MovieChat Forums > The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) Discussion > A Wonderful thing about this show

A Wonderful thing about this show

posted 2 years ago by avortac4 (3742)
13 replies | jump to latest

I stumbled upon this show by accident, I didn't think it was gonna be anything I hadn't seen before. After all, it was made over sixty (60!) years ago, and I've seen quite a lot in my time.

I thought it was gonna be your typical, run-of-the-mill sitcom that feels stale and rushed, bad quality and all that. At best, maybe an amusing episode here and there. I can't remember how I found this show or what made me watch it, but it might've been that Columbo episode - boy, had he changed over the years.

Boy, was I surprised, when I started watching this gem of a show.

First impression was.. charm. This show is INCREDIBLY charming! Even with all the slapstick and silliness, and 1960sness, it's amazing how relatable and charming this show can be. All the characters are VERY human and you can understand their problems and dilemmas.

Then there are incredible episodes with BRILLIANT writing. I mean, holy cow, what happened, Hollyweird used to have ACTUALLY GOOD WRITERS?!

The first season episode "All About Eavesdropping" exemplifies so many things that I love about this show so perfectly, that I want to use it to describe these things.

The part, where angry Laura is performing the song name during the party, and Rob starts listing all the vicious words, like 'backstabbing' and such, made me burst out in roaring laughter when Rob guessed the songname. That kind of writing is so rare to see, I wasn't prepared for it.

Not only that, but Mary Tyler-Moore shows amazing facial expressions in that episode (use pause mode, if you have to), that really underline how spectacular an actress she was. I always admire her ability, she is always believable and never slips up. When she's worried, _I_ get worried with her, she's that good. When she's sad, my heart bleeds. When she's happy, bluebirds of happiness fly around me and when she's angry, I take a step back.

This episode is sublime in many ways besides the writing - I absolutely love the relationship dynamics in this show. Now, I don't care about the 'work partners', they're always dull to me, even if they are cracking jokes all the time. The blonde woman is repulsive, and the little guy seems kinda egotistical and unrealistic, more interested in making people laugh than bringing any genuine self into the play - artificial entity, if you will.

Richard himself is, of course, award-winning, super talented human being that deserves every accolade and kudos he's got, and more. He can express vulnerability just as well as deserved anger and other emotions, and yet his sentiments seem reasonable, even if he goes overboard sometimes. Rob is a very likable and even relatable character.

What I love most about this show, though, is the heart. Not many shows manage to have this kind of ACTUALLY touching moments, without seeming phony. This episode really brings your tears out - the 'regret' and 'wish to apologize' is so relatable and deep, it brings other 'tearjerker sitcoms', like Frasier and such, to shame.

This show has an amazing ability to give you honest, direct, simple and yet deeply touching moments that not many modern TV shows or even movies can give the viewer.

What I am talking about is GOODNESS.

Many other shows try to make you cry by other means, very sad things and such - but it's goodness that gets to my heart the most and the deepest. How many TV shows have this kind of genuine goodness and kindness anymore? I don't cry because some love interest breaks someone's heart.

I cry because someone shows genuine goodness, regret for what they did, forgive or apologize genuinely and deeply. Not many shows have this kind of deep emotion of regret, apology and forgiveness. They're either bland and mushy, or try too hard to tearjerk.

This show is so good, I can't believe what contrast it brings to the modern stuff that can't even compete.

The characters are also multi-dimensional, they have their faults and bad sides, they have their 'mean streaks', while still being likable - in other words, they are VERY human in ways that most TV shows just miss completely. They make their characters too goofy and over-the-top, so they're no longer relatable - or they make a character a one-trick pony.

THESE characters are so multi-dimensional, they can express amazing variety of qualities. They can be wise and respectable, they can be petty and vicious, they can be altruistic and loving, they can be compassionate and generous, they can be scared and worried.. it's all there, you can expect all kinds of stuff from them, instead of just 'goofy' or just 'evil' or just 'good'.

Compare Rob to Homer, to see a vast difference. Rob is 'everything', Homer is just 'one thing'. Compare Laura to Marge - Laura is all kinds of things, Marge is 'always right' (though they did try to make her an alcoholic gambler). I guess Bart is most like Rick (was this the kid's name?), and I am glad there's no 'Lisa' or 'Maggie' in this one.

[–] avortac4 (3742) 2 years ago

It's pretty darn amazing, that a show made over 60 years ago can beat almost everything made in the modern times - The Simpsons doesn't hold a candle.

To add, it's also quite impressive, how this this show can express genuine goodness in a touching and deeply emotional, relatable, human way, without EVER making it preachy in any way. Think of a 'goodness moment' in The Simpsons or Frasier, and you will notice, it's probably going to have some kind of 'preaching' in it - either Lisa is explaining some morals to Bart or Frasier is explaining some moral to Niles, or whatnot.

This show just gets you without lecturing or preaching you, and that's a rare treat in the world of televisional feasts.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

THANK YOU for your never-saw-this-as-a-kid analysis! I think it's all too easy for those of us who grew up with the show to look back on it -- usually after a pause of many years -- and think we had overestimated it. No, what we did years ago was watch it through a child's eyes, and now when we see it through adult eyes, it's different. But that doesn't mean it's not as good as we originally thought. Maybe it's good in a different way.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 2 years ago

Great analysis! I watched this show in reruns when I was a kid. I thought it was so funny then along with other shows. But I outgrew those shows as an adult. This was never one of them. The characters hold true and the comedy never gets stale.

I have the series on DVD and every once in a while I go back and have a Dick van Dyke mini marathon. This show holds up for all time.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

I don't care about the 'work partners', they're always dull to me, even if they are cracking jokes all the time. The blonde woman is repulsive, and the little guy seems kinda egotistical and unrealistic, more interested in making people laugh than bringing any genuine self into the play - artificial entity, if you will.

They aren't my favorite characters either, but I'd like to speak in their defense. The show's creator was Carl Reiner, who had been a comedy writer back in the even-earlier days of television, so Buddy and Sally are based on some of his erstwhile colleagues, and the atmosphere in the Brady Show writers' room is presumably similar to that in those erstwhile writers' rooms.

Perhaps one reason why the home scenes seem more realistic and relatable to most of us is that we're more familiar with homes than we are with comedy writers' rooms. Having worked in some vaguely similar sorts of places (namely software writers' rooms), I can relate to the kidding and the wisecracking. People tend to have their shields up at work. We're not as open and vulnerable as we may be at home, simply because we're there to get a job done. So the atmosphere is different, but that doesn't necessarily make it any less realistic.

Although there are some scenes with Buddy and Sally that I just sit through waiting for the next scene, there are others -- especially non-work scenes, come to think of it -- that I like just fine. For example, the episode "Where Have You Been, Fassbinder?" where Sally has invited a man from her past to come over for dinner, and misunderstandings ensue. And the episode "Today I Am a Man" about Buddy's belated bar-mitzvah. I guess we find it easier to relate to vulnerability than to a public facade. Which is probably a good thing!

[–] [email protected] (5854) 2 years ago

The two Buddy and Sally episodes that you cite are among my favorites.

I suppose I'm different in that I genuinely like a lot of the office scenes. And I do think Rob was quite open with his writing partners at work. In the episode where Buddy leaves Pickles and contemplates divorce because he thinks she's two-timing him, the first person he calls is Rob. And Rob rushes to his side late at night. Rob is also very open about many of his domestic situations. So are Buddy and Sally.

The home life scenes I prefer are the ones that somehow feature Jerry and Millie. I love those two characters. Laura's behavior grates on me because she can be so jealous at times. Rob doesn't deserve some of her whining. He works very hard to provide her with a beautiful home and comfortable life in the suburbs. She has tons of clothes and Rob takes her to plays and fancy dinners, parties and dancing,etc. She should realize how lucky she is.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

I like most of the office scenes too, but to me the actual work scenes are in a different category from either the home scenes or the office-friends scenes.

I've always liked shows that are a judicious mix of comedy and drama, and it occurs to me that this is one of them. The actual work scenes tend more toward comedy, which is fine because they're balanced by the more drama-type scenes, both at home and at work.

OK, when I mentioned merely "sitting through" some of the Buddy and Sally scenes, I was mostly talking about the scenes where Sally sings. She's just not my style of singer (except for the time she imitated Jimmy Durante, which was terrific). I do enjoy Buddy's comic cello routines, though.

As for Laura's jealousy and whining, yeah, she had her bad days, but I don't offhand recall very much of that. For what it's worth, the vast majority of episodes (all but a handful) were written by men. Apparently they just thought it would be funny for her to behave that way sometimes.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 2 years ago

So true about the men doing the writing. I've actually heard Carl Reiner and others say that men don't always know how to write for women. Don't know if you're a Seinfeld fan. There's a story arc where Jerry is offered his own TV sitcom and in one episode he and George attempt to write the pilot using themselves, Kramer and Elaine as characters.

Neither one could write dialogue for the Elaine character. It went something like, "Elaine says...uh", "Elaine walks in and says..." "Uh, what would Elaine say?" And they actually KNEW Elaine!

Jerry finally confesses to Elaine that he couldn't write her dialogue. He says, "Like right now. I know you're going to say something. But I have no idea what it is."

Yes, Laura wasn't whiny too often. But Carl Reiner sure liked to get her naked. "October Eve" and "Never Bathe on Saturday" being prime examples. Very funny episodes, but I doubt a woman writer/producer would go that route!

I too like a mix of comedy and drama. Some of the topics on the dealt with serious issues in a comedic way.

Sally's singing is something I enjoy very much. But that's in the context of the show. I never listen to that type of music otherwise. I like an eclectic mix of music from country to rock to R&B. But Sally's type of songs are not on my usual playlist. Of course, at the time, her music was contemporary.

I've fast forwarded some of the performances though. Maybe it's because I've seen them so many times. I recently watched the Stacey sleepwalking two-parter and I zipped through "Mountain Greenery". It's a pleasant song. But whoever told Dick van Dyke that he could sing? LOL He was a physical performer without peer and a graceful dancer. But he was no singer. He wasn't off key. But he really didn't have a voice.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

Nope, not a Seinfeld fan at all (except for the monologues), but I would have enjoyed that particular scene!

I actually like the "Mountain Greenery" number (though I like Stacey's scenes even better). Rob is supposed to be a writer, not a singer, and he has a pleasant voice, so I find his performance quite enjoyable -- more enjoyable than the performances of some professional singers, actually, especially the ones who try to "fancy up" their songs.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 2 years ago

Yes, it is a nice song. Again, I think it's because I've seen the shows so MANY times that I just fast forward some of the musical numbers. I did love Stacey's "ballads" as he did his impersonation of Marlon Brandon, aka, Skid Row. Hilarious! Too bad his performance would be lost on a lot of young people today.

I've spoken to teen-agers who have no idea who Brando was!

There were a few professional singers on the show like Vic Damone who played Ric Vallone. Sally fell in love with him and it wasn't exactly mutual.

Did you like his rendition of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"? Some of the lyrics might be considered sexist by today's standards. But I much prefer those songs than some of today's lyrics which refer to women as "female dogs" and hoes (however you spell it).

At the time , Vic Damone was a huge star. The show had several big name guest stars. But Damone must have been really big because, as far as I can recall, he was the only guest to receive billing and his picture on camera right after the opening credits.

It's on the DVD i have. It's one of those "...and special guest star, Vic Damone"
Either he was a big name or his agent knew a thing or two about getting his client star billing!

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

I agree, Vic Damone was a big name back then, but sorry, I don't offhand recall his performance on the show, so can't offer you a review. Despite his fame, though, his being added to the opening credits was presumably his agent's idea -- that's the sort of thing that agents are famous for.

I've always been fascinated by Jerry van Dyke's hilarious performance as Stacey. There's an old saying that "you have to know the rules before you can break them," so he clearly knew the rules *very* well! For example, how in heaven's name could he tap his foot so out of time with what he was singing -- yet not on the off-beat either -- while simultaneously mangling the song? I wish he'd been on there a few more times.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 2 years ago

You say you wished he'd been on a few more times? Do you mean besides the other two-parter that he did a few seasons later?

It wasn't quite as hilarious. But it was funny.

The Vic Damone episode (Like a Sister) is a Sally episode. Maybe that's why you don't recall it. He was a guest on The Alan Brady Show named Rick Vallone. He and Sally dated and she fell hard for him.

Rob and Rick concocted a really dumb plan to make Rick look like a big jerk in Sally's eyes so she'd dump him. It turned out that she liked him even more!

[–] CarolTheDabbler (570) 2 years ago

Right -- I wished (and still do) that they'd had Stacey on the show maybe once a season. But maybe they couldn't think of any more "Stacey" plots.

Thanks for the synopsis -- I do kinda recall that episode, just didn't remember it was Vic Damone.

[–] FootOfDavros (8142) 2 years ago

Have you watched Diagnosis Murder?