Customer Reviews

The Dick Van Dyke Show - Season Two Box Set [VHS]

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These terrific DVDs are enhanced by vintage clips -- promos and commercials with the stars; a half-hour cast guest spot on "Stump the Stars"; Carl Reiner and company gleefully receiving some of their 15 Emmys. Hidden features show the cast selling cigarettes for Kent, a loyal sponsor.

Stars of the time such as Joey Bishop, Lucille Ball, Sebastian Cabot, Bob Crane and Jane Wyatt pop up, making the sets delightful time capsules.

Dick Van Dyke and Reiner do leisurely commentaries on a handful of key episodes, spending a lot of time on what happened to the cast and crew -- especially who is "still with us," and who is not. They swap a few great stories, and have vivid memories of making the episodes. "Stan Laurel should have sued me," Van Dyke says as he watches himself do a bit. "If only life could be so simple," Reiner sighs as one plot unfolds.

Co-star Rose Marie, ex-child actor Larry Mathews and "neighbor" Ann Morgan Guilbert chat over a few other shows. In one case, Rose Marie plows ahead with a hilarious story long after the episode has ended.

While the audio commentaries are new, other recollections come via footage from what must have been a terrific 1994 TV special about the show. Executive producer Sheldon Leonard and "human joke machine" Morey Amsterdam, both of whom have since passed away, have their say in these clips.

Images and sound are surprisingly good. The restored video has decent contrasts over a pleasing gray scale, with minor wear surfacing here and there. The look falls comfortably between flat and silvery. The 2.0 mono ably conveys dialog, canned laughter and Earle Hagan's bouncy theme music.

The first DVD set includes "Head of the Family," Reiner's flat, almost surreal 1960 pilot for the show, in which he played the lead against a different cast. No network was buying. "The reason Carl Reiner's show failed was Carl Reiner," hot-handed producer Leonard recalled in 1994.

The world-famous ottoman pratfall appears on season 1's cover, in one of those almost 3-D moving photos. Trivia comes in segments called "Ottoman Trippers."

This 5-Disc DVD boxed set of "The Dick Van Dyke Show Season Two", courtesy of Image Entertainment, ranks right up there with the "Season 1" installment. Just a beautiful example of a great TV show being given superb DVD treatment.

We're given the same type of very nice packaging for Season 2 that exists for the first-season set. Individual "slim" style DVD cases are used to hold each of the set's five platters, with very attractive disc and cover art. Each disc is single-sided and contains six or seven Van Dyke Show episodes. There are 33 total programs included here (although the box incorrectly indicates that there are only 32).

The image shown on the "TV" on the front of the slipcase is a nifty "3D" insert card which can reveal a neat little "motion picture" (when turned just so) of Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) sliding out of the Petrie's hall closet, down a mountain of walnuts (taken from the classic Van Dyke Show dream-filled episode all about walnuts).

Each disc's cover also displays episode numbers and titles, film dates, original air dates, and a short synopsis of each program. There are Chapter Selections for each episode as well.

A 4-page printed insert also comes in this package. This mini-booklet provides some informative general information and "Did You Know?" fun facts.

An obvious amount of care and effort went into creating not only the first-rate DVD-Video transfers contained in this set, but in the packaging of the discs as well.

Each of these episodes has a running time of just over 25 minutes. So we know they are the complete shows (as originally aired in 1962 and 1963), without any scenes cut out. ~Big 'Thumbs-Up' to that~

There is also a "Play All Episodes" feature incorporated into this boxed set, for "marathon"-style viewing. This is a great feature that many DVD purchasers will no doubt appreciate.

Video Quality .... Darn near perfect as far as I can see! Considering the age of these programs, I think it's safe to say, due to the intense and lengthy digital restoration and remastering process that was undertaken here, that these episodes have never looked any better. Resolution looks A-OK to my eyes. Laura Petrie's beauty shines through brighter than ever on these crisp digital presentations.

The Sound .... There's a very adequate Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack employed for each episode. All dialogue is easily heard and understood. The "Live Studio Audience" laughter seems quite robust also on these mono tracks.

Extras .... Some outstanding bonus supplements are contained on these five discs. Several episodes have Audio Commentary Tracks attached to them, featuring five of the show's cast members (including Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, and Rose Marie).

There's also a hefty dose of interviews and featurettes, along with Emmy Awards clips (which are a real treat to watch so many years later), photo galleries, and some original commercial spots.

One of the featurettes, which has a brand-new batch of interviews, is "The Making Of 'It May Look Like A Walnut'", in which Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, and Rose Marie reflect back on the hilarious "Walnut" episode. They all, needless to say, remember that one with a great deal of fondness.

And probably my favorite bonus feature is on Disc #5, when we're treated to four members of the Van Dyke Show cast appearing on a CBS-TV game show called "Stump The Stars" (which is an alternate USA title for a program known as "Mike Stokey's Pantomime Quiz"). Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam, and Rose Marie compete in this charades-style game against the game show's "regulars", which include the likes of Sebastian Cabot, Ross Martin, and others.

This "Stump The Stars" bonus is not just a clip or two from the show either....it's the entire episode (running time of 27 minutes)! Even included is a very humorous commercial for Wheat Chex cereal. This game-show bonus exhibits very good picture quality too. It's just great, great stuff. Very fun to watch. (Let me say, also, that all of the players involved in that game show are excellent at playing the game too. You can tell the Van Dyke Show cast had been practicing in anticipation of their appearance on this Pat Harrington-hosted program.)

Also keep an eye open for the "Ottoman Tripper" bonus feature (on selected discs). "Tripper" is a short trivia game, where a correct answer takes you to a shot of Rob Petrie deftly "sidestepping" his famous ottoman. Give a wrong answer, and watch Rob fall on his face. It's yet another nice little extra feature.

Rounding out the large batch of bonus items, there's a "Meet The Cast" feature (text screens only), with some brief info about the show's cast. (One text screen per cast member.)

Easter Eggs too! .... There are also several "Easter Eggs" buried amongst these discs. All of them are commercial spots (many for "Kent" cigarettes, featuring the show's cast members). The "Eggs" can be accessed via several of the disc's "Episode" Sub-Menus. With any of the chapters highlighted (it varies by episode, so you'll have to check every chapter), hit your remote's "Left Arrow" key. If there's an "Egg" there, you'll then see a "glow" around the head of the artist rendering of Dick Van Dyke. Pressing "Enter/Play" at this point will take you to the hidden commercial treats.

Menus .... The menu structure is simple and easy to navigate. There's a separate Sub-Menu for each of the episodes, where the chapter selections for that episode are displayed (with some "screen shots" from that episode shown on the left side of the screen). Upon loading up any of the DVDs, you'll hear the familiar Dick Van Dyke Show theme, followed by--thankfully--silence, for the remainder of that disc "session". There are no annoying (and lengthy) musical menu transitions. Excellent!

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What follows in just a moment is a complete Episode Guide for Season Two of "The Dick Van Dyke Show". This episode list reflects the order in which the programs are presented within this DVD collection, arranged in sequence by "Production Date" (the date of filming the show), which does not always necessarily match the "Air Date" chronology.

The original CBS-TV air dates are also listed below, along with a few program descriptions and quotes from some of the various shows......

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THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW -- SEASON #2 (1962-1963):

31. Never Name A Duck (First Aired: 9/26/1962)

32. The Two Faces Of Rob (10/3/1962) .... I love this particular episode. Rob's telephone gag aimed at Laura backfires on him, and large quantities of hilarity follow. .... "Like you said mommy, 'dolce far niente'!"

33. Bank Book 6565696 (10/17/1962) .... "A 378-dollar sports shirt?"

34. The Attempted Marriage (10/10/1962)

35. Hustling The Hustler (10/24/1962) .... We get our only look at Buddy Sorrell's brother ("Blackie") in this show. (And our lone gander at the pool table in the Petrie's basement.)

36. What's In A Middle Name? (11/7/1962) .... Another first-rate flashback entry, with Ritchie discovering why the heck he's been saddled with the middle name of "Rosebud". .... "E-D-W-A-R-D!" .... "If it's a boy, 'Ulysses David'; if it's a girl, 'Ulyssia Davida'!"

37. My Husband Is Not A Drunk (10/31/1962) .... Charles Aidman (who also plays an insurance salesman named "Ed Rubin" in another Van Dyke episode) plays hypnotist "Glen Jameson" in this Halloween 1962 installment. This episode is a funny one, but it also ranks as one of most "unbelievable" in many aspects. Find out what I mean by perusing my review on the following Amazon.com webpage:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000AYNG0C

38. Like A Sister (11/14/1962) .... Vic Damone guest stars as a love interest for the forever-single and "always-looking" Sally Rogers. Vic's one musical number here is a really good one.

39. The Night The Roof Fell In (11/21/1962) .... Another flashback show, featuring different versions of a rare fight between Rob and Laura. This is definitely a five-star episode, with many funny and re-watchable bits within it. .... "Why don't you fix yourself up?!"

40. The Secret Life Of Buddy And Sally (11/28/1962)

41. A Bird In The Head Hurts (12/5/1962) .... This is the "Ritchie Gets Attacked By A Giant Woodpecker" episode. Ritchie gets a big laugh when he enters the house wearing a pith helmet and sunglasses (in an effort to ward off that pesky bird). Laura's "bent pot" is another highlight here. :)

42. Gesundheit, Darling (12/12/1962) .... Another extremely funny show from the desk of creator Carl Reiner. Rob can't stop sneezing, and Laura thinks SHE is the cause. Keep the rewind button handy when Rob comes home after a sneeze-free day at the office, only to immediately start sneezing after one kiss to Laura's cheek. ~Huge LOL Moment!~

43. A Man's Teeth Are Not His Own (12/19/1962) .... Rob busts a tooth and his dentist (Jerry Helper) is out of town. It's quite a dilemma for poor Rob. And a funny one to boot. One of the top highlights here is when Mel gives Rob some ice water when Rob is in severe pain from his broken tooth. Rob's reaction is worth at least one replay.

44. Somebody Has To Play Cleopatra (12/26/1962)

45. The Cat Burglar (1/2/1963) .... Rob gets to play Sherlock Holmes (sort of) after a burglar breaks into the Petrie homestead and steals their dining-room table. .... "Every year she {Millie} gets more and more nervous." --> "That's because you keep bringing explosives into our bedroom." .... This episode also features one of the very best scenes in the whole Van Dyke series -- the scene where the musical jewelry box seems to be hooked up to the bedroom door, with Rob quickly closing the door as he looks around, wondering where in the world that music's coming from. It's a brilliant Van Dyke Show moment that demands multiple instant replays every time this episode is cued up. :-)

46. The Foul-Weather Girl (1/9/1963)

47. Will You Two Be My Wife? (1/16/1963)

48. Ray Murdock's X-Ray (1/23/1963) .... This is one of my very favorite shows in the series. Rob is interviewed on TV and reveals some not-too-flattering details about wife Laura. .... "Rob, go to your room!" ~ROFL!~

49. I Was A Teenage Head Writer (1/30/1963)

50. My Husband Is A Check-Grabber (2/13/1963) .... Time for some more (funny) flashback sequences. This is yet another dandy episode that makes this TV series so immeasurably "re-watchable". And we also get a rare look at the Petrie's car.

51. It May Look Like A Walnut (2/6/1963) .... A classic among classics here, with Danny Thomas popping up in Rob and Laura's dreams as "Kolac" from the planet "Twilo" (serving as a spoof and a tribute to the series "The Twilight Zone"). Keep an eye on your thumbs. .... "Why, without my thumbs, I couldn't type."

52. Don't Trip Over That Mountain (2/20/1963) .... Despite Laura's warnings, "klutz" Rob goes skiing. Guess what happens? .... "Laura probably pictures me in some strange hospital, all crippled and banged-up -- oooh {ouch}!"

53. Give Me Your Walls (2/27/1963)

54. The Sam Pomerantz Scandals (3/6/1963)

55. I'm No Henry Walden (3/27/1963) .... Veteran actor Everett Sloane puts in a guest appearance here. And watch for Carl Reiner, not as "Alan Brady", but as "Yale Sampson", a mush-mouth intellectual who (as Rob puts it) "has the ability to say things that seem vague, but are in reality...meaningless." ~LOL~

56. The Square Triangle (3/20/1963) .... This episode has a very heartfelt and touching scene between Rob and Laura at the end of the show. The realistic interaction between those two characters can easily make a viewer believe they are really married and, more importantly, genuinely care about each other as well.

57. Racy Tracy Rattigan (4/3/1963)

58. Divorce (4/10/1963) .... A funny V.Dyke installment with Buddy's wife, "Pickles", taking center stage. She's a howl in this episode, too, as she tries to explain who "Floyd B. Barriscale" and "Barton Nelson" are.

59. It's A Shame She Married Me (4/17/1963) .... Robert Vaughn guest stars as "Jim Darling", a former beau of Laura's. .... "Are you coming, Cooley?" --> "Yes, Darling. Er, uh, I mean Jim!" :)

60. A Surprise Surprise Is A Surprise (4/24/1963) .... Laura tries her best to surprise Rob on his birthday....and she does just that. Watch this fun episode and find out how she manages it.

61. Jilting The Jilter (5/1/1963)

62. When A Bowling Pin Talks, Listen (5/8/1963)

63. All About Eavesdropping (10/23/1963) .... This episode actually aired during the third season, but was filmed as the "head start" ep. at the end of Season 2. And "Eavesdropping" ranks as my #1 fave from this 2nd-year boxed set. The hysterical "On The Street Where You Live" charades game is worth the price of admission all by itself. .... "It was perfectly clear to me Gerald." .... "You mean you didn't give 'em the house?" :)

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Some Dick Van Dyke Show Trivia and Assorted Semi-Useless (But Fun) Facts:

>> Executive Producer Sheldon Leonard saved Mr. Van Dyke's series from the scrap pile after it was initially going to be cancelled after just the first season. Mr. Leonard's persistence, and his belief that the show was an as-yet-untapped comedy goldmine, enabled him to convince the show's sponsor (Procter & Gamble) to foot the bill for a second season. (Well, at least partially anyway. P&G picked up a portion of the second-year tab, with "Kent Cigarettes" assuming the remainder of the sponsorship duties.)

>> Ever notice the TWO differing addresses for the Petrie's New Rochelle, N.Y., home? Sometimes the address of the house is said to be "148 Bonnie Meadow Road"; and at other times the number changes to "448".

>> The actor (Dabbs Greer) who portrays the Chaplain that performs Rob and Laura's marriage ceremony (through a gauze mask! LOL!) also pops up in other Van Dyke episodes as well. Greer has been in just about every vintage TV show you could think of -- including "The Fugitive", "Bonanza", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Gomer Pyle", "Perry Mason", "The F.B.I.", "Gunsmoke", "Mannix", "The Brady Bunch", "Barnaby Jones", "Empty Nest", and another of Mr. Van Dyke's series, "Diagnosis Murder". Over 200 guest appearances in total! .... I've always liked Dabbs in everything I've seen him in. And the Van Dyke series is no exception. He's a small riot in Season-Five's "Fifty-Two, Forty-Five Or Work", in which Dabbs plays the manager of the "TV Rectifier Tube" company that employs Rob in a flashback episode.

>> There's a bit of a writing blunder in Episode 59 ("It's A Shame She Married Me"). During the episode, Rob specifically tells Sally (almost at a shouting level in fact) that he is "Not gonna tell" his wife Laura about an upcoming party given by an ex-flame of Laura's. But that very evening Sally decides to call Laura on the phone to ask what she will be wearing to this function -- a function that she KNOWS Rob didn't want his wife to know anything about! It doesn't add up. Especially when you consider what kind of nice person Sally Rogers really is. She would NEVER have made that call behind Rob's back. (Maybe we're supposed to believe that Sally has an awful memory or something.) It's a good episode nonetheless -- like just ALL Van Dyke episodes. ;)

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If I had my druthers, the U.S. Congress would immediately pass a law that would force all good citizens to go out and purchase a copy of this worthwhile DVD boxed set. Every person in the country could then enjoy, in digital splendor, the excellence that was (and still is) "The Dick Van Dyke Show".

Extras are planned for this release though not currently listed above. In addition to being uncut for the first time since their original broadcast (up to three whole minutes per episode being restored), the extras include:

* Interview Segments with Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore
* "Mary Tyler Moore Remembers 'Bank Book 6565696'"
* Joy Commercials
* "The Cast Remembers Jerry Paris"
* "Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam Remember Buddy and Sally"
* 1963-1964 Emmy Awards Footage featuring David Jansen, the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies, Fred MacMurray and more!
* "The Making of 'It May Look like a Walnut!'"
* "Stump the Stars" Program Excerpt with the Dick Van Dyke Cast
* Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke Commentaries for 2 Episodes
* Rose Marie, Ann Gilbert and Larry Matthews Commentaries
* Still Galleries and Cast Bios

WE got this as a gift, and we were considering returning it, but didn't see anything else worth getting.. I am so glad we didnt' return it.. First off, I thought I can watch this on cable, and why buy this.. WRONG.. The picture is so amazing that you will not want to watch this show on cable tv.
It's like watching it brand new... Plus no commericals...
at least to interrupt it, thus far... but there are some old vintage ones to enjoy that are a treat in the bonus material era area of the disks... as if you were back in 1962-63 and Jack Kennedy is the President.
I now want Season 1, and the rest of the seasons as well.
We still want our Mary Tyler Moore Show show season 2. I've been waiting almost for 2 years for them to release season 2 of MTM..
So nice to have both the Dick Van Dyke Show and the Mary Tyler Moore show , both classic shows on DVD..

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 (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Never Name a Duck" in which Rob brings home two baby ducks from work, but tries to conceal them from Laura and Ritchie so that they don't fall in love with them. But inevitably, they find the ducks with Ritchie naming them Stanley and Oliver. When one of the ducks dies, Rob must explain the situation to Ritchie... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Hustling the Hustler" in which Rob discovers that Laura is a closet pool shark, and "A Bird in the Head Hurts" in which a nest-building woodpecker tries to use Ritchie's hair for a foundation...

Below is a list of episodes included on The Dick Van Dyke Show (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 31 (Never Name a Duck)
Episode 32 (The Two Faces of Rob)
Episode 33 (The Attempted Marriage)
Episode 34 (Bank Book 6565696)
Episode 35 (Hustling the Hustler)
Episode 36 (My Husband is Not a Drunk)
Episode 37 (What's in a Middle Name?)
Episode 38 (Like a Sister)
Episode 39 (The Night the Roof Fell In)
Episode 40 (The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally)
Episode 41 (A Bird in the Head Hurts)
Episode 42 (Gesundheit, Darling)
Episode 43 (A Man's Teeth Are Not His Own)
Episode 44 (Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra)
Episode 45 (The Cat Burglar)
Episode 46 (The Foul Weather Girl)
Episode 47 (Will You Two Be My Wife?)
Episode 48 (Ray Murdock's X-Ray)
Episode 49 (I Was a Teenage Head Writer)
Episode 50 (It May Look Like a Walnut!)
Episode 51 (My Husband is a Check-Grabber)
Episode 52 (Don't Trip Over That Mountain)
Episode 53 (Give Me Your Walls!)
Episode 54 (The Sam Pomerantz Scandals)
Episode 55 (The Square Triangle)
Episode 56 (I'm No Henry Walden!)
Episode 57 (Racy Tracy Rattigan)
Episode 58 (Divorce)
Episode 59 (It's a Shame She Married Me)
Episode 60 (A Surprise Surprise is a Surprise)
Episode 61 (Jilting the Jilter)
Episode 62 (When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen)
Episode 63 (All About Eavesdropping)

The DVD Report

My original idea for this review was to watch several Dick Van Dyke episodes and point out the better ones. After watching them I discovered (what I should have known in the first place) is that you can't pick out a few. Every episode is a classic!

To say they don't make shows like that anymore is an understatement. Nowadays sitcoms take one idea and run the joke into the ground. Shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show took a situation and found the comedy in that particular issue. The shows also dared to, occasionally, veer from straight comedy and inject a little real life pathos into the episode. A prime example is season two's first episode "Never Name A Duck" in which Rob (Dick Van Dyke) inherits two leftover ducklings from The Alan Brady Show and takes them home to Richie (Larry Matthews). After one dies, the other starts exhibiting the same symptoms the first had before it died. The show ends on a positive note, but Ritchie learns a lesson and takes a step in maturing.

A staple of the show were the flashbacks to Rob's Army days when he was courting Laura (Mary Tyler Moore). Episodes like "The Attempted Marriage" in which Rob tells the story of how he missed the first wedding ceremony. Or "I Was a Teenage Headwriter" tells the story of Rob getting hired by The Alan Brady Show and having to break it Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally (Rose Marie) that he's the headwriter of the show. These episodes were highly relatable to its audience, and through all the seasons of the show the "mythology" in these episodes was remarkably consistent.

The show also related to its audience in finding the comedy in the domestic disputes of Rob and Laura. "The Night the Roof Fell In" takes the totally relatable issue of a fight between spouses and presents the fight from both Rob and Laura's point of view and how each exaggerates the incident, a plot that has since become a standard in sitcom television.

Dick Van Dyke series creator Carl Reiner was once asked where he got the ideas for the show and he replied that if all else failed when he went home he would ask his kids what they did that day and he pointed to the episode "A Bird in the Head Hurts," where Ritchie is being attacked by a woodpecker as an example of an episode based on real life experiences. Another of season 2 episodes that seems to fall into this category is "When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen" in which Rob is stuck for an idea for a comedy sketch and inadvertently steals another comedian's idea through Ritchie.

A couple other standout episodes for me are the wildly surrealistic episode, "It May Look Like a Walnut" in which Rob and Laura watch a science fiction movie before going to bed and dream the world is being taken over by beings from the planet Twilo (and the twilo-lites look eerily like Danny Thomas) and that walnuts steal your thumbs and imagination. This episode creeped me out when I was kid, but is still funny and has the classic scene of Laura sliding out of the closet on a wave of walnuts. Another episode I loved as a kid was "The Sam Pomerantz Scandals" where Rob takes Buddy, Sally, Laura, and Mel (Richard Deacon) to a mountain resort and end up having to put on a variety show. The last skit is Dick Van Dyke and guest star Henry Calvin recreating a Laurel and Hardy sketch, (Stan Laurel was a hero of Van Dyke's) it's still one of the funniest skits I've ever seen.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. There's the guest stars on the show such as a pre-Hogan's Hero's Bob Crane and Richard Dawson (in separate episodes), Vic Damone, or Vito Scotti ("Give Me Your Walls") who was on just about every sitcom in the 60`s. Going through the episode titles I could find a reason why every one is a classic and still FUNNY! Don't forget there are also bonus features such as the making of "It May Look Like a Walnut", and insightful commentaries for episodes. Whether you're getting "The Dick Van Dyke Show" Season 2 because you enjoyed it in your past or if you're looking to find out what The Dick Van Dyke show was all about, you won't be disappointed in the quality of this package.

I own only three DVD sets; Dick Van Dyke, The Waltons and Touched by An Angel. That's all I *want* to own for I feel that contemporary television programs can not hold a candle to these older shows.

This collection of Dick Van Dyke on DVD is a real treasure. The second season is fantastic, as you can feel how relaxed the cast was with one another. Rob and Laura look and act like an old married couple and seem genuinely comfortable with one another. The special features on the DVD are invaluable for baby boomers such as myself. The predominant "bonus feature" for the second season are the Kent Cigarette commercials which are a stitch.

But back to what I love about the second season of Dick Van Dyke: There is a simplicity to this show that I thoroughly enjoy. The set is simple, the directing is simple and the acting isn't polished, polished and polished some more. And that is its charm.

Watch closely and you'll both hear and see Rob, Laura, Sally and Buddy make a few foibles and missteps and mispronounciations. The fact that these scenes were not redone (again and again) is the beauty part of the show and gave each episode a down-to-earth reality that I love and enjoy.

The other interesting aspect are the camera shots. Watch modern TV and you'll see that the camera shots never last more than six seconds before it's switched to another camera from another angle. It creates television programs that are so frenetic and frenzied, yet it's also the very thing that holds your attention (and not in a good way).

The Dick Van Dyke program had single camera shots lasting for 30 seconds at a time. This must have been challenging for the actors, as they had to remember more dialogue and keep it going and keep everything flowing smoothly.

And the other amazing thing is Dick Van Dyke himself. Whether he's tripping over an ottoman or hurdling over an overstuffed chair in a single bound or tripping over one of Richie's toy trucks, it's Mr. Van Dyke doing all his own stunts. I've watched many of these trips and falls and hurdles on slow-motion and it's phenomenal to watch Mr. Van Dyke as he sails through the air. And the dancing! As Carl Reiner said in one of the bonus feature documentaries, "Dick doesn't have any bones in his body."

Dick Van Dyke did his own dancing and and soft shoe routines and when he sang, it was his own voice and this was true for Mary Tyler Moore, too.

I believe that all the above are the reasons that The Dick Van Dyke Show was (and is) considered to be the gold standard for sitcoms by which all other sitcoms are judged. The talent - the amazing, raw, funny talent of the whole staff - and the energy and the joy that emanates from each episode is something that no modern sitcom has yet to replicate.

(In the second season, there's an insert that explains that the actors - most notably Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam and Dick Van Dyke - had a heck of a time remembering to call each other by their stage names. All three got their start as stand-up comics and knew each other before the show went into production. That warm familiarity and friendship is what made this show so delightful.)

I can't say enough good things about this program and I'm unspeakably delighted to see it's been preserved on DVD (and enhanced!). There will never be another sitcom that can measure up to the shirtwaist of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

I recommend buying all of five years of this program. You won't regret it.

1. Never Name a Duck

2. The Two Faces of Rob

3. The Attempted Marriage

4. Bank Book 6565696

5. Hustling the Hustler

6. My Husband is Not a Drunk

7. What's in a Middle Name

8. Like a Sister

9. The Night the Roof Fell in

10. The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally

11. A Bird in teh Head Hurts

12. Gesundheit, Darling

13. A Man's Teeth are not his own

14. Somebody Has to Pay Cleopatra

15. THe Cat Burlar

16. The Foul Weather GIrl

17. Will You Two Be My Wife

18. Ray Murdock's X-Ray

19. I was a teenage head writer

20. It May Look Like a Walnut!

21. My Husband is a Check-Grabber

22.Don't Trip Over that Mountain

23. Give Me your Walls!

24. The Sam Pomerantz Scandals

25. The Square Triangle

26. I'm no Henry Walden!

27. Racy Tracy Rattigan

28. Divorce

29. It's A Shame She Married Me

30. A Surprise Surprise is a Surprise

31.Jitting the Jitler

32. When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen

It's amazing that a series from 40 years ago holds up this well. My two boys (ages 10 & 11) love the show as much as my wife and I do.
Clean, family-oriented fun; well-written; consistently funny; talented ensemble cast.

I can't give it a high enough score. Oh, and I WILL be buying season 3 very soon.

Buy it today; you'll be glad you did.

I have now watched seasons 1-3 and must admit I liked season 2 the best. They are all well done and beautifully remastered. However, I think some of my favorite episodes seemed to be on Season Two. I am very pleased with the set and look forward to watching the remainder of the shows. Love all the "extras"!