EMMYS 1964: The Dick Van Dyke Show (season 3)

NETWORK: CBS

Let us return to Wednesday nights on CBS for the second consecutive Outstanding Program in the Field of Comedy Emmy for The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series is now in its third season at the height of its popularity. What had already been a great show took some more chances in the third year to explore some more contemporary themes and issues.

The series opened with another flashback episode, this time to the day Richie was brought home from the hospital. A typical sitcom trope now, Rob comes to believe that their baby has been switched with someone else's at the hospital. Similar to the episode of Full House where Jesse doesn't know which twin is which, Rob resorts to taking a footprint of the baby and comparing it with the hospital records. After the Petries receive a gift meant for the other family (the hospital had frequently gotten their rooms confused), Rob arranges a meeting with the other couple to return it and, he believes, to swap babies. Boy, is he surprised when it is revealed the other couple is black! It's a great laugh moment and shows he was just being paranoid (though it's worth pointing out that, depending on a number of factors, African American babies can look a lot lighter at birth). Not only is this a hilarious resolution to the story, but a subtle statement about civil rights in the country. In 1963, the American South is still segregated and white characters on television don't interact with black ones as equals quite so frequently. It is also worth considering that the entire story hinges on both couples being in nearby rooms at the hospital. So although the integration in the episode exists predominantly for a gag, its presence serves as an unobtrusive message of tolerance.

Exploration of marital issues also goes further in season three, this time broadening to characters beyond Rob and Laura. In "The Lady and the Tiger and the Lawyer," a nice unmarried neighbor moves in next door and so Rob and Laura each try to set him up with someone. The story takes an unexpected turn at the end when the man, though he enjoyed both dates, decides not to pursue a relationship with either of them, not because there's anything wrong with either of them, but because he has a history of spousal abuse and is in therapy to deal with his anger issues. He isn't ready for another relationship, realizing he needs to work on himself first. What began as sitcom hijinks of "which girl will win out?" ends on a sobering and mature discussion of divorce and domestic violence, while allowing him not to seem like a monster but a self-aware man who doesn't want to hurt anyone else. It's a surprising but excellent episode.

Similarly, there's an episode where Rob begins to suspect that his neighbor Jerry is stepping out on his wife with another woman. This as it is would be a bit of a mature subject for a TV sitcom, but as the story unfolds we find that the other woman is not a mistress but a psychologist who was recommending a marriage counselor for Jerry because he and Millie have been having problems. The audience is led to believe initially that the marriage is in trouble because Jerry's being a cad, but in the end it's just that marriage is hard and he's being proactive by finding someone to help them. This is the first sitcom episode I'm aware of to suggest marital counseling. And it seems to work because Jerry and Millie stay together.

It's not all serious, though. There's a typical sitcom plot where Rob and Jerry go in together on buying a boat, much to the chagrin of their wives, and strain on their friendship. In another, Rob fears he is going bald (to which I relate), which leads to some fun scenes with Mel Cooley, since he too is bald. Laura has her own little secret exposed when she finally reveals to Rob that she's been lying about their age the whole time and she was only 17 when they got married. This leads to the first of several two-part episodes this season where they worry their marriage may not be technically legal (another sitcom trope), and run off to get remarried.

Another two-part story gives us another fascinating look behind the scenes of the comedy world. Sally is a guest on a late night talk show (think Johnny Carson), and Buddy and Rob lose a day's work helping her write material for it. That one appearance turns into a return appearance, and soon they are losing work writing their own show, a situation that worsens when Sally is offered a sort of permanent fixture role on the talk show, leaving her to abandon writing duties for The Alan Brady Show. Things get even more uncomfortable when Laura takes a job as their secretary/stenographer of sorts to help them in Sally's absence. Rob finds it difficult to work alongside his wife, and ultimately Laura exhausts herself trying to hold that part-time job and maintain all of her regular household work to keep Rob happy.

The art world is lampooned in a few different episodes. "October Eve" finds Laura unwittingly being painted nude and the painting being displayed in a gallery. In "The Masterpiece", Rob accidentally spends an absurd amount of money on a painting. When it is discovered it's painted over something else, they strip away some of it to see what's underneath: a version of American Gothic with smiling figures. They consult an art dealer to see if it's worth anything, only to learn that the painting on top which they destroyed was actually painted by Frank Sinatra under a pseudonym, but is now ruined. That same episode contains one of my favorite bits, where Laura allows herself to buy one thing at the auction, and she chooses some bizarre sculpture that no one is able to identify or explain. They just call it "a thing", and she knows immediately that she wants it until she gets it home and doesn't know what to do with it.

The series also had a special Christmas episode, presented almost entirely as an episode of the fictional Alan Brady Show. There's a flashback to explain the premise (which I think was a mistake), but the basic idea is that the writers (Rob, Buddy and Sally) and their families join Alan for a series of sketches and songs for the holidays. Carl Reiner appears again as Alan Brady, his face this time obscured by a Santa Claus beard. The cast perform "I Am a Fine Musician" for the second time, having done so previously last season. Speaking of recurring bits, there was another episode focusing on Rob again being roped into directing the annual community variety show. This episode guest stars character actress Eleanor Audley, whose voice is immediately recognizable to Disney fans: the previous decade she had voiced both Cinderella's wicked stepmother and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty.

Other notable guest stars pop up in an episode about old-time radio stars, and feature some faces you might not know, but voices you very well may. One of these is Richard Haydn (playing a character called Edwin Carp here), whose voice I immediately recognized as the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, and whose face you might recall as he would go on to play Max in The Sound of Music. I also recognized guest actor Michael Forest from Star Trek; he doesn't play a Greek god here, but rather an old boyfriend of Laura's who is now a priest.

Not only did The Dick Van Dyke Show win it's second Emmy for Comedy Series, but both Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore won Emmys for their performances, the show won an Emmy for Direction, and another Emmy for writing for the episode "The Plots Thicken". In this story, Rob's father buys a cemetery plot for both Rob and Laura, only for Laura to remind Rob that her father already gave them a plot for their wedding. The argument over who would be laid to rest with who brings out underlying strife and resentments between the in-laws. The writing of the series continued to be strong, headed by Carl Reiner, along with other solid writers including new to the writers' room, Garry Marshall, another television veteran who would go on to create his own sitcom staples, including Happy Days.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the introduction of yet another footstool gag this season. Now Rob might not only tumble over the footstool during the opening or smartly sidestep it, but he sometimes notices, steps to avoid, and then trips on the leg and stumbles anyway.

The third season builds on the successes of the second season, keeping the show funny and fresh, expanding stories across several episodes, going further into the lives of the characters, and also making time to explore relevant cultural issues. Indeed, I could go on about many other standout episodes, but this is meant to be an overview, not an episode guide! The Dick Van Dyke Show continues to be worthwhile viewing in its third season. It was a good year for a show at the top of its game, and a good year for Dick Van Dyke who of course would appear a few months later in Disney's Mary Poppins.

FAVORITE EPISODES: That's My Boy??, Laura's Little Lie, The Alan Brady Show Presents, The Third One From the Left, My Husband is the Best One, My Part-Time Wife, A Nice Friendly Game of Cards, My Neighbor's Husband's Other Life, I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All, Teacher's Petrie

UP NEXT: The Dick Van Dyke Show (it's on a roll!)