"The Dick Van Dyke Show Season 3" -- A Personal Review (1 Viewer)

[DanFe]

Dick eats with his left hand but writes with his right. I notice that because I am left-handed in every way except when it comes to throwing a ball.

 

[David Von Pein]

An interesting "in-joke" kind of a dealie in the S.3 episode "The Brave And The Backache" .... Visible on the wall behind the couch in the writer's office is a picture showing a road sign for the Las Vegas hotel, "The Sands". And on the marquee it says "Danny Thomas".

Now just WHY the Alan Brady Show office would contain a framed picture of a hotel sign & marquee is yet another matter for discussion.

It's obviously there just for the reference to show executive Danny Thomas.

 

[David Von Pein]

I've noted that the very funny episode "A Nice, Friendly Game Of Cards" (featuring "Get Smart's" Edward Platt) is a full minute shorter in run time than all other episodes I've encountered. It lasts 24:25, including both credits.

I'm quite sure this episode hasn't been edited however. Because my VHS copy from Columbia House has this exact same running time.

They must have been forced to cut the show's run time by one minute that Wednesday for some reason (Jan. 29th, 1964).

Speaking of that episode ("...Game Of Cards") .... Trivia question: Who can tell me what Millie's new "system" was for poker-playing?

 

[Kevin Porter]

Ok. Well David VP's reviews are very convincing and while I haven't seen an episode of the show in years, I may give it a shot on DVD. I need someone to push me off the fence though. And where should I start? My normal e-tailer Deep Discount DVD is out of stock of the season 1 set so I'm inclined to start with season 3 as I hear it's the best. I plan to buy one season and if I'm not satisfied not buy the others. So someone come push me off the fence and tell me where to fall.

 

[DanFe]

Take two cards, ante up, and fold.

 

[David Von Pein]

*pushes Kevin more toward Season Two*

Now, as you can see via my remarks, EVERY season of TDVDS is a MUST-HAVE...period!

However, I do believe that (as of now--with 3 seasons currently out there) if you can only get ONE set .... go with Season #2.

Here's why -----

>> You'll get some great episodes in this sophomore campaign of the series ("Walnut", "Two Faces Of Rob", the "Rosebud" middle-name ep., "Ray Murdock's X-Ray", and one of THE best ever -- "All About Eavesdropping").

>> You'll also get the most eps. of any season set (33).

>> Plus -- The fabulous bonus of the "Stump The Stars" game show, featuring MTM, Dick, Rose, and Morey.

>> Plus -- Many Easter Eggs (with old TV commercials) to hunt down on each disc (Season 1 has none and S.3's Eggs are less appealing, IMO).

>> More commentaries by more of the cast than in the other seasons.

 

[David Von Pein]

Correct.

"If I ever get two cards alike, I'm gonna have them made up into bookends!"

 

[BarryRR]

I doubt if this is news to Dick Van Dyke Show fanatics, but I get a kick whenever I hear the "law and order" music cue on the show---a kind of somber march beat whenever law enforcement is part of the plot; it's the same "law and order" cue used on The Andy Griffith Show, which of course was produced by the same company, with the same composer, Earle Hagen. In Season 3 it can be heard when Rob visits a police station to identify a possible jewel thief.

 

[David Von Pein]

Yes, Barry, I agree. That "Copper Theme" always gets me smiling too.

And almost every time you hear that theme, you can rest assured that this man will be nearby.

That guy made 199 guest shots on TV shows, and I'll bet 90% of them were as a "policeman". Including the very funny 2nd episode ever of "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Manhunt", which has "cousins" Andy & Barney chasing down an escaped convict near Mayberry. Andy finally nabs him by encouraging the use of his hole-filled rowboat.

In that episode, Andy is amazed by all the fancy-schmancy gadgetry employed by the big-city State Troopers...such as those "little buttons for the bulletin board that just stick there and don't fall off". Andy, up until that caper, was "still using pins".

And, like Barry eludes, the proverbial "Cop's Music" is a-playin' away in that TAGS episode as well.

P.S. -- There IS a very rare case during the Van Dyke series where we see Ken Lynch actually NOT playing a cop. Ep. 22 has Lynch playing a neighbor of the Petries (with a talented dancing son). Although how the Cleveland-born Lynch was able to produce a Spanish son, I cannot say. (We're to assume he's adopted or from a previous matrimonial union possibly.)

 

[BarryRR]

Hehehehe....I recall when I saw TORA TORA TORA (1970) in a theater and saw Lynch as a general. I thought, "hey, there's that TV guy!"

The Van Dyke set is interesting for alot of reasons, especially now that I'm looking at it from a 40-year perspective. Ouch.

 

[David Von Pein]

Lynch also appears briefly in 1959's Hitchcock classic, North By Northwest .... as (you guessed it) a copper!

 

[Kevin Porter]

Hmmm...

Well I picked up the 1st Season and so far I've been really disappointed. It's a good DVD set but I don't really enjoy the show. Of course I've only seen the first 3 episodes but really does seem like you can see most of the stuff a mile away (Sally's lipstick on the handkerchief) and a lot of the jokes seem predictable and overall lame. I don't know if I've laughed once during the first 3 episodes. Does it pick up? Does it get funnier later on? I'm going to go ahead and put it up in the Software Selling/Trading forum. Anyone want to give me a reason to check out the other episodes? It's almost a chore right now.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Kevin, why would anyone buy the show if they've never seen it before? I love this show, so I laugh at mostly all the episodes, regardless of the season. I do admit that I'm not crazy over the "Let's feel sorry for Sally because she has no one in her life" episodes, but outside of those, I think the show's a hoot! If you're just a casual viewer, then I suggest seasons 3 on up. However, if you've barely laughed at the first 3 episodes, then I wouldn't count on much more laughing with the rest of the series. Either some people get the show or they don't.

Carlos.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Kevin,
i've just finished the first season set and am unhappy to report if you don't like what your seeing so far- you'll hate the rest fo the season.
i know i did.

now i've actually enjoyed the show quite a bit in syndication, and as Kevin has said, the presentation of the set itself is stellar- it was my vote for box set of the year last year.
however i have to agree that the 'comedy' here is quite lame.
i'm not a big fan of slapstick-which the season was full of- and then when you add Buddy & Sallys in character jokes that seem to crack the rest of the cast up but are just so banal- it adds up to the show being an endurance test.
i think i counted about 4 episodes that i fully enjoyed in this season (i skipped the Jerry Van Dyke eps, 'cause even in syndication i've never liked them).

and i can't help but comment on Larry Matthews.
i'm sure he is a wonderful human being, but he has got to be one of the all-time worst kid actors i've ever seen.
he is so gratingly, self-consciously 'cute' in almost all his line readings, i cringe when i see the fade in and see him in the shot knowing whats to come.
i can't understand why the producers didn't replace him early on.
Barry Livingston was on in one of the latter episodes and the kid was a total pro.
its a real shame.

i'm hoping people are correct and that the show hits its stride in the second and third seasons.
i never, ever remember having hated it this much in re-runs.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

I would advise you to pick up the third season -- by that time they had ironed out most of the problems: Richie didn't appear as much (and was less irritating when he did), there weren't any "poor Sally" episodes, and the stories and jokes were more creative. I think the first season has some good stuff, but I also think it took time to find its rhythm, and moreover that the show took an upswing in the third season when Carl Reiner stopped writing nearly all the episodes himself -- not that Reiner wasn't great (as creator and showrunner he obviously had major input even on scripts he didn't write himself), but it just opened the show up to other points of view and allowed Reiner to take more time over the scripts he did write. Get season 3 and watch the first episode, "That's My Boy??" -- I think you'll like that better.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Jamie,
unfortunately i picked up S1&2 when they first streeted (so that i could partake of the BB gift card and $20 back- which of course they aren't honouring after all).

i know there were eps of this show that i really enjoyed...but they all must be from the later seasons.
i may try to trade in S2 (its unopened).
the one ep from the first season i remember really finding interesting was the one where Rob was taking a plane ride home and discussing the fight he had with Laura with the person next to him.
it was such a departure from the typical 'moldy' retro fitted burlesque routines that made up so much of that season.

i'm not giving up on the show yet, but i still think Mary Tyler Moore was at least as deserving a series as this and still can't quite understand the disconnect there.

 

[David Von Pein]

I can't help it......

I feel I must come to the aid of my all-time favorite TV program ever -- The Dick Van Dyke Show (ALL seasons)!

Everybody is, of course, entitled to their own opinion regarding every show they watch, but it's totally beyond my meager scope of brain power to fathom how on this Earth *anybody* can possibly prefer ANY show made this day & age over the overwhelmingly-satisifying Van Dyke Show. **

** = Although I realize nobody was directly comparing TDVDS to anything made in 2004; but I'd have to assume that one or more of the Van Dyker-bashers in this thread are probably *more* pleased with some of 2004's material than that of the V.Dyke era--which, for me, is simply an impossibility. Nothing even comes remotely close to shows like Van Dyke, TMTMS, Beaver, Andy Griffith, and perhaps a few others from the 1960s/1970s.

While I would agree that the first few episodes don't have a bunch of Laugh-Out-Loud moments, I still love every show...esp. the debut, "Sick Boy...". But that episode, as written by Carl Reiner, is obviously not supposed to be a raucous wildly funny type of script. It's designed to introduce the great cast to the viewing audience, and give a general idea about who they are and what they do for a living, etc. (plus let us know that these writers (Rob, Buddy, & Sally) can not only write, but also perform too, like at the Alan Brady party in ep. 1).

I dare anybody not to laugh at the very funny and well-written scripts like "Harrison B. Harding", "Blonde-Haired Brunette", "Curious Thing About Women", "Empress Carlotta's Necklace", and "Punch Thy Neighbor" -- all from Season One.

Someone above mentioned how he felt the shows were predictable, gags telegraphed ahead of time, and just plain lame.

Makes me truly wonder what shows you were watching! Because they couldn't possibly have been The Dick Van Dyke Show. Not the one I've loved for so many years.

It's funny, too, because those exact words (predictable, lame, et al), IMO, all describe to a tee the type of material we're subjected to in the 21st century. Other than "The Simpsons" and "Everybody Loves Raymond", I don't think I've seen a comedy program on TV that I've liked for decades.

You can take the majority of today's shows and dump them off a cliff. Especially when you compare them to the Classic (my word ) shows from the Van Dyke era. Watching just ONE Van Dyke or MTM episode makes it nearly unbearable to view pretty much anything from today's crop of so-called comedy efforts.

For me, one of the main reasons I like shows like Van Dyke, MTM, Leave It To Beaver, Jack Benny, Andy Griffith (and some others), is because the characters are really and truly likeable in nature. People I'd like to have as friends. And I think that's quite rare for a writer to accomplish on a weekly basis. I, for one, would love to have Rob, Laura, Millie, Jerry, Buddy, and Sally (and yes, Ritchie too ) as my neighbors and friends.

I'm just glad they didn't carry over the boy who played Ritchie from the "Head Of The Family" pilot. He was much more "grating", IMO, than Larry Mathews ever was. And I, for one, like Larry Mathews as Richard Rosebud Petrie. I think he seems much more like a real kid than even Ricky or David Nelson from the Ozzie & Harriet series -- and they WERE their real kids! Has there ever been two more cardboard-cutout kid actors than Ricky & David??

Now Ronny Howard would have made a perfect Ritchie Petrie. Ronny, of course, was already doing another Danny Thomas/Sheldon Leonard gem at the time (TAGS), so he was unavailable. But if Ronny hadn't become Opie, I think he would have been great as Ritchie.

The true likeability of the Van Dyke Show characters, for me, makes it just plain fun to watch each episode. Even "The Twizzle", which I've even grown fond of since seeing it cleaned-up on DVD.

And the shows just have a "real" feeling to them, in my view. Almost as if we're peering into the living room of an actual American family. This is partly due, of course, to the "realie" factor (as Carl Reiner has put it). "Realie" being a situation that really could (or often DID) occur in real life. Many of the show's scripts ARE, indeed, based on Carl's and Dick's (and other's) actual life experiences.

I would hope that the people who aren't too enthralled by the Dick Van Dyke Show's early episodes will still give it a chance, and watch some of the other episodes. Because I simply cannot imagine anybody NOT smiling often when watching most of these Dick Van Dyke programs.

 

[David Von Pein]

Well, that did it.
I now am positive I'm on a different Van Dyke-watching planet!

"Retro-fitted burlesque routines"??? .....
What S.1 eps. even remotely resemble this descriptive passage?

 

[ScottRichard]

Wow--I'm with David VP, I never would have imagined there could actually be Dick Van Dyke Show bashers!! I can concede that the first three episodes of Season 1 may not be as funny as later episodes, but I can't imagine only watching three episodes of a show before deciding to never watch anymore! Although I think this show was outstanding from day one, don't most shows take at least up to a season to really hit their stride? I suppose if someone isn't really a fan of slapstick they might not get into it, although I think that Dick Van Dyke's physical comedy is amazing, but there's so much more to the show than slapstick. I almost don't see these people as actors because they're so much more like old friends, sort of like a 60s "reality" show where we get to peek in on their lives each week. I guess it just goes to show how differently people relate to their favorite shows! I love when the characters just "perform" at the drop of a hat. I'd love to go to a party where everyone can do a comedy routine or a song-and-dance number. Also, watching these again, I keep saying that I think Larry Matthews, along with the above mentioned Ronnie Howard, Jerry Mathers, and Erin Murphy from Bewitched, is among the best of the child actors from the 50s and 60s. He usually seems so natural to me for such a young kid. Oh well, just had to respond!

 

[Gary OS]

Well, add my sentiments to what David and Scott just wrote! I'll throw in the obvious disclaimer before I start - everyone has their own opinion, and there's no accounting for taste - HOWEVER, this DVDS bashing is uncomprehensible in my mind.

Here we have, arguably, the greatest sitcom of all time, and people are saying the jokes are "lame"??!! I can't fathom that. Honestly I can't. I'd at least suggest to those that haven't watched the entire set they purchased yet - watch it all before you sell it!

Gary "I'm in shock, because I've never heard of anyone that thinks this show is predictable or lame" OS