The Dick Van Dyke Show

by Ginny Weissman

Book Overview

In the history of television, there are very few shows that can truly be called classics. The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of those few. Weissman and Sanders have succeeded in capturing the unique flavor of the appealing, warm comedy that went straight to the heart of the American public, in this inside story of the situation comedy that has found an eager new audience on Nickelodeon. 100 photos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312087667
• ISBN13: 9780312087661
• Release Date: February 1993
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.3" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

Lighthearted & Fun Volume! Heaps Of Excellent Pics!

This 172-page volume isn't as detailed as Vince Waldron's "Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book", but it serves as a very nice companion piece to both that Waldron book and to the 5 full-season DVD boxed sets of the Van Dyke Show that were released via Image Entertainment, Inc., in 2003 and 2004 (all five of which sparkle brightly in every respect). Placing those DVDs next to this publication (and the book by Mr. Waldron as well) would certainly serve as an unsurpassable batch of Van Dyke Show video and printed material, providing the owner of said products with just about all he/she could ever need with regard to this never-tiresome CBS-TV sitcom. The 8.5" x 11.0" paperback book (which was originally released in 1983 and revised in 1993) is crammed with many, many top-notch black-and-white photographs; and the colorful front cover (featuring five main members of the show's cast) perfectly captures the fun and spirit of this classic sitcom. Plenty of quotes from the show's cast and crew members are on tap here too, as they reflect back on the making of the series. An abundant amount of behind-the-camera information is mixed in amongst the wealth of photographs on these pages. Synopses of all 158 Dick Van Dyke Show episodes are also included in a separate chapter. Plus there's a chapter entitled "That's My Boy?? -- A Milestone In Television History", which includes the entire script of the 64th filmed episode in the series ("That's My Boy??"), which is one of the funniest of all the Van Dyke scripts (which is really saying something, because they're all pretty darn good). That episode, which was expertly written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff on May 22, 1963, has Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) practically beside himself with worry in the days following his son Ritchie's birth, as he thinks the hospital gave him the wrong baby. A great episode indeed! This book also contains a 4-page "Awards" section, which details all of the various awards (mostly "Emmys") that "The Dick Van Dyke Show" won, and was nominated for, during its successful five-year tenure on network TV. There's also "The Dick Van Dyke 500" -- which is a 500-question trivia quiz. Some real brain-busters here, including Question #41: "How much money had Laura put away in her secret bank account (in the episode 'Bank Book 6565696')?" .... Was it: A.) $294.12; B.) $451.02; C.) $378.16; or D.) $398.26? .... Now THAT'S what I call "trivia"! Can you guess the answer? (I knew the answer to that one right off the bat, which probably makes me a certifiable "Van Dyke Show Geek" of the first order. LOL!) :) This entire volume is very fun to glance through, with the ultimate prize in the package (in my estimation) being the oodles of great pictures (many of which depict "behind-the-scenes" shots of the cast and crew). Looking through this book again prompted me to type up the following list of some of my all-time favorite "Dick Van Dyke Show" episodes (every single one of which can be purchased o

The inside story on the classic television situation comedy

I knew that the executives who run the television networks are almost always shortsighted pea-brained idiots, but I did not know originally "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was cancelled at the end of its first season. Granted, the show finished in 80th place in the Nielsen ratings and during that first season Carl Reiner was clearly writing more for himself than Dick Van Dyke (which made sense since Reiner wrote and filmed the original pilot "Head of the Family" for himself), but we are talking about coming "that" close to losing what is one of the classic situation comedies in the history of television. After that first season "The Dick Van Dyke Show" finished 9th, 3rd, 7th, and 16th in the Nielsens and won the Emmy for best show in its category all four years (it was just that the category changed from Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor, to the Field of Comedy, then in Entertainment, and finally as Outstanding Comedy Series). Ginny Weissman and Coyne Stevens Sanders bring the sensibilities of both fans and television historians to this look at "The Dick Van Dyke Show." They benefited from writing with the complete cooperation of every member of the cast, who heartily endorse the end product. This revised and expanded version contains over 130 photographs, synopses of all 158 episodes, and a 500 question trivia section that tax your knowledge of the show. You will also find lists of all the awards won by the show and its cast during its five-year fun, an update on where everyone was as of 1993, the revival of the show on "Nick at Night," and the complete script of "That's My Boy??," the episode always cited as receiving the longest laugh in the history of sitcom taped before a studio audience when Rob opens the door for the couple he is convinced has taken Richie home from the hospital (if you do not know why the audience explodes long and loud in laughter, then you are completely unfamiliar with the show and have no business reading this far into the review). This book is written for the fans, which explains why the synopses of each episode is provided "in brief," which means a single sentence. The point is clearly not to describe the episode, but rather to remind you which one it is in the grand scheme of things. Given that the cast list for each episode always includes all of the principles every single time, I admit I would have rather had the descriptions of the episodes include choice moments. I would rather know what songs the cast sang on "'The Alan Brady Show' Presents" or be reminded about the big diamond (next to the glass doorknob) Rob and Laura found in Hezekiah's desk in "The Great Petrie Fortune," instead of knowing what episodes did not have Buddy and/or Sally or featured Millie and/or Jerry Helper. I especially liked the details about the original pilot and how Van Dyke and the rest of the stellar cast were eventually assembled for the show. In fact, Weissman and Sanders repeatedly provide insights into s

The best available book on the subject

I've had my copy of this book for almost a decade now and I absolutely love it. The authors Weissman and Saunders have covered their subject well and brought together a fabulous treasure trove of information about one of television's most loved golden oldies. You won't find much gossip or other unsavory "warts and all" type material in this compendium, but you will find everything worth knowing about the show and it's stars. You get a good feel for the warmth and personal friendship that the cast has shared with each other since they began working together; each of the regular cast members as well as some of the show's writers and directors were interviewed and they add immeasurably to the book's enjoyment.Contained inside the pages of this tome is a detailed but concisely written history of how the show came about, beginning with Carl Reiner's original idea for a television show titled 'Head Of The Family' with himself in the lead; his redesign and recasting of the show; his working relationship with Sheldon Leonard, Dick Van Dyke and the rest of the cast members and beyond. Also included within is a complete synopsis of all 158 episodes including guest star appearances, a complete script from one of the shows, over 100 photos, an excellent trivia test with answers in the back and a list of all the awards that the show won during it's initial network run.Long after it first aired in the early 60's 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' still continues to enjoy phenomenal -but not surprising - success as one of the shows currently seen on TV Land as of this writing. I know people ranging from preteen to senior citizens who list it among their favorite TV shows to watch, even favoring it far above contemporary television programming. Nearly all of them are able to recount the series' most popular episodes to any one who will listen as well as recite the memorable lines of dialogue from each one. If you know someone who truly appreciates this show then this book would make an excellent gift; or if you're a fan don't go another day without it!