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This article originally ran in 2019.
We are republishing it in honor ofthe late Carl Reiner, who died on June 29, 2020.
Whats a Dick Van Dyke?
Short answer: Hes a national treasure.
Which brings us to the game-changing sitcom created by Carl Reiner that ran from 1961-1966.
Funny story: Reiner was originally slated to star as his own alter ego.
Van Dyke was supported by one of TVs great ensembles.
Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert costarred as best friends and neighbors Jerry and Millie Helper.
The Dick Van Dyke Showwas made for its times, JFKs New Frontier.
Decades beforeSeinfeldit explored from where creators of comedy mined their material.
In the words of Big Max Calvada: Its neither too esoteric nor too mundane.
Pragmatically speakin; hits me right in the gut.
(Weve counted the two-parters into single episodes).
Over the course of its five seasons,The Dick Van Dyke Shownever jumped the shark.
With a few exceptions, you cant really go wrong.
Manuel Rodriguez (a miscast Joby Baker) is no Vitto Giotto.
Financial insecurity drives Rob to make a complete fool of himself at a dinner party.
The least of the series vaunted flashback episodes.
(One member of the family in show business is quite enough, Rob insists.)
Laura insists that a boat partnership never works.
Rob says he knows the pitfalls.
Laura gets to say I told you so when the partnership predictably sinks.
Still, this episode gets a boost from Bernard Fox (aka Dr. Bombay) as the girls father.
The inevitable broken dishes, late night gargling and cello playing and botched eggs benedict strain their friendship.
Fitfully funny but no real payoff.
Rob and Laura play competing matchmakers for their single new neighbor.
That would be Jerry, who believes Robs backache in advance of a weekend getaway with Laura is psychosomatic.
The results were mixed, but Van Dyke is a marvel at playing physical agony.
Divorce (Season 2, Episode 28)Pickles, we hardly knew ye.
Who is Floyd B. Barriscale and why has Buddys former showgirl wife been sending him money?
Bonus: ThatsSheldon Leonards voiceas Barriscale.
Rob imagines a turn of the century household in which he rules with an iron fist.
A panicked Rob with a gun makes for a few high caliber sight gags.
Brother, Can You Spare $2500?
Rob feels indebted to the pushy and opportunistic Neil because he was responsible for Robs big professional break.
Not a particularly funny episode, but further establishes Rob as a character of integrity.
A frisky couple, those Petries.
Where Have You Been, Fassbinder?
(Season 1, Episode 25)See, ma; thats one of the reasons.
A reunion with an old high school friend initially leads to more heartbreak until a rushed happy ending.
Rob pries to protect Sally when he learns her affection for suave singer Rick Valone is unrequited.
An extended scene in which Valone pretends to be an abusive drunk is proto-discomfort television.
This is a more heavy-handed take.
Understanding should be as natural as breathing, Rob proclaims.
Laura plays the supportive wife.
Van Dyke makes you feel every ache and sneeze.
The shows first season defined Sally Rogers by her inability to find a fella.
(If I thought it would help, Id put an ad in Hobo News.).
Br-rooom, Br-rooom (Season 4, Episode 31)Call him The Mild One.
Dig the Calvada billboard at the drive-in.
Shes pushy and I dont like pushy people, Laura proclaims.
Shes being referred to as Laurie and Mrs. Petrie at this point.
Her breakthrough is coming with the episode, To Tell or Not to Tell.
You gonna cry?)
and his ultimate disenchantment.
- Who Stole My Watch?
Its fun watching everyone turn on Rob and Laura; Buddy even sides with his nemesis Mel.
Rob and Laura are hilariously at cross-purposes.
Rob doesnt know what Laura knows: that he is a mortician.
Laura doesnt know what Rob knows: that hes married.
You must be one of her square friends, Laura digs when Rob is shocked over Lauras complacency.
Throw in some Nazi jokes and you have a funnier-than-usual lovelorn Sally episode.
But sometimes a woodpecker is just a woodpecker.
It looked like a glandular case, Millie reports.
Ritchie in a pith helmet and sunglasses earns Matthews his biggest laugh of the series.
But sometimes a woodpecker is just a woodpecker.
It looked like a glandular case, Millie reports.
Ritchie in a pith helmet and sunglasses earns Matthews his biggest laugh of the series.
Robs clown song is nice.
Im No Henry Walden!
This insecurity leads him to accidentally offer a blank check as a charitable donation.
The truth is somewhat more innocent but hints that even the reliable comic relief can have problems.
A meddling Rob episode in which Rob thinks Jerry is cheating on Millie.
The truth is somewhat more innocent but hints that even the reliable comic relief can have problems.
This two-parter explores how far Robs charm will carry him when he runs for city councilman.
Wally Cox is his eminently more knowledgeable opponent.
Rob meets a former boyfriend of Lauras about whom he knew nothing about.
This stock situation plays much funnier when we learn before Rob and Laura that Joe Coogan is a priest.
Laura gets it, though.
Whats in a Middle Name?
A summit meeting with members of Rob and Lauras extended is memorable.
The flashback: Laura, in anticipation of meeting Robs parents, takes Millies pills to calm her down.
Moore makes the most of this rare showcase for her loopy physical comedy.
Rob is recruited to put up the Redcoats (a winning Chad and Jeremy) at his home.
Visits to the school psychiatrist (Whit Bissell) are a highlight.
One of a handful of Good Citizen Rob episodes in which he wrestles with doing his civic duty.
But she and Millie make a good comedy team as they attempt to brave it out.
Some good physical comedy in the interactions with difficult customer AND Lou Jacobi as Uncle Lou.
The Gunslinger (Season 5, Episode 31)A guilty pleasure, this one.
While having his wisdom tooth pulled, Rob fantasizes himself and the entire cast in an extended western spoof.
Thats for the kids.
For the adults, Randy sings This Nearly was Mine fromSouth Pacific.
I could have gone through life not learning that this was among the casts least favorite episodes.
Will You Two Be My Wife?
A memorable gag is Rob and Lauras reaction to a man with the head the size of a baseball.
Richard Dawson stars as a randy British entertainer filling in for a vacationing Alan Brady.
All represent chapters in Robs finally completed book.
A meta finish anticipatesSeinfeldand the series fitting final image is Rob and Laura in a passionate kiss.
Rob and company vacation at a new hotel run by Robs Army buddy (Henry Calvin).
No sooner does Rob injure the hotels star attraction then the cast takes turns entertaining onstage.
Rob and Laura soft shoe through Nothing Could be Finer, and Rob performs his uncanny Stan Laurel impression.
I Am a Fine Musician makes its debut.
Right, he tries to cover.
A good episode for Morey Amsterdams Buddy, who really goes overboard.
Unlike that classic, this episode clues the audience in that Rob is having a nightmare.
Its bizarrely funny, but there is a genuinely unexpected twist.
Richard Deacon rises to the occasion of the only Mel-centric episode.
Buddy pipes in, So does Mr. Jewish.
reappears to announce hes reformed, but Buddy wont believe him.
The episodes funniest bit is in the beginning with an office money jar for every time Buddy insults Mel.
Mel makes his own deposit (Thats for what I was thinking).
Then things take a dark turn when Blackie engages Rob in a game of pool.
Effective editing heightens the tension.
The dogs name, Horrible, says it all.
The best this beast will be is grotesque).
As in the movieCharade, the clues are in plain sight.
Highlight: Laura coming upon Rob rubbing a lamp found in the desk and playing genie.
I am My Brothers Keeper/The Sleeping Brother (Season 1, Episodes 26-27)Burford!
Robs brother Stacey (Jerry Van Dyke) makes a delightful grand entrance in the series first two-parter.
Stacey is spirited, joyful and bubby, but only when hes asleep.
When hes awake, hes shy, reserved and introverted.
He does the best Oh, Rob this side of Mary Tyler Moore.
Rob faces stiff resistance from Laura, inspiring the solid episodes defining line, Youre no Lili Palmer.
He, of course, thinks Laura is flirting with a complete stranger.
Her romantic mood when he comes home indicates Laura doesnt mind a little role-play.
Gradually, it turns into a Very Special Episode: How do you stop kids from slipping?
Rob will redeem himself, but hes so clearly in the wrong here that it doesnt quite pay off.
Gets into some dark territory (a traumatized Ritchie asks, Wheres Daddy going without you?)
before the reassuring conclusion.
Lauras aka the adorable Amazon dispatch of a drunken bar patron using judo is a play-it-again moment.
Buddy Rogers and Sally Sorrel are none too pleased, either.
Pretty funny, indeed.
This episode is shameless in hooking the audience via misdirection as Rob initially thinks Laura is having an affair.
Which leads to this great line from Rob: How do you feel about him?
This, of course, turns into an accidental marriage proposal.
Buddy: I get dibs on Laura.
This is the one with the classic Nobody knows how I feel exchange.
The second part more predictably trumps up a fight between the couple when they need to get remarried.
Give Me Your Walls!
(Season 2, Episode 23)Wall; everything gonna be fine!
In this season two episode the dynamic between Rob and Laura is still being fleshed out.
You know what I wish you would do?
Millies recalculations of her point system in rating both men is a strong running gag.
One of the key elements of this episode: We learn that Robs middle name is Simpson.
My Blonde-Haired Brunette (Season 1, Episode 2)Is Rob getting tired of Laura?
Lauras crying jag at the end of the episode is a tantalizing hint of Moores comic chops.
Ann Morgan Guilbert makes her debut as neighbor and best friend Millie Helper.
Then Rob thought Buddy was having an affair with a married woman.
This episode encourages the thought that Buddy and Sally are having an affair.
But its literally all an act.
Its always fun to watch Amsterdam and Marie perform.
Features the one and only appearance of those dancing suburbanites, Lester and Esther Bushmaster.
Sallie Jones is wonderful as the ditz who is swept of her feet by Robs Sergeant Antonio Stradivarius.
A funny episode driven by Lauras panic to replace the broach
38.
Buddy Sorrell, Man and Boy (Season 5, Episode 22)My mothers favorite episode.
Dear Sally Rogers (Season 5, Episode 21)The funniest of the lovelorn Sally episodes.
I Was a Teenage Head Writer (Season 2, Episode 19)Weve seen how Rob met Laura.
Psychiatrist Phil Ridley (Ross Elliot) returns to reassure Rob that he isnt crazy.
Love his Whos he?
A rarity: Mel gets the last laugh.
Rob and Lauras passionate embrace at the end is a heart-melter.
Where Did I Come From?
Rob and Laura write competing childrens stories.
Robs dramatic rendition of his age-inappropriate composition (Danny was morose) is hilarious.
John McGiver steals his scene as the publisher.
The Impractical Joke (Series 4, Episode 16)
Scream like a chicken.
Some clever misdirection as Buddy braces for revenge after participating in a practical joke on Rob.
Lennie Weinrib gets the last laugh with Alvy Moore getting the assist.
This pivotal episode further marks the transition of Laura Petrie from sensible wife to nut.
To Tell or Not to Tell (Season 1, Episode 8)Im just a housewife.
You lost a wife and gained a roommate.
Also of note are the revamped opening credits featuring Rons iconic trip over the living room ottoman.
A delight all around.
(How often is one called upon to be a responsible parent?).
Laura remains on the sidelines.
One of Van Dykes tour de force performances.
This looks to be an actual broadcast of a holiday special featuring the core cast.
In a meta moment, the cast singsThe Dick Van Dyke Shows theme song.
The Masterpiece (Season 3, Episode 2)The Thing is the thing.
The exchange in which Rob learns from Laura and Millie of the errant letters is gold.
Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac, Etc.
And here it is, the sketch Rob inadvertently steals from a litigious childrens TV show clown.
First frame to last, a great episode, with a pie-in-the-face finish.
Best sidekick honors go to Arthur Bantanides as Bernard (The kid breaks me up).
In this memorable episode, Laura guilts Rob about having to miss Ritchies school play because of his work.
Van Dykes turn as a puppet in a nightmarish dream sequence is masterful.
Its a brasher Rob and a more off-putting Laura, but their chemistry is undeniable.
Introduces Marty Ingalls as Sol, and You Wonderful You as Rob and Lauras song.
Van Dykes deft body language trying to hide his sprained body from Laura is achingly funny.
Van Dyke earns his biggest laughs just reacting to the colorful characters and increasing craziness around him.
Rob recalls being roped in to direct the local community variety show.
Ah, Cleopatra my enchanted.
At last I have arromed from rive.
5.Thats My Boy??
Its a reveal too brilliant and, for its time, too daring to be spoiled here.
A complicated practical joke or a nightmare?
We know something is amiss when Buddy Sorrell and Mel Cooley embrace each other as pals.
Laura body surfing on a closet cascade of walnuts will haunt you the rest of your days.
In a good way.
A second honeymoon turns into craziness when Laura gets her big toe stuck in the hotel bathtub spigot.
Moore reportedly complained to Reiner that she was offstage for most of the episode.
Reiner assured her shed be the star nonetheless.
In it, Laura accidentally spills the beans on a game show that the vainglorious Alan Brady is bald.
