Comments on: A half-century ago, in New Rochelle...

A half-century ago, in New Rochelle...

oneswellfoop — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:14:48 -0800

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the debut of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (chosen "All Time Favorite Sitcom" by the readers of a blogger who used to Write and Produce M*A*S*H and Cheers, fergunisakes), there was a salute/reunion staged by American Cinematheque at which series creator Carl Reiner (aka Mel Brooks' straightman) told of the genesis of the show (if you have problems with the video, here's someone else's written account of the same thing) and Dick Van Dyke sang (with backup) the never-broadcast words to the show's iconic theme song.

Here's the Dick Van Dyke Show's First Episode (the famous 'ottoman opening' wasn't used until Season 2), the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth. And some "Bloopers".

By: hippybear

hippybear — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:23:09 -0800

Dick Van Dyke sang the lyrics to the theme song on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me quite a while back. It was astounding to learn that it even HAD words, let alone that he knows them well enough to be able to perform them on demand.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:23:55 -0800

I had such a boyhood crush on Laura Petrie...

By: scody

scody — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:33:43 -0800

OHHHHHHHH RO-OB

By: Knappster

Knappster — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:34:18 -0800

To celebrate the 51st anniversary of the debut of another CBS show, here's Andy Griffith singing the words to his own show's iconic theme song (also composed by Earle Hagen).

By: Roman Graves

Roman Graves — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:48:15 -0800

You know those people who say television rots your brain? I say fuck those people. I was raised by television, and fondly remember developing my night owl tendencies watching The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Andy Griffith Show, The Patty Duke Show, F Troop, etc. etc. (but really, not a fan of My Three Sons) on Nick at Nite. In fact, I'm pretty sure if I ever see the pilot of Matlock, which guest starred Dick Van Dyke, my mind would shatter. Also, I don't care how bad his accent was, he can sweep my chimney anytime. ...No, literally sweep my chimney. Maybe hang out and tell some funny stories.

By: dhens

dhens — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:48:35 -0800

I don't know about Dick Van Dyke or Andy Griffith, but I know that the original Star Trek theme song had (never to be sung) lyrics written by Gene Roddenberry so he could get half of the royalties....

By: dhens

dhens — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:52:00 -0800

As a junior high schooler ("middle schooler" for those with different school systems) in the 1990s, I borrowed and watched my uncle's complete VHS collection of the Dick Van Dyke show and read along in The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book (now available in updated editions). I was a weird kid.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:52:21 -0800

So raise your hand if the scene in American Gods where Laura breaks down and promises to be good if dick will just stop hitting her broke your heart even if you never actually saw the show.

By: These Premises Are Alarmed

These Premises Are Alarmed — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:53:53 -0800

Once when I picked up my midwestern mother at Laguardia and was driving her to our house in Connecticut, she asked me "What's so funny about New Rochelle?". I had no idea what she was talking about and told her as much. She said that when she was a kid, stand-up comedians used to joke about it all the time, like that it was a bad place to be from. "Is it very ethnic, or something?" It was a couple days later in discussing this with coworkers that I realized New Rochelle was the setting for the Dick Van Dyke Show, and that must've been what she was (almost) remembering.

By: Ber

Ber — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:57:03 -0800

Walnuts

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:59:22 -0800

I have been to Westport, where Lucy and Ricky went to die and the place Stepford is based on. It's as expected.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:59:57 -0800

*hugs self with auntie mame's Aryan from Darien comment*

By: Lovecraft In Brooklyn

Lovecraft In Brooklyn — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:05:06 -0800

I have been to Westport, where Lucy and Ricky went to die and the place Stepford is based on. It's as expected. I grew up near there (technically Southport, but I hung out in Westport). It's really nice. Though Martha Stewart did live around there, and then slagged it off in the NY Times Magzine.

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:07:07 -0800

My wife and I are watching through The Dick Van Dyke Show on Netflix, and I'm frequently struck by how incredibly well it holds up. Buddy and Sally are consistently quite funny, and Mary Tyler Moore is incredible; I had no idea it could be that funny to watch someone cry. While a lot of plots make it quite clear that I'm watching an old TV show (Laura has her own BANK ACCOUNT? That can only lead to trouble), the show doesn't seem dated in a way that a lot of shows that came after it do. Then, of course, they do a half hour long spoof of The Twist that features like ten minutes of actual dancing, or Dick van Dyke steps off set to hawk laundry detergent, and the illusion is broken.

By: backwords

backwords — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:18:04 -0800

One of the times I've laughed hardest at a tv show was the Dick Van Dyke show. The episode involved Laura staying home alone -- I suppose I related to it too well. There is some humor that in universal and it seems that this show hit that at least a few times.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:19:51 -0800

Both Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke were amazing comedians and it shines through dated and trite material.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:21:20 -0800

( my husband just literally sat there through hours of the show, cause it was on TV Land for the 50th and he was too sick to move or change the channel, and he said it was funny, but very dated, and he loved the haircuts )

By: Mrs. Pterodactyl

Mrs. Pterodactyl — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:25:42 -0800

Both Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke were amazing comedians and it shines through dated and trite material. posted by The Whelk at 12:19 AM on October 11 [+] [!] That may be true, but it strikes me as a well constructed show; when they set something up there's almost always a very satisfying payoff. It wouldn't work without Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke but I think the writing is pretty solid, too. I also don't have enough of a sense of television before that to know whether or not the material is trite; were these tropes created by the show or was it using ideas that were already dated? Overall I'm surprised at how unselfconsciously I can enjoy the show; I'm not sitting there thinking "wow, I really enjoy this old show, how impressive of me" or whatever (something I could well do), I just like the show. Except for Richie. That kid is a huge pain in the ass.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:28:10 -0800

Well it wasn't awful, it wouldn't have survived if so, it was a soild comic writing with two big, capable talents in it, no one remberes the cancelled shows.

By: twoleftfeet

twoleftfeet — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:36:33 -0800

Because I watched this show as a kid, every time I come home I have an irrational fear of tripping over an ottoman. Screw you, Dick.

By: twoleftfeet

twoleftfeet — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 22:53:15 -0800

I actually really loved the show. You can watch the episode Turtle, Ties, and Toreadors. According to IMDB:

In the tag scene, Rob brings home a turtle on which Maria painted Rob's, Laura's and Richie's faces. It faded out with a close-up of the turtle and Rob saying "as long as this turtle lives, we'll be immortal". This was a last-minute edit as the original line was "we look just like the Kennedys". John F. Kennedy was still alive when this was filmed, but not yet aired. It was still being prepared for broadcast when the president was assassinated, so broadcast was delayed a few weeks, and the line about the turtle's longevity was inserted.

Those were simpler times. They really are immortal, and they really did look just like the Kennedys.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:02:28 -0800

Back in the olden days, I used to get high and watch that show. I could crawl in Laura's head and practically predict what she was going to say. I started empathizing with her and having to live with some dipshit who ALWAYS tripped over that damn ottoman.

By: Megami

Megami — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:36:10 -0800

Dick's still got it.

By: Spatch

Spatch — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:50:05 -0800

Nick at Nite once ran a whole series of promos featuring lyrics which (mostly) fit otherwise wordless TV themes. I'm probably paraphrasing, but the Dick Van Dyke one went something like

Diiiick Vaaaan Dyke is Robert Petrie Who comes home Hugs Laura And accidentally trips over that thing But sometimes he doesn't do that Because They changed it He skirts around it with a nifty step And there's yet another version He sidesteps The ottoman Then ironically stumbles on the rug Then Rob and Sally and Buddy shake hands And the episode title comes up (obscuring Richie) And you'll notice Rob shakes hands with Buddy again.

I have a hard time believing this didn't come from the show's writers. It's meta enough to sound like just the thing they would have claimed were the lyrics if someone asked.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:05:54 -0800

My first advice in IT phone support is what (according to Rob) Laura's aunt used to do with her toaster: unplug it and shake out the excess electricity.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:45:36 -0800

Both Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke were amazing comedians and it shines through dated and trite material. Wait 50 years and let me know if you can say anything remotely similar about, say, The Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:12:56 -0800

The only thing I dislike about the show is that these days I relate to Sally a little too much.

By: kinnakeet

kinnakeet — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:58:23 -0800

Let's have a round of applause for Laura Petrie's pants... nobody, before or since, has worn capris better.

By: kinnakeet

kinnakeet — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:59:44 -0800

Hey, speaking of Sally, did you know she did stuff long before TV? (Yup, that's really the same person!)

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:30:55 -0800

Head of the Family pilot on Hulu (note: "limited commercial interruption" apparently means they show two commercials, then the opening credits, then two more commercials).

By: octobersurprise

octobersurprise — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:47:36 -0800

So there were ordinarily unheard lyrics to the theme songs of a half-dozen shows (Bonanza being another, not yet mentioned). How common was this practice? Was it a way of staking a claim on potential royalties or just an easy gag for the writers? After spending an evening watching TV themes on YouTube not long ago, I realized how few contemporary shows have memorable themes. The Law & Order franchise is about the only (more or less) current TV series I can think of with (a) memorable theme(s). (And whose unheard lyrics go like this.)

By: roll truck roll

roll truck roll — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:53:05 -0800

In the theme song video, I barely even recognized Dick Van Dyke until he made that awesome, unmistakable grin.

By: pinky

pinky — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:54:35 -0800

Just like The Whelk's husband, we watched several episodes of the DvDS over the weekend during the TV Land marathon. I don't know if Richie was always supposed to be at the neighbor's house, but after the credits, we never saw him. (and yes, both my husband I were impressed by Laura Petrie's capri pants.)

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:43:39 -0800

Oh fuck you Spratch, now you've got that stupid ad for I Dream of Jeannie set to Tom's Diner stuck in my head. Damn it. Oh, and if there's an episode without Ritchie, I'm pretty sure he's just hiding in a cabinet somewhere. That kid is always hiding in cabinets.

By: hippybear

hippybear — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:02:50 -0800

unheard lyrics to the theme songs of a half-dozen shows (Bonanza being another, not yet mentioned) I'm sure they're unofficial, but the lyrics I always sing to that theme song are: I have a horse, do you have a horse? Bo-Nan-Za! I have a horse and you need a horse Let's go get a horse to-day!

By: mazola

mazola — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:05:16 -0800

So there were ordinarily unheard lyrics to the theme songs of a half-dozen shows... Hawaii Five-O [sung by Sammy Davis Jr as God intended]

By: mazola

mazola — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:25:15 -0800

Oh, and: Perry Mason / Perry Mason / He nabs the crooks in court / 'cuz he's too fat to chase 'em

By: bryon

bryon — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:22:13 -0800

I don't know about Dick Van Dyke or Andy Griffith, but I know that the original Star Trek theme song had (never to be sung) lyrics written by Gene Roddenberry so he could get half of the royalties.... Morey Amsterdam wrote the lyrics; so said Van Dyke on NPR. I don't know whether he made money on them or not.

By: Mael Oui

Mael Oui — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:31:09 -0800

dated and trite material [?!?!!?!?] WTF??????? I'll tell you what show is dated and trite already. Last week's episode of that new show Whitney.

By: cereselle

cereselle — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:47:39 -0800

Don't be silly. Everyone knows (or should) that these are the real lyrics to the theme song.