Carl Reiner Movies

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Dick Van Dyke's real-life brother Jerry Van Dyke guest stars as Stacey Petrie, younger brother of Rob Petrie. Bowled over by Stacey's remarkable talents as a banjo-strumming, joke-spewing entertainer, several observers recommend that he be allowed to audition for "The Alan Brady Show." Rob, however, is hesitant to allow Stacey to do so, knowing full well that his brother, a habitual somnambulist, is only lively and self-confident when he's asleep -- and an untalented slug when he's awake! Nonetheless, Stacey is invited to perform at a party given by Rob for his boss Alan Brady...with surprising results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sally (Rose Marie) discovers a talented young dancer named Randy Twizzle (Jerry Lanning) at her local bowling alley, and informs Rob (Dick Van Dyke) and Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) of her new find. After performing his own special dance -- the "Twizzle," of course -- for Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon), Randy is invited to audition for "The Alan Brady Show." Unfortunately, Randy's dad (Jack Albertson) is dead-set against his son dancing on TV...but not because he doesn't want the boy to be a big star. Famed pro wrestler Freddie Blassie provides the punch line for this entertaining episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A confused Ritchie (Larry Mathews) stops Rob (Dick Van Dyke) and Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) cold during breakfast one morning with a big question: Why is Ritchie's middle name "Rosebud"? In answer, Rob and Laura flash back to a family gathering at the Petrie home a few months before Ritchie's birth, where virtually every one of their relatives was throwing out suggestions as to the best name for the new arrival. Without giving away the episode's punch line, it should be noted that among the guests are Rob's father Sam (J. Pat O'Malley) and the formidable Grandfather Petrie (Cyril Delevanti), who favors the name "Ulysses David." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Coming across an old wedding gift, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) notices that the inscription suggests that Rob (Dick Van Dyke) had somehow been trying to weasel out of the marriage. Explaining the situation to son Ritchie (Larry Mathews), Laura flashes back to the days preceding the wedding, beginning with Rob's somewhat eccentric proposal. One unexpected mishap and misunderstanding leads to another, and on the day of the wedding, Rob manages to show up at the church two hours late! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When word leaks out that Rob (Dick Van Dyke) has been assigned to audition talented children for "The Alan Brady Show," everyone in the neighborhood wants to get into the act. Before long, the Petrie living room has become a way station for dozens of stage parents and would-be child stars -- one of whom spends what seems like an eternity singing the entire score from Mozart's Don Giovanni. However, there is one parent who appears to be not at all interested in the talent search...so guess whose kid gets picked? Watch for Dick Van Dyke's real-life sons Barry and Chris as two of the hopefuls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sensitive Rob (Dick Van Dyke) is put out that Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) owes him 25 dollars -- a debt accrued six months ago. Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) insists that, for his own piece of mind, Rob should tell Buddy to pay up, but he hasn't got the heart. Finally, Rob decides to write a sketch for "The Alan Brady Show" about the situation -- whereupon Buddy hits him with some very surprising (and humbling) news! ~ Hal Erickson, 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