I probably severly date myself by saying that I think The Dick Van Dyke Show was pure comedy genius. That Carl Reiner was the inspiration, executive producer, occasional writer, and occasional actor (and, indeed, originally wrote the Robert Petrie role for himself) is a big part of it. That Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Morey Amsterdam were/are geniune talents themselves is a big part of it, too.
I spotted The Best of the Dick Van Dyke Show, Vol. 2 in the $5 bin at Best Buy, which should be a crying shame, except they’re now releasing full season DVD sets. The disc has four episodes, which may be short on overall minutes, but is still a steal:
- “Where Did I Come From?” — One of the standard “flashback” episodes, as Rob and Laura tell Richie about the day of his birth. Overly-Anxious Dads is a comedy trope done to death, but even today, over forty years later (eep!), Van Dyke’s rendition is priceless. Part of it is that he’s such a physical actor, in movement and expression. He also has a great sense of comic timing. For any guy who’s been waiting for his wife to say that it’s time to go to the hospital (or for the wife in question), this ep can only provoke grins.
- “That’s My Boy??” — Classic farce, as Rob (again in flashback) is convinced (with good reason) that the hospital has given them the wrong baby. The particular resolution to this one (pre-DNA-testing) gets some serious laughs even today.
- “It May Look Like A Walnut” — My favorite DvD ep of all time, as Rob has a nightmare (or does he) based on the creepy late night horror flick he and Laura were watching. Guest stars another executive producer, Danny Thomas, and a delightfully hammy Mary Tyler Moore never looks better resting in a huge pile of walnuts spilling out of the closet.
- “October Eve” — Laura discovers that a nude painting of her (she didn’t pose nude, of course; it was artistic license) not only wasn’t destroyed, but now is on sale for big bucks at a large downtown NYC art gallery. Rob finds out, Carl Reiner guest stars, and embarrassed hilarity ensues.
I would put DvD up against any sitcom on the air today, and these episodes are, in fact, among the best. Folks may feel free to pick up any other $5 specials of this series for me for the holidays (or, heck, I’ll just add the Season Sets into my Amazon Wish List … 🙂 )
I see we agree about the best DvD ep! TV Land was showing the episodes in chronological order at just the right time for me to watch them before leaving work, and I noted in my episode guide when “Walnut” would show. Then they left it out! I don’t know why it was the only episode not shown (especially as they did play it in a later marathon), but I was seriously bummed.
The biggest laugh of the series, though, came in “That’s My Boy??.” Even though it’s no longer a surprise, I’m still rolling on the floor every time I see it. Or think about it. Bwah-hah-hah!
Evidently it drew the longest studio audience laughter bout of the entire series.
And TV Guide has selected it as one of TV’s 100 Most Memorable Moments!