Carl Reiner Movies

That zany video genius Ernie Kovacs plays it (sort of) straight in this Playhouse 90 adaptation of Marcel Pagnol's satirical stage play Topaze. A man constitutionally incapable of being dishonest, Monsieur Topaze (Kovacs) loses his teaching position at a small provincial French private school when he refuses to give a passing grade to an undeserving pupil. On the advice of Suzy (Sheree North), the attractive aunt of another pupil, Topaze accepts a new job with Castel-Bernac (Stephen Wooton), a crooked politician who happens to be Suzy's "protector." Castel-Bernac takes Topaze on in the secure belief that someone so indomitably honest would never suspect that anything unscrupulous was going on within Castel-Bernac's political machine. But things happen which not only profoundly alter Topaze, but also everyone around him. Carl Reiner costars in this production, which originally aired live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comedy, a married couple is deeply embarrassed when their daughter reveals her father's indiscretions on a national TV show for children. It is doubly embarrassing when it is revealed that none of the allegations are true. It seems the child overheard a slightly inebriated conversation during her parent's thirteenth wedding anniversary in which the father disclosed that he and his wife had slept together before their marriage. This leads the daughter to believe that they are about to be divorced. Fortunately, the whole mess is straightened out in the end, and peace is restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This second film in the "Gidget" series stars Deborah Walley as Francie Lawrence, better known as Gidget. After being disappointed in love by surfin' dude Moondoggie (James Darren), Gidge joins her parents (Carl Reiner, Jeff Donnell) on a Hawaiian vacation. Complications ensue when Moondoggie likewise arrives in the islands, only to find Gidget "that way" about local beach stud Eddie Horner (Michael Callan). In general, Gidget Goes Hawaiian isn't up to the standards of the original Gidget, though there are a few bright moments, including a satiric dream sequence. Once more, the film proved successful at the box office, spawning even more sequels and no fewer than two weekly TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another hectic week at "The Alan Brady Show" is over, and head writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) looks forward to a relaxing weekend. Only one problem: Rob has completely forgotten that he promised to secure 44 tickets to the next "Alan Brady Show" telecast for the New Rochelle PTA. A mad scramble to scare up the necessary tickets consumes the remainder of the show, which is capped by a typically unexpected twist. If the actress playing Mrs. Billings sounds familiar, it is because Eleanor Audley supplied the voice of the evil queen in the 1959 Disney animated feature Sleeping Beauty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sensing that Rob (Dick Van Dyke) is worn out, Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally (Rose Marie) suggest that he go home early and take a good, long rest. Rob agrees -- only to regret his acquiescence when he discovers that, in his absence, Buddy and Sally have attended a party at the home of their boss Alan Brady, and that Buddy has been given an expensive gift by Alan. Worse still, it seems that Rob's two partners are perfectly capable of finishing a script all by themselves. Thus it is that Rob begins to worry that he is being eased out of his job -- and he's not about to let that happen, even if it means returning to work while he's sick as a dog! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It is now part of TV folklore that the classic sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show was originally conceived as a starring vehicle for the series' creator, Carl Reiner. In the pilot episode "Head of the Family," filmed in New York in 1959, Reiner played TV comedy writer Rob Petrie (then pronounced "pea-tree"), who divided his time between his job as a head writer on "The Alan Sturdy Show" with co-workers Buddy Sorrell (Morty Gunty) and Sally Rogers (Sylvia Miles) and his home life in New Rochelle with his wife, Laura (Barbara Britton) and son, Ritchie (Gary Morgan). Potential sponsors and networks liked the premise but not the cast...or to be more blunt, no one wanted to buy a series with Carl Reiner as star. Swallowing his pride, Reiner limited himself to the jobs of producer, director, and writer. He retooled "Head of the Family," and recast the property with Dick Van Dyke as Rob, Mary Tyler Moore as Laura, Larry Mathews as Ritchie, Morey Amsterdam as Buddy, and Rose Marie as Sally; the rest, as they say, is history.

Debuting October 3, 1961, on CBS, The Dick Van Dyke Show, as mentioned, top-billed the titular star as Rob Petrie, who was now head writer for "The Alan Brady Show" During the series' first few seasons, Alan Brady (a brash, dictatorial character reportedly inspired by Reiner's former boss and colleague Sid Caesar) was seldom seen -- and when he was, it was only from the back. It was an open secret that Carl Reiner himself played Brady, though he did not take screen billing. Only in the series' fourth season was Brady's face actually seen, and only then was Reiner credited on-screen as the actor playing the part. Other recurring characters included Richard Deacon as Alan Brady's producer (and beleaguered brother-in-law) Mel Cooley, Jerry Paris and Ann Morgan Guilbert as the Petries' next-door neighbors Jerry and Millie Helper (he was a dentist, she was Laura's best friend), future director Bill Idelson as Sally Rogers' erstwhile boyfriend, Herman Glimpshire, and Joan Shawlee as Buddy's ex-showgirl wife, Pickles.

Although the series was distinguished by the high level of wit in its writing and its wonderful physical-comedy set pieces, the strong suit of The Dick Van Dyke Show was the warm rapport among its principal players. Indeed, only a handful of TV sitcoms have been so perfectly cast, making one wonder how the series would have fared with its original cast members. Incredible though it may seem today, The Dick Van Dyke Show was not an instantaneous hit. Indeed, the series fared so poorly opposite its first season competition, Bachelor Father and Laramie, that CBS canceled the show outright, sending out notices to the cast members on the last day of shooting. The series might have been just another one season wonder had not one of its sponsors picked it up for a second season, insisting that CBS find a better time slot than Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Thus, the show was moved to Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. -- fortuitously right after CBS's biggest success of the 1962-1963 season, The Beverly Hillbillies.

Although The Dick Van Dyke Show's somewhat higher ratings still did not set the world on fire, the series received a great deal of word-of-mouth buzz during its second season, and its audience grew steadily throughout the remainder of its run. The fact that the series picked up several Emmy Awards along the way was the icing on the cake. After five seasons, star Dick Van Dyke and producer Carl Reiner opted to quit while they were ahead -- a rare move in the mid-'60s (and even rarer four decades later). Thus, The Dick Van Dyke Show concluded its nighttime run on September 7, 1966, though reruns continued to air on CBS's daytime schedule until 1969. Thereafter, the series entered off-network syndication, where its has continued to flourish mightily well into the 21st century. And in 2003, the surviving cast members were reunited for a two-hour special, The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the night that his son Richie (Larry Mathews) is to make his acting debut as a singing bunny in a school play, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) is forced to go out of town to audition a singer for his boss Alan Brady. Richie and his mom Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) are heartbroken about this commitment, but Rob is adamant: there are just those times in life when professional necessity outweighs family obligations. However, an elaborate musical nightmare, played to the tune of Cole Porter's "You're the Top"," succeeds in showing Rob the error of his ways! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Petries are surprised when Harrison B. Harding (Allan Melvin), who says he's an old friend of Rob's, drops in for a visit. No one is more surprised than Rob, who has no recollection of Harding whatsoever. A subsequent series of curious events, capped by the disappearance of Rob's watch, convinces our hero that Mr. Harrison B. Harding is actually a con artist and a thief! This episode was originally telecast as a special on Monday evening, November 6, 1962, right after a Danny Kaye special, as a ploy to boost the ratings of The Dick Van Dyke Show, which was then languishing in a little-watched Tuesday night time slot. (Trivia note: According to TV Guide, the episode originally scheduled to air on November 6 was "To Tell or Not to Tell," which wasn't seen until November 14.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An exhausted Rob (Dick Van Dyke) pays but scant attention to Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) on his day off, convincing Laura that Rob has grown tired of her. Next-door neighbor Millie (Ann Morgan Guilbert) suggests a sure-fire method to win back Rob's affections. All Laura has to do is dye her hair blonde! Unfortunately, Millie runs out of coloring before the dyeing job is completed, leaving Laura's hair looking like a Rand-McNally map of Europe! Although "The Blonde-Haired Brunette" was the ninth Dick Van Dyke Show filmed, the producers decided to move it up to the second episode telecast to show off the peerless comic skills of their "new discovery," Mary Tyler Moore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide