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The Reason They Kept Dick Van Dyke Far Away From ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’

If John and Jackie Kennedy were the dream couple who represented the early 1960s’ American ideal, their television doppelgangers were The Dick Van Dyke Show’s Rob and Laura Petrie.  “Everyone loved Mary (Tyler Moore). What wasn’t to love?” wondered Van Dyke in his memoir, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business. “I adored her from the moment we were introduced. I think both of us had each other at hello.”

“You two are perfectly suited,” Carl Reiner told Van Dyke in his book, Why and When the Dick Van Dyke Show Was Born. Even though there was an 11-year age gap between the real-life actors, Reiner was confident that “the audience will accept you as a couple.”

Mel Brooks Was Baffled When Alex Edelman Told Him He Was Woke

The success of Alex Edelman’s shows like the current HBO special Just for Us has allowed him to meet many of his comedy heroes. Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal have all weighed in with encouragement and helpful advice. In a conversation on The Last Laugh podcast, Edelman shared a story about meeting another one of his biggest comic idols, Mel Brooks.

A few years ago, Edelman went to a screening of Blazing Saddles, with Brooks on hand for a question and answer session. During the Q&A, someone asked Brooks why Richard Pryor co-wrote the film comedy with him. “Well, I didn’t know anything about being Black in the United States,” said Brooks. “And Richie knew everything so I went, ‘Richie, why don’t you co-write this movie with me?”

Edelman met up with Brooks after the session and told the director, “Mel, that’s very woke of you.” 

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