"The Dick Van Dyke Show Season 5" -- A Personal Review

I've yet to figure out the "silencing" of the words "On You" in a very funny scene in the episode "The Life And Love Of Joe Coogan".

Rob is hollering at Laura on the phone, and after Laura exclaims "I object to your tone!", Rob's next line is "You're going to hear a dial tone in a minute, because I'm gonna hang up on you!" -- and the last two words ("On you") are edited off the soundtrack on the DVD.

Can't figure out why. Most curious indeed.

Have you noticed in the episode "The Ghost of A. Chantz" just how many sound dubs/edits had to be done? Morey blows his lines a few times. Most memorable was when the lights kept turning back on after Rob turned it off. Morey got confused and said "off" instead of on, which had to be re-dubbed. There were a couple more dubs I can't recall at the moment. Still, that has to be one of the best episodes in the whole series!

"The second Parsons, btw, was Richard Schaal, who went on to guest star on the Mary Tyler Moore Show many times. Schaal played several parts, in fact, on the MTM Show, including a boyfriend of Mary's in Season One, as well as "Chuckles The Clown" (who, of course, was killed by a rogue elephant in one of the funniest MTM eps. ever during Season #6)."

Not only that but there is a strange inconsistency in his appearances in Season 1. We first see him in episode #2 as Howard Arnell, a guy Mary once went out with but didn't particulary enjoy who took pictures. Then after his Chuckles appearance we see him again in Season 1 but this time he's playing Howard Arnell's brother, and Mary enjoys going out with him and the description of the unseen Howard in this episode is nothing like the one we saw established before, and the brother is not described as a twin of Howard, so there's more confusion for you right in one season alone!

This goes to show that if the MTM show ever gets all seven of its seasons out we could have just as much fun with it as we've been having with the DVD show.

Another in a long series of "oddities" re. "The Cat Burglar" episode that I just noticed ........

The crooks in the neighborhood are said to be "specialists", stealing ONLY people's TV sets and silverware. However, at the Petrie household, they do NOT steal either of these items -- instead, they go for the much-more-difficult-to-pilfer dining-room table and chairs.

And: we also KNOW that the thieves ARE the same "specialists" referred to earlier -- because the cops trail the thieves for one whole morning to "watch them collect evidence for us".

Why did the crooks change their "M.O." in the middle of a "TV / Silverware" crime spree through New Rochelle? Was the Petrie dining set just TOO NICE to pass up?

Unfortunately for the thieves, the Petries didn't buy the infamous "Artanis" clown painting until Season 3, and "Cat Burglar" was a S.2 offering. Otherwise, I'm almost CERTAIN that the crooks would have stolen the Artanis. Who could have passed up a "smooshed up"/half-ruined Artanis with no frame (the frame being the only thing that "Good made good", and which was sold to Mr. Holdecker for 80 clams)?

Your witness, Perry.

Can somebody explain this "script anomaly" to me in a reasonable fashion? ..........

In "The Foul-Weather Girl", Rob has several evening working sessions with fledgling singer "Janie Layton".

This, I guess, sounds like a decent enough excuse to shove Rob and Janie together (much to Laura's despair). But, think about the premise for a few seconds here ........

Janie is a SINGER, not an actress. I'm just wondering WHY (or HOW) Rob's long hours of "coaching" actually would benefit her greatly. Did Rob suddenly become a "Voice Coach" or something?

What did these "coaching" sessions consist of (from Rob's "comedy-writing" skills POV)?

The premise of having ROB work with Janie on her "voice" just doesn't ring true, IMO. Seems to me, either Janie's "got it" (a good voice) or she hasn't. And Rob's assistance isn't likely to change that fact. (UNLESS, that is, he's teaching her to sing a "Mountain Greenery" duet with Rob.)

So I just found out that my favorite actress, Elizabeth Montgomery, is shown in one of the Emmy Clips on this DVDS s.5 set! I could just kill myself that I didn't purchase it...see for Christmas I got ALF s.1 which I took back to get DVDS s.2, except the store didn't have it so I had my choice of s. 3, 4, 5...I decided just to go with s.3, which, had I read David VP's review of that set before I went to the store, I would've realized that s.3 has hardly any extras compared to the other seasons.

Some screen captures of EM from that Emmy Clip are over on the Harpies Bizarre message board.

Boy, David*P is REALLY loyal to Elizabeth -- he's kicking himself for having not gotten the Van Dyke S.5 set, due to a few seconds of on-screen time of Liz on an Emmy clip bonus! That's a fan! *

* = Just kiddin' with ya, David P. -- I know you enjoy the Van Dyke series too. And, btw, those are, indeed, very nice, crisp pictures of Liz at the Emmy Awards (circa 1966).

I'm not quite sure this is true. Season 3 has quite a few extras (including a complete extra half-hour episode of another sitcom, featuring "Buddy Sorrell"). ..........

From my review on Van Dyke-3............


BONUS FEATURES ....... Like the first two boxed seasons, this 3rd Dick Van Dyke Show set is jammed-packed with bonus material. Here's a rundown:

>> There are 2 audio commentary tracks, featuring Dick Van Dyke and show creator Carl Reiner (for "That's My Boy??" and "October Eve").

>> Two clips from the 1964 Emmy Awards (length = 2:30).

>> Assorted Cast & Crew Interviews.

>> Photo Galleries for many episodes.

>> A complete episode of "The Danny Thomas Show" (originally aired on October 21, 1963), in which Morey Amsterdam appears as his Dick Van Dyke Show character, Buddy Sorrell! This Danny Thomas program bears a strong resemblance, story-wise, to the 2nd-season Van Dyke Show episode, "Ray Murdock's X-Ray". Run time of this bonus program is 25:20, and the picture quality is quite good.

>> "Rehearsal Footage" (2:28) --- This extra contains a clip from an Arthur Godfrey-hosted TV documentary from May of 1966, "A Day In The Life Of Sheldon Leonard". We see some behind-the-scenes rehearsal footage for the season-five Van Dyke episode, "Talk To The Snail". Interesting stuff.

>> An excerpt (3:14) from Mr. Van Dyke's 1975 variety program, "Van Dyke & Company", in which Dick's former co-star, Mary Tyler Moore, makes an appearance. It's not a song-and-dance clip; it's a scripted comedy spot featuring Dick and Mary chatting. Not exactly side-splittingly funny; but it's still fun to watch these two performers get together again, nine years after the Van Dyke Show ended.

>> Easter Eggs --- There are 5 hidden "Eggs" (one on each of the five discs). Each is a TV ad (circa 1990s) for "Nick At Nite", featuring "Chairman" Dick Van Dyke. Be sure not to miss the one on Disc #5, in which Carl Reiner pops up (alongside Dick). That one is very funny!

These "Easter Eggs" can be accessed by pressing your remote's "Left Arrow" key while the "Opening Titles" chapter is highlighted. In two instances, however, you can get to the same hidden "Egg" by "left arrowing" from any of the other chapter choices as well. If an "Egg" is present, a "glow" will surround the cranium of Mr. Dick Van Dyke's artist rendering in the corner. Press "Enter" or "Play" now, and you'll see the "Nick @ Nite" promo spot.

>> Plus: There's also a four-page mini-booklet, featuring some third-season facts and trivia, plus an informative bio on Rose Marie.

NOTE: The packaging indicates that some "Original Commercials" are contained in this set. This is an error. There are none here.

I think I was basing my memory of what you had posted on one little comment...as I searched through the threads again I found it and it was from this post:



That was in response to someone asking which season out of 1 through 3 (which were out at the time) should he buy and you had suggested 2...well when I got to the store s.2 wasn't there so I figured I would go to the next chronological season.

But seeing your list of the extras, and having watched them, I guess there really are a lot...just none with EM in them Believe me, I made sure to watch and re-watch the Emmy clips to see if I could see EM sitting at a table.

I really do like the Dick Van Dyke Show, though. I have never laughed more in a classic sitcom than I have watching DVDS.

My goal is to try and get the rest of the seasons that I'm missing (s.2, 4, 5 with s.5 taking obvious priority...there aren't any more EM appearances on those other sets are there, hee hee) for $20.00 a piece like I did with s.1 and s.3. It'll be hard....BUT I BELIEVE! LOL

P.S. So I'm thinking when Bewitched finally comes out on DVD this year I'm going to aspire to be the David VP of the review thread for that And please take that as a compliment, David VP, as your reviews are what inspired me to even look into the DVDS.

Yes, I have a problem...LOL. I bought the beach movie "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" for Liz's approximately 30 second uncredited cameo at the very end where she plays a witch, much like Samantha...she doesn't say one word in that time...she merely zaps Frankie to Annette and then twitches herself away...I thought it was the best thing in the world because that movie was made during the first season of BW and it was in color so it gave us BW fans a chance to see what first season Sammy looked like in color.

I also bought the recent "Mary Poppins" release because Agnes Moorehead (Endora) is shown for a couple seconds arriving at the 1964 premiere in the same outfit she wore for the filming of the episode entitled "Mother Meets What's-His-Name"...turns out the movie is really good too LOL

Okay..........now back to your regularly scheduled Dick Van Dyke Show discussion:b

I don't believe so. But I could be wrong. I hadn't really kept an eye peeled for Elizabeth. ... However, it's highly unlikely that Liz would appear in the Emmy audience for any of the Van Dyke Show season sets numbered
1 thru 3 -- because her series, "Bewitched", didn't even begin until Fall 1964.

David*P --- Have you ever seen Elizabeth in her appearance in the "Thriller" series (1960)? Episode
called "Masquerade".

I'm sure you must also have Vol. 4 of "The Twilight Zone" ... correct? It has the episode called "Two" on it, featuring Liz and Charles Bronson. Not my fave TZ ep., but Elizabeth makes it highly-watchable, even though she has a whopping total of ONE line in the whole show (one word, actually --- "Prokrazny" I think it was). Was that the word, David P.?

Yes, I have seen that "Thriller" episode...I really liked it and I need to purchase it.

I do have that TZ DVD...it is a rather different performance as, like you said, she only utters one word the entire time, and that's only in Russian.

Agnes' episode also has her not speaking the entire time.

Were DVD and MTM ever on TZ?

Oh, yes, That's right. Hadn't thought of that "connection" before.


Nope. Neither one appeared on Serling's "Zone".

To keep a Van Dyke Show connection here, Don Rickles (aka "Lyle Delp") was on TZ, however. Along with many of the bit players who appeared on TDvDS, like Sandy Kenyon (who appeared many times on both series).

Richard Deacon though did star in the fifth season episode "The Brain Center At Whipple's" at the time of DVD Show's third season which makes him the only Van Dyke Show cast member to appear in a prominent TZ role.

Which episode of DVDS does Don Rickles appear in?

Rickles was in the 2-Parter in Season 4 ..... "4 and a half" and "The Alan Brady Show Goes To Jail".

Don gets in several funny lines too. Including......

"No, I hold up people in front of a police station, dum-dum!"

-- and --

"Tell her to lay off the salt!"

It helps to watch the whole show. But those zingers are very good ones.

You know, this goes to show how we Van Dyke fans think similarly -- I was just coming back into this thread to ask somebody: "I wonder if Richard Deacon ever made a TZ appearance?"

Deac was in a bunch of stuff; and I figured he got in at least one Zone role. And Eric answered it before I asked it.

Great minds --- you know...

I could have looked it up at IMDB, but that would have required several extra keystrokes.

Thanks, David. I'll have to keep a look out for him when those episodes show up on TV Land again as I missed them the last time around. Don Rickles is hilarious!

The funniest thing I ever saw with Rickles though was Johnny Carson barging in on the CPO Sharkey set during the middle of taping to confront him about busting his cigarette box.

For the Dick Van Dyke fan who needs EVERY last show related item on DVD, the set of the four Ed Sullivan Shows featuring the Beatles now becomes a must since over the closing credits for the 9/12/65 show (fourth Beatles appearance) is a quick filmed promo of Dick on the set plugging the show and when to watch it (all while the strains of the Beatles performing "Help!" is still audible in the background). This promo doesn't look like it ended up in any of the Image sets.

Of course the Sullivan set is worth it for more than just that, but I just had to see if David, our most die-hard of Van Dyke fans who even had to ponder getting those "Best Of" sets in case one or two little items not in the boxed sets were present was aware of this little extra.

No, it didn't.


No, I sure wasn't aware of that item. Thanks.

And, re. the Best-Of DvDS discs -- I did more than ponder the idea -- I went ahead and got 'em all anyhow. And there IS, in fact, one 1966 color Emmy clip on one of those discs that does not reside in the seasonal sets (which I think I mentioned someplace here @ HTF).

THE ULTIMATE "DICK VAN DYKE SHOW" DVD COLLECTION.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...264632-9063316

Eric P. .......

The Sullivan/Beatles DVD you spoke of previously is this one (below), correct (via GoodTimes Video)? And the shows are intact, right? How's the PQ on this release? (Thanks.) ..........

That's the one and the picture quality on all four shows is terrific, drawn from videotape masters and not only are all the shows complete but the commercials have been left intact for all four shows as well (lots of George Fenneman plugging Lipton Tea, and also spots for Anacin and Pillsbury).

It's too bad that Sofa Entertainment, which controls the Sullivan archive, hasn't released more shows like this since I would love to see a complete pristine DVD version of the March 19, 1961 Sullivan show (The Lerner-Loewe tribute that also featured many excerpts from "Camelot" with Richard Burton and Julie Andrews).

"For the Dick Van Dyke fan who needs EVERY last show related item on DVD, the set of the four Ed Sullivan Shows featuring the Beatles now becomes a must since over the closing credits for the 9/12/65 show (fourth Beatles appearance) is a quick filmed promo of Dick on the set plugging the show and when to watch it (all while the strains of the Beatles performing "Help!" is still audible in the background). This promo doesn't look like it ended up in any of the Image sets."

Another Dick Van Dyke tie-in that wasn't included in the sets: the episode of Mad About You featuring the first return of Alan Brady. Also, it would have been nice if the complete animated Alan Brady Show would have been included instead of just a clip. Also also, to beat a dead horse, the bloopers weren't included. I WANT THOSE DAMN BLOOPERS!!!

That said, my quibbles all remain minor, as I'm as JAZZED AS ALL FLIPPING HECK TO HAVE THESE WONDERFUL SHOWS ON DVD!!!!!

Since we've been listing story holes/continuity errors/etc. etc., there's one thing that bothers me a bit about the episode entitled You Ought To Be In Pictures:

Rob Petrie is just not believable as such a horrible actor. He certainly has no problem acting out comedy skits in the office, USO shows, neighborhood shows, etc. etc. etc. I mean, in this episode, he is the worst actor in film history. It doesn't quite wash. Thoughts anyone?

The whole problem with that episode is that it's a rare case where the aura of the late 60s was starting to intrude on the show, and they were doing a purely "gimmick" oriented one tied to the emerging late 60s craze over cheap foreign movies. Frankly, I found it even more hard to take that Rob had yet *another* old Army buddy to use as a convenient story device.

If you want to pick an episode from Season #5 that indicates it was good the show ended when it did that would rank near the top of the list because I can't help but envision the show becoming more trendy if still on the air in 1967, 68, 69 etc.

Good point. Never had thought of that angle heretofore. Plus: I'm guessing that it truly ISN'T very easy for a GOOD actor (like Van Dyke) to be thrust into a position where he has to ACT like a BAD ACTOR. (Did that make sense?)

But, then again, being such a GOOD actor, I guess it would bode well for him to ACT like he was a BAD ACTOR. Get that?

Along these same lines -- I wonder how tough it was to direct the scenes in "Boy #1, Boy #2" (where Ritchie and Freddie act in a TV commercial). And directing each boy to "ACT REALLY BAD" here.

Not that Larry Mathews would have had to make THAT great a leap from somewhat "mediocre" actor to the realm of Danny Bravo as Hadji in Jonny Quest (who was pretty...well...bad ).

Eric has a good point, too, re. the "trendy" thing. Another example would be the "Beatles" comparison show ("The Redcoats" ep.; although that one was from Season 4, not S.5).

A "Redcoat" (pointing to a chair in Petrie home): "Do you know what we call one of
these in England? .... A Chair!"


(Eric, Thanks for the Beatles disc info.)

I agree...I'm just saying that portraying Rob Petrie as the world's worst actor isn't believable. I do think Dick did an excellent job at acting like a writer who's the world's worst actor. But, prior to that episode, Rob Petrie was a perfectly ok actor.

To be quite fair to all concerned in this regard (Creator/Writer Carl Reiner in particular) -- I don't believe (prior
to "I Ought To Be In Pictures") that Rob had ever attempted to act in an actual scripted movie. Sure, he did fine at pretty much just playing himself in USO shows at Camp Crowder, introducing comedy bits and singing and dancing -- but a scripted feature flick is another animal altogether, and another "type" of acting that had yet to be explored by one Robert S. Petrie until the Italian movie episode.

What do ya think? Can I take this case to Ed Begley's court and win on the aforementioned grounds? Or is his court only useful for suing chicken-smelling pillow salesmen?

True...but, I just can't believe that he would be THAT bad. Awkward, a little stiff, a bit wooden, sure, but geez...anyway, I'm probably just nitpicking. I do still quite enjoy the episode.

Well, that's what we're here for at "Nitpickers Central, Inc.". It's a worthwhile therapy group for those who first admit they have a "Nit" problem.