We at Writers Bloc revel in our embarrassment of riches. Dick Van Dyke with Carl Reiner. Consistently cited as one of the best shows in American television history, The Dick Van Dyke Show brought together Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam– backed by the herculean strength of Carl Reiner’s vision and writing. That show was legendary for any number of reasons—for Dick Van Dyke’s radiant warmth and multigenerational appeal, and perfect comic genius, for Mary Tyler Moore’s brilliance, for the chemistry of the whole cast, and again, for the writing. We can’t say enough here about the writing.
The Dick Van Dyke Show is emblematic of a feeling of time and place in American television, and indeed, in the fabric of American life itself. That this feeling endures is due in no small part to the star himself, a man who has become a comic icon for a family friendly television show. So while we’re on the topic of legendary family entertainment, what would Mary Poppins be without Dick Van Dyke? Can we imagine that movie without Dick Van Dyke’s grace, charm and humor? In Carl Reiner’s own memoir from a few years ago called My Anecdotal Life, Carl says that Dick is “the finest all around performer to ever grace a situation comedy.” Strong words indeed. In his new book, My Lucky Life In And Out Of Show Business, Dick Van Dyke reflects on his launch from the phenomenon of the Broadway hit, Bye Bye Birdie, through his successes—and disappointments—in Hollywood. He covers his marriage, his family, the painful divorce after falling in love with Michelle Triola (Lee Marvin’s former partner who sued him for palimony, then a brand new word), and his bouts with alcoholism and recovery. A particularly fun passage is when Dick recounts Carl Reiner’s stay in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House, with a visit from President Clinton at midnight after he and his wife Estelle had gone to sleep.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that much of the success of The Dick Van Dyke Show is owed to its creator, Carl Reiner. Dick calls Carl “the finest all around writer to ever create a situation comedy.” Carl did, after all, write for Sid Ceasar’s Your Show of Shows. And The 2000 Year Old Man. From that time on, Carl would go on to write and/or direct some of our favorite movies, including The Jerk, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, All Of Me, and so many others. And he simply steals the show in Oceans 11.
At the Writers Guild Theater, 135 South Doheny Drive, Beverly Hills. Tickets, $20, cash or checks only please.
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