The Dick Van Dyke Show - General Discussion

[shapeshifter]

On 8/25/2023 at 6:06 PM, rubaco said:

Pluto.tv (which is free streaming, although with commercials) shows The Dick Van Dyke Show on a continuous loop (at least I think it's continuous... I'm usually tuning in late in the evening). It's in their Classic TV section. I put it on last night and caught "Show of Hands," which is the one where Rob and Laura end up accidentally dyeing their hands black. Then Rob worries how they're going to look when they go to accept an award at the Committee for Interracial Understanding. They both decide to wear gloves. I've seen the episode a ton of times but last night was the first time I thought to myself: wait, how would you get permanent black dye off your hands? If that sitcom situation were to happen to me, I'd have no idea. By the magic of television, the Petries didn't have any trace of black dye on their hands in the next episode.

Wow. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the 4.28 “Show of Hands” episode, but that seems like a really progressive plot for a sitcom that aired April 14, 1965. I’ll watch it soon.

I was able to watch it for free on Tubi.

It was really well done in a way that holds up over time. 

And even I, with my limited sense of humor, LOLed a few times.😄

Edited August 27, 2023 by shapeshifter

[rmontro]

On 8/27/2023 at 3:56 AM, shapeshifter said:

It was really well done in a way that holds up over time. 

And even I, with my limited sense of humor, LOLed a few times.😄

The Dick Van Dyke Show was nothing if not well written.

[rmontro]

Just saw "Never Bathe on Saturday" last night, where Laura gets her toe stuck in the bathtub spout.  I kept thinking the bellboy looked familiar, but couldn't place him.  At the end, it said he was played by Bill Idelson, again a familiar name, but a search on the TV didn't turn up anything.  But a Google search revealed that he was the same actor who played Herman Glimscher.  I had never noticed that before!  Just goes to show that you can watch these shows dozens of times and still find something new.

Great memorable line:  "I was playing with a drip".  She delivers it perfectly.

By the way, I had this strange thought:  Laura Petrie with her toe stuck in a bathtub (robed, of course) would make a great plastic model kit.  Or even a premade model.  It would look great in the display cabinet.

[sharmar]

3 hours ago, rmontro said:

Just saw "Never Bathe on Saturday" last night, where Laura gets her toe stuck in the bathtub spout.  I kept thinking the bellboy looked familiar, but couldn't place him.  At the end, it said he was played by Bill Idelson, again a familiar name, but a search on the TV didn't turn up anything.  But a Google search revealed that he was the same actor who played Herman Glimscher.  I had never noticed that before!  Just goes to show that you can watch these shows dozens of times and still find something new.

Great memorable line:  "I was playing with a drip".  She delivers it perfectly.

By the way, I had this strange thought:  Laura Petrie with her toe stuck in a bathtub (robed, of course) would make a great plastic model kit.  Or even a premade model.  It would look great in the display cabinet.

That's very interesting--whenever I watch it, all I can think is "what is Herman Glimpscher doing as a bellboy & why doesn't Rob recognize him?!"

[SoMuchTV]

Oh whew. I feel like we need a separate thread for talking about the DVDShow, as opposed to RIP DVD. Which is what I fear every time I see there’s activity on this thread. 

But to bring it back to something more positive - did you know there are lyrics to the theme song?  I just heard a clip show of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and they had DVD singing it!  Maybe someone with better search skills can find a link. 

[Laura Holt]

12 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Oh whew. I feel like we need a separate thread for talking about the DVDShow, as opposed to RIP DVD. Which is what I fear every time I see there’s activity on this thread. 

Aside from Dick Van Dyke and Larry Matthews (Richie) are any other of the regular cast still living?  

[chessiegal]

Carl Reiner wrote "Never Bathe on Saturday". What a talent. 

[shapeshifter]

40 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

did you know there are lyrics to the theme song?  I just heard a clip show of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and they had DVD singing it!  Maybe someone with better search skills can find a link. 

Putting my MLS and 25+ year librarian career to use for all y'all, your wish is my command:

 

[Gemma Violet]

2 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Aside from Dick Van Dyke and Larry Matthews (Richie) are any other of the regular cast still living?

Sadly, all the other main players have passed.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

did you know there are lyrics to the theme song? 

Morey Amsterdam wrote them, after the fact.  I used to go around singing them frequently just to learn them.  I always thought the lyrics were kind of lame though.

 

2 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Aside from Dick Van Dyke and Larry Matthews (Richie) are any other of the regular cast still living?  

I thought I had one with Peter Oliphant (Freddie Helper), but he just passed away this past May  😞

[sharmar]

Dick Curtis, who played Johnny Patrick in "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" passed away at the age of 95.  Thanks to him, the world learned that Alan Brady was bald!:)

[Gemma Violet]

48 minutes ago, sharmar said:

Dick Curtis, who played Johnny Patrick in "Coast to Coast Big Mouth" passed away at the age of 95.  Thanks to him, the world learned that Alan Brady was bald!:)

Apparently there were two actors named Dick Curtis.  According to Wikipedia, there's an actor named Dick Curtis who died in 1952.  And according to IMDb, as you said, Johnny Patrick was played by Dick Curtis who did a lot of acting work in the '60s.  

[Laura Holt]

I've been watching the first season - and am now up to the episode where Richie says a bad word.  There have been a few episodes that I probably wouldn't bother to watch again but on the whole considering this was it's first season some of the episodes just stand out as being all kinds of wonderful.  The  best two, so far, are the one where Richie wants to know where he came from (and was it New Jersey like Freddie 😄) and the "Punch thy Neighbour' episode - boy if I'd been Rob I would have wanted to deck Jerry!!

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

the "Punch thy Neighbour' episode - boy if I'd been Rob I would have wanted to deck Jerry!!

Jerry acted like a jackass in that episode.  Just watching the show made me want to punch him.

[Laura Holt]

Today's episode was Never Name A Duck.  Absolutely top notch.  This is the reason TDVDS is still considered the gold standard for sitcoms.  Glad I have it on PVR so I can watch it again.

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, Laura Holt said:

Today's episode was Never Name A Duck.  

My very favorite episode.

[Laura Holt]

Just saw the two-parter with Rob's somnambulistic brother Stacy.  Not terrible, and I love whenever they have Rose Marie sing, but not great either.  In these episodes we are clearly told that Mel married Alan's sister so that is how they are connected.  I don't know why but I always thought it was Alan who had married Mel's sister.

One cute moment was when Rob is explaining what is wrong with Stacy and Buddy says " yeah, you keep that up you wind up on a hospital show." Paging Dr. Mark Sloan 😃.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Laura Holt

[sharmar]

By Season 5 they changed it to Alan being married to Mel's sister (see The Bottom of Mel Cooley's Heart & Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac).

[rmontro]

11 hours ago, sharmar said:

By Season 5 they changed it to Alan being married to Mel's sister.

Maybe they're married to each others' sisters, that would solve the controversy.

🙂

[chessiegal]

That type of continuity misstep is unacceptable. Shows are supposed to have an historian to watch for that. Sometimes I think the writers don't care and decide to change things.

[Laura Holt]

33 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Sometimes I think the writers don't care and decide to change things.

Absolutely.  I don't usually care if a long running show ignores some of the stuff they said in the first season (I get it, they had no way of knowing a chance remark then would tie their hands - in theory - later) but when it's just sheer carelessness and isn't really important to the story it annoys!  Especially now when writers have to know that the shows they write are going to live in rerun land forever!

The big thing they did on TDVDS that bothers me was retroactively making Laura a 17 yr old bride!  It made absolutely no sense at all when you watch the earlier shows that flashback to the wedding, the way they met etc.  

[Gemma Violet]

1 hour ago, Laura Holt said:

The big thing they did on TDVDS that bothers me was retroactively making Laura a 17 yr old bride!  It made absolutely no sense at all when you watch the earlier shows that flashback to the wedding, the way they met etc.

Yeah, right.  In the flashbacks, Laura is a dancer for the USO and is shown drinking a beer with Rob, etc.  Her mother, who, from what we've seen of her, is bossy and strident, would never have allowed her 17-year old to go off to join the USO, lol.      

[Laura Holt]

11 minutes ago, Gemma Violet said:

In the flashbacks, Laura is a dancer for the USO and is shown drinking a beer with Rob, etc.  Her mother, who, from what we've seen of her, is bossy and strident, would never have allowed her 17-year old to go off to join the USO, lol.   

Exactly!  If they'd had Laura an orphan or at least never had her parents around they could have, maybe, gotten a pass from me on this.  As it is, no way was Laura 17!  I mean Dick Van Dyke was already about 10  years older than MTM, why empathize the age difference even more?

In the episode I saw about Rob's brother it's even said that he, Stacy, was at the wedding.  Which he wasn't.  I don't blame writers for making it up as they go along, to a point, but when they mess around with established stuff it's a bit insulting to dedicated fans 😀!

[rmontro]

I agree with the points made, but I guess Laura could have had a fake ID when she was with the USO.  Still seems unlikely her mother would have let her join, maybe she was a rebel and ran away from home (again it seems unlikely)?  Maybe Stacie was lurking in the background somewhere at the wedding so we didn't see him?

Bottom line, people didn't care so much about continuity back in the '60s.  I don't think anyone expected people to still be watching these shows 60 years later.

[Laura Holt]

11 hours ago, rmontro said:

Bottom line, people didn't care so much about continuity back in the '60s.  I don't think anyone expected people to still be watching these shows 60 years later.

Absolutely!  Television was still relatively new when TDVDS came on the air (10ish years?) and so many of the earlier shows were never even kept on tape.  I look back on shows like I Remember Mama or Two Girls Names Smith and IIRC there aren't even any episodes left.  Certainly only a few anyway.  

[rmontro]

4 minutes ago, Laura Holt said:

Absolutely!  Television was still relatively new when TDVDS came on the air (10ish years?) and so many of the earlier shows were never even kept on tape.

Yes.  Speaking of continuity and the '60s, I've been watching through all the Beverly Hillbillies episodes.  I've been kind of surprised that they have paid attention to continuity as much as they did, considering that was a much more cartoonish and unserious show, compared to TDVDS.  

Not saying they were perfect by any means, there were still some inconsistencies.  But compared to a show like The Honeymooners - which were much more like self contained episodes - they would often refer back to prior storylines.  The Honeymooners, of course, were in the '50s, and earlier in television history, so there was even less concern about continuity.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 9/11/2023 at 5:37 PM, chessiegal said:

Carl Reiner wrote "Never Bathe on Saturday". What a talent

 

When EVERYBODY says the same thing, there must be some truth to it.

Everyone I've seen interviewed says that Carl Reiner is the real deal.  Funny, clever, and a genuinely good guy.  

I like that.

 

[Laura Holt]

Just saw the episode where Richie comes home saying a bird is pecking his head.  So, ok, how am I going to narrow these shows down to a top 5?  And I'm still only in season 2!

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, Laura Holt said:

Just saw the episode where Richie comes home saying a bird is pecking his head.  So, ok, how am I going to narrow these shows down to a top 5?  And I'm still only in season 2!

Yeah, and I don't think there's any drop off in quality as the seasons go on.

[Laura Holt]

The Night the Roof Fell In 😄 at the scene where Rob comes in looking  (and dancing) like Fred Astaire completely ignoring Laura looking and acting like a total slob.  Other shows have done this, two people recounting the same scene from their own POV, but no one has done it better!

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 10/28/2023 at 12:40 PM, Laura Holt said:

The Night the Roof Fell In 😄 at the scene where Rob comes in looking  (and dancing) like Fred Astaire completely ignoring Laura looking and acting like a total slob.  Other shows have done this, two people recounting the same scene from their own POV, but no one has done it better!

 

This show shines in the (few) episodes where Rob and Laura argue.  It's realistic while staying lighthearted. 

Do you remember "My Husband is a Check Grabber"?

Rob:  What did I do?

Laura:  What you always do.

Rob:  Don't tell me this is one of those arguments where I have to guess what it is!

 

 

[Laura Holt]

On 3/30/2022 at 3:47 PM, Gemma Violet said:

(BTW, the duck episode is one of my two favorite episodes; the other is Rob's ski trip.) 

I wondered if anyone had mentioned this episode!  I just saw it for the first time and, yeah, my top 5 episodes are getting harder and harder to choose now!!

Millie, if he fell off a mountain and they ever find him, I'll never speak to him again.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Laura Holt

[Laura Holt]

TDVDS adjacent - I saw an episode of Mad About You this week that had "Alan Brady" on it.  Carl Reiner was awesome and they did a few little nods to TDVDS, they had Jamie crying just like Laura at one point, and then at the end Alan Brady was trying to get Paul to trip over the ottoman.  I think the episode would still have been funny if you'd never seen TDVDS, but less funny than it was if you know what I mean.

[rmontro]

On 11/11/2023 at 10:38 PM, Laura Holt said:

TDVDS adjacent - I saw an episode of Mad About You this week that had "Alan Brady" on it.  

Wow, that sounds pretty cool, I wasn't aware of that.  I'll have to keep an eye out for that episode when/if it airs in my area.  I looked it up and it's season 3, episode 16, and is called The Alan Brady Show.  3:16 should be easy to remember.

[Egg McMuffin]

They were smart to end it when they did - it’s super consistent over its five seasons. I’ve found that even the best sitcoms decline when they hit season 7 and beyond. Rose Marie said she thought they could have done another three seasons in color - I’m glad they didn’t.

The finale is also very clever and brought the show full circle. Most shows didn’t have concluding chapters back then.

DVD and Carl Reiner reunited for another Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1970s, with Hope Lange as his wife. It ran for three seasons - not a bad run - but it wasn’t the same.

[Gemma Violet]

13 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

It ran for three seasons - not a bad run - but it wasn’t the same.

It could have had maybe at least another season or two if Carl Reiner hadn't quit because of CBS refusing to air the daughter-walks-in-on-her parents episode.  I remember his leaving being a big story at the time.  

Edited November 15, 2023 by Gemma Violet

[chessiegal]

I never realized until recently studios butted in on shows. CBS made the writers of "The Night of the Man-Eating House" on The Wild Wild West change it to a dream sequence because they thought a haunted house would scare children. That was in 1966.

[Egg McMuffin]

1 hour ago, Gemma Violet said:

It could have maybe at least another season or two if Carl Reiner hadn't quit because of CBS refusing to air the daughter-walks-in-on-her parents episode.  I remember him leaving being a big story at the time.  

I saw the episode in syndication and it was handled pretty tastefully. CBS was being silly.

What was funny was that DVD signed a three year contract for the 70s DVD Show and it was a ratings disappointment for the first few seasons; CBS only renewed it because they had to. It was revamped for the final season and Carl Reiner, the creator, came in to produce (he had only been a consultant initially because it was shot in Arizona for the first two seasons).

The revamp worked and CBS wanted a fourth year, but as you said, Reiner quit and DVD didn’t want to go on without him. Also, Hope Lange was unhappy and didn’t want to do another year.

[rmontro]

11 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

The finale is also very clever and brought the show full circle. Most shows didn’t have concluding chapters back then.

It's nice that they wanted to have some sort of ending, but I've never been a fan of clip shows.

[Egg McMuffin]

On 11/14/2023 at 12:35 PM, chessiegal said:

I never realized until recently studios butted in on shows. CBS made the writers of "The Night of the Man-Eating House" on The Wild Wild West change it to a dream sequence because they thought a haunted house would scare children. That was in 1966.

I think it got worse as broadcast network TV declined and the executives became more desperate to hang onto the audience. I remember Carol Burnett saying that in the earlier days of television, executives were less hands on.

I know that the networks did a lot of interference with casting, particularly after pilots. Jim Walsh on 90210 was originally played by the actor who played Ferris Bueller’s dad. He was recast (and parts of the pilot reshot) strictly at the network’s insistence. The original female lead on JAG was recast after the pilot, with a younger blonde the producers didn’t like, at NBC’s insistence. When the show moved to CBS, the first thing the producers did was dump the blonde.

[Gemma Violet]

 

[rubaco]

National. Treasure.

[Gemma Violet]

Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic will air on CBS on Thursday, Dec. 21.

[Snow Apple]

This isn't one of the more famous episodes, but one of my favorite is Empress Carlotta's Necklace.  They gave it to Rob's mom which saved Laura from hurting his feelings. In the end, Laura was so happy Rob got her another gift of a simple and elegant pearl pendant, but started crying again because he vowed to find another Empress Carlotta necklace.

The episode reminds me of the one with the brooch shaped like the United States that Laura accidentally put in the garbage disposal. She had a new one made and everybody was happy she cared so much about family. And then she found out there are matching earrings. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Snow Apple

[MollyMelrose]

"Oh Rob!!!!!!"

[Gemma Violet]

3 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

This isn't one of the more famous episodes, but one of my favorite is Empress Carlotta's Necklace.  They gave it to Rob's mom which saved Laura from hurting his feelings. In the end, Laura was so happy Rob got her another gift of a simple and elegant pearl pendant, but started crying again because he vowed to find another Empress Carlotta necklace.

The episode reminds me of the one with the brooch shaped like the United States that Laura accidentally put in the garbage disposal. She had a new one made and everybody was happy she cared so much about family. And then she found out there are matching earrings. 

I love those two episodes, especially Empress Carlotta. 😄

[Harry24]

On 12/19/2023 at 7:55 PM, Snow Apple said:

The episode reminds me of the one with the brooch shaped like the United States that Laura accidentally put in the garbage disposal. She had a new one made and everybody was happy she cared so much about family. And then she found out there are matching earrings. 

And the earrings were Alaska and Hawaii!  

I actually love that episode.  The jeweler Laura and Millie visit to remake the brooch was fantastic.

[NoReally]

On 12/19/2023 at 2:47 PM, Gemma Violet said:

Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic will air on CBS on Thursday, Dec. 21.

I enjoyed it. Very touching retrospective.

[rmontro]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:37 PM, chessiegal said:

Carl Reiner wrote "Never Bathe on Saturday". What a talent. 

I was trying to figure out what song this was, until I remembered it was the name of the episode where Laura had her toe stuck in the bathtub.  I was thinking wow, I didn't know he was a songwriter too.

 

6 hours ago, NoReally said:

I enjoyed it. Very touching retrospective.

Yes, it was.  I read the memoirs DVD wrote, and he said he made a decision to only perform family-friendly material, and it's clear that's paid off for him in a big way, because he has become a timeless artist.  Mary Poppins is such a classic.  It was also nice how Dick mentioned the non surviving members of TDVDS, and how they would have enjoyed it. 

I thought it was a little strange they chose to finish the show with "Let's Go Fly a Kite" though, since I've never thought that song was really associated so much with DVD, even though he sings a verse.  I think of it more as the father and the family singing it.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 12/24/2023 at 4:30 PM, rmontro said:

I read the memoirs DVD wrote, and he said he made a decision to only perform family-friendly material, and it's clear that's paid off for him in a big way, because he has become a timeless artist. 

What's funny about that is Morey Amsterdam has some standup where he gets off color.  Just enough to catch you by surprise.