My TV Show Review on The Dick Van Dyke Show · 2:27pm Sep 19th, 2019
My 12th TV Show review.
Man, it feels great to reach this number. Because today, I'll be analyzing "The Dick Van Dyke Show". And as the announcer would say after saying the title, "Starring Dick Van Dyke. Rose Marie. Morey Amsterdam. Larry Matthews. And Mary Tyler Moore".
Here's the summary of this show:
Rob Petrie works as the head comedy writer of the Alan Brady show, regularly working alongside his friends, Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers. He is also the loving husband of Laura, and the father of their son, Ritchie.
Generally, the series revolves around Rob's life at home, and at work. Along the way, Rob gets into various comedic jams with his family and friends.
Having watched this show via Amazon Prime with my parents, I can honestly say that this series is another marvelous comedy gem to behold.
For instance, the storytelling and direction of each episode was able to showcase a definite example of pure and innocent family-friendly entertainment. The main characters aren't given any mean-spirited material, and there is often a moral that they come to learn in the end. The focus that it has on family, friendship, and love is also something I highly commend, because not very many comedies focus on stuff like that anymore.
The humor of this series was also something I found to be fun. Each and every joke in the series was highly of the innocent kind, and they were able to land with excellent fluency and timing. In many episodes, the characters get caught in situations that can get rather tense, but yet...something so funny is made out of it too.
The performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development were likewise extremely awesome. I love how into it everybody was as they performed, and the characters are so memorable and distinct. Even the guest stars and the characters they portray fit right in, like Don Rickles and his character of Lyle Depp in Season 4 episodes "4 1/2" and "The Alan Brady Show Goes to Jail". The fact that the characters are even given development makes them all-the-more remarkable.
It's hard to pick what my favorite episodes are, really. So many of them are just so darn hilarious and fill of heart that it's hard to single even one out.
In contrast to that, though, there were five episodes of the show that my family and I were less than impressed with compared to others. The episodes being these:
1. Empress Carlotta's Necklace (Season 1, Episode 12): The beginning of that episode was great, and the performance of Gavin McLeod as Mel Cooley's cousin, Maxwell, was pretty well-done. However, after Rob bought the necklace from Maxwell, he suddenly went out of character. He became too much of a dope and was pretty unaware of Laura's true feelings towards the necklace.
2. One Angry Man (Season 1, Episode 24): The plot of that episode was kinda stupid, and there was little to no moral. And again, Rob was out of character, because he was being a dope around the court's defendant, Marla Hendrix, who was played by Sue Ane Langdon. It was especially like he forgot he was married to Laura. Hendrix was additionally nothing but an annoying and stupid airhead.
3. Racy Tracy Rattigan (Season 2, Episode 27): The episode had some pretty solid moments, like the part where Tracy does that skit where he makes bird calls, and the part where Rob teaches him a lesson for getting too friendly with his wife. Richard Dawson also did a good job portraying his character. However, Tracy himself was just so obnoxious, and his constant advances towards Laura completely watered everything down to nothing.
4. My Husband is the Best One (Season 3, Episode 14): One one part, the episode didn't really have a lot of laughs. On the other, the story that it had wasn't really all that great and there was little to no moral. Overall, it just wasn't a very likable episode nor a necessary one. It particularly felt like one that was made to bully Rob.
5. Young Man with a Shoehorn (Season 4, Episode 22): The episode was definitely a funny one, packed with solid gags and laughs. However, the character of Sid the Shoe Salesman was really unlikable and irritable due to his rude behavior, and aside from some funny lines and moments, Milton Frome's portrayal as the character certainly didn't help any. Along with that, it seemed like at the ending, particularly when Buddy's uncle, Lou Sorrell, appears for the 2nd time, it was trying to teach some kind of moral, but it was one that nobody would get or understand.
In conclusion, though, "The Dick Van Dyke Show" is an instant comedic treasure that's worthy or everyone's time, and it's not only a series that's perfect for showcasing the amazing talents of Dick Van Dyke, but everyone else on board too, such as Mary Tyler Moore. And hey, if any of you guys want to se the episodes I didn't like for yourselves, be my guest.
So, I rate "The Dick Van Dyke Show" a solid five out of five stars.
Have you seen or review Cheers yet?
I never saw this. I knew it existed, but I simply don't have an interest in seeing it.
5123520
Sadly, no. But I wouldn't mind doing so.
5123527
If you have Netflix or Hulu, give it a watch. 😋
I’ve heard of this before, but didn’t know anything about it. It sounds pretty good! I’ll probably watch it eventually.
5123522
Mister, you have no idea what you're missing.