Dick Van Dyke recently confessed that the beginning of his cherished sitcom was quite challenging.
In response to how “The Dick Van Dyke Show” came to be, the 99-year-old actor revealed that he almost lost his iconic show due to tough competition from another Hollywood star.
“I was doing ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ for a year, and the pilot came up . . . my agent told me it was between me and Johnny Carson,” he shared on Ted Danson’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” podcast.
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Famed actor Dick Van Dyke reflected on his beloved sitcom and how it was nearly axed from television. (Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images)
He went on to explain that after his work on “Bye, Bye Birdie,” he took a week off, “flew out here and did a pilot with Carl [Reiner], came back . . . he called me and said it sold . . . and then the end of the first season we got canceled.”
Van Dyke elaborated that his show was competing against Perry Como on NBC, and “he beat us every night.”
Perry Como was a highly acclaimed entertainer of the 20th century known for his hit songs, including the holiday favorite, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “Catch a Falling Star.”
“I was doing ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ for a year, and the pilot came up . . . my agent told me it was between me and Johnny Carson.”
Van Dyke recounted how executive producer Sheldon Leonard went to Cincinnati to persuade Van Dyke’s corporate sponsor, Procter & Gamble, to allow the network to keep airing “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
Leonard also produced “The Andy Griffith Show” alongside “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
Cast of the Dick Van Dyke Show, circa 1965. (Getty Images)
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“He said this show deserves another chance, and they gave us another chance. . . . Then we ran for five years.”
The Hollywood actor also shared his experience of working with one of his “heroes,” the creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Carl Reiner.
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Van Dyke was honored with a television special in 2023. (Photo by Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images)
“He was not only a great talent, he was one of the nicest people I ever knew. He was an angel, that guy. Loved him.”
In June 2020, the legendary actor, director, and producer Reiner passed away at the age of 98. Reiner died of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner (R) pose with their Grammy Award for Best Spoken Comedy Album for “The 2000 Year Old Man In The Year 2000.” (Reuters)
Throughout his illustrious career in show business, Reiner garnered numerous awards, including several Emmys and a Grammy for best spoken comedy album with Mel Brooks for their album “The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000.”
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Reiner was most famous for his role on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which he also created. He portrayed comedian Alan Brady on the fictional TV show.
