Search - The Best of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Vol. 5 on DVD

Volume 5 Gives Us "Rosebud", A Boat In The House, And More!

David Von Pein | Mooresville, Indiana; USA | 07/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here come four additional "Dick Van Dyke Show" episodes for your edification and scrutiny. And you won't be disappointed. As with the other 4 volumes in this series of "The Best Of The Dick Van Dyke Show" from Image Entertainment, Inc., this fifth installment provides four excellent programs from the endearing TV situation comedy from the 1960s, plus a few bonus features tossed in for good measure.Here are the episodes you'll see in Volume #5 ................1.) "What's In A Middle Name?" (From Season 2; Air Date: 11/07/1962).2.) "The Curious Thing About Women" (From Season 1; Air Date: 01/10/1962).3.) "All About Eavesdropping" (From Season 2; Air Date: 10/23/1963). **4.) "One Angry Man" (From Season 1; Air Date: 03/07/1962).** = This episode is included in the "Season Two" boxed set from Image; but it actually aired during Season 3. It, however, was filmed at the end of the show's season-two production schedule. And, since the Image boxed sets of the series are arranged by "Production Order", it means "All About Eavesdropping" is included in the Season Two collection. --------------------------Picture quality reigns supreme on these re-mastered DVD versions of these Van Dyke episodes, and a more-than-adequate audio signal is achieved via the disc's 2-channel Dolby Digital soundtracks (in original Mono). Bonus Material ...... "Rehearsal Footage" and Emmy Awards footage. A "Play All" feature is also included, along with a text "bio" section ("Meet The Cast") and a short trivia game called "The Ottoman Tripper".Plus -- There's an additional bonus hiding as an "Easter Egg" on this disc. It's an original TV commercial for "Kent Cigarettes", featuring Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke on the set of the Van Dyke Show. To get to the Egg, go to the Chapter Menu for the episode "What's In A Middle Name?", and "Left Click" while the "Opening Titles" chapter is highlighted. This will take you directly to the hidden TV commercial, without another remote-control keystroke required.More disc information .................Video -- Full Frame (1.33:1).
Audio -- English Dolby Digital Mono.
Subtitles? -- No.
Paper Insert? -- Yes.
DVD Region Code -- "Zero".
Packaging -- Keep Case.These four episodes are all winners in my DvD book. You'll find out why Ritchie's middle name is "Rosebud"; you'll see Laura's "curiosity" produce some hilarious results; and in the classic "Eavesdropping" episode, you'll see the funniest game of "charades" ever filmed!"

The common denominator for these four episodes is that thing

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 08/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There were some classic episodes of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" that I was expecting to be on Volume 5 of this DVD collection since it is the last one in the series (to date). We have not gotten to "Never Name a Duck," "Bank Book 6565696," "The Night the Roof Fell In," and "Laura's Little Lie," or even "I Am My Brother's Keeper." So there should be more of "The Best of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'" to come, or else this is a plot to get you wanting to see those episodes and rethinking your decision not to go with "The Dick Van Dyke: The Complete Series." That is always a possibility with the strange logic by which they put out classic television shows on DVD. Anyhow, given my expectations I ended up rounding down on this solid but less than stellar quartet of episodes:

Episode 37, "What's in a Middle Name?" (Written by Carl Reiner, November 7, 1962) stands out in my mind because it was a decade later that I finally got the joke. The story idea is simple: Rob tells Ritchie how he ended up with the middle name "Rosebud." It turns out that before he was born Ritchie's grandparents, not to mention Grandpa Petrie, got into a big fight as to what his middle name should be and they were not interested in listening to Rob and Laura's suggestions let alone to each other. Of course, the joke has to do with the mystery of the meaning of "Rosebud" in "Citizen Kane," but I had not see the classic film yet (nor read the "Peanuts" Sunday comic strip where Lucy gave the secret away when Linus was preparing to watch the film for the first time). A fun episode once you get the joke, but an average one.

Episode 16, "The Curious Thing About Women" (Written by David Adler, January 10, 1962), has Laura's curiosity getting the better of here when a mysterious package shows up. You see, Rob has used her habit of always opening his mail as the basis for a sketch on "The Alan Brady Show." When she sees the sketch Laura is not happy, but does that stop her from opening up the next package that arrives addressed to Rob? Of course not. What is in the package? Let us just say that it is not something she can easily put back in the package. This would be considered a classic "DVDS" episode.

Episode 67, "All About Eavesdropping" (Written by Sheldon Keller & Howard Merrill, October 23, 1963) finds Rob and Laura listening in to Mille and Jerry on Ritchie's toy intercom while getting ready for a dinner party that is supposed to take place next door. But what they hear does not put them in a good mood and the dinner party ends up being rumored. Apparently it takes two wrongs to make a right, as they turn on the intercom again to find out what the Helpers have to say about the Petries now. This is a solid outing, but the painful part bothers me a little bit (I do not like being mad at Laura, and this is two episode in a row on this DVD where she is doing the wrong thing).

Episode 24, "One Angry Man" (Written by Leo Solomon & Ben Gersham, March 7, 1962) has Rob serving jury duty. But when he sides with the pretty defendant (Sue Ane Langdon), Laura is convinced that injustice is being served. This is obviously a take off, of sorts, of "Twelve Angry Men," and features familiar faces Dabbs Greer as Mr. Berger and Doodles Weaver himself as the Bailiff. Laura is really having a bad time in these episodes. This is another one that I think is rather average all things considered."