The Dick van Dyke Show

Since he first tripped over that ottoman, Dick Van Dyke was a shoe-in to win over American audiences. With his comedic, yet everyman charm, and Mary Tyler Moore by his side, Van Dyke was primed for TV success. Chronicling the misadventures of a TV writer (Van Dyke) and his neurotic stay-at-home wife (Moore), the half-hour show aired on CBS from 1961 to 1966. The series was created and produced by Carl Reiner, who also wrote much of the material and played Van Dyke’s boss, Alan Brady (based on his own former boss, Sid Caesar). Many of the show's plots were inspired by Reiner's experiences as a writer for Your Show of Shows (which starred Caesar). Van Dyke played Rob Petrie, the head comedy writer for a fictional New York TV variety series called The Alan Brady Show. Mary Tyler Moore was his wife, Laura, a part for which over 60 auditions were picked through before being landed by Moore. Petrie’s co-writers also played a large part in the show and provided a lot of laughs. Maurice “Buddy” Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) was the wise-cracking, loud “human joke machine” who enjoyed picking on The Alan Brady Show’s bald and dull producer, Mel Cooley (played by Richard Deacon). The Sorrell character was loosely based on Mel Brooks, who also worked on Your Show of Shows. Sally Rogers was the other part of the writing team. A brash, outgoing woman played by Rose Marie, she had her mind on finding a husband as much as she did writing the jokes. Other characters included the Petries’ neighbors, Jerry and Millie (Jerry Paris and Anne Morgan Guilbert), their son, Ritchie (Larry Mathews), and Rob’s banjo-playing, sleep-walking brother, Stacey (played by Dick’s real-life brother, Jerry Van Dyke). While not casting an eye over the team’s creative process, the show followed Rob and Laura’s suburban life at home in New Rochelle, New York. The series proved a great avenue for Van Dyke’s sight gags and physical comedy, as well as a stage for Moore’s comedic chops. The show’s end in 1966 was Reiner’s choice. He originally decided the show would not run more than five seasons, so it went off the air at the top of its game.

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