[Sans-Culotte]

Dick's Rob Petrie was amazing. A handsome, intelligent guy trying to maintain his dignity while doing the klutziest, silliest things. Mary's timing was equally great and her character was always adorable, and she really could wear those 60's fashions. Dick & Mary made a great TV couple, and I loved Morey "the Human Joke Machine" Amsterdam and the rest of the cast (except for Richie who I always thought was a weak child actor). It was set in one of the most stylish periods ever and never seems to date badly like 70's era shows do. I have the whole series too, and need to get back on track watching them all in order.

Speaking of Van Dyke and Carl Reiner, I wish they would release the movie The Comic, in which Dick played a silent-era comedian loosely based on Buster Keaton. Dick's love of silent comedy obviously paid off in the physical humor of Rob Petrie.

[Publius]

Dick’s idol was Stan Laurel. When Laurel was living alone and forgotten in a Santa Monica apartment, Dick visited and befriended him.

[BlueLancer]

Dick Van Dyke also had a leading role .. well, one lead among many .. in the Shirley MacLaine movie, “What A Way To Go”, also starring Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, and Robert Cummings.

[miss marmelstein]

It’s pretty obvious you know your Dick Van Dyke Show - down to the annoying Richie who I always believed was based on Rob Reiner. If you doubt me, look at Rob Reiner’s kid in The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming - although written by William Rose. A Richie clone!

Everything in that show was perfect - Rosemarie, Morey Amsterdam, the great Richard Deacon, Carl Reiner, Jerry Paris, etc...you couldn’t beat that cast or those scripts.