Carl Reiner and a Kitten in a Tree
On the great ‘Dick Van Dyke Show,’ and humor with a heart
On Monday night, comedy legend Carl Reiner died at home at the age of 98. As a performer, director, and writer, he created so much of what I think of as funny, from The Jerk to creating my favorite TV show of all time, The Dick Van Dyke Show.
On the show, which ran from 1961–1966 but which I first watched as a child on Nick at Nite, Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) works as the head writer for the fictitious Alan Brady Show (Reiner himself plays Brady) along with writers room colleagues Buddy and Sally (played by the great Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie). Rob’s home life plays an equal part in the show, with his chemistry opposite the beautiful and hilarious Mary Tyler Moore, as his wife Laura, serving as the show’s emotional center.
In some ways, the show might seem dated. Laura is a housewife, and the show relies deeply on a rose-colored look at the nuclear family. And yet! For a show of its time, it’s remarkably progressive in many ways. Laura is such a fully-formed human, from her incisive wit to her tendency to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Sally Rogers, Rob’s female writing colleague is a perpetual bachelorette, which the show plays around with by setting her up on various dates, but she never registers as pathetic, and she’s…
