The comedic chemistry of The Dick Van Dyke Show is legendary. Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore's collaboration created one of the funniest couples in TV history. They were backed up by Morey Amsterdam (human joke machine Maurice) and Rose Marie (the sharp-tongued, husband hunting Sally). The Dick Van Dyke Show was based on producer Carl Reiner's experiences working for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, lending this classic sit-com an uproarious, authentic atmosphere.
Cast & Characters
- Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie
- Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie
- Rose Marie as Sally Rogers
- Morey Amsterdam as Maurice "Buddy" Sorrell
- Larry Matthews as Ritchie Petrie
- Richard Deacon as Melvin Cooley
- Jerry Paris as Jerry Helper
- Ann Morgan Guilbert as Millie Helper
- Carl Reiner as Alan Brady
Broadcast History
First Telecast: October 3, 1961Last Telecast: September 7, 1966
Original Network:
CBS
Number of Seasons: 5
Number of Episodes: 158
The Dick Van Dyke Show Episode Guide
Original Primetime TV Schedule:
- October 1961- December 1961, CBS,Tuesday 8:00-8:30pm
- January 1962- September 1964, CBS, Wednesday 9:30-10:00pm
- September 1964- September 1965, CBS, Wednesday 9:00-9:30pm
- September 1965- September 1966, CBS, Wednesday 9:30-10:00pm
Theme Song & Opening Credits
Theme by Nelson Riddle and his OrchestraWatch opening intro:
Listen to theme song:
The Dick Van Dyke Show On DVD
[amazon id="B0007WFY4S" style="SMALL" imagealign="left"]Dick Van Dyke Show Trivia
You may remember Carl Reiner as the egotistical star of the ficticious Alan Brady Show. Actually, Carl was also the creator, producer and director for the series. He also wrote many of the episode scripts. Carl's premise for the series was his years as a writer for the legendary "Your Show Of Shows" starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca. For the first several seasons, Carl never appeared on screen as Alan Brady although his voice was heard occasionally.Carl Reiner also played the part of Rob Petrie in the series' pilot! We all know that Dick Van Dyke was chosen for the part on the series but did you know that Johnny Carson was the second choice for the role?
The role of Laura Petrie was a little harder to cast. More than 60 actresses were auditioned before Mary Tyler Moore was selected! Mary's first on screen appearance was as "Happy Hotpoint" an elf in the Hotpoint appliance commercials that appeared on the "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)".
Richard Deacon was one of few actors to have a supporting role on two series at the same time. In addition to his Dick Van Dyke Show role as Mel Cooley, he also played the part of Fred Rutherford on "Leave It To Beaver (1957)".
The Dick Van Dyke Show was not cancelled and was still very popular when it left the air in 1966. Several of the cast members including Dick Van Dyke simply decided that it was time to move on to new projects.
Calvada Productions produced the Dick Van Dyke Show. The name was a conglomeration of the names of the major contributors to the production phase of the series; Ca rl Reiner, Sheldon L eonard, Dick Va n Dyke and Da nny Thomas.
Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore did work together again after this series ended. Mary was a guest star on a Dick Van Dyke variety special which aired in the late 1960's and Dick returned the favor in 1979 by appearing on Mary's show, "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour".
The first episode of the series began filming on January 20, 1961. John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President of the United States on that same day. vThis series was actually cancelled after the first season! There are two rumors as to why CBS changed their minds. First, producer Sheldon Leonard somehow convinced CBS renew it. Second, Proctor and Gamble threatened to cancel all of their daytime soap opera advertising if the show didn't continue. No one has ever verified the facts.
Jerry Van Dyke, best known from his role on the series, "Coach (1989)", is Dick Van Dyke's brother in real life and occasionally appeared as his onscreen brother Stacey Petrie.
