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The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Gunslinger

  • Episode aired May 25, 1966
  • TV-GTV-G
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
191
YOUR RATING
S5.E31
  • S5
  • E31
All episodes
All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
  • Comedy
  • Family
While anesthetized in Jerry's dentist's chair for a tooth extraction, Rob dreams he's a sheriff in the Old West and has a showdown with Big Bad Brady.While anesthetized in Jerry's dentist's chair for a tooth extraction, Rob dreams he's a sheriff in the Old West and has a showdown with Big Bad Brady.While anesthetized in Jerry's dentist's chair for a tooth extraction, Rob dreams he's a sheriff in the Old West and has a showdown with Big Bad Brady.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
191
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jerry Paris
  • Writers
    • Bill Persky
    • Sam Denoff
    • Carl Reiner
  • Stars
    • Dick Van Dyke
    • Rose Marie
    • Morey Amsterdam
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jerry Paris
  • Writers
    • Bill Persky
    • Sam Denoff
    • Carl Reiner
  • Stars
    • Dick Van Dyke
    • Rose Marie
    • Morey Amsterdam
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
    Sam Denoff and Bill Persky in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dick Van Dyke
    Dick Van Dyke
    • Rob Petrieas Rob Petrie
    Rose Marie
    Rose Marie
    • Sally Rogersas Sally Rogers
    Morey Amsterdam
    Morey Amsterdam
    • Buddy Sorrellas Buddy Sorrell
    Larry Mathews
    Larry Mathews
    • Ritchie Petrieas Ritchie Petrie
    Mary Tyler Moore
    Mary Tyler Moore
    • Laura Petrieas Laura Petrie
    Richard Deacon
    Richard Deacon
    • Mel Cooleyas Mel Cooley
    Jerry Paris
    Jerry Paris
    • Jerry Helperas Jerry Helper
    Ann Morgan Guilbert
    Ann Morgan Guilbert
    • Millie Helperas Millie Helper
    Allan Melvin
    Allan Melvin
    • Gun Drummeras Gun Drummer
    Carl Reiner
    Carl Reiner
    • Alan Bradyas Alan Brady
    Abdullah Abbas
    • Cowboyas Cowboy
    • (uncredited)
    Jerry Belson
    • Poker Playeras Poker Player
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Berle
    • Cowboyas Cowboy
    • (uncredited)
    Sam Denoff
    • Cowboyas Cowboy
    • (uncredited)
    Garry Marshall
    Garry Marshall
    • Bartenderas Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Persky
    • Cowboyas Cowboy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jerry Paris
    • Writers
      • Bill Persky
      • Sam Denoff
      • Carl Reiner
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    To extract Rob's impacted wisdom tooth, Jerry places him under a general anesthetic, a procedure which concerns Rob only because he needs to get back to work to write a western sketch for the show, due that day. While under the effects of the anesthetic, Rob not only dreams about the sketch but also subconsciously places himself, his family and his friends in that western dream setting: Gunless Sheriff Rob wants to rid the west of all bad guys, with Big Bad Brady, a former associate of his when Rob was a gunslinger, at the top of that list. Rob hears from Killer Cooley that Big Bad is coming to town to watch a show, vowing to kill anyone associated with it if he doesn't like it, but if the show doesn't go on, he'll just kill Rob instead. If Rob can't convince the reluctant cowboys of the town to perform, he must decide whether to face Big Bad Brady or go on the run. As Sheriff Rob resolves to make a stand, wife Laura thinks she has the answer to save him. —Huggo
    • crying man
    • man wears a dress
    • dentist office
    • oral surgery
    • wisdom tooth pulled
    • 45 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Family
    • Certificate
      • TV-G
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene where Rob gets off his horse and then discovers he's left his boot in the stirrup was the only time that a sequence of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (which normally was shot in front of a live in-studio audience) was filmed in an exterior location. The scene was filmed on the same lot used by the series "Gunsmoke".
    • Goofs
      Although it had been established just a few episodes earlier (in "Love thy Other Neighbor") that Jerry Helper ran his dentistry practice out of his house, in this episode he has a dentist's office in a high-rise downtown.
    • Quotes

      Sally Rogers: [referring to wanted posters on the sheriff's wall] This one-- that's the only one I want no part of-- Big Bad Brady.

      [Rob drops his chicken tray]

      Buddy Sorrell: How come every time somebody mentions Big Bad Brady, you drop a tray?

      Rob Petrie: I once rode with Brady.

      Sally Rogers: When?

      Rob Petrie: When I was a gunslinger.

      Sally Rogers: You were a gunslinger?

      Rob Petrie: Yep.

      Sally Rogers: You were a gunslinger turned sheriff?

      Rob Petrie: No, my last job was a parson.

      Sally Rogers: You were a gunslinger turned parson?

      Rob Petrie: No, when I quit being a gunslinger, I became a singer.

      Sally Rogers: A slinger turned singer.

      Rob Petrie: I hated all that violence, so I became a singer in a saloon.

      Buddy Sorrell: A singin' parson!

      Rob Petrie: No, parson came later. Folks didn't like my singin', so I became a dancer. Then a rancher.

      Sally Rogers: A slinger-singer turned rancher-dancer.

      Buddy Sorrell: Then you became a sheriff.

      Sally Rogers: Don't forget the parson.

      Buddy Sorrell: Yeah.

      Rob Petrie: No, it's easy. Look, I was a slinger turned singer, turned dancer, turned rancher, turned parson, turned sheriff.

      Sally Rogers: Oh. When you became sheriff, you swore you'd get Brady, right?

      Rob Petrie: No, I swore to get Brady when I was a dancer. But, then, what can a dancer do to anybody?

      Sally Rogers: Yeah. So, why'd you swear to get 'im?

      Rob Petrie: 'Cause I wanted to rid the west of everything that's mean and corrupt and ugly.

      Buddy Sorrell: Then you better save one of them bullets for my wife.

    • Connections
      Spoofs High Noon (1952)
    • Soundtracks
      I Don't Care
      (uncredited)

      Music by Harry O. Sutton with lyrics by Jean Lenox

      Performed by Mary Tyler Moore

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    One of the great episodes...
    ...especially if you're a fan of TV Westerns from the fifties and sixties.

    In this episode, Rob, under the influence of dental anesthesia, dreams he's the sheriff of an old west town.

    The plot recycles the stock "high noon showdown" scenario, and each member of the cast plays a wild west archetype in a way that mirrors their character personality in the regular series.

    Gunfighters, saloon floozies, heroes, cowards, code-of-the-west ethics, and the quintessential "bullet ballet" are given a good going-over thanks to sharp, clever writing, and some brilliant comic performances from the show regulars (and a fun bit from Allan Melvin, as a gun merchant).

    There's no shortage of movie length Western spoofs, but few manage as many laughs in two hours as "The Gunslinger" achieves in twenty five minutes.

    Now reach for your remote control, partner...and give this episode a good look-see.
    helpful•8
    1
    • biggm
    • Nov 1, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 25, 1966 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Desilu Cahuenga Studios, 846 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Calvada Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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