The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season One

Born of Carl Reiner's experiences writing for Sid Caesar and Your Show of Shows, this gold standard series broke the staid sitcom mold. Before The Dick Van Dyke Show, suburbia was never portrayed on television as a haven of sophistication: we never followed Ward Cleaver to work, and we never, ever fantasized about what Ozzie and Harriet did behind closed doors. Rob Petrie--the iconic comedy writer played by Van Dyke--juggles the demands of his glamorous show business career and his harried home life, but the heart and the heat of this series lies in the palpable chemistry between Rob and Laura, his ravishing wife and nutty muse, as witness the classic episode, "The Curious Thing About Women" (the one with the inflatable boat). Here is where Mary Tyler Moore first turned the world on: holding her own with Broadway, vaudeville, and borsht belt veterans Van Dyke, Rose Marie (as man-hungry comedy writer Sally Rogers), and Morey Amsterdam (as "human joke machine" Buddy Sorrell), her Laura was stylish enough to rate a Jackie Kennedy reference in one episode, and scandalous in her hip-hugging capri pants (she was television's first babe-mom). Fans will trip over themselves to get to the extras, which include Reiner's failed series pilot, "Head of the Family." A pop culture benchmark, The Dick Van Dyke Show is must-own television. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season Two is also available on DVD at the same price.] (D. Liebenson)