Featuring a foreword by Dick Van Dyke, The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book is the first and only complete, fully authorized "biography" of one of TV's most beloved sitcoms, including the first complete viewer's guide to all 158 episodes. Illustrated throughout with more than 125 rare black and white photos.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Definitive is a much-abused word, especially in subtitles, but this time it's used properly. The author of Classic Sitcoms (1987), Waldron combines nostalgia with substance, offering not only the expected stills, plot summaries, and backstage anecdotes, but also some fascinating commentary on what made the Dick Van Dyke Show unique in television history. Drawing extensively on the recollections of the show's creator, principal writer, and producer, Carl Reiner, Waldron argues that the saga of Rob, Laura, Buddy, and Sally took the sitcom genre in a new direction, away from complete reliance on I Love Lucy-like slapstick and toward a more reality-based version of comedy. Reiner, in fact, was famous for his obsession with "realies," carefully observed snippets of reality: "How do you use that rubber thing on the end of a toothbrush?" he once asked. "Put that in the show." Put it in the show they did--and with enough frequency to create a timelessness rare in television of any kind. The show's fans already span multiple generations, and there's no end in sight as long as the reruns keep coming, and Rob keeps tripping over (or sidestepping) that confounded ottoman. Definitive show, definitive book. Ilene Cooper
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“It was the very best time of my life and Vince's book helps me recall every treasured moment. Thanks, Vince!" —Dick Van Dyke
"Wonderful. You got all the facts down in the right order. No embellishments. All the truth. Somebody finally got the whole story right.” —Rose Marie
“The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book is the best reference book on my shelf. It makes it even more fun to watch the show, if that's possible.”
—Morey Amsterdam
“What an unexpected pleasure to read a book on a subject about which I thought I knew everything, only to find out that I didn’t. A very serious contribution to understanding what really were the best years of my theatrical life. I’d say it was a wonderfully scholarly work--but I won’t, because I don’t want to scare people away from a book that’s as much fun to read as this is.” —Carl Reiner, producer/creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show
“Vince's tribute to our show offers as accurate a snapshot of the series—and the era that begat it—as any I've seen.” —Sheldon Leonard, Executive Producer
“A compelling narrative. . . . Waldron waltzes through the series’ story as gracefully as Van Dyke sidestepped his living room ottoman.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Vince Waldron lovingly and very thoroughly recounts the history of The Dick Van Dyke Show." —Los Angeles Daily News
"The definitive history...offers a wealth of backstage anecdotes."
—Emmy Magazine
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"DEFINITIVE" Is Right! A Fascinatingly-Detailed Volume!,
By David Von Pein (Mooresville, Indiana; USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book (Paperback)
This book features an amazing amount of insight into one of the very best television programs to ever grace the airwaves, "The Dick Van Dyke Show".If you're an avid fan of this 1961-1966 CBS-TV program, trust me, you will NOT be able to stop turning pages until you've read the whole thing! In each chapter, we learn new tidbits of behind-the-scenes information. There's info (including some brief biographical data) about every single member of the show's stellar cast. For example: Did You Know .... that the audience laughter went on so long when Greg Morris & his on-screen spouse entered the Petrie home at the end of the episode "That's My Boy??" that the editor actually had to cut out some of the audience hysterics in order to fit the episode into the allowable timeframe? (Too bad, too. I'd love to have heard the WHOLE thing. A great episode indeed.) The book also reveals the fact that Mary Tyler Moore stormed off the set in a huff one time, while doing the ultimately-classic episode, "Never Bathe On Saturday". She was upset because she was off-camera and talking through a door for most of the show. But, after seeing how funny the show worked as written, MTM felt bad about her tirade. "Never Bathe On Saturday" features Dick's great line, after finding that the hotel bathroom door is locked: "Don't toy with me, you saucy wench." :) LOL!!!! Plus there's a complete episode guide, with still more tidbits written within most of the episode descriptions. I cannot imagine a more thorough and detailed Dick Van Dyke Show volume than this one. This book is a MUST for any fan of this highly-intelligent and magnificently-written TV program.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ENTERTAINING AND WELL WRITTEN,
By
This review is from: The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book: The Definitive History and Ultimate Viewer's Guide to Television's Most Enduring Comedy (Paperback)
I read this book in one night---it was that good. I must confess that I usually buy books about TV series for the episode guide and I usually don't get around to reading the entire book. I'm glad I read this one. It was very entertaining and very well written. I really enjoyed it. I'd love to see Vince Waldron use his talent to bring other books about other classic TV series to fans. I say to him, "You write 'em, and we'll read 'em." If you are a Dick Van Dyke Show fan, you'll want this book!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very good and well written book on the classic series!,
This review is from: The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to any fan of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." It was very entertaining to read and informative as well. It was also very well written. I would give it more stars if I could.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
"ANY GOOD SHOW THAT YOU see on television is going to reflect one person's reality," says Carl Reiner, whose work as writer, producer, and creative conscience of The Dick Van Dyke Show certainly bears proof of his premise. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wardrobe furnished, pilot film, opening title sequence, supporting cast, night filming, show pilot, classic episode, pilot episode, show script Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Sheldon Leonard, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Danny Thomas, John Rich, New York, Sam Denoff, Head of the Family, Alan Brady, Morey Amsterdam, Bill Persky, Jerry Paris, Rob Petrie, Laura Petrie, Ann Guilbert, Richard Deacon, Robert Petrie, Bye Bye Birdie, Desilu Cahuenga, Fire Island, New Rochelle, Harry Kalcheim, Lee Rich New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"ANY GOOD SHOW THAT YOU see on television is going to reflect one person's reality," says Carl Reiner, whose work as writer, producer, and creative conscience of The Dick Van Dyke Show certainly bears proof of his premise. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wardrobe furnished, pilot film, opening title sequence, supporting cast, night filming, show pilot, classic episode, pilot episode, show script Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Sheldon Leonard, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Danny Thomas, John Rich, New York, Sam Denoff, Head of the Family, Alan Brady, Morey Amsterdam, Bill Persky, Jerry Paris, Rob Petrie, Laura Petrie, Ann Guilbert, Richard Deacon, Robert Petrie, Bye Bye Birdie, Desilu Cahuenga, Fire Island, New Rochelle, Harry Kalcheim, Lee Rich New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
See all 28 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- Dick Van Dyke Show, The by Ginny Weissman on 141 pages
- Mary Poppins by Walt Disney on page 171, page 208, and page 238
- Twelve Angry Men: A Play in Three Acts by Reginald Rose on page 24, and Back Matter
- Behind the Scenes by Maurice Dodd in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- It's a Wonderful Life by James W. Rodgers on page 38
See all 28 books this book cites
- TV's Most Wanted by Douglas Tonks in Back Matter
- What Were They Thinking: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History by David Hofstede on page 16
- The Road to Success is Paved with Failure : How Hundreds of Famous People Triumphed Over Inauspicious Beginnings, Crushing Rejection, Humiliating Defeats and Other Speed Bumps Along Life's Highway by Joey Green in Back Matter
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