That's what Carl Reiner based this episode on; he paid attention to what was popular, and based much of this show on those various things, including the episode "The Redcoats are Coming," in which the two-man band "Chad and Jeremy" played as the Redcoats.
Jerry Lanning recently spoke (here on YTube) about how exciting it was to be on the show to showcase his great singing and how nice everyone was to him.
I have no idea why so many people dislke this episode. On the IMBd it had the second lowest approval rating. I saw it in about the year 1972 and thought that it was hilarious. Definitely one of my favs from this great series. It's still on every Sunday night at MeTV.
For one thing, it featured DVD in one of the ugliest, least professional dance scenes he ever did in his many decades of dancing (the scene where he and "Laura" first did 'Twizzle'). The producer had him doing that loose, sloppy, unhinged "dancing," nearly ruining DVD's reputation as a great dancer. There were other reasons, too, including that it wasn't at all "hilarious." It was, in fact, very hard to find anything genuinely funny about it.
@@jb6712 To each his own jb. I really liked MTM's Twizzle dance scene and the big smile that she had on her face when perfomring it. Freddie Blassie's "Twazzle" scene at the end was greast as well. I'm glad that some of the other posters enjoyed this episode as well as myself. 😀
@@jb6712considering this whole "twizzle" episode was supposed to make fun of tiktok-like, teenager, silly dances coming out in the early 60s, the routiine is quite above mediocre.
When I would see Mary Tyler Moore in her show in the 1970's or others I still would remember the tune and her doing the Twizzle. Where were the rest of the musical instruments at in their living room besides the piano? The guy was a heck of a good singer.
In 1976 I was watching TV at night with two friends and whatever we were watching ended and this came on. I was a little suspicious that both Mary and Rose Marie were dressed in tight Capri pants, plus Mary’s top had a fringe…and then on came the vigorous mass dance scene. From then on, those friends and I often spontaneously broke into belting out “The Twizzle”.
That’s classy Freddie Blassie in the ending scene - he was a real pro wrestler from that time period and it looks like he’s wearing the America’s belt … not to be confused with the US title belt.
The original song "The Twizzle" was written by Mack David he was an American lyricist and songwriter and older brother to Hal David who compose songs with Burt Bacharach.
I checked to make sure; that is dancer Robert "Bobby" Banas dancing front and center (wearing a shirt and sweater). Best know for WEST SIDE STORY, and also dancing "The Nitty Gritty" on THE JUDY GARLAND SHOW.
I first saw this episode back in the 90's on Nick at Nite and it stands out because of a kooky gimmick. It aired on St. Patrick's Day and the network celebrated by tinting all the black and white shows green. I don't remember if the color shows got the same treatment but it was wild watching this episode thru a green tint.
This song and dance was so good that it was on pebbles and Bam Bam Flintstones cartoon on Saturday morning. Pebbles and Bam Bam And the Jetsons with Judy Jetson did the same routine. It was started by this TV show.
The dance is The Twist. A dance and song made popular by Hank Ballard in 1959 and covered by Chubby Checker in 1960. With the exception of the ad lib dancing by Dick Van Dyke (wonderful dancer, singer actor) it is the same dance.
You kinda had to have been there. In 1961 America was in the middle of "The Twist" dance craze. I was about 6 yrs at the time, but I remember it was HUGE!!! Songs by Chubby Checker, Joey Dee and Bobby Rydell were blaring on our radios and providing backgrounds for ads (for various different products). Teens flocked to bowling alleys and ice skating rinks and filled up juke boxes with dimes and quarters playing and dancing to "twist" songs. I don't think "The Twizzle" was ever released as a 45 single. Who knows, it might have been a hit for young Jerry Lanning. The craze lasted about two years and then something else came along to take its place. By '65 it was DEAD.
How is it possible that a young man could be that tall and handsome and sing like an angel and no one knows his name? Show business is so fickle and strange.
Sally's aunt always said crazy things, and so did Rhoda's on "Rhoda". Would it be too far-fetched to believe that perhaps Mary Tyler Moore got the idea from the Dick Van Dyke show and put it into action again on "Rhoda"?
MTM had no more say in her show than DVD did in this one. The actors don't write the shows, the writing staff does, and they often use one running gag from one show to the next. Not at all original, and after about two episodes, it all gets very tiresome, and more so when the same theme is repeated across the spectrum of any genre.
According to Vince Waldron's book about the Dick Van Dyke Show, the cast didn't much care for this episode. Jerry Lanning was cast for much the same reason as his character was: to give him his big break in show business.
I actually really enjoyed this episode, more than some of the others, I'm not born in the 50s or 60s but it felt very nostalgic and I kept wondering is this Superman looking guy someone famous, perhaps not the funniest episode though.
@@jackiedavenport1028 They didn't care. The premise was cringy, and the entire thing was done to launch the executive's son as some kind of new youth sensation. A cast of people who'd worked hard to get where they were wouldn't care for nepotistic advantages.
@@kai223noa6 He's nothing special. The episode didn't do anything for him, because the rest of the cast was too good for him to be singled out. Having Roberta Sherwood as his mother did him some favors, but he didn't become a breakout star or anything, and never expanded beyond the stage.
Jag har inget att tillägga, tycker att artister vi har i landet borde hjälpa till och stötta din och Carl Norbergs information. Vi behöver positiv energi . Tack för ditt och allas fina arbete, med att informera. Befolkningen om vad som händer i vårt land och även i resten av världen.❤.
Nu menar jag den energi vi får , när vi börjar tala med varandra. RU-vid har blivit som en enda stor polisutredning , tycker jag. Åsiktsregistrering, vad menas med det? Det som är bra för en är bra för alla. WWG1WGA.
Jerry was 18 when this was filmed. He looks to be in his mid 20s as the earliest until the camera focuses on him straight on. Only then does he look about 20. But more importantly, does anyone else not find him attractive?
Don’t get me wrong. I love the show, but doesn’t anybody ever wonder where the hell Richie is? I mean, they just ran out of the house! I guess he’s over Freddy’s!
Krista Brewer The original song "The Twizzle" was written by Mack David he was an American lyricist and songwriter and older brother to Hal David who compose songs with Burt Bacharach.
Only in so far as that it was written for the show. But no, it wasn't released, you couldn't buy it as a record or sheet music, if that's what you mean.
The general consensus of the stars was that this was the WORST of their shows. Dick Van Dyke hated one particular episode in which he dreams he is a stern, old-fashioned and abusive father in a dream. He hated doing it even in a dream.
Assuming that's meant to be American English, whatever gobbledy-gook you wrote isn't. It comes across as a very drunk, very high-on-meth idiot writing in the sand as the ocean carries the words away at the same time.
Really bad episode. It's so commercial and fake. This was supposed to start a dance fad and was indicative of the time when every pop singer had a dance named after him.
