This year doesn’t just mark the 50th anniversary of Star Trek: The Original Series. Fifty years ago this week, CBS aired the series finale of The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Created by Carl Reiner, the classic sitcom starred Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Morey Amsterdam. Between its premiere in 1961 and final season in 1966, the show earned 15 Emmys. The final episode aired on June 1st, 1966.
Two years ago, Reiner discussed the finale with Entertainment Weekly:
We were very careful to look for something that made sense. When a show goes off the air, you don’t want the people to think they died or wondering where they went. So I wrote a show where Dick writes his memoir and brings it to Alan Brady to do a series about it – so it was really me writing a show about myself. Alan buys it asks, who’s gonna play you? That was actually the last show.”
Even then, Reiner said he knew the show was a classic:
Absolutely! As a matter of fact, I was very aware when we were doing the show, that we were doing a classic and to that end, I did it myself and I instructed anybody who was writing for me to not use any slang of the day. I did this in the ’60s. I said this show is going to be on for a long, long time after us. So far I’ve been proven right.”
What do you think? Did you watch The Dick Van Dyke Show? What’s your favorite episode?
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