The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (TV 2004)

A reunion of the surviving cast members from the original 1961-1966 TV series finds Alan Brady wanting Rob and Sally to collaborate on a eulogy for him before he dies.

Director:

Ken Whittingham

Writer:

Carl Reiner (creator)

Stars:

Ray Romano, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ray Romano	...	Himself - Host
Dick Van Dyke	...	Robert 'Rob' Petrie
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie
Larry Mathews	...	Ritchie Petrie
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Millie Helper
Jerry Paris	...	Jerry Helper (archive footage)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Buddy Sorrell (archive footage)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers Glimscher
Jerry Van Dyke	...	Stacey Petrie
Carl Reiner	...	Alan Brady
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeanne Allen
Richard Deacon	...	Melvin 'Mel' Cooley (archive footage)
Mimi Dillard	...	Mrs. Peters (archive footage)
Bill Idelson	...	Herman Glimscher
Sandy Kenyon

Storyline

40 years after The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), Allan Brady wants to hire Rob and Sally to write his eulogy - in order to win a bet with his wife. Although they don't want to do it, he offers them a huge amount of money. If Rob takes the job, Laura could open her dream dance studio.

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Plot Keywords:

eulogy | reunion | based on tv series | computer animation | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Calvada Productions, Paramount Network Television Productions, TV Land

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rob opens a bottle of wine that has the Smothers Brothers name on it. The Smothers Brothers own a winery in California.

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Crazy Credits

The late 'Richard Deacon' is the only major cast member to not receive screen credit during the opening sequence, though he (along with now-deceased producers Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard ) do receive special acknowledgement at the end of the show.

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Connections

Follows The Comedy Spot: Head of the Family (1960)

User Reviews

Fine Reunion, But a Terrible Premise

It was good to see the gang again. The writing was sprightly and stylish, but the premise was all wrong. Who cares about a eulogy for Alan Brady? That angle fell completely flat. I would much rather have spent more time with Rob and Laura in their old living room where we had last seen them; and in color!

As far as I'm concerned, the whole show should have centered around Rob and Laura selling their home in New Rochelle and moving into that Manhattan apartment. It would have been a more fitting way to bring us from the 60s and into the 21st Century. It also would have had more of the flavor of the old show as they faced quirky prospective buyers, real estate agents, etc. Alan Brady could have made an offer to buy the house and turn it into a rental property with a shrewd Ritchie stepping up to buy it out from under him.

One last party at the New Rochelle house to celebrate the move would have given the cast a chance to reminisce over archival footage. It would have been far more upbeat than spending an hour talking about death. Who knows? It could have provided Carl Reiner with a great platform for spinning off another reunion show. With critics panning this reunion as they did, they may never do another reunion episode again. I hope that's not the case.