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The Dick Van Dyke Show - General Discussion

Rinaldo

By Rinaldo
in The Dick Van Dyke Show

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TheLastKidPicked
TheLastKidPicked

I thought of you all last night because Mel FINALLY got to be the one to shine! The episode is Rob, Sally, and Buddy accidentally turn in the script where they had written a bunch of terrible thi

SusanM
SusanM

I just saw "It May Look Like a Walnut" today.  There aren't a lot of shows on the air anymore where I laugh out loud the way I did watching this!

Driad
Driad

Happy 99th birthday, Dick Van Dyke!

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sharmar

sharmar

On 12/27/2023 at 2:35 PM, Gemma Violet said:

MeTV recently showed the episode where Sally advertises for a husband on the Stevie Parsons show and ends up with her beau Herman Glimpsher.  I wonder if Herman ever managed to cut those apron strings. 😁

In the 2004 reunion special, Sally & Herman were married!

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TheLastKidPicked

TheLastKidPicked

On 12/28/2023 at 5:24 PM, sharmar said:

In the 2004 reunion special, Sally & Herman were married!

The character of Herman Glimpsher hits different as we get older.

Younger me enjoyed a good laugh at the very idea of Sally being attracted to him.  He's a momma's boy.  Can't even handle drinking cold milk.  Must be home early.

Older me has a different opinion.  

He respects his mother, and is always respectful of Sally.  He is careful with money, but wants to pay his fair share, as shown by his desire to pay for Sally and his dinner.  He would probably be proud of Sally's accomplishments instead of jealous of them.

Not only am I not surprised he and Sally were married in the reunion show, but I don't think Sally "settled" in any way.

Funny how your view changes as you get older.

 

 

 

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rmontro

rmontro

16 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

He's a pretty decent guy, but he always put his mother's interests before Sally's.  That doesn't bode well for marriage unless the mother learned to back off a bit and let him breathe. 

Hate to say it, but maybe by then his mother was out of the picture?  There's also an old saying I've heard women use:  Watch how he treats his mother, because that's how he's going to treat you.

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rmontro

rmontro

I was watching SNL this past weekend and they had a bowling sketch, which was mainly about the animations that play in bowling alleys when you get a strike or whatever.  But these weren't animations, it was live action, and they featured actors dressed up as bowling pins.  I couldn't help but think of the classic Alan Brady bowling pin sketch that Rob unknowingly stole from Uncle Spunky, in the episode "When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen".  Here's a link to the SNL sketch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liFMHS_ntUI

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

On 3/12/2024 at 12:17 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

The Dick Van Dyke Show Took A Risk In Season 3 That Transformed '60s TV

https://www.slashfilm.com/1536957/the-dick-van-dyke-show-season-3-risk-transformed-60s-tv/

MTM should have gotten something like a Nobel Peace Prize for her acting here:

Quote

It isn't until Laura — who thought Rob's notion was ridiculous from the start — breaks into a big smile and invites Mrs. Peters into the living room that the audience both laughs and applauds.

 

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TheLastKidPicked

TheLastKidPicked

It's amazing how much courage this took back then.  The studio wanted an Asian couple on standby in case the audience rejected the idea of a black family, and Carl insisted they go in with the black couple no matter what

It's disappointing that years later, people with much more money and much more power couldn't be bothered to even try to carry on what Carl Reiner started.

There's a video of Jerry Seinfeld where a fan asks him why with all of Seinfeld's guest stars, not one single black comedian was on the show.  Jerry gets angry and says,  "Why does it matter?  It's not the census!"

Even with all the pressure and all the threats, Carl Reiner and those from the Dick Van Dyke show never said,  "Why does it matter?"

It just DID.

 

 

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rmontro

rmontro

(edited)

Remember the scene in Mrs. Doubtfire when she gets on the kids about watching The Dick Van Dyke Show and makes them do their homework?  I got in a few arguments about that, because I thought she should have let them watch TDVDS first. 

It's not like they were watching trash.  IMO watching this show would be beneficial for kids.  It's arty, it's classy, and it has a high moral standard.  It's not like they were watching Married with Children or something like that.  Kids these days would probably grow up a lot better getting a steady diet of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Edited by rmontro
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rmontro

rmontro

(edited)

Saw the season two episode The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally (a good one), where Rob suspects Buddy and Sally of having an affair, but it turns out they're working some obscure nightclub for kicks.  Of course, Rob and Laura have to get up and perform a song and dance number (Harmony).

This had me thinking.  Since the show was based on Carl Reiner's experiences, I wonder if Carl Reiner was like this.  Meaning he took every chance to get up and perform, not just at parties but like in this case, as a guest onstage because he knew the performers.  I'm guessing he did, since these people are/were entertainers, after all.

Edited by rmontro
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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

9 hours ago, rmontro said:

Saw the season two episode The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally (a good one), where Rob suspects Buddy and Sally of having an affair, but it turns out they're working some obscure nightclub for kicks.  Of course, Rob and Laura have to get up and perform a song and dance number (Harmony).

This had me thinking.  Since the show was based on Carl Reiner's experiences, I wonder if Carl Reiner was like this.  Meaning he took every chance to get up and perform, not just at parties but like in this case, as a guest onstage because he knew the performers.  I'm guessing he did, since these people are/were entertainers, after all.

Interesting.
Or maybe Carl Reiner always wanted to get up and perform when seeing others performing, and this episode (and others??) let him act out his fantasy in a way — perhaps also for other actors who may have shared with him that they too always wanted to start singing and dancing.
It's not a lot different than those of us who sing or dance at home to music playing.
Likely Carl Reiner also figured a lot of the audience would related on that level too?

rmontro

rmontro

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Interesting.
Or maybe Carl Reiner always wanted to get up and perform when seeing others performing, and this episode (and others??) let him act out his fantasy in a way 

I think it's much more likely Reiner actually did get up and perform.  He actually was a performer, after all, on Broadway and TV.  Think about how musicians will get up and sit in on songs or sets during other musician's gigs.  Apparently his wife was a singer, so she might have gotten up and done things with him, like Rob and Laura, although Laura was a dancer.

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rmontro

rmontro

Watched the old classic It May Look Like a Walnut last night (back to back with I Was a Teenage Head Writer - two of the their best episodes).  It occurred to me that most young people watching today wouldn't know what a big star Danny Thomas was at the time.  On the other hand (and I could well be wrong), I have a feeling most kids today would at least have some idea of who Dick Van Dyke is.  Growing up with Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Night at the Museum movies, and maybe even TDVDS.

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rmontro

rmontro

3 hours ago, Dimity said:

I first saw him in Mary Poppins but in terms of movies I remember him best from Bye Bye Birdie which used to get shown on TV a lot when I was in my teens - if any DVD fans haven't seen this one yet I highly recommend it!  

Put on a happy face.  Honestly, I'm a huge DVD fan, but I've tried to watch Bye Bye Birdie several times and could never get into it, for whatever reason.  I'm sure it's good, I just haven't found a connection with it yet.

4 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

One thing I've noticed is that most people of a certain age (like under 40) always mention Mary Poppins as their point of reference for DVD.  I, in my 60s, always use The DVD Show as my point of reference.  It makes me think that a lot of younger people have no idea that he starred in this iconic show.

That's quite possible.  I'm sure a lot of kids balk at the idea of watching something in black and white.  Wow, they're really missing out on something.  They might have some difficulty with the lack of diversity and Laura's role in the household though.  

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TheLastKidPicked

TheLastKidPicked

An unwatchble episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show?

I noticed an upcoming episode with guest star Richard Dawson.  Specifically recorded it because we love seeing actors back when they were much younger and before they hit it big.  

The episode is Racy Tracy Rattigan.

Dawson did a good job of playing an over the top ladies man, and it was fun to see him at such a young age.  But the rest of the episode was awkward.  Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie were visibly off kilter in their scenes, with a look of "I'm not sure why we're even here."  The whole thing looked like a studio setup to showcase their new discovery, Richard Dawson, who spent a large portion of the episode doing bird calls.

I think the reason it sticks out is because the rest of the series is very solid.  This one, I stopped watching in the middle and deleted it.

Do any of you remember this episode?

 

Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

1 hour ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

Do any of you remember this episode?

Yes.  I rewatched it Sunday on MeTV.  It's definitely not one of my favorites because not only does Richard Dawson play an obnoxious, smarmy, unlikeable guy, but at the end, they all feel sorry for him because "this (show business) is all he has."  I've always thought it should have ended differently, with Tracy Rattigan getting some major comeuppance, but no, they turned him into a tragic figure.  It was just strange.  

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Dimity

Dimity

There aren't many episodes that I won't watch but any long running series is going to have a few clinkers.  One of ones I skip is from the first season, it was called 'The Bad Old Days' and  involved Rob having a dream set in the old days when men were the rulers of their home.  I looked this up and apparently it was Dick Van Dyke's least favourite episode of the series as well, so I am in good company!

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Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

I went through the episode list to find my least favorites.  They are:

The Return of Edwin Carp -- Rob writes a show about old-time radio characters.

Dear Mrs. Petrie, Your Husband is in Jail -- Rob lands in jail.  (To jog your memory, it's the one with the nightclub performer who has a cannon).

The four Stacey Petrie shows, i.e. I Am My Brother's Keeper, The Sleeping Brother, Stacey Petrie, Part 1, and Stacey Petrie, Part 2.  (I don't know, maybe I have an aversion to Jerry Van Dyke?)

The Lady and the Tiger and the Lawyer -- Rob and Laura playing matchmaker.  I don't mind the episode until the creepy ending. 

 

 

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TheLastKidPicked

TheLastKidPicked

20 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

The four Stacey Petrie shows, i.e. I Am My Brother's Keeper, The Sleeping Brother, Stacey Petrie, Part 1, and Stacey Petrie, Part 2.  (I don't know, maybe I have an aversion to Jerry Van Dyke?)

 

The Stacey Petrie (Jerry Van Dyke) episodes, the Richard Dawson episode, and a few others, have one thing in common.  It is OBVIOUS that the network (or somebody) is using the episode to showcase an actor who they think is an up and coming star.

 

I enjoy the series very much, so I forgive a little bump here or there.

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Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

(edited)
2 hours ago, TheLastKidPicked said:

The Stacey Petrie (Jerry Van Dyke) episodes, the Richard Dawson episode, and a few others, have one thing in common.  It is OBVIOUS that the network (or somebody) is using the episode to showcase an actor who they think is an up and coming star.

I'd put the Randy Twizzle episode in that group.  I like that episode, but they let the guy who played Randy sing not one but two songs. 

eta: I looked it up--the actor's name is Jerry Lanning and he's apparently been a working actor for decades, mostly on Broadway, off-Broadway, and touring shows, with some TV in the earlier years.  He's 81 now.  I don't know if he still works. 

 

Edited by Gemma Violet
Dimity

Dimity

(edited)

Just saw the "Too Many Stars" episode where Rob has to direct the talent show - the scene where he is teasing Laura about her audition - laugh out loud.  And Mary Tyler Moore really knocked it out of the ballpark.  

As an aside - the woman who plays the head of the PTA looked, and actually was, in her 60s.  I get that they wanted someone commanding in the role but that seems a tad old to have kids in elementary school!

Edited by Dimity
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Dimity

Dimity

I just saw the episode titled The Ghost of A. Chantz and I absolutely love it. Was it a little silly?  Sure.  Don't care.  The cast just sold it for me.  Definitely going in my watch again and again pile!

And I always love it when Mel gets the best of Buddy: "As long as there's a possibility of driving him crazy, I'll never tell." 😄

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iarwain

iarwain

On 10/10/2024 at 1:02 PM, Dimity said:

I just saw the episode titled The Ghost of A. Chantz and I absolutely love it.

Saw that paired with "It May Look Like a Walnut" on MeTV, for their Halloween shows.  

That reminds me they showed "All About Eavesdropping" a few weeks back, where the Petries eavesdrop on the Helpers and hears them insulting them.  I remember as a youngster in the '60s being a little confused as to who Albert Schweitzer was (Jerry said Rob was no Albert Schweitzer) and what was so great about him.  I've since Googled him, of course, but I have no memory of him from real life that I can recall.  He certainly isn't a household name in the 2020s either.

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Gemma Violet

Gemma Violet

We never learned anything about Albert Schweitzer in school in the 60s.  All I remember knowing about him, which I think I later picked up from TV or magazines, was that he was a selfless physician who helped people in Africa.  I never knew more than that.  It wasn't until just a few years ago that I learned what a varied and interesting life he had.  

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