Created by the legendary Carl Reiner, the show focused on the life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie, portrayed by Van Dyke. The show also starred Mary Tyler Moore as Petrie’s wife Laura.
In addition to being an award-winning production, the show was a hit with audiences as well, and continues to be a beloved part of American pop culture to this day. – AJW
Dick Van Dyke Show has rare quality for TV — it’s funny
“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the new-this-season situation comedy which already has become the favorite TV comedy show of a large number of performers, is unusual in a number of ways.
For one, it’s funny — a quality rare in TV situation comedy these days.
For another, the cast, writer and producer are really and truly one big happy family. That’s even more rare. Too often there is considerable intramural jealousy, anger and backbiting.
But “The Dick Van Dyke Show” folks, starting with the star, and ranging through creator Carl Reiner to featured players Morey Amsterdam, Rosemarie and Mary Tyler Moore, admire each other tremendously.
In fact, very early in the season, they all decided that when they finished the year’s TV scripts, they’d all do a musical comedy in summer theatres, just for the fun of it.
“It was a wonderful idea,” explained Van Dyke during a recent trip to New York. “After all, everybody in the cast can sing, dance, do monologues. We’d have had a ball.”
His long, pleasant face looked sad.
“But now it’s off,” he continued. “Because I’ve signed for a movie part — my first.”
Actually, Van Dyke’s first movie part is a radical departure for the casting brains of Hollywood: He’ll star in the film version of the Broadway hit, “Bye, Bye, Birdie,” playing the very part that changed him from a lesser broadcasting and nightclub comedian into a star.
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Actually, a lot of the show’s camaraderie is generated by the gentle-mannered Van Dyke, tall as a basketball star and a talented all-around performer. He exudes goodwill and friendliness.
MORE: Dick Van Dyke: Interviews, insights & images from the long career of a multi-talented star
At the moment he confesses to being a little worried about a recent switch that took “The Dick Van Dyke Show” out of CBS’ Tuesday night lineup and moved it into a later spot on Wednesday.
“I sure hope it will work out,” he sighed. “We were happy about the move when it was decided a couple of months ago, because the show was on at a terrible time in some places — 7 pm in the Midwest, and 6 o’clock in the South.
“We figured the later time would help — even if we are opposite the second half of Perry Como — and wow, that’s when his sketches and all the best stuff come up — and ‘Hawaiian Eye.’
“Then, between the time we decided on the move and we made it, our ratings started to go up.”
Van Dyke says that the series — about a trio of TV comedy writers and the home life of one of them, played by Van Dyke, has gone along pretty much as planned in advance.
Slim, lanky Van Dyke, now in his early 30s, grew up in Danville, Illinois, and got into broadcasting as an announcer on an Air Force radio show during his military service.
Nightclub work followed, and he finally broke into television with a local show in Atlanta. Georgia. Later, he moved to New York, replacing Jack Paar on a CBS morning show, occasionally filling in for Garry Moore.
But “Bye, Bye, Birdie” really opened the important doors of show business to him.
The Dick Van Dyke Show intro theme & episode
Season 2, Episode 1 – 1962
Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore: Driving lessons (1962)
Two for the road — or, Then there was this crash: A photo story of Rob Petrie teaching his wife Laura how to drive
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One Response
When I was growing up in the ’70s, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” had long left prime time and aired weekdays around noon, shoehorned between the morning game shows and the afternoon soaps. My mother used to watch it during lunch; the only time I ever got to see it was when I was home from school, either out sick or over Christmas vacation (in the summer I was outside and not watching TV). I didn’t mind, since Mary Tyler Moore was one of my first crushes… :)