'The Dick Van Dyke Show'

( CBS )

The year 1961 also marked the launch of the actor's CBS sitcom "The Dick Van Dyke Show." The classic comedy cast Van Dyke as Rob Petrie, the head writer of "The Alan Brady Show," and Carl Reiner as the temperamental Brady. Endless sight gags and one-liners at Petrie's Manhattan office and his family life with wife Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) and son Richie (Larry Matthews) led to 15 Emmys for the show.

"Carl Reiner saw ["Bye Bye Birdie"] and offered me the role of Rob Petrie. I took a week off from "Bye Bye Birdie" and did the pilot of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in Los Angeles, and it sold. So then I knew I'd made it because, my God, the comedy writing! Carl was a genius at that. From then on it was just a lot of fun."

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