In the Fall of 1961, CBS first aired The Dick Van Dyke Show, one of funniest sitcoms in television history. Similar to I Love Lucy, but featuring more docile and less eccentric characters, the show became a mainstay in the top 10 Nielsen ratings for its first four seasons. When the show’s ratings slipped in the fifth season, the network cancelled the show. But in the four decades since, The Dick Van Dyke Show has continued to entertain its fans and their children (and their children’s children) via syndicated re-runs…
The Dick Van Dyke Show is centered around the life of Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), a family man living in suburban New York. As the head writer for the fictional “Alan Brady Show,” he works with co-writers Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie). Rob’s work life is always interesting given Buddy’s constant wisecracks, Sally’s never-ending search for a husband, and the trio’s unified harassment of Alan Brady’s brother-in-law, Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon). At home, Rob’s loving yet overly-nervous wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) stays at home with the couple’s son Ritchie (Larry Mathews). Surrounded by all these unique characters, Rob is always embroiled in someone’s scheme, fantasy, or shenanigan…
The Dick Van Dyke Show DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere “The Sick Boy and the Sitter” in which Rob convinces Laura to go to a party at Alan Brady’s house, despite the fact that their five-year-old son Ritchie is sick. The two get a babysitter, but Laura’s maternal instincts don’t disappear… Other notable episodes from Season 1 include “Jealousy” in which Laura grows jealous of Rob’s work relationship with a beautiful TV star, and “Where Did I Come From?” in which Ritchie asks Laura and Rob about his origins, and they struggle to come up with the right answer…
Below is a list of episodes included on The Dick Van Dyke Show (Season 1) DVD:
Episode 1 (The Sick Boy and the Sitter) Air Date: 10-03-1961
Episode 2 (The Blonde-Haired Brunette) Air Date: 10-10-1961
Episode 3 (Sally and the Lab Technician) Air Date: 10-17-1961
Episode 4 (Washington vs. the Bunny) Air Date: 10-24-1961
Episode 5 (Oh We Met the Night That We Danced) Air Date: 10-31-1961
Episode 6 (Harrison B. Harding of Camp Crowder, Mo.) Air Date: 11-06-1961
Episode 7 (Jealousy!) Air Date: 11-07-1961
Episode 8 (To Tell or Not to Tell) Air Date: 11-14-1961
Episode 9 (The Unwelcome Houseguest) Air Date: 11-21-1961
Episode 10 (The Meershatz Pipe) Air Date: 11-28-1961
Episode 11 (Forty-Four Tickets) Air Date: 12-05-1961
Episode 12 (Empress Carlotta’s Necklace) Air Date: 12-12-1961
Episode 13 (Sally is a Girl) Air Date: 12-19-1961
Episode 14 (Buddy, Can You Spare a Job?) Air Date: 12-26-1961
Episode 15 (Where Did I Come From?) Air Date: 01-03-1962
Episode 16 (The Curious Thing About Women) Air Date: 01-10-1962
Episode 17 (Punch Thy Neighbor) Air Date: 01-17-1962
Episode 18 (Who Owes Who What?) Air Date: 01-24-1962
Episode 19 (The Talented Neighborhood) Air Date: 01-31-1962
Episode 20 (A Word a Day) Air Date: 02-07-1962
Episode 21 (The Boarder Incident) Air Date: 02-14-1962
Episode 22 (Father of the Week) Air Date: 02-21-1962
Episode 23 (The Twizzle) Air Date: 02-28-1962
Episode 24 (One Angry Man) Air Date: 03-07-1962
Episode 25 (Where You Been, Fassbinder?) Air Date: 03-14-1962
Episode 26 (I Am My Brother’s Keeper) Air Date: 03-21-1962
Episode 27 (The Sleeping Brother) Air Date: 03-28-1962
Episode 28 (The Bad Old Days) Air Date: 04-04-1962
Episode 29 (Sol and the Sponsor) Air Date: 04-11-1962
Episode 30 (The Return of Happy Spangler) Air Date: 04-18-1962
Word count: 608