Dick Van Dyke, who turned 100 on Dec. 13, first charmed his way into American households on CBS’ The Dick Van Dyke Show.
After getting his start performing comedy on radio and TV, he earned a Tony for 1960’s Bye Bye Birdie. In 1961, he beat out performers like Johnny Carson to play Rob Petrie on a reworked version of scribe Carl Reiner‘s pilot script, originally titled Head of the Family. Based on his own experience as a TV writer, Reiner created it for himself and even starred in a pilot, but that didn’t move forward.
Retitled The Dick Van Dyke Show, the project focused on Van Dyke’s character balancing work and family. It co-starred Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie and 24-year-old Mary Tyler Moore as wife Laura. “We became a family,” Van Dyke told THR last year. Upon its debut in October 1961, THR‘s review deemed Van Dyke “sure to catch on as a new personality.” However, after the 39-episode first season, CBS was on the verge of canceling it. Executive producer Sheldon Leonard begged for another shot, and the next season, the series landed in the top 10, thanks to a lead-in from TV’s top draw, The Beverly Hillbillies.
The show became well-known for a moment in its opening credits when Van Dyke trips over an ottoman; as seasons went on, there were times he would deftly dodge it, sometimes tripping over something else. “Carl knew I loved physical comedy,” the star recalled.
After five seasons and 15 Emmy wins, Reiner decided to pursue film, and the show came to an end. “I would still be doing it if they let me,” Van Dyke said last year. As it is, the Mary Poppins star has kept busy over the years, including recently publishing the book 100 Rules for Living to 100 to celebrate his centenarian status. As he joked last month to Al Roker, “I’m looking for work right now.”
This story appeared in the Dec. 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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