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S39E8: Starring Dick Van Dyke | Clip

What made the opening credits of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” special

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There were two variants of the opening credits of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” one where Dick trips over an ottoman and another where he sidesteps the ottoman. This clever change became the signature of the show.

TRANSCRIPT

(upbeat jazz music) (audience applauding) - [Narrator] At the start of the second season, viewers are presented with an entirely new main title sequence.

It's the result of a happy accident.

- I said, "Okay, let's wrap it up and go."

And Carl said, "Oh my God, I forgot, John.

"We need, we need an opening."

"What do you mean?

What opening, what?"

He said, "For the show, we need to," I said... Well the first year we had had pictures.

And he was tired of that.

Carl was.

He said, "We need a little clever opening."

"Oh God, what do you wanna do?"

He said, "I don't know."

He said, "Let's do something where, "who's in the shot?"

He said, "Everybody."

I said, "Oh, Christ."

I said, "All right."

I said, "Rosie, Morey, you're there.

"And Dick comes home, and uh..." Carl said, "He falls."

I said, "Great."

(bright music) - [Announcer] "The Dick Van Dyke Show," starring Dick Van Dyke.

(whimsical music) - I said, "Print.

That's it, we did it."

Carl said, "Let's do a variation."

And he's very clever, you know?

He said, "Let's do one where he misses, "then we'll change it week by week."

(bright music) - Starring Dick Van Dyke.

(whimsical music) - It was actually two takes, that fast, maybe four minutes.

And that became the signature of the show.

(laughs) - As soon as I saw Dick Van Dyke tripping over the ottoman, and getting up with a smile on his face, I was hooked.

Because I felt like that's what Dick is here to say.

It's not a pratfall, it's a metaphor.

If you tumble, you gotta pop right up and laugh at yourself because you're ridiculous.

We're all ridiculous, and life is an absurd obstacle course of unforeseen ottomans.

(upbeat jazz music)