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One of the best ensemble casts ever put together was for the Dick Van Dyke Show which ran for five seasons in the first half of the sixties. Had the show run double that length I've often wondered would little Richie Petrie as played by Larry Matthews become part of the counter culture? Can't you see him as a hippie?

Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie is hired as a new comedy writer for the Alan Brady Show. His staff consists of fellow writers Sally Rogers and Buddy Sorrell played by Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam. It's not easy for Rob, he has to win them over. But he does manage to it in an unforgettable flashback episode.

The show neatly segmented in the professional and personal lives of Rob Petrie. Half the shows involved Rob's professional life, every week trying to come up with fresh material for a demanding boss played by Carl Reiner. The boss had a flunky brother-in-law who was the producer Mel Cooley, played by Richard Deacon. Part of his job apparently was to be the target of Morey Amsterdam's zingers. Poor Deacon, of all the characters there I felt kind of sorry for him. He knows he's in the job because of his family connection and yet he wasn't a bad soul. A lot of the time he really didn't deserve the treatment Amsterdam gave him.

Rose Marie was the eternal unmarried woman and later on her role probably would have been rewritten to make her a more feminist role model. She and Amsterdam seemed so suited for each other, but Morey was married to Pickles who like the unseen Gladys in December Bride was also a target of his humor. We did in fact see Pickles played by Joan Shawlee on a few shows.

The other segment was the Petrie home life in New Rochelle and home and hearth were kept by Mary Tyler Moore who popularized Capri pants for women. Did they ever show her figure off. More than that, Mary Tyler Moore showed in fact she was a great comedienne in the tradition of Lucille Ball. Part of the show was her getting involved in some Lucy like situations with neighbor Ann Morgan Guilbert who was married to Jerry Paris. They were the Ethel and Fred of the group.

Sometimes the professional and personal worlds did mingle. And those were some of the best shows.

No one got shortchanged on the Dick Van Dyke Show. Every cast member got to strut their stuff and the talent on that show was awesome. What would it cost now to put it together assuming all the cast members were still with us.

Dick Van Dyke was a protege of Stan Laurel, who saw something in this lanky young man who probably reminded him of himself at that age. If Stan had been 30 when TV came into the mainstream, this show might have been what he came up with.

Dick Van Dyke had but a few TV appearances under his belt when he got his own TV show in 1961. The show basically had two settings. There was "the office" where Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) was a comic writer for the Alan Brady Show along with Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) and Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam). Sometimes it becomes a "show within a show" as the three act out the skits they are writing. The most unlikable looking man in TV history, Richard Deacon, plays Mel Cooley, Alan Brady's gofer and brother-in-law, completely under the thumb of his boss and the object of Buddy's constant joking.

At home is Rob's wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), and the reason I take a star off of this show, the worst child actor in history, Larry Mathews as son Ritchie. Ron Howard this kid was not. He did not get entire episodes dedicated to his acting like Ron did over on the Andy Griffith Show. He usually just gets one line in an episode and he usually almost laughs through even that.

The show did a good job of balancing Rob's work and home life, and Moore, as Laura Petrie, is not like Lucille Ball and constantly trying to get into show business by invading hubby's work life. What is really innovative about this show was that "the little people" - the unnamed celebrities behind the camera - are the stars here. You see how the writers work together and make what you see on TV possible in the first place.

TV star Alan Brady is played by Carl Reiner, who only appeared in 32 episodes, but his tendency towards tyranny and narcissism comes shining through, and ironically Brady seems just like the kind of guy who would resent his son being much more talented than he was, as Carl Reiner's son Rob Reiner was IMHO.

The only places it sags and ages a bit is in Laura's periodic helplessness and "Oh Rob"s and in the constant and urgent effort to get Sally married off as she is a lady obviously in her late 30s and that biological clock is blaring.

I'd highly recommend it for the great physical comedy of Dick Van Dyke and just a well written show overall.

Every moment of every episode of this TV series is tasteful and clever.

The Petries and their gifted sidekicks could have been plucked from any era; the show and it characters are still relevant over a half a century later. The show was way ahead of its time in terms of the writing and the other creative sensibilities. The stories and the humor are timeless, thanks in part to the creative genius of Carl Reiner.

I'm actually amazed at how daring some of the topics were considering this was aired in America at the end of the 1950s--a very conservative period by all counts. I literally have to ration myself so I don't run out of episodes too quickly. I treasure them & watch them sparingly, and they *always* make me happy. In fact, they're a form of therapy for me.

My favorite episode was Season 4's 'Pink Pills and Purple Parents'. I was actually laughing out loud (versus the usual chuckles, smiles and giggles.) We get to see how funny Mary Tyler Moore was (is) at physical comedy---something we don't always have the fortune of seeing since she sort of played "straight man" to Van Dyke's goofy one. My favorite episodes are of course those written by Carl Reiner, which were most of the ones in the first season. After that, others did the writing and he just produced them. But his influence is palpable. And he does have several cameos sprinkled throughout the seasons. Is that man a genius or what?

Can someone please please produce more shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show?

~NN

As a teenager growing up in the early 1960's, I was a big fan of "The Dick Van Dyke Show". And this episode is the one I remember the best, after all these years. It is a flashback to when Ritchie was born and Rob becomes convinced that the hospital accidentally switched their baby for another one born at the same time of a family with a similar name. The climactic moment (which I will not reveal) was both one of the funniest things I ever saw on television in my life and an amazing demonstration of how American attitudes were changing. I have read that this is Dick Van Dyke's personal favorite episode, and I completely agree with him. Apparently, the live studio audience laughed so long and hard that the cameras had to stop until they calmed down and the actors could continue.

I would guess that today the shock of this moment is lost to a great extent, but for its time, it was an astonishing, courageous moment - and also side-splittingly funny.

The Dick Van Dyke Show has always been one of my favorites; from the first time I saw it in syndicated reruns, to the recent dvd releases. Despite the passage of time, it still holds up. The reason? It had the best writing and performances of any show and it presented real characters in believable situations. You can argue about other classic shows, like I Love Lucy, All in The Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Seinfeld, or Cheers; but, in my opinion this was the finest comedy show on television.

Carl Reiner is a comedy genius who turned his own life into a comedy goldmine. After starring in an unsold pilot, he was faced with the fact he was wrong to portray his own life. With the help of Sheldon Leonard and Danny Thomas, he was able to bring Rob Petrie to life, via Dick Van Dyke. He filled the series with great actors and the best writing on television. It was a perfect format, a show about a writer for a top variety show. It lent itself to logical guest appearances and a host of unusual and amusing situations. It was filled with a cast of great characters: lovable, if klutzy Rob Petrie, beautiful and talented wife Laura, joke machine Buddy Sorrell, sarcastic and love-starved Sally Rogers, pompous, but exploited producer Mel Cooley, demanding egomaniac boss Alan Brady, neighbors Jerry and Milly Helper, and cute son Richie Petrie. Everyone had their moments.

So many of the shows were classics that it is hard to pick favorites. There are the wonderful dream stories, such as "The Gunslinger", "It May Look Like A Walnut", and "The Bad Old Days". There are the performance shows, like "The Alan Brady Show Presents", "The Sam Pomerantz Scandals", and "The Alan Brady Show Goes to Jail". There are the flashbacks to Rob and Laura's courtship and early days of marriage, as well as Rob's beginnings with the Alan Bady Show. Then there are the ones that are just plain fun, like "A Ghost of A. Chantz", "Never Bathe on Saturday", and numerous others. The shows could also be quite touching, like "Buddy Sorrel, Man and Boy". Even weaker shows had great moments.

One of the reasons the show holds up well is that it lasted only 5 seasons and didn't get a chance to wear out its welcome. Everyone was at the top of their game when they called it quits.

When the show first came to "Nick at Night," I was ecstatic. I hadn't seen the show in several years and proceeded to tape the entire premiere marathon (which meant getting up early in the morning to change tapes). Those tapes quickly became worn out. Now, I have them on dvd, complete with promos, commentaries, features and other extras. This show will continue to live on as testament to the best of television comedy. Too bad they don't make shows like this anymore.

If there was ever a show that seemed an unlikely candidate to be regarded years later as a masterpiece of TV comedy, it would have to be the Dick Van Dyke Show (TDVDS). And younger viewers who happen upon it while cycling through their many cable channels might not give it a chance when they see the banal-looking living room of Rob and Laura Petrie that looks like it was furnished by K-Mart, or the office of the comedy writers of the Alan Brady Show which looks more like a waiting room at a dentist's office. But behind the veneer of what looks like a vanilla-clad suburban cliché is actually a little TV wonder boasting biting wit, outlandish circumstances, and perpetual unstoppable humor. This was the show that the likes of The Brady Bunch or Happy Days aspired to but could never ever hope to attain.

There are three reasons why The Dick Van Dyke is the best and not to be missed: The writing, the writing, and the writing. It all starts with the genius of Carl Reiner who did what all young writers are told to do at the beginning of their careers: write what you know, and Reiner did just that. He wrote about the life of a comedy writer, which is what he was. For years he was one of the writers for two of Sid Caesar's shows: "The Caesar Hour" and "Your Show of Shows" from the 1950's. And when he created the Dick van Dyke Show he re-created much of what he had experienced as a comedy writer and layered it into this new sitcom.

When Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) is not at home with his wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), he is the head comedy writer of a fictional television show, The Alan Brady Show. His fellow comedy writers are Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) and Buddy Serrell (Morey Amsterdam), and his boss Alan Brady occasionally appeared played by Carl Reiner, the producer of the Dick Van Dyke Show in real life. Even the premise seems tame at first.

Why does this show work? What Reiner did was take a scenario that seems rather hum-drum on the outside, and then gradually take the characters into unchartered territory simply for the purposes of entertaining TV audiences for 30 minutes (well really 22 minutes). There are many standout episodes, but some of the best involve Alan Brady, the self-centered star and boss of The Alan Brady Show who could give Atilla the Hun a run for his money. One episode, which has become a TV classic, involves Laura accidentally revealing on national TV that Alan Brady wears a toupee, and how Rob and Laura must jump through hoops to soften the damage. Another episode equally as hilarious recounts when the comedy writers, Rob, Sally, and Buddy, are mad at Brady and decide to write an insulting script about him with the intention of discarding it without Brady seeing it. Of course, it ends up falling into Brady's hands! The comedy writers then go on a wild goose chase trying to get it back before he reads it! You'll be rolling over the floor with this one.

Another ingredient, often overlooked, is the comic genius of Morey Amsterdam. Amsterdam, as the other comedy writer, improvised many of his caustic biting sarcasm that gives the needed edge to scenes at the office. Often, Mel Cooley, Brady's lackey, is the butt of much of Amsterdam's cruel humor. Amsterdam was actually a major inspiration to Robin Williams who became Mork of "Mork and Mindy" fame, another show that was inspired by The Dick Van Dyke Show. Check out "the Walnut" episode, and read some of Buddy's dialog under the "quotes" section. Are you sold yet?

Ironically, The Dick Van Dyke is far better than the Sid Caesar shows, which were its parents. Today the Caesar shows come off dated, while the Dick Van Dyke Show continues to gain new audiences, even since the passing of Amsterdam. A strange and wonderful chemistry came together although it was under-appreciated during its original airing. Dick Van Dyke himself became one of the biggest entertainment stars of the 1960's, and Mary Tyler Moore got her own show ten years later, and twenty years after that was nominated for an academy award for "Ordinary People". But the Dick Van Dyke Show reigns supreme as possibly the funniest show ever produced by American television, much funnier than even "Saturday Night Live". As for THE funniest show ever to air on television, you have to go overseas because the award for that goes to "Monty Python's Flying Circus".

This is one of the all time classic sitcoms in the history of television!!! "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was pioneer as a sitcom revelation which implemented many different forms of comedic conversation!! Because "The Dick Van Dyke Show" used so many dead pan dialog techniques, and one liner diatribes of amusement, it left a positively impressionable trademark on the television audience!! For an extended period in prime-time during this era , it effortlessly became the most popular T.V. Show on television!!! The talent was there, on and off the screen!! Dick Van Dyke, RoseMarie, Morey Amsterdam, Jerry Paris, Richard Deacon, and of course, MTM Productions mogul, Mary Tyler Moore!! Off the screen, you had Bill Persky, Sam Denoff, John Rich, and the creator of the show, Carl Reiner!! This show exuded a plethora of talent!! Comical situations persistently amused the small screen viewer by illustrating predicaments of precarious identifiability, and aspects of utterly human quirkiness that were never depicted on television shows before!! "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was the inventor of the triple!! What is the triple? When two statements follow a pattern, and the third statement breaks the pattern which sparks a laughter!!! Examples of the triple are:

Does this restaurant serve anything flaming?

1) Saganaki

2) Bananas Foster

3) Richard Simmons?

Another one: You need something that breathes a lot:

1) A Full Bodied Bordeaux

2) A Summer Linen

3) A Raunchy Pervert

Another one: Did something go down the wrong way?

1) Something You Ate

2) Something You Drank

3) Your Last Property Tax Bill!!

Suffice it to say, the element of the triple is a lot of fun, not to mention, very effective!! The above triples are mere examples, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" had their own, and popularized the use of the triple tremendously!! The triple has been a sitcom staple ever since!! This show discusses a lot of real life experiences with the characters on the show, as well as many typical proclivities which are indicative of many New Yorkers!! This show was an excellent portrayal of a polite comedy writer who displays his latent tendencies through a lot of physical humor (Dick Van Dyke)!! Razor sharp sarcasm was replaced with succinct accuracy!! The Madison Ave boys who are writing the show can be the ones who are acrimonious, they are better at it anyway!!! When the show went off the air in '1966, it left an indelible mark on small screen entertainment!! The episode with Laura falling out of the hallway closet with a bunch of walnuts is considered THE!! classic episode of all time!! My favorite episode is the one with the Spanish dancer who was auditioning for a benefit show that Rob was in charge of!! Her dancing redefined sensuality for suburban Connecticut (New Rochelle). Her sex appeal was the genuine article, as opposed to someone like Laura, who just looks sophisticated in worsted wool!! A lot a people may recognize this episode in which I am talking about!! This series, in my opinion, is one of the best sitcoms ever!! Many critics rank it third, putting it only behind "The Honeymooners" and "M*A*S*H". This series was totally outstanding!! The "Dick Van Dyke Show" was a definite diamond in the rough!!

I used to love watching reruns of this show when I was younger but now that I've seen it on TV Land, I have absolutely fallen in love with it. This precious gem of a classic is full of laughs and awesome characters. It was certainly different from many other situation comedies of its time and that, in my opinion, is tremendous enjoyment in itself. Hands down, one of the greatest shows ever to grace television.

Just like the title says. The really don't make shows like this anymore. Almost 60 years later and the Dick Van Dyke Show holds up better than most. This show is still to this day hilarious and will forever remain one of my favorites. I wasn't born when it premiered but always watched the reruns as a kid and still do. And what American male who watched this DIDNT fall in love with Mary Tyler Moore?

Although Richie (Larry Matthews) was seen in the opening credits of every episode it indeed seemed odd that in most episodes we never saw Richie. If his absence was explained he was either already in bed when Rob came home from work late or he was having a sleepover with a neighbor's son. Resort hotels were generally a place for a family vacation but when Rob and Laura went to Sol Pomerantz's resort Buddy, Pickles, Sally and Mel were with them but not Richie. When the 2 British rock stars stayed at the Petrie house where was Richie? Also although Buddy's wife Pickles was seen on some episodes we never saw Mel's wife (Alan Brady's sister). Where was Mrs. Cooley in that vacation resort episode? Bizarre indeed.

I have the complete series on DVD. The DVD treatment for this show is excellent, fitting since the Dick Van Dyke show is one of the greatest sitcoms ever, Was there ever a TV show as perfect as this? The show went off the air 41 years ago and does not seem dated at all with the exception of the twin beds,of course, Carl Reiner was an absolute genius and the cast may have been the most perfect ever assembled for a series.

I can only think of a handful of series that belong in the "great" category and that includes Mary Tyler Moores own show along with "I Love Lucy" "The Honeymooners" "Cheers" and "Seinfeld".

Thank God for DVDs and the wonderful treatment this show was afforded. I just finished watching one of the episodes and I just had to submit my thoughts.

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" aired well before my time, but thanks to Nick at Nite, I would watch it with my dad in the 90's. It was funny for an older t.v. show. Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore were a fantastic couple. I always thought it was weird that the two of them didn't share a bed, but I guess that was wholesome t.v. in the early 60's.

Believe me - I really did try to cut "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-1966) some serious slack due to its time-frame in television history. But, with that said - I found this particular TV Sit-Com to be far too corny, contrived and predictable (for the most part). And, so, I could only give it an average, 5-star rating at best.

In fact - The only time that I thought that this TV series actually came to life was when (character) Robert Petrie was away from his wife, Laura (a real downer of a woman) and in the office with his cynical, wisecracking co-workers, Buddy and Sally.

Anyway - That just about sums up "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in a nutshell for me.

I have to say, even knowing enough about TV history to have respect for this show didn't prepare me AT ALL for how ridiculously funny it is. As a long time fan of "Mad About You," which is clearly a tribute, I can see the setup here, but it's amazing to see how one of the truly landmark television shows still stands up after all this time. I'm just finishing Season 2 on DVD, and I have to say kudos to whoever put these together.

As to the show itself, if you've never seen it, you're seriously missing out. Some of the best laughs I've ever had watching television have come from watching this show. In fact, watching this, I can see many early glimpses of popular sitcom characters from later years.

A real treat!

Rob Petrie - Dick Van Dyke - is a comedy television writer with 2 sidekicks. The show is The Alan Brady Show but mostly the trio deals with somber Mel Cooley, Alan's go-to guy. At home, Rob has lovely wife Laura - Mary Tyler Moore - and young son Richie. As in most sitcoms, something goes wrong for Rob at home or work. But, all is well by the end. One episode featured a crying Laura who felt Rob didn't love her anymore. She dyes her hair blonde to get his attention! Oh boy. The cast is wonderful, with Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, and Carl Reiner and the writing freshly funny. Binge watch it soon. After all, it won 15 Emmys and was a hit show for many years. Gotta be good, no?

TDVDS was a bit unique in that the show's plot lines were divided between Rob and Laura Petrie's domestic life in upper class New Rochelle and Rob's work life in NYC as the head writer of "The Alan Brady Show" This is by far the funnier of the two as it also is a great satire on the entertainment world, with Rob's co-writers Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam)] and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) having to come up with comedy gold for the incredibly egotistical and obnoxious Alan Brady, played by show creator Carl Reiner. They didn't actually have the Brady character in that many episodes, but they were some of the best. Also the the insults thrown back and forth between Buddy and the shows producer Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon)...also Alan's groveling brother-in- law..are priceless.

At home, it is the presence of Mary Tyler Moore who steals every scene and every adolescent boy in the 60's dreamed of having a wife like her when they grew up. Incredibly funny and sexy, without working hard at it. As for DVD, great comedic actor although sometimes his bumbling routine gets a bit old. The only big negative to the show was Larry Mathews as their young son Richie who may have been the most annoying and whining kid in sit-com history. He was seen mostly in the first season and my guess is that Reiner decided that they really didn't need his presence-but they certainly couldn't have him die or get sent away to live with someone. Therefore Richie's absence was usually explained by him staying at a fiends house, at his grandparents or simply being in his room.

I watched this show growing up on Nick at night and loved it then and I still love it today. It is well written and excellently preformed. This show paved the way for so much great TV. This was the best cast with amazing chemistry.

I never found this show funny in the least. Seriously, never did. I tried and tried and tried, but it just never made me laugh. I literally watched very show from the first three seasons. Yes,it had its moments, but overall, nothing.

When the general pubic is asked to name their favorite comedy show, I never heard anyone, nto once, mention this show.

Maybe it was "groundbreaking" at the time, but I think The Honeymooner, (the funniest show of all-time) and I Love Lucy set the bar for sitcoms, a bar that this show doesn't go anywhere near.

Dick Van Dyke is a Television God! Simply the best family oriented sitcom ever produced. It still holds up wonderfully after all these years. I was only 10 when this show first aired, and to this day, whenever I catch an episode on Nick at Nite or TV Land, it is as if time has reversed and I am that ten year old boy again, eyes glued to the flickering images on our old Zenith. Watching the brilliant antics of Rob, Laura, Buddy and Sally. Gotta go, now. I am getting misty for the old days

This tv series is loved by many people,there is no denying it.

(Of course I like Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke).

Does this tv series deserve all of the endless praise it has garnered over the years ? In a word,no.

Do Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke deserve all of the credit for the good aspects of the show? Absolutely not.

If you watch 10 or 12 random episodes from random seasons of the show,it is beyond obvious that all of the best episodes of this show have the characters 'Buddy Sorrel' (played by Morey Amsterdam) and 'Sally Rogers' (played by Rose Marie) in them.

The show episodes with these 2 actors in them are reliably very-good or great episodes that are always much funnier than any of the episodes without them. In my opinion, these 2 are the actors that really make the show. They keep things moving and rarely miss with their non-stop jokes,silly puns and so forth.

On the other hand,the attempts at humor that come from the main characters Rob and Laura Petrie are,at best,hit-or-miss. Entire episodes are sometimes spent on 1 weak joke or unfunny slapstick situation that falls flat. The laugh-track is often overworked on things that aren't even vaguely funny which gives the show a desperate vibe at the worst possible times.

(If something is actually funny,people will laugh without being prompted).

The worst of the episodes always have the Petrie's young,annoying and obnoxious son 'Richie' in them. This kid manages to cast shade on every episode he is in with his obnoxious and one dimensional acting and character-portrayal.

The neighbor 'Millie' runs a very-close second to the son Richie Petrie when it comes to being obnoxious and annoying. Millie may actually be the worst of the two,because the young Richie character at-least has the excuse of being young.

Inexplicably,(but very fortunately),the annoying Richie character only appears in perhaps 20% of the show episodes. Richie's 'part-time son' role is strange indeed and it is never really adequately explained.

(But hey,don't look a gift horse in the mouth ! 🤡 )

While I'm at it,what about Laura and Rob Petrie,the main characters ?

The Laura Petrie character is indeed attractive but that is about the only good thing that can be said about her. Truth be told,she is a real drag. She is very selfish,annoying and childish. In most of the earlier episodes,she whines and throws hissy-fits over the slightest of matters. In fact, Laura's whining is pretty-much a regular routine in so-many of the early episodes and believe me, it gets old fast. Laura's whining routine is like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard and it is just another annoying aspect of the ridiculous Laura character.

(Bless her heart)

Speaking of ridiculous characters, how about Rob Petrie?

Rob is regularly portrayed as a weak and ineffective man just for cheap laughs. Laura treats Rob like a child and Rob always lacks the backbone to set Laura straight or stand up for himself. It is quite a sad and bad look for Rob.

Despite the many legitimate complaints,there are indeed some good episodes of this show,I'd say maybe 30% of all the episodes are very-good to excellent. I'd say another 20% to 30% of all the episodes are at least decent and worth watching. Of all of the episodes,I'd also say that 20%-25% are annoyingly bad and the remaining 20%-25% of the episodes are just terrible.

By all means,please check the show out for yourself and see what YOU think.

Dick was good as Petrie, and there were some good moments in the writing room scenes - but at the same time with such programs it's difficult to relate to what 'the writers' (Rob, Sally and Buddy) actually found funny. I know Carl Reiner is considered a comedy genius (and I have seen some really funny stuff such as the 2000 year old man sketch with Mel Brooks) but guess i was just born too late (1979) and not into that culture.

MTM as Laura was really good looking, and did have some good episodes such as where Rob is trying to fool her with a fake voice and she strings him along - or revealing Alan Brady's baldness on live tv - but she was also written as a petty selfish wife too when she couldn't get her own way. More annoying though was the kid who only had one volume level and it was above 11. Glad he wasn't in a lot of episodes - whether it was just the kid couldn't act or they just thought "aaaw cute" rather than actually rein him in a bit.