On The Dick Van Dyke Show, one of the regular features of the show was Morey Amsterdam as Buddy mercilessly roasting Mel Cooley played by Richard Deacon. Mostly with relentless bald jokes.
It seemed very funny when I watched the first few times, but recently, it just seems horribly mean-spirited of Buddy. Buddy didn’t treat everyone that way, so why Mel?
Okay, Mel was played as a kiss-up to Alan Brady, but I didn’t think Mel treated his workmates badly. He never berated them, or lorded his connection with Alan over them.
I never watched a great deal of this show, so did I miss something about the rancour between Buddy and Mel?
Yes, I’ve heard that the bullying of Mel by Buddy sort of spilled over into real life, because Richard Deacon was gay. Was that it? Good Lord!
I always figured it was because Cooley was a boring WASPy authority figure who, despite the fact he oversaw the production of a comedy show, had no sense of humor.
Incidentally, show creator Carl Reiner at least partially based Buddy Sorrel on his old “Your Show of Shows” writing colleague, Mel Brooks. Cooley allegedly was a singular representation of the many network executives who were always butting in and interfering with the show’s creative process.
Mel is also the contact point for all disagreements between Alan and the writers, and since he’s a kiss-up, of course someone in the bullpen is going to pick on him.
Mel was management and Buddy was talent. Mel came in at 8am and crunched numbers and set budgets, but the writers were the ones who made the magic happen. Same tension in the early seasons of 30 Rock with Liz and Jack.
As others have noted, Mel’s status as Alan’s BIL often seemed to be a factor in the taunts. One episode, they had to get someone to sneak into Alan’s house to retrieve something (a dangerously flawed script?*) Mel volunteered, reasoning, “I don’t think Alan would have a problem. Why, I’m his brother-in-law - I’m married to his sister.”
To which Buddy replied, “Well, now that we’ve solved the theory of relativity…”
Those exchanges, in which Buddy makes fun of Mel’s baldness, are a fascinating time capsule showing how much attitudes towards baldness have changed. (Alan Brady’s wearing of a toupee (and his outrage over Laura’s accidentally leaking the fact) is another). Today, Mel would probably sport a shaved head, and would shut down Buddy’s first baldy joke with an observation about Buddy’s height.
I actually remember this episode well. It had been a rough week, and Alan had been very demanding with re-writes on the script. To blow of steam, the writing team had added funny stage direction into the script (Alan walks off stage, flogs his writers and kicks a dog…) They had intended to ink out the stage direction, but they all were given surprise tickets to the theater and forgot about it. Hence the hijinks to retrieve the script.
Mel does save the day in that episode, after they get caught.
This is the first time I’ve heard that Richard Deacon was gay (not that I’m doubting it, I just never knew it before). It’s also the first time I’ve ever heard it suggested that he was not universally beloved on the set of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Everyone I’ve ever heard speak about him always said what a wonderful guy he was. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bad word about him from anyone he ever worked with.
The bald jokes (and occasional fat jokes) were just the kind of humor they did back then. Add to that the fact that Mel was the writers’ direct boss. He was the one who made them work late if Alan didn’t like the script. He was the one who approved or denied their requests. He was the one who demanded rewrites if something wasn’t funny. Even Rob, in one episode, called him a pest. He was “probably the top pest producer in the business.” Part of his role as producer was, perhaps, to soak up Buddy’s insults which otherwise might go toward Alan. Notice that Buddy never made bald jokes about Alan. He wouldn’t dare; that would get him fired. Mel provided an outlet for the grievances that Buddy couldn’t let loose on Alan himself.
And of course, there was the brother-in-law thing, suggesting that he got his position via nepotism rather than merit. Although the show does seem to indicate that Mel was actually good at his job.
Interestingly enough, the show was inconsistent on exactly how Mel and Alan were brothers-in-law. In some episodes, Alan was married to Mel’s sister. In other episodes, Mel was married to Alan’s sister. Of course, it’s possible for both of these to be true, but it would be unusual.
Kaye Ballard didn’t like working with Deacon when he replaced Roger C Carmel on “The Mothers-in-law”. She preferred a more physical style of comedy, such as hitting her tv husband when they argued.
It had been a rough week, and Alan had been very demanding with re-writes on the script. To blow of steam, the writing team had added funny stage direction into the script (Alan walks off stage, flogs his writers and kicks a dog…) They had intended to ink out the stage direction, but they all were given surprise tickets to the theater and forgot about it. Hence the hijinks to retrieve the script.