I have tried watching The Dick Van Dyke Show, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea. The main problem I have with it is Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam, and Rose Marie are not nearly as funny as they make themselves out to be. The most annoying scenes are when they are at work in the office, cracking bad jokes, making fun of poor Mel and laughing at their own bad jokes. This is mainly an adult sitcom, a few episodes are good like the one where Laura is bathing and gets her toe stuck in the faucet. Mary Tyler Moore was really the star of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Then she got her own show in the 70's, but it was a rotten show in my humble opinion.

That's ok Lee. You're entitled to your opinion. Some shows aren't for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. I really like the show because it's the kind of comedy I like. I enjoy watching the chemistry between the characters and actors. There are some episodes that I don't care too much for, but overall I think the show as a whole is great. That's just my opinion though. :)

That's ok Lee. You're entitled to your opinion. Some shows aren't for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. I really like the show because it's the kind of comedy I like. I enjoy watching the chemistry between the characters and actors. There are some episodes that I don't care too much for, but overall I think the show as a whole is great. That's just my opinion though. :)

Howdy Carrie,

I just thought I'd toss in my two cents. There are some episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show that I find humorous, like the one I mentioned where Laura gets her big toe stuck in the bathtub faucet. That one is a classic. But overall, I guess the show has never really struck a chord with me. Maybe one day I will get to like it better. I know we both like Get Smart, so there is some common ground there. Happy New Year, PM me sometime. ;)

That's one of my favorite episodes too. I also like "The Cat Burglar" which is from season 2. I laugh through the whole thing!

I hope you have a Happy New Year too. Take care. :)

Lee G,
Your comments are perfectly in order, even if this is TDVDS forum, and they show why there was then and is now such a huge diversity of programming on TV.
My two cents: TDVDS was the best and brightest sitcom of it's era, and a fore-runner to the "intelligent humor" sitcoms we see today.

Steve

PS: You're right, Mary was the star :eyes: .

I would clarify what you said about Mary Tyler Moore being the star of The Dick Van Dyke Show and say that she became a breakout star, in the same way that Michael J. Fox was supposed to play a supporting role but ended up in a lead role in Family Ties (another good example would be Henry Winkler in Happy Days).

I would also say that Dick and Mary had co-starring status, in the same way that Jean Stapleton shared the lead with Carroll O'Connor, Isabel Sanford with Sherman Hemsley, Shelley Long with Ted Danson, Helen Hunt with Paul Reiser, Ray Romano with Patricia Heaton, or Roseanne with John Goodman.

Lee G,
Your comments are perfectly in order, even if this is TDVDS forum, and they show why there was then and is now such a huge diversity of programming on TV.
My two cents: TDVDS was the best and brightest sitcom of it's era, and a fore-runner to the "intelligent humor" sitcoms we see today.

Steve

PS: You're right, Mary was the star :eyes: .

Like most sitcoms, The Dick Van Dyke Show has it's share of silly moments. But agreed, it's an intelligent show geared towards a more mature and adult audience. I just don't care too much for the characters in the show. Buddy, Sally, etc. The Dick Van Dyke Show is an adult sitcom from the 60's, and All In The Family is an adult sitcom from the 70's.

i just have to say I love the dick van dyke show. It is one of the few shows from the 60's that I truly love and think was hilarious.

I have a soft spot for the Dick Van Dyke show, it was so funny watching the
antics of Laura & Rob. The episode where Laura opens Robs mail and out pops
an inflatable raft is too funny. A very good show.

I think I have the exact opposite in taste when it comes to the Dick Van Dyke Show. I think the show is hilarious, but that episode where Laura gets her toe stuck in the faucet was sort of a "Lucy rip-off".

Dick Van Dyke show is one of my favs of all time.

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are good in this show. Mary is the best, but I don't care too much for Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. Those two annoy the hell out of me. Richard Deacon is alright, poor Mel got picked on all the time.

They had to have someone to pick on & set up for jokes, so Mel as the straight man was it, I guess. But he did get a few jabs back at Buddy.

I just thought that I would throw my opinion out there on this one. I am a young DVD Show fan and love how entertaining it is and how it has managed to entertain people for 40 years. Although I agree it isn't for everyone, it is definitely for me! I love it and all of the characters. I also agree with whoever said that every show isn't for everyone and that's why there is such a diverse amount of shows on TV. LOVE IT!

Afew episodes are good like the one where Laura is bathing and gets her toe stuck in the faucet. Mary Tyler Moore was really the star of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Then she got her own show in the 70's, but it was a rotten show in my humble opinion.

That was "Never Bathe On Saturday" & it was the first episode I ever saw and that was 35 years ago. I like that one and "It May Look Like a Walnut" but I'm in complete agreement that this series is overrated.

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore are good in this show. Mary is the best, but I don't care too much for Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. Those two annoy the hell out of me. Richard Deacon is alright, poor Mel got picked on all the time.

Wow, that's very interesting. I feel the same way. I very much enjoy the scenes at home with Rob and Laura (and I like Dick and Mary equally in those scenes), but the scenes in the office generally bore me. I especially find Buddy's jokes, and Sally's "Oh Buddy!" reaction to them tiring. But when a scene or an episode revolves around Rob and Laura's home life, the show really sparkles.

I also like Dick Van Dyke in "The New Dick Van Dyke Show," but again in that sitcom as well, except for the scenes with Fanny Flagg, I prefer the shows about Dick's home life.

Sally & Buddy were my favorites characters, I loved their style of extremely quick-witted humor, and in general prefer the episodes that feature them. It is a matter of taste, of course.

Although some of us object to certain characters, I think one of the strongest points of this superlative show was the ability of the regular cast: Rob, Laura, Buddy, Sally, Mel, Jerry, Milly and Alan all were portrayed by excellent comedic actors. The possible exception would be Ritchie, who was quite obnoxious at times. But I think his "brattyness" was most likely intended to be humorous - maybe we can blame the writers on that.

Sally & Buddy were my favorites characters, I loved their style of extremely quick-witted humor, and in general prefer the episodes that feature them. It is a matter of taste, of course.

Although some of us object to certain characters, I think one of the strongest points of this superlative show was the ability of the regular cast: Rob, Laura, Buddy, Sally, Mel, Jerry, Milly and Alan all were portrayed by excellent comedic actors. The possible exception would be Ritchie, who was quite obnoxious at times. But I think his "brattyness" was most likely intended to be humorous - maybe we can blame the writers on that.

I've seen a lot of people write negative comments about the Ritchie character, but I may be the rare bird that actually likes that character very much.

I've seen a lot of people write negative comments about the Ritchie character, but I may be the rare bird that actually likes that character very much.
I'm one of them. He was a terrible actor. The weakest link in the show. Fortunately, they didn't use him all that much.

Hey to each his own!!! I love this show though. I belly laugh at pretty much every episode. Course, it might be because im super bored at the moment and dont start school until the fall. But, kudos to you for loving Get Smart! I wish they would put that show on DVD. I love Mary Tyler Moore too.. shes awesome!

Get Smart is on DVD...click here! (http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/dvd.html)

Alright, I must confess. I finally decided to break down and I bought The Dick Van Dyke Show on DVD. I have seasons 3, 4 & 5, still waiting for 1 & 2. Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie are annoying characters, but putting that aside the show was well written with many classic episodes. It's an adult sitcom, a nice change of pace from the many silly sitcoms which were commonplace in the 60's. I've been watching these DVD's, and I'm glad I decided to buy em. Pretty good stuff.

I'm glad you like them. :)

Yes Carrie my love, I was thinking of you and I figured- we both like Get Smart so I will probably like The Dick Van Dyke Show too if given a chance. The DVD's are put together very nice. I recently watched the episode "Long Nights Journey Into Day" where Rob goes fishing and leaves Laura behind at home. Millie comes back to stay with her and both of them are nervous thinking someone will break into the house. Mary Tyler Moore is always funny when she gets nervous and frantic like that.

Have you watched any more Get Smart lately? It was cool to see Ed Platt in the Dick Van Dyke episode "A Nice Friendly Game Of Cards."

I haven't watched it lately. I've been catching up on my new Three's Company, Scrubs, Home Improvement, Wings, Laverne & Shirley and Will & Grace dvd collections. They've been keeping me entertained for a couple months now lol. Dick Van Dyke and John Ritter appeared on a few episodes of Scrubs, so that was nice to see. :)

I haven't watched it lately. I've been catching up on my new Three's Company, Scrubs, Home Improvement, Wings, Laverne & Shirley and Will & Grace dvd collections. They've been keeping me entertained for a couple months now lol. Dick Van Dyke and John Ritter appeared on a few episodes of Scrubs, so that was nice to see. :)

Hey my love,

Three's Company was alright when Norman Fell was in it. When he left the show and they gave the part to Don Knotts, it wasn't that good anymore.

I got The Dick Van Dyke Show season two yesterday. I should have season one soon and that will give me all the seasons. I've also ordered season two of F Troop.

Looking over the DVD's from Dick Van Dyke Show season two, I noticed a couple of the disks have fingerprint smudges on the playing surface. I bought these new from the factory, so apparently some employees are careless when handling the discs and placing them inside the cases. When DVD's are purchased new, the discs should be pretty well spotless but these seem to play OK so I won't fret about it too much.

A bit of trivia- It looks like the first Dick Van Dyke Show episode to display the episode title in the opening credit is episode 51, It May Look Like A Walnut. Before that, the episode titles were not shown during the opening credit.

I prefer the earlier episodes of Three's Company too, although there are lots of good ones in the later seasons also. I'm glad your dvds are playing well. I hope your season 1 discs get to you soon with no smudges. :)

I prefer the earlier episodes of Three's Company too, although there are lots of good ones in the later seasons also. I'm glad your dvds are playing well. I hope your season 1 discs get to you soon with no smudges. :)

Greetings my love,

Yes, the season one discs have been sent so I should have em in a day or two. I got just thru watching episodes 50, 51, and 52 on disc four of season two. The walnut episode is a classic, but I noticed the sound quality on that one is not as good as it is on episodes 50 and 52. Is it the same on your DVD?

No, it has always sounded fine to me. I'll have to watch it again to be sure though.

I received season one, so now I have all five seasons. Watching the episodes on the DVD, my overall impression of the series is about the same. The best episodes are the ones that spend the majority of the time at the Petrie home. Buddy and Sally aren't my favorite characters, so the scenes with them and Rob at work in the office generally don't appeal to me. And in the very first episode- The Sick Boy And The Sitter, the scene at the party where Rob, Sally, and Buddy try to entertain the guests- I find that just a little bit over the top. They seem to do a fair share of flashbacks in the episodes also. Still, it's a well written show and they did a superb job with the DVD's. Uncut, nice quality episodes. I guess you can buy these as one complete set or as individual seasons, I prefer the individual seasons.

The Dick Van Dyke Show is classic 60's TV. A tad overrated but still better than much of the crap that's on TV today. It's more an adult sitcom as opposed to some of the other silly ones that were on during that time. Mary Tyler Moore was really the star of this show, she put life and energy into her performances that none of the other characters could quite equal, including the lead character Dick Van Dyke.

I'm glad you like the show a little better. It does have its funny moments, don't you think?

I have tried watching The Dick Van Dyke Show, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea. The main problem I have with it is Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam, and Rose Marie are not nearly as funny as they make themselves out to be. The most annoying scenes are when they are at work in the office, cracking bad jokes, making fun of poor Mel and laughing at their own bad jokes. This is mainly an adult sitcom, a few episodes are good like the one where Laura is bathing and gets her toe stuck in the faucet. Mary Tyler Moore was really the star of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Then she got her own show in the 70's, but it was a rotten show in my humble opinion.

It's all a matter of personal taste, and I respect your opinion. Nevertheless, I happen to like the show a lot, especially when it was in prime time (during my jr. high and high school years). It was an enormously popular show for that time period. Watching reruns now of the Dick Van Dyke Show don't make me laugh as much as when it was first on TV, yet it remains one of my favorite shows of all time. Among other things, I like the interactions between Buddy and Sally--and Mel.

I'm glad you like the show a little better. It does have its funny moments, don't you think?

Yes, there are many funny episodes. I think the main strength of the show was the quality of the writing. I used to occasionally watch reruns of Dick Van Dyke on WGN in Chicago during the early and mid 70's. Those were the good ol days. They used to have a block of programs during weekday afternoons. I think they showed Andy Griffith, I Dream Of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, Dick Van Dyke, and Hogan's Heroes. WGN also used to show reruns of Love, American Style. Those usually came on later at night. They also used to show Hee Haw and The Lawrence Welk Show. WGN also used to air a game show called Dealers Choice. It was a Las Vegas type game show, I recall seeing it but remember very little about it. I know that Bob Hastings was the original host, later to be replaced by Jack Clark. WGN also used to air late at night another game show called The Liars Club. There was a panel of four celebrities and the contestant. The MC of the show would bring out an item, and the celebrities had to determine what it is and what it's used for, only one of them was giving the right answer. It was up to the contestant to determine which one was telling the truth.

It was a great sitcom and it went off at the right time before they wore their welcome out and not adding any kids or additional characters to boost up the ratings. It is one of the few shows that kept its core cast intact. Mary Tyler Moore was the breakout star, surprisingly to many, of the show. Her part was a small one but when Carl Reiner saw the comedy she can do her part became the unofficial leading actress. Her billing was last, "and Mary Tyler Moore."

Here is a character that was underrated was Millie Helper. Ann Morgan Guilbert nailed that character well and too bad she wasn't featured in more episodes. Her and Mary were great in their scenes together. They were hilarious. Mary shined even more in comedy with Ann.

I disagree that this show was overated. At a time when TV comedy was full of shows about talking horses, talking cars and witches, this show was about real people doing real things that we ALL could identify with, in the course of our lives. Furthermore, this is one of very FEW shows that you can watch without a real CLUNKER , and it stayed that way for 5 strong seasons. (Going out on top!) One point that I Do agree with is that MTM was the real star but, theres nothing wrong with that. ;)

Great points Mikado! I still believe that TDVDS is one of the best shows of all time. It was funny, original and serious at times too. It was a show focused on the main character at both home and work, which was something new for a sitcom during that time period. It also started a wonderful career for MTM. I'm glad that Carl Reiner believed in her and gave her a chance to show her stuff. I know that this show might not be for everyone and that is totally OK. I just know that it will always be one of my favorites. :)

I wish someone was showing it around here on free tv....I simply cant afford to BUY every classic show that ive ever loved! :p

Great points Mikado! I still believe that TDVDS is one of the best shows of all time. It was funny, original and serious at times too. It was a show focused on the main character at both home and work, which was something new for a sitcom during that time period. It also started a wonderful career for MTM. I'm glad that Carl Reiner believed in her and gave her a chance to show her stuff. I know that this show might not be for everyone and that is totally OK. I just know that it will always be one of my favorites. :)
I was glad that Carl Reiner believed in MTM and let her run with the character of Laura Petrie. That is a TV wife that was written well.

I'm one of them. He was a terrible actor. The weakest link in the show. Fortunately, they didn't use him all that much.

I thought I was the only one that thought he was a terrible actor. I love the show except for him, he should have taken acting lessons from the kids from Leave it to Beaver and Ron Howard.

I, being a you DVD Show lover think that this was the best show ever made along side of the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion though. As the one person posting loves Mary Tyler Moore, I love Dick Van Dyke. Two brilliant actors coming together and forming a great show!!! Just watching their chemistry makes me want them to be married in real life so that they could be as happy as they were on the show.
~LauraNamesake