The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)

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

Creator:

Carl Reiner

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 24 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Rob Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Buddy Sorrell (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Larry Mathews	...	Ritchie Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Richard Deacon	...	Mel Cooley (82 episodes, 1961-1966)

Storyline

Rob, Buddy and Sally write for the Alan Brady TV show under the thumb of Brady's brother-in-law Mel. Rob and Laura live in new Rochelle next-door to Jerry and Millie.

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Plot Keywords:

tv | tv show | writer | sketch comedy | mother son relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Dick Van Dyke Show - The Official Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

All in a Day's Work

Company Credits

Production Co:

Calvada Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (158 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the 1959 television pilot "Head of the Family" which eventually became the basis for the show, Carl Reiner played the Rob Petrie, Barbara Britton played Laura Petrie, and Sylvia Miles played Sally Rogers.

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Quotes

[Laura just admitted that she told a TV audience Alan Brady is bald]
Rob Petrie: Well did you know it was a secret?
Laura Petrie: Yes.
Rob Petrie: Oh sure, what's the fun of telling something if it's not a secret?

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Crazy Credits

A third version of the opening credits gag was seen occasionally beginning in the third season: Rob avoids falling over the ottoman (as in the second version), but then stumbles.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Eddie Murphy (1998)

User Reviews

Can you imagine being these characters and experiencing this wackiness? It would be great.

The crazy tales of comedy writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), son Ritchie (Larry Matthews) and co-workers Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie). Usually, some mishap starts out small, but spreads and ends up involving everyone. As a side note, whenever Rob, Buddy and Sally's producer Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon) enters the office, Buddy always makes unfriendly remarks about his bald head.

I watch "The Dick Van Dyke Show" every chance I get. From the moment that Rob trips over the ottoman in the opening sequence, you know that something loony is fast approaching. Whether Rob and Laura accidentally eavesdrop on their neighbors Jerry and Millie Helper (Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert), or Sally's relationships remain in limbo, TDVDS never disappoints me.

While of course Rob is the main character, my favorite character is Buddy. I nearly die laughing at his comments about Cooley's bald head. It's just wickedly funny. The sort of material that could only come from Carl Reiner (who occasionally appeared on the show as Rob, Buddy and Sally's boss, the tyrannical Alan Brady).

All in all, TDVDS is definitely one of the funniest shows in TV history. I hope that it never stops rerunning!