The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book (Revised and Updated Edition) Review - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TJ · 09-30-2011, 03:42 PM

The Dick Van Dyke Show is celebrating a big anniversary on October 3. It was exactly fifty years ago that day that the series debuted on CBS, and made a big mark in television history that only a few other series have managed to make. Several years ago, sitcom and pop-culture expert Vince Waldron wrote The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, a book that was "the definitive history of television's most enduring comedy." Now, Waldron has written a revised and updated edition of this book, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the series.

Read our review here:
http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/0...-van-dyke.html

Purchase the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...daysonline3-20

Marvo301 · 09-30-2011, 04:17 PM

Okay I read the review and it left me with more questions than answers! This is supposed to be an updated and revised editon of the book (I own a copy of the original edition). This review completely fails to inform us what has been revised from the original edition and what has been updated from the original edition. I suspect the person who did the review has never read the original edition of the book and can therefore cannot tell us what the revisions and updates are. Everything that was described in the review appears in the original edition of the book. If anything is updated or revised in this edition I certainly couldn't tell that from the review!

TJ · 09-30-2011, 04:39 PM

Our original plan was to have it reviewed by somebody who owned the first book, but I guess that changed at some point. I didn't know that our reviewer didn't have the original to compare.

I can tell you from e-mails from the author that the book was completely revised, rewritten and updated from the first to the last page. The book also contains tons of new photographs, many of them never before published. There's a new illustration of the cast by Drew Friedman. Little errors have been fixed. New passages were added with some interesting sidelights that he had since discovered, including the existence of a Dick Van Dyke Show opera.

If you own the original book from 1994, it would certainly be worth it to pick up the new edition.

Marvo301 · 09-30-2011, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TJ

Our original plan was to have it reviewed by somebody who owned the first book, but I guess that changed at some point. I didn't know that our reviewer didn't have the original to compare.

I can tell you from e-mails from the author that the book was completely revised, rewritten and updated from the first to the last page. The book also contains tons of new photographs, many of them never before published. There's a new illustration of the cast by Drew Friedman. Little errors have been fixed. New passages were added with some interesting sidelights that he had since discovered, including the existence of a Dick Van Dyke Show opera.

If you own the original book from 1994, it would certainly be worth it to pick up the new edition.

Thanks TJ! That's exactly the information I was looking for! I appreciate your prompt reply!

jehobden · 11-01-2011, 06:05 PM

Does the new edition have information on the scripted reunion show that aired on CBS in May 2004? I would hope so. I hope he also corrected such errors such as stating that "The Case of the Pillow" originally aired Feb. 17, 1964 instead of Feb. 17, 1965. (That typo lasted through the earlier reprint as well.)

catlover79 · 04-13-2012, 04:24 AM

I put a hold on the updated and revised version from my local library. I can't wait to read it!!

09-30-2011, 03:42 PM	#1
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,689	The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book (Revised and Updated Edition) Review The Dick Van Dyke Show is celebrating a big anniversary on October 3. It was exactly fifty years ago that day that the series debuted on CBS, and made a big mark in television history that only a few other series have managed to make. Several years ago, sitcom and pop-culture expert Vince Waldron wrote The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, a book that was "the definitive history of television's most enduring comedy." Now, Waldron has written a revised and updated edition of this book, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the series. Read our review here: http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/0...-van-dyke.html Purchase the book here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...daysonline3-20

09-30-2011, 04:17 PM	#2
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	Okay I read the review and it left me with more questions than answers! This is supposed to be an updated and revised editon of the book (I own a copy of the original edition). This review completely fails to inform us what has been revised from the original edition and what has been updated from the original edition. I suspect the person who did the review has never read the original edition of the book and can therefore cannot tell us what the revisions and updates are. Everything that was described in the review appears in the original edition of the book. If anything is updated or revised in this edition I certainly couldn't tell that from the review!
	__________________ Only a life lived for others is worth living. Albert Einstein A life isn't worth living unless it has impact on other lives. Jackie Robinson Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin

09-30-2011, 04:39 PM	#3
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,689	Our original plan was to have it reviewed by somebody who owned the first book, but I guess that changed at some point. I didn't know that our reviewer didn't have the original to compare. I can tell you from e-mails from the author that the book was completely revised, rewritten and updated from the first to the last page. The book also contains tons of new photographs, many of them never before published. There's a new illustration of the cast by Drew Friedman. Little errors have been fixed. New passages were added with some interesting sidelights that he had since discovered, including the existence of a Dick Van Dyke Show opera. If you own the original book from 1994, it would certainly be worth it to pick up the new edition.
	Last edited by TJ; 09-30-2011 at 05:15 PM.

04-13-2012, 04:24 AM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	I put a hold on the updated and revised version from my local library. I can't wait to read it!!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

11-01-2011, 06:05 PM	#5
jehobden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2002 Location: DFW Area, TX Posts: 2,005	Does the new edition have information on the scripted reunion show that aired on CBS in May 2004? I would hope so. I hope he also corrected such errors such as stating that "The Case of the Pillow" originally aired Feb. 17, 1964 instead of Feb. 17, 1965. (That typo lasted through the earlier reprint as well.)