The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)

The misadventures of a TV writer both at work and at home.

Creator:

Carl Reiner

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 21 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Rob Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Rose Marie	...	Sally Rogers (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Morey Amsterdam	...	Buddy Sorrell (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Larry Mathews	...	Ritchie Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Mary Tyler Moore	...	Laura Petrie (158 episodes, 1961-1966)
Richard Deacon	...	Mel Cooley (82 episodes, 1961-1966)

Storyline

Rob, Buddy and Sally write for the Alan Brady TV show under the thumb of Brady's brother-in-law Mel. Rob and Laura live in new Rochelle next-door to Jerry and Millie.

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Plot Keywords:

Tv | Tv Show | Writer | Sketch Comedy | Mother Son Relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Dick Van Dyke Show - The Official Website

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

All in a Day's Work

Company Credits

Production Co:

Calvada Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (158 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The task of casting Laura proved to be the most difficult. About 60 actresses auditioned for the role before Mary Tyler Moore was chosen. She almost didn't go to the audition, but was persuaded by her agent.

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Quotes

Rob Petrie: [Sally, Buddy, Rob and Laura are staying in a haunted cabin, all four are in the same bed because they are scared of the ghost] It's been over two hours and nothing strange or unusual has happened.
Sally Rogers: Oh, really? What do you call four grown people sleeping in the same bed with their clothes on?

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Crazy Credits

A third version of the opening credits gag was seen occasionally beginning in the third season: Rob avoids falling over the ottoman (as in the second version), but then stumbles.

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Connections

Referenced in Murphy Brown: Why Do Fools Fall in Love? (1989)
still from this show used in opening credits

User Reviews

The Best Written Show In TV History

Carl Reiner made one of the most best written shows with this series by creating all of the scripts by himself. The man has an innate talent for comedy, timing and characters as the first show known where the characters spend half of the time hurling funny insults at their boss, and the other half showing the life of a happily married couple very much in love with each other. This is probably the first show to show the husband at work where so many other tv husbands vanished to "the job;" for all we know, Ward Cleaver and Ozzie Nelson could of been embezzlers or secret agents. This show went one more level further by showing the scenes behind the writing of a comedy-variety show. Dick Van Dyke is an eternally likeable talent and Mary Tyler Moore was demurely sexy and wonderfully irresistible before her looklike cousin got a job in that Minneapolis news office. That role was a far distant cry to this one. Forget the Bradys, they were the parents I wanted; they were both wonderful, fair and funny, but who wants to have a crush on their mom ? Larry Matthews was every model son as he played the "low-maintenance kid" missing from shows on end. Morey Amsterdam and Richard Deacon were perfect comedy foils for each other as was Rose Marie who played eternally optimistic bachelorette Sally Rogers. Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert were everyone's favorite neighbors. All this and appearances by Reiner himself as oft seen Alan Brady, the star of the show within the show, made this series a comedy classic even above The Cosby Show or the Brady Bunch.