"The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961) TV series 1961-1966

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

Carl Reiner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

3 October 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Husband Wife Relationship | Only Child | Insult | Army

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 20 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Dick Van Dyke	...	Robert 'Rob' Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie (153 episodes, 1961-1966)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers (131 episodes, 1961-1966)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Maurice B. 'Buddy' Sorrell (131 episodes, 1961-1966)
Richard Deacon	...	Melvin 'Mel' Cooley (108 episodes, 1961-1966)
Larry Mathews	...	Richard Rosebud 'Ritchie' Petrie (70 episodes, 1961-1966)

Also Known As:

All in a Day's Work (USA) (working title)
Double Trouble (USA) (working title)
Full House (USA) (working title)
Head of the Family (USA) (working title)
The Dick Van Dyke Daytime Show (USA) (rerun title)

Runtime:

30 min (158 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Calvada Productions

Trivia:

Rob's middle name was Simpson.

Quotes:

Melvin (Mel) Cooley: It was the sketch. I knew Alan wouldn't like it. And when it comes to comedy, I have an unerring instinct.
Maurice (Buddy) Sorrell: That's right, you got the instinct of a herring.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: I Was a Teenage Werewolf (#9.9)" (1997)

The Best Written Show In TV History

Carl Reiner made one of the most best written shows with this series by creating all of the scripts by himself. The man has an innate talent for comedy, timing and characters as the first show known where the characters spend half of the time hurling funny insults at their boss, and the other half showing the life of a happily married couple very much in love with each other. This is probably the first show to show the husband at work where so many other tv husbands vanished to "the job;" for all we know, Ward Cleaver and Ozzie Nelson could of been embezzlers or secret agents. This show went one more level further by showing the scenes behind the writing of a comedy-variety show. Dick Van Dyke is an eternally likeable talent and Mary Tyler Moore was demurely sexy and wonderfully irresistible before her looklike cousin got a job in that Minneapolis news office. That role was a far distant cry to this one. Forget the Bradys, they were the parents I wanted; they were both wonderful, fair and funny, but who wants to have a crush on their mom ? Larry Matthews was every model son as he played the "low-maintenance kid" missing from shows on end. Morey Amsterdam and Richard Deacon were perfect comedy foils for each other as was Rose Marie who played eternally optimistic bachelorette Sally Rogers. Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert were everyone's favorite neighbors. All this and appearances by Reiner himself as oft seen Alan Brady, the star of the show within the show, made this series a comedy classic even above The Cosby Show or the Brady Bunch.