The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon: My Blonde-Haired Brunette"

The Cafe is pleased to participate in The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon hosted by Thrilling Days of Yesteryear. Click here to read other great posts paying tribute to this television classic.

I always felt The Dick Van Dyke Show was two TV series rolled into one: (1) a family sitcom and (2) an inside look at show business that thinly veiled a stand-up act involving three sharp comedians. Yes, the one-liners exchanged between Rob (Van Dyke), Sally (Rose Marie), and Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) were frequently funny. However, I always preferred the more natural humor derived from situations in Rob and Laura's home life. It's a personal preference, to be sure, but it's also fueled by my admiration for Mary Tyler Moore. While she never established an enduring career as a serious performer (still earning an Oscar nomination for Ordinary People), she was a fine actress with a comic flair. Her most endearing quality was being able to poke fun at her own insecurities.

"My Blonde-Haired Brunette" appeared as the ninth episode of the first season. It opens with Laura trying to convince a sleepy Rob to get out of bed. When she kisses him playfully on the cheek, Rob mumbles "don't do that" and rolls over. Laura immediately suspects that "the bloom is off the rose" in their marriage. She suddenly notices lines on her face while looking in the mirror. Rob calls her his "old lady." And, worst of all, he plucks a gray hair from his wife's head and laughs about it.

Laura discusses her concerns with her neighbor Mille, who confides that she bleaches her hair blonde when married life is getting dull. Laura follows Millie's advice and transforms herself into a platinum blonde (via a terrible blonde wig!).

Meanwhile, Rob chats with Sally and Buddy about his domestic problems (as if those two could offer any sound advice). He calls Laura to apologize, even serenading her with a song about her "dark, brown hair." As he heads home, Laura and Millie desperately try to dye Laura's hair back to its original color--with the expected disasterous results.

The funniest scenes are the opening ones between Laura and Rob. In one classic bit, a frustrated Laura stomps out of the room when Rob won't get out of bed. She pauses at the door, then tip-toes back to the alarm clock, moves the hands two hours forward, and sets the alarm. She then slips quietly out of the room. When the alarm goes off a few seconds later, a refreshed Rob jumps out of bed and starts exercising. After Laura reveals what she did, Rob is suddenly exhausted again and climbs back into bed. The scene plays to the strength of both Van Dyke and Moore, who use comic timing, facial expressions, and (in Moore's case) an amusing voiceover to generate the laughs.

Although Laura Petrie was rarely the focus of The Dick Van Dyke Show (which was an ensemble show anyway), Mary Tyler Moore's contributions didn't go unnoticed. She was nominated for three Emmys for playing Laura, finally winning the award in 1966 (in the show's last season). Of course, she eventually became one of the most honored actresses in the history of television, receiving eight more Emmy nominations and four wins for The Mary Tyler Moore Shows and several made-for-television movies.