dick van dyke show

The Dick Van Dyke Show is my favorite show of all-time, so my ears always perk up when I hear a new DVD of material from Van Dyke is coming.

But this isn't from that show, it's actually footage from other TV shows that Van Dyke was on before The Dick Van Dyke Show started in 1961. Dick Van Dyke: In Rare Form will contain sketches and performances that Van Dyke did on The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom in 1958-59. The names of the routines give a hint at what we'll see: "Babysitting Father," "Mailing A Letter On A Windy Corner," "Daddy's Little Girls," "The Pet Cats," "Sneaking In," and "The Tennis Champ." You can tell they'll include a lot of Van Dyke's pantomime and slapstick skills, and I bet he incorporated some of these sketches into his own show later.

The DVD will be released on March 27 and will cost only around $15.00, so you have no excuse not to get it.

1. Just when I thought Dr. Phil was the most annoying person in the McGraw family comes...oh, wait, Dr. Phil is still the most annoying person in the McGraw family, but the other night I was watching that HGTV special where they show the White House being decorated for the holidays, and it was hosted by Robin McGraw. She has all the personality of a used bar of soap.

Last year I introduced the term "fanesia" on this blog. It's a word that means "fan amnesia," those moments of a TV show that you simply forget ever happened, because they're illogical, hurt the show, or just make you feel bad and/or angry. I think it's time for another five:

1. Toby was the leak (The West Wing): I don't know what happened here. Whether the character was written off because actor Richard Schiff wanted to leave or NBC wanted to cut some payroll, the way it happened was a real kick in the stomach to longtime fans of the show. Not only that Toby would leak info about a secret military plane (he wouldn't), but that President Bartlet would just fire him so coldly and bring up their history in such a nasty way. Sure, these two butted heads many times, but it was always out of caring and love for each other. Great to see Bartlet pardon him as his last act as President and invite him to the opening of the library, but still. Aaron Sorkin must have thrown something at his TV when this happened.

In my mind, Toby just quit the White House to go teach at Columbia.

This is a list of the TV shows I could never live without. If I was able to own and watch only five TV shows on DVD (or tape), these are the five shows. My desert islands discs, as they call them.

The interesting thing to me about this list is that these five shows are NOT my five favorite TV shows of all-time. They're in the top 10, sure, but I found making that list that I know only looked at the ones I liked, the quality, but since these were the only five shows I could have (and I'm trapped on that damn island - hope there's electricity), then I'd want a mix of shows to entertain me. A balance of comedy and drama.

What shows would you pick? Remember, you can never watch any other shows ever again.

1. The Dick Van Dyke Show: OK, so the first show on my list just so happens to also be my favorite TV show of all-time. This show is timeless, it's extremely well done, and Rob Petrie is the reason I became a writer, so it has to be number one.

One day, while sitting around the palatial TV Squad offices, a notion came to mind. What would happen if you took all of today's technology and applied it to classic television shows of yesteryear? Would The Fugitive's Richard Kimble be acquitted of his crime after the DNA evidence proved that he didn't kill his wife? Or, would The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Ted Baxter be a better anchor if he had access to all of the day's news via the Internet?

Taking that notion one step further, here are five shows that would have been vastly different if modern technology were applied to them.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: No more schlepping into the city for Rob Petrie; not when he could write his scripts from his home desktop computer. And, if he got tired sitting at his desk, he could grab his WiFi laptop and continue to write from the local Starbucks. He would still need Buddy and Sally, of course, but he could pass ideas to them via Instant Messenger. When they were all done with that week's script they could have a video conference with Alan where changes could be made via NetMeeting.

We all know the story: a TV show will recast a major character (because the other actor wanted more money or they wanted to go in another direction with the character or some other reason), and many times it's not as good. But that's not always true (it's not even true in the most famous example given, Bewitched, but more on that below). Here are five recasts that actually worked out.

1. Noel Neill (The Adventures of Superman): Neill took over for Phyllis Coates after Coates played Lois Lane in the first season only, and she's really the one we remember from the show.

1. The Dick Van Dyke Show: This timeless classic not only revolved around the domestic lives of Rob and Laura Petrie in New Rochelle, but also around the writing staff of The Alan Brady Show, a hit variety show out of New York City. I think this show still holds up, even compared to classic modern comedies.

2. Sports Night: Before The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin created this really well written and snappy look behind the scenes of a Sportscenter-like TV show. Basically, it was The West Wing at a TV station, which is one of the reasons I'm so looking forward to Studio 60 this fall.

Every once in a while, we here at TV Squad give our opinions about what we'd like to see/not see on television. And since last week was my one-year anniversary here, I figured I'd give my current list:

1. Bring back game shows. I don't mean a syndicated game show or a game show/reality show like Survivor or American Idol, I'm talking about real, honest to goodness, daytime game shows on the networks. The Price Is Right is the only one left, and the rest of the schedule has been taken over by the likes of Maury Povich, Dr. Phil, The View, Starting Over, and a third hour of The Today Show. Wouldn't it be great to just dump all those shows and bring back a Card Sharks, a Concentration, a Blockbusters, a High Rollers, a Sale of the Century. Hell, I'd watch Match Game again over Jerry Springer.

First, what exactly is an ensemble cast? It's not just a matter of numbers, it's how the characters interact on the show. But if we are talking about numbers, let me explain that I'm not talking about 3 or 4 people. It has to be larger than that. Which is why you won't find Seinfeld or The Dick Van Dyke Show on this list. (But if I ever make a Five Great Foursomes, they'd be right up there.)

1. Newsradio: It's amazing how quickly these actors got into their roles. After only a few episodes, this large ensemble (8 regular characters: Dave, Lisa, Bill, Matthew, Catherine, Joe, Beth, and Jimmy) were like a comedy machine, and each character not only has easily noticable quirks and likes and dislikes and character traits, but even (dare I say it ) some depth. Some casts can't get that chemistry after 3 seasons let alone 3 episodes. Perfect in every way.

Today's news that Will Smith will play the Robert Wagner role in a remake of It Takes A Thief got me thinking: what shows should they never, never, ever, ever update and bring to the big screen? I'm tempted to say "most TV shows," but I'm talking about the five that they should never touch. Here's my list:

1. The Dick Van Dyke Show: Can you imagine this show on the big screen? How would they recreate the rhythm and pace of the show, the ensemble chemistry, the writing? If anyone even attempted to redo this show on the big screen, they should be dragged to the California border and banned from the state forever.

We've all heard of "comfort foods," those foods that we always return to, the ones that we love and make us feel good and maybe even bring back good memories. But TV shows can be the same way. They might not be our "favorite" shows (though they very well could be), but they certainly make us feel so good we want to keep watching them (and now with DVDs, it's even easier). Here are mine:

1. The Dick Van Dyke Show: My favorite TV show of all time, but it's also a feel-good show: a positive family show and a clever showbiz show at the same time. A childhood favorite that never lost any appeal for me, even as I became an adult.

I don't have a  bad life, but there are just so many characters on TV I'd love to be. Here are the top five:

1. Rob Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show): Writer for a hit TV show in New York City by day, and then he comes home to an ultra-cool home at night to eat dinner with Mary Tyler Moore. I want to be Rob Petrie.
2. Thomas Magnum (Magnum, P.I.): I'm not even a warm-climate sort of guy, but I can imagine being a private eye (sorry, private investigator, as Magnum himself would correct me) on Oahu, living on an outrageous estate with my own private quarters and a red Ferrari. Yeah, I can picture that.
3. Bugs Bunny: Independent wise-ass. I'd probably put on some pants though.
4. Kelly Robinson or Alexander Scott (I Spy): To travel around the world on someone else's dime, drinking and swingin' and fightin' spies. Sounds cool to me.  
5. Charlie (Two and a Half Men): This guy never seems to be doing his job (writing commercial jingles) because he's too busy drinking and bedding beautiful women, but he still seems to make a boat load in cash. Sign me up.