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Finally we ease out of the variety show format and back to classic sitcom territory, though by way of a character writing for a variety show. After making a splash in a number of guest appearances over the late 1950s, Dick Van Dyke's star rose enough to headline his own series, allowing him to showcase both his versatility has a comic performer and song and dance man, but for the first time on this blog, a sort of normal guy. No longer is he a broad caricature, but a portrait of a loving husband and father, veteran of the army, working in a somewhat unconventional field.
The Dick Van Dyke Show was created by veteran comedy writer Carl Reiner, who based it on his own experiences in writing television. His original pilot starred himself in the title role, but the series was retooled for Van Dyke instead. As a series, it's kind of a return to format of the early 1950s sitcoms with one foot in variety entertainment. Just as Ricky Ricardo was a nightclub performer and Danny Thomas was a working comic actor, The Dick Van Dyke Show centers around the character of Rob Petrie, head writer for the fictional comedy/variety series The Alan Brady Show. Similarities to Danny Thomas' show are perhaps not so coincidental, as Thomas serves as a producer on the show as well. Also of note, it was shot at Desilu studios where the three-camera model began. Like other classic sitcoms, The Dick Van Dyke Show lives in that happy medium between relatable domestic life and the minor thrill of a peak backstage at how Hollywood works. But rather than focus on the performer, Carl Reiner wisely shifts focus to the unsung heroes of the medium, the writers. No more are we in the realm where Red Skelton would joke about firing a writer when the joke doesn't land. Now the writer is the central character, and Reiner clearly has lifted story ideas from real life experience. What happens when writers aren't getting along? Or when you are just stuck for an idea? Or that worst thing to happen in comedy writing, the threat of having plagiarized a joke? What's it like when the guest celebrity is actually a heel in real life? Joining Rob are his writer friends, Sally and Buddy. Cleverly, just as would be their actual role, they mainly serve to punch up the show with jokes. But it's not just that. There are interesting undercurrents like Sally feeling like her femininity is overlooked by the male work environment, and she starts to resent being called "fella".
One of the more contentions things in comedy writing in recent years has been the scandal of "stolen jokes" and whether certain comedians have plagiarized material. Reiner makes clear this was a problem even in 1963, when Petrie inadvertently steals material for a sketch from another show and the trouble that creates. It was interesting watching this episode now, and remembering how difficult issues of ownership and copyright are in the realm of writing, especially comedy.
On the domestic side of things, Rob has a wife and son, as well as friendly neighbors next door who make frequent appearances. We get some good old-fashioned "father knows best" kinds of stories, as well as "having a misunderstanding with the wife" stories. Gracing our sets as Rob's wife, Laura is Mary Tyler Moore in her big break. Moore is radiant in this series, and the perfect match for Van Dyke's charisma. She is the queen of comedic histrionic crying. Laura is not Lucy Ricardo. She's a former dancer, and a bit more of a modern domestic woman, but is prone to overreacting. Moore is endearing and charming and capable of standing up to Rob when he's being an idiot. Their marriage has its problems, but their relationship is great. In the second season, we get to see the crazy circumstances of their wedding.
The opening titles of the series are classic. Rob arrives home to his loving wife, turns to greet his visiting friends, and tumbles over an unseen footstool. Toward the end of the season, the show plays with our expectations with Rob sidestepping the stool instead. The first time this happens is a lot of fun. Like Simpsons couch gags or X-Files taglines, it becomes a bit of bonus fun to see what might happen with the fall this episode. About midway through season two, they also started putting the episode titles onscreen at the end of the opening.
This was my first full-episode exposure to The Dick Van Dyke Show, though of course I had been aware of it from Nick at Nite and seen little bits. But until now, I had never watched a whole show, and now after having gotten through a whole season, I'm a fan. It's clear that Carl Reiner's experience informs the writing, and the best episodes are written by him. He also appears as Alan Brady, Rob's boss, but always seen from behind and his face isn't revealed, very similar to Wilson on Home Improvement. One of the things that's been enjoyable about reviewing these old sitcoms is seeing how much groundwork later shows of the '80s and '90s were indebted to. I started to realize how much Full House follows similar tropes, for example, of peppering in musical performances.
But just as it's got similarities to the '50s shows that preceded it, The Dick Van Dyke Show is a series of the '60s and you can tell how society is slowly shifting. We're still in the Kennedy years, and married couples still sleep in separate beds, but women are wearing pants more frequently, humor is changing a little, and they even slip in a few mild curse words! The series is also commenting on the world of its day, and not just variety shows. An entire episode, "It May Look Like a Walnut," was a parody of creepy science-fiction films, the type gaining popularity in the late 1950s and early '60s. It's a fun episode, though the gag about Rob losing his thumbs was rather spoiled for me when certain shots clearly showed thumbs still there. But how was he to turn doorknobs without them? I guess we can let it slide because it's all a dream in the end, but it's a shame that the writing is a little smarter than the final execution. A great gag in the episode though is an alien who "looks like Danny Thomas" played by Thomas himself.
Another hilarious episode involved Rob suddenly having an allergic reaction in Laura's presence. She is convinced by a recent magazine article that this proves he's subconsciously mad at her. While Rob tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, Laura grows increasingly hysterical. The episode smartly strings out the mystery for the audience to figure out without revealing too much too early to give it away. Not only a fun jab at pop psychology, it also showcases Van Dyke's comedic sneezing. Van Dyke also plays a good comedy drunk in an episode where he is hypnotized to think he's completely hammered whenever he hears a bell. There are also a good number of episodes focusing on the humor of marital squabbles, like discovering a secret checking account, or that terrible moment when you ask your wife what's wrong and she just says, "You know what you did."
There were a lot of episodes I enjoyed and it would be difficult to name or describe too many of them. I quite liked learning the backstory of Rob and Laura's ill-fated wedding day in "The Attempted Marriage." Both Moore and Van Dyke are at the top of their game, and Reiner's script is very smart. It also plays to the strengths of television, with a flashback structure. This also helps break up the typical sitcom monotony of the show existing mainly on two sets. When the season ended, they took the next month to show four flashback episodes from the first two years in rerun that documented Rob and Laura's first meeting through the birth of their son.
It is easy to see why The Dick Van Dyke Show was an Emmy favorite. It's got all the usual ingredients of classic sitcoms, with a dash of novelty and perfect casting. I quite enjoyed watching it and look forward to future episodes to come. Interesting note though for anyone seeking it out on DVD: the DVD set I obtained put a season 3 episodes at the end of the season 2 set and left it off the season 3 set. A mild annoyance, but worth pointing out. I still haven't seen any of season 1 and am tempted to watch them. But no time to look back, we only look forward in this project!
FAVORITE EPISODES: The Two Faces of Rob; The Attempted Marriage; My Husband is Not a Drunk; What's in a Middle Name; Gesundheit, Darling; It May Look Like a Walnut;, My Husband is a Check-Grabber; When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen
Up Next: The Dick Van Dyke Show (again!)
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