# Not A Poll: The Dick Van Dyke Show IS the funniest sitcom ever! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 29, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484 "2010-09-29T16:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/21 "2010-09-29T19:01:58Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > [The One With Greg Morris](http://www.fancast.com/tv/The-Dick-Van-Dyke-Show/97859/1354808860/Thats-My-Boy/videos) VanDyke’s take is so funny, and it was extremely daring for the times. They almost had to change the ending, because CBS was worried the original ending was racially insensitive. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/22 "2010-09-29T19:07:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > We live in the town right next to New Rochelle. Always funny to say “you know where Rob and Laura Petrie lived - in New Rochelle? We live next to that.” and see folks’ eyes light up (well, folks past a certain age ;)) My husband grew up on Wilmott Rd. (I’m from White Plains). I can never pick the [anything]est [anything] ever, so I can’t commit, but I love the Dick Van Dyke show. Watched it as a kid and loved rewatching it and realizing I didn’t get half of what I was seeing then. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/23 "2010-09-29T19:18:11Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > So what is everyone’s favorite episode? The Walnut one is the most famous, but there were so many good ones, I can hardly pick. Though the one with the inflatable boat comes to mind… “Coast-to-coast Big Mouth”, where Laura accidentally blurts out that Alan Brady is bald on national telelvision. I think _Dick Van Dyke_ is one of the very few sitcoms from that era that can still be enjoyed today by adults. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/24 "2010-09-29T19:28:46Z")
[For the Laura Petrie fans out there.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANvMAyXuQpI) ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/25 "2010-09-29T19:35:18Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > So what is everyone’s favorite episode? The Walnut one is the most famous, but there were so many good ones, I can hardly pick. Though the one with the inflatable boat comes to mind… Maybe someone could start a poll? That would be a new and original idea. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/26 "2010-09-29T19:44:44Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > We live in the town right next to New Rochelle. Always funny to say “you know where Rob and Laura Petrie lived - in New Rochelle? We live next to that.” and see folks’ eyes light up (well, folks past a certain age ;)) And Maude lived in Tuckahoe and Don Draper’s house was in Ossining. Does this mean something culturally or were they just convenient towns in Westchester County? > [@Gagundathar](#): > > I was in love with Laura Petrie. > > Yeah, that show is still very watchable. Laura Petrie was a wonderful addition to the society of sitcom moms. From my pov, she was like an alien. Nothing like her existed among the moms I knew. > [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Remember: The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of the first sitcoms. They had very little to go on, yet they all did a marvelous job. Well, one of the first 100 or so. Sitcoms had been running on tv on all four networks (and in syndication) for well over a decade by then. The show was wonderfully funny, had the perfect cast, and didn’t depend on stupidity, coincidence, or embarrassment for humor. Modern shows are much faster paced and cram more jokes into them, and the background and meta humor of shows like Community or 30 Rock add layers that Carl Reiner never would have thought to do in 1961. (Reiner is rightly deified, but the show got better with other writers after the first season, when it started growing from more standard sitcom plots.) So “funnier” is a tough standard. I agree that just having it in the argument after all this time says it all. No other show of that era set as high a standard. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/27 "2010-09-29T20:04:15Z")
Great show, although I still go with “I Love Lucy” as the best ever. Good thing they changed the cast from the original pilot “Head of the Family” with Carl Reiner and Barbara Britton as Laura. Van Dyke and Moore were magical. Also interesting that MTM was rejected for Danny Thomas Show because he nose was different from him, later when looking for an actress he said “who was that actress with the upturned nose and the three names”? I have to go with the Greg Morris episode and the Walnut…“What is a Danny Thomas?”. Another great one was having Jerry van Dyke as Rob’s brother in a self pity mood going “You don’t know how I feel! Nobody knows how I feel!”. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/28 "2010-09-29T20:44:05Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > [@WordMan](#): > > > > We live in the town right next to New Rochelle. Always funny to say “you know where Rob and Laura Petrie lived - in New Rochelle? We live next to that.” and see folks’ eyes light up (well, folks past a certain age ;)) > > And Maude lived in Tuckahoe and Don Draper’s house was in Ossining. > > Does this mean something culturally or were they just convenient towns in Westchester County? Surely the latter. But, for some reason, their suburb was mentioned a lot - most folks I make the connection with recognize it immediately. Kinda like knowing that Radar was from Ottumwa, Iowa and Hawkeye from Crabapple Cove, Maine - some locations seemed more important for their characters and the Petries in New Rochelle seemed to have been one of them… ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/29 "2010-09-29T21:05:36Z")
Sorry. You are all wrong. “The Andy Griffith Show” is by far the best sitcom ever. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/30 "2010-09-29T21:08:28Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Sorry. You are all wrong. “The Andy Griffith Show” is by far the best sitcom ever. You know that the color seasons exist, right? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/31 "2010-09-29T21:09:30Z")
New Rochelle in the 1960s is the type of town that people like the Petries would have lived in, though. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/32 "2010-09-29T21:11:32Z")
> [@bup](#): > > > [@tim-n-va](#): > > > > Sorry. You are all wrong. “The Andy Griffith Show” is by far the best sitcom ever. > > You know that the color seasons exist, right? They only made five seasons and stopped when color was invented and Barney moved to Raleigh. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/33 "2010-09-29T21:18:21Z")
I cannot quite agree with the premise. I will however grant that Mary Tyler Moore, as Laura Petrie, is the hottest sitcom wife of all. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/34 "2010-09-29T21:25:05Z")
**Dick Van Dyke** is a classic, but it rarely raised more than a quiet chuckle for me. Plus, after awhile Buddy was just being an A-hole with the bald jokes. For the era, in my opinion, nothing topped **The Honeymooners**. Sure, you can argue that fat jokes are just as bad as bald jokes, but see Mel Cooley never did anything to deserve Buddy’s onslaught. Ralph Kramden deserved everything he got. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/35 "2010-09-29T21:37:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Obligatory video link.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtzC69mcoWQ&feature=player_embedded) It didn’t hurt to have one of the best physical comedians ever. The rest of the cast was wonderful, obviously, but damn! Song, dance, slapstick,timing, impressions, off the chart pratfalls – van Dyke was amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/36 "2010-09-29T21:44:45Z")
Slapstick just doesn’t make me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/37 "2010-09-29T21:58:19Z")
You’ll get no argument from me. When the DVDs came out, I watched the entire series in order. Than montage makes me want to do it again. There is no way I could select a single best episode, but a few come to mind: When Rob buys the motorcycle (Robbie Baby 🙂 ) When the wives are home alone and there’s a cat burglar in the neighborhood. When Rob and Jerry buy the boat. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/38 "2010-09-29T22:09:57Z")
Mary Tyler Moore was my first childhood crush, & I’m still hooked on that million watt smile.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/39 "2010-09-29T22:35:54Z")
Ann Morgan Guilbert who played Millie was also hysterical. I really don’t think people appreciate her enough. One of the best episodes of the series showcases Laura and Millie having to stay alone in the house while their husbands go off on a fishing trip. Millie and Laura were a great comedy team ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484/40 "2010-09-29T23:01:41Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > “Coast-to-coast Big Mouth”, where Laura accidentally blurts out that Alan Brady is bald on national telelvision. > > I think _Dick Van Dyke_ is one of the very few sitcoms from that era that can still be enjoyed today by adults. This is mine also. The scene with Carl Reiner and his wigs is one of the best sitcom scenes ever. One of the things that made it for me is that Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie were not just actors, but totally believable as comedy writers. Just as a lot of the writers from Your Show of Shows went into standup, it made sense for people from standup to go into this version of Your Show of Shows. I suspect today the writers’ room would be a bit more populated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-a-poll-the-dick-van-dyke-show-is-the-funniest-sitcom-ever/555484.md?page=3)