Search - The Best of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Vol. 2 on DVD

"Best Of" Volume 2 = Walnuts, Baby Confusion, And Flashbacks

David Von Pein | Mooresville, Indiana; USA | 07/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This second volume in Image Entertainment's "Best Of" series of DVDs serves up four more memorable episodes from one of the greatest TV shows of all-time: "The Dick Van Dyke Show".Watch the following four eps. in glorious restored and re-mastered Digital clarity ..........1.) "Where Did I Come From?" (From Season 1; Air Date: 01/03/1962).2.) "That's My Boy??" (From Season 3; Air Date: 09/25/1963).3.) "It May Look Like A Walnut" (From Season 2; Air Date: 02/06/1963).4.) "October Eve" (From Season 3; Air Date: 04/08/1964).--------------------------These four episodes are, without fear of (much) argument, four of the all-time best that this great 1960s TV series has to offer. Each one resides in the "classic" drawer, IMO.Image has even seen fit to include some bonus material here, which consists of: An Emmy Awards video clip; cast interview snippets; a 23-minute "Making Of" featurette focusing on the "Walnut" episode; a "Meet The Cast" section (which consists of text-only "mini-bios" for the cast members); and a cute extra called "The Ottoman Tripper", which is a 1-question trivia game. If you select the wrong answer to the question, you're taken to a film clip from the opening titles of the show where Rob trips over the living-room ottoman. A correct guess affords you a clip of Rob sidestepping the ottoman. A "Play All" option is also included.NOTE: On Image's season boxed sets, three of these four episodes have Audio Commentary Tracks (all except the "Walnut" ep.). However, those star commentaries have *not* been included for this single-disc version of these episodes. So, if you want to hear any Commentary Tracks, you'll have to get the full-season sets.Video quality is outstanding for these shows, with the Dolby Digital sound garnering equal praise.Some additional info regarding this disc .............Video Aspect Ratio -- 1.33:1 (Full Frame).
Audio -- DD 2.0 English Mono.
Subtitles? -- No.
DVD Region Code -- "Zero".
Insert Included? -- Yes.
Packaging -- Keep Case.It's oh so very hard to pick a "Best" among these excellent "Best Of" volumes that Image Entertainment has released for fans of the show who want to collect just *some* of the great shows from Dick Van Dyke's series. But if I were *forced* (at gunpoint) to choose just one of the five discs to buy, I might just have to go with this "Volume #2". Four LOL-inducing episodes, all with a high re-watchability factor built into each one. You can't go wrong when you select any of the shows on this DVD!"

Three of Dick Van Dyke's favorite episodes on one DVD

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 08/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Best of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' Volume 2" has the distinction of having three of the Dick Van Dyke's five favorite episodes (he lists the first three below plus #93 "I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All" and #121 "Never Bathe on Saturday"). That alone is going to justify a five star rating for this DVD, but let us recall the episodes just to prove the point for the record:

Episode 19, "Where Did I Come From?" (Written by Carl Reiner, First aired January 3, 1962), has Rob explaining to young Ritchie the story of his birth in response to the question that serves as the title for the episode. Apparently the last days of Laura's pregnancy got a bit exciting, which explains why she ended up arriving at the hospital in a laundry truck. The punch line for the show is a bit lame, but the rest of it is pretty good slapstick, which definitely plays to the strength of the Dick Van Dyke..

Episode 51, "It May Look Like a Walnut!" (Written by Carl Reiner, First aired February 6, 1963) is the famous episode where Rob makes the mistake of watching a thriller on the late show. The next thing we know he is having a nightmare about an alien named Twilo-ite (Danny Thomas) who plans to take over the world. This is the one where Laura has eyes in the back of her head and rides out of the closet on a sea of walnuts. Is this a great episode or what? It is usually considered the most popular "DVDS" episode, but the next one is usually named as the best.

Episode 64, "That's My Boy" (Written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, First aired September 25, 1963) is the legendary episode which most people agree had the longest laugh by the studio audience in the history of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." The story is another flashback that tells about what happened when they brought Ritchie home from the hospital and Rob becomes convinced they have brought home the wrong baby. To straighten out the situation he invites over the other couple, the Peters (Greg Morris and Mimi Dillard) so they can switch the babies back. But as soon as Rob opens the door, he realizes he has made a really big mistake. Hard to believe that this was Persky and Denoff's first script for the show, but they were hired by Reiner as full-time writers because of this one. Of course, it was all down hill for them from here, but what a way to start.

Episode 90, "October Eve" (Written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff, First aired April 8, 1964) tells the story of how, once upon a time, Laura posed for a painting for Rob by the young Greenwich Village artist, Serge Carpetna (Carl Reiner). Although Laura posed fully clothed, Carpenta painted her nude, so Laura refused to accept the painting. But now Carpenta is a famous artist and the painting has resurfaced and you can imagine what happens when Rob sees it (one person claims the laughter from the studio audience lasted even longer than the legendary laugh of the previous episode). How much would you give to actually see the painting? Especially if you have been waiting four decades like some of us.

Random Thought: I know that the long laugh in "That's My Boy" was edited down when the show aired, but I wonder how it stacks up against the other classic eruption of studio audience laughter in television history. That would be the infamous Ed Ames tomahawk toss on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." Fortunately you are talking about a great set up and payoff in the one case and a totally spontaneous and unplanned event in the other, so they can each win their own category."

Excellent

Bruno J. Bischoff | 10/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Really enjoyed the Good Old Dick Van Dyke show, saw some I'd never seen before."

Great Comedy

M. Siegel | 01/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Dick Van Dyke show was wonderful, having occasional brilliant frims. A frim is a comedic device in which A and B are having a conversation, but A thinks they are talking about subject A and T thinks they are talking about subject B. The authors of the Dick Van Dyke show were wonderful at creating frims."