When it comes to picking the top 10 episodes for me it was a struggle. Not because there aren’t 10 but because there are so many good episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” I narrowed it down and here they are.
1. That’s My Boy, episode #64, tops my list. Rob believes that he and Laura took the wrong baby home from the hospital. He is sure the Peters family has his son. The Peters got a number of gifts that were meant for the Petrie family.
Rob gets Jerry involved and they take a footprint of the baby. Rob calls the Peters and asks them to come over to change babies.
The show climax has Rob open the door for the Peters family only to find they are black. Dick Van Dyke’s reaction is priceless.
2. The Ghost of A. Chantz, episode #97. It is a mysterious episode I think probably aired around Halloween. Rob, Laura, Buddy and Sally go to a lodge and are forced to stay in a haunted cabin.
Faces show up in a mirror, a fire starts on its own and one by one Buddy, Sally and Laura disappear. Rob is alone and terrified in the cabin. But then he sees a face in a closet window. Soon the face changes to Alan Brady Show producer Mel Cooley. It is all staged as part of a new TV show called “Sneaky Camera”.
3. It May Look Like A Walnut, episode #51, is #3 on my list. If you like Twilight Zone, you will enjoy this. Rob and Laura watch a scary movie and then nightmares happen. Throughout the episode you are not sure what is real and what is a dream? Rob is convinced he will lose his imagination and his thumbs. He also believes Danny Thomas is Kolak from the planet Twilo. In fact, Rob says he thinks he is on “The Twilo Zone”. This episode also has Laura coming out of the closet on a bunch of walnuts. One of the most talked about episodes of the show. A very unusual episode you will not want to miss.
4. Don’t Trip Over That Mountain, episode #52. Laura is sure Rob will break a leg and end up in a hospital during a ski trip. She dreamt he broke his legs, an arm and more. Of course, Rob trips and ends up with a lot of aches and pains. Rob calls it “a sprained body”. Rob goes home and tries to pretend he is fine. They get into a fight and Rob is forced to sleep on the couch. As he gets dressed to sleep, Laura walks in and sees bandages all over him.
5. Never Bathe On Saturday, episode #121. Rob and Laura go on a second honeymoon in a very ritzy hotel. They plan to see a show but a funny thing happens. Laura gets her toe stuck in the bathtub faucet. The doors is locked and Rob can’t get in to help. A lot of laughs in this episode. I know I keep my toes away from the bathroom faucet.
6. The Curious Thing About Women, episode #17. Rob is frustrated that Laura keeps reading his mail. He writes an episode about how nosy women are. Laura is offended as the lady in the sketch is named Laura. At the end, the woman opens up a package that was her husbands to find an expanding plastic boat. Of course, when a package does arrive, Laura can’t help but open it. And of course it is a boat. A hysterical episode.
7. The Masterpiece, episode #65. I love this episode probably because I go to auctions and I find it amusing. Rob, Sally and Buddy accidentally bid on artwork by rubbing their head, moving glasses, tipping their hands etc. Laura realizes they are bidding and stops them. They stop and someone else bids. At least until Rob wipes his brow and buys it.
They bring it to a professional to see if it is worth something. It turns out to be an Artanis. Artanis backwards is Sinatra. So it is a Sinatra painting.
8. Long Night’s Journey Into Day, episode # 150. Rob, Jerry and Millie go on a fishing trip and Laura is left alone. She is afraid of every noise. Millie decides to go home and be with Laura. Of course her entrance terrifies Laura. But once the two get together they are like Lucy and Ethel.
9. My Blonde-haired Brunette, episode #9. Laura thinks Rob is losing interest in her so she decides to dye her hair blonde. She calls Rob and asks if he would like her blonde and he says no. So Laura frantically tries to dye it back to black. When Rob comes home, she is only half finished. Chaos and laughter ensue.
10. The Night The Roof Fell In – episode #39. This episode starts with Rob and Laura arguing. But soon it becomes a he said, she said type episode. Both Rob and Laura tell very different versions of the story. It takes a goldfish to tell you the tale of what really happens. I thought it was very unusual and entertaining.
Doesn’t this make you want to watch some episodes right now? It is a great classic TV series with many great episodes.
