I loved the Dick Van Dyke Show!
One of television’s most beloved sitcoms, “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” endeared itself to viewers with its clever comedy, three-dimensional characters and realistic situations. Running from 1961 to 1966, the show boasted a peerless ensemble of characters centered on the work and home life of Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), a lovable, if klutzy, writer for a TV variety show, and his beautiful wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore).
Before “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” suburbia was never portrayed on television as a haven of sophistication. We never followed Ozzie Nelson to work, and we never cared to know what Ward and June Cleaver did behind closed doors. But “Your Show of Shows” veteran Carl Reiner, who created, wrote, and produced the show, broke the staid sitcom mold with the series and its realistic portrayal of relationships.
Underlying Van Dyke’s deft physical comedy, such as his tripping over the ottoman in the classic opening scene, or Morey Amsterdam’s numerous one-liners, is a sophistication rare in sitcom, at that time or any other.
How deliciously clever would it be, then, to take this quintessential pop culture art form — the sitcom — and turn it into the high culture art form of an opera.
The article mentions his other 1 act opera. Below you see a portion of it (you hear it, too, if you have your sound on). Sounds very operetta-ish …
