THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: FAN FAVORITES
50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Release date: September 20, 2011

One of the most well-loved actors of all-time, Dick Van Dyke, captured the hearts of audiences as Rob Petrie weekly on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” along with Mary Tyler Moore and a stellar cast of now legendary performers. The series has just been released on a new five disc “Best Of…” set, and it features episodes that any fan would agree can be considered the best.

As a long-time fan myself, when I think of some of the iconic episodes of the series, there are a number of them that come to mind. Without long thought, I immediately remember the spooky “walnut” episode, the time when Rob’s wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) gets her toe caught in a bathtub faucet, and the “Uhny Uftz” episode where Rob Petrie believes he saw a flying saucer. Then there’s the story about when young Richie asks, “Where did I come from?” and the hilarious reasoning for his middle name, Rosebud.

I remember when I was quite young and studying writing, that the episode, “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” was cited as an example of superb writing. In that episode, Laura inadvertently tells the entire nation that Rob’s boss, Alan Brady (Carl Reiner), wears a toupee.

All of those and more are included on this 50th Anniversary Edition of the show, and despite the half century that has passed since these episodes were first aired, they are still fantastic! Although not all television shows of the past hold up well decades after they premiere, but “The Dick Van Dyke” show is certainly an exception. They remain clever and funny, and the characters remain as endearing as ever. Even my six and nine year old son are new fans!

BONUS FEATURES

Each disc has an OTTOMAN TRIPPER with a single trivia question.

MEET THE CAST are extremely simplified text bios of the main cast.

When the Petries first made their television debut, they looked quite different. The pilot was entitled HEAD OF THE FAMILY, and featured an entirely different cast as Rob, Laura and the rest of the ensemble. Most notably, it was Carl Reiner, the creator of the show, who would ultimately be cast as Alan Brady. It’s almost like a moment out of “It’s a Wonderful Life” to see how the show quite possibly might have been, had Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler, Larry Mathews and the others had never been cast.

There are some fantastic clips of INTERVIEWS in which those associated with the show reminisce. These are spread throughout the discs in segments ranging from about a half minute to about five minutes. These include memories from Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Carl Reiner and Sheldon Leonard. I don’t know the origin of these interviews since Sheldon Leonard passed away in 1997, but they are wonderful to see, and to learn about the show from firsthand recollections.

THE MAKING OF “IT MAY LOOK LIKE A WALNUT!” BEHIND-THE-SCENES FEATURETTE (22:53) features fun and interesting interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner and Rose Marie. The piece was put together by The Walnut Times, an organization that publishes a newsletter for fans of the show.

There’s a fun half minute clip from an episode of DIAGNOSIS MURDER (:36), in which Dick Van Dyke’s character on that show sees Rob Petrie.

The EMMY AWARDS (1965-1966) presentations are a wonderful step back in time with very rare, and sometimes humorous, clips when the “Dick Van Dyke Show” captured the famed award. Quickly seen amongst the presenters in the clips are Eva Gabor, Bob Crane and Danny Kaye, Danny Thomas, the King Family, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Joey Bishop and Fred MacMurray.

It’s wonderful that certain treasures of time are captured on video, and this is one of those treasures, in which DICK SINGS THE SHOW’S THEME IN 2001 AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. For the first time in public, Dick along with his barbershop quartet The Vantastix, sings the lyrics written by Morey Amsterdam.

Finally, there’s REHEARSAL FOOTAGE (2:28) from 1966. This piece follows Sheldon Leonard, with voiceover by he and Arthur Godfrey. It’s truly fascinating to see some behind-the-scenes footage, and about the last 45 seconds is without narration.

If you’re a fan of Dick Van Dyke, and you have not purchased the season sets of the series, this “Best Of” five disc set is a must have!

So there ya go! That’s what’s on the D.V.D Show DVD set!