. It is Dick Van Dyke at his very best.