He was an officer and partner of the Mayberry Productions. Both are still actively creating and passing on their wisdom: Reiner recently published a book, Carl Reiner, Now Youre 94, and has two more in the worksone, titled by his friend Mel Brooks, called Too Busy to Die, and the other a childrens book, You Say God Bless You for Sneezing and Farting. Tinker, who had come to NBC as a management trainee in 1949 with legendary founder David Sarnoff still in charge, left the company for the last time at the end of an era, as NBC, along with its parent RCA, was about to be swallowed by General Electric. Ive heard it hundreds of times from people who tell me that as kids they didnt know that writers wrote comedians lines, Reiner said. Calvada Productions/Shapiro/West Productions/Paul Brownstein Productions (2017) 4,922 views Dec 26, 2017 Like Dislike Share Save Pepsi9072 106K subscribers The content shown in this video. If theres a Hollywood legend, theres the guy, right? Pratfall-prone Rob and his wife Laura, along with wisecracking co-workers Sally and Buddy, continue to combine wit and slapstick. Reiner even made a point of having Rob Petrie note how Peters' son had the best grades in the class while Richie remained an underachiever. The character of Laura became so popular that Mary Tyler Moore became the lead female character and more of the focus of the show shifted to the relationship between Rob and Laura. Reiner considered moving the production of the series to full color as early as season three, only to drop the idea when he was informed that it would add about $7,000 to the cost of each episode. When I went on the Tonight show, [host] Johnny Carson would never know if I was coming with or without it., The script is literally a textbook in comedy-writing courses. "I was always looking for ways to bring African Americans to New Rochelle," he said. Those two people would never have bought that couch.. "The Masterpiece" is where Rob He was also an officer and partner of the Sheldon Leonard Enterprises. Sally Rogers was the first woman on an American television show to portray a solely independent woman. [1][3] He was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. WRMSDC administers NMSDC's certification in Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii. He has also served as a mentor for a writing workshops offered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he helps patients enhance their stories with humor. works in Created by Carl Reiner, it was produced by Calvada Productions. His breakthrough role was in Another Thin Man (1939), in which he played a soft-spoken but dangerous murder suspect. 100 Years of . married and make plans to elope. Under Tinker's regime, NBC enjoyed a remarkable recovery. The original show aired in black and white. This still shows Richard Deacon, Morey Amsterdam, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore and Rose Marie in some of the only known color footage of the show. ", In 1981, Tinker flourished with that low-key approach in a last-ditch effort to save NBC, which was scraping bottom with its earnings, ratings, programs and morale. Feb 28 2023 / 2:06 AM EST. As an adult, she performed in nightclubs and lounges with much assistance from mobsters Al Capone and particularly Bugsy Siegel, according to her. The show's production company was called Calvada Productions. Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, and more look back on 20 years of love ferns and that yellow dress. Him or Reiner. I told the censors to come and see [the live filming] and see what the audience does. Persky was simply paying it forward, the same way Reinerwho recruited him and Denoff to join the staff in Season 3had mentored them. But "The Dick Van Dyke Show" creator Carl Reiner said he passed on the chance to film in color after learning it would require an additional $7,000 an episode, a significant cost in an era when a half-hour show cost around $40,000 to produce. And Carl said, You dont understand; its the black couple making the white couple the butt of the joke. And they said, Oh god, were certainly not ready for that., Some say that an Asian couple was standing by in case the original ending didnt work. The depth and breadth of material is remarkable, as is Van Deusens seemingly endless repository of trivia and inside information. Lais Jr. is a News & Information Services associate at the Times Union, where he has worked since 2001. [28][29] They were later released on DVD and Blu-ray by CBS Home Entertainment as The Dick Van Dyke Show: Now in Living Color! "Calvada" is derived from the letters from producers, [P. 170 of The official Dick Van Dyke show book: the definitive history and ultimate By Vince Waldron], Dick Van Dyke Plays Not My Job (October 23, 2010), TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time, TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy, Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy, The Dick Van Dyke Show: Anatomy of a Classic, "The Classic Sitcoms Guide toThe Dick Van Dyke Show", "CBS Presents Two Newly Colorized Episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Today", "For Carl Reiner, the projects keep on coming", Dick Van Dyke show archives, scripts donated to National Comedy Center, "The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review", "The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Season One", "The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Season Two", "Carl Reiner Almost Left Dick Van Dyke Over This Controversial Episode", "CBS Operations Inc v. Reel Funds International Inc", "Honey, I'm Chrome: Marvel prepares to take over TV with 'WandaVision', Dick Van Dyke Show The Official Website, Dick Van Dyke Show at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Dick_Van_Dyke_Show&oldid=1142213847, 158 half-hour black-and-white episodes + 1 reunion special in color, Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead), Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead), Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actress, Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor, Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy, Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety, Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment: Actors and Performers, Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment: Writers, Carl Reiner for "Never Bathe on Saturday", Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment, Bill Persky and Sam Denoff for "Coast to Coast Big Mouth", Bill Persky and Sam Denoff for "The Ugliest Dog in the World", On October 21, 1963, Morey Amsterdam guest-starred as Buddy Sorrell during the final season of, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam reprised their roles on October 7, 1993, in the "When Hairy Met Hermy" episode of, Carl Reiner reprised the role of Alan Brady on the February 16, 1995, episode of, In a special that was first broadcast on April 13, 1969, Van Dyke and Moore reunited for a one-hour variety special called, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 03:39. Find exactly what you're looking for! If I was on national television and I wanted to be handsome, Id wear it, he said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "Calvada" was actually an acronym incorporating the names of the partners - "CA" for Carl Reiner, L for Sheldon Leonard, "VA" for Dick Van Dyke, and DA for Leonard's business . "We're going to be on after '60 Minutes,'" he noted with the enthusiasm of a producer getting his big break. And theyre going to either applaud or laugh heartily. I knew I was a funny kid but I knew I could write. Hundreds of kids became writers because of the show. The iconic instrumental theme song actually has lyrics written by co-star Morey Amsterdam, and Van Dyke and others had often performed it on various occasions. Calvada Meadows Airport Association is comprised of hangars, homes, hangar-homes, plus residential and airport related commercial lots . David Van Deusen poses on the 3D virtual replica he created of the writers room for "The Alan Brady Show," the workplace of Rob Petrie, Sally Rogers and Buddy Sorrell on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." In 2005, he won a prestigious Peabody Award honoring his overall career. Many of the characters in The Dick Van Dyke Show were based on real people, as Carl Reiner created the show based on his time spent as head writer for the Sid Caesar vehicle Your Show of Shows. He was part of the ensemble cast of the Martin and Lewis radio show. While they have generated some grumbling among bloggers ("Don't with 'I Love Lucy,'" TV comedy writer Ken Levine opined in 2013), the specials have attracted fans old and young most recently 6.6 million of them on Dec. 2. He also had three tours of duty with NBC, the last as its chairman, but was perhaps best-known as the nurturing hand at MTM Enterprises, the production company he founded in 1970 and ran for a decade. The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. As Rob, Buddy, and Sally write for a comedy show, the premise provides a built-in forum for them to constantly make jokes. We had to find a telephone [color] in Alan Bradys office, so I went online and looked up Western Electric telephones from that era. And that new connection led to Van Deusen now consulting on Being Mary, an upcoming documentary about the actress life that Lena Waithe is producing and Levine executive producing. Leonard became so associated with tough-guy parts that he was occasionally cast against type, as a law-enforcement officer, in films like Street of Chance (1942) and Decoy (1946). In "Monkees Marooned", the eighth episode of the second season of The Monkees, a character named Leonard Sheldon, and speaking with Leonard's accent, approaches Peter Tork on the street, much like "The Tout" and persuades Tork to trade his guitar for a treasure map. Visual $10? That was one of the first shows we ever did. The pilot for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" rated poorly with test audiences. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy, fat cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons directed by Robert McKimson. It started modestly but soon gained traction with fans worldwide, and ultimately those involved with the show itself, including the man who imagined it all, the late Carl Reiner; the actor, now 96, who starred in it and gave it its name; and the late TV producer Sheldon Leonard. That's what David Van Deusen did with this punching bag adorned with the face of "Mel Cooley," producer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show, played by Richard Deacon. The Petries lived in an all-white neighborhood and we were always looking for ways to get diversity into the show. They included The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room For Daddy) (195364), where midway through that series run, he had a recurring role as Danny's agent, Phil Brokaw; The Andy Griffith Show (196068); Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. Colorized version of opening title card. In that one, you can see director Jerry Paris just behind Dick in his famous red sweater. Until last week, the bedroom scene photo was the only one I had ever seen of this show in production. David Van Deusen poses in his Glenmont home beside framed photos of Morey Amsterdam and Rosey Marie, as well as one of her trademark hair bows and his signed hat. He respected her so and she was brilliantly funny, Persky said. Morey Amsterdam and Richard Deacon (Mel) were actually close friends. Well, I work in the afternoon on Your Show of Shows, and at night I go home to New Rochelle to my wife and kids. Advertisement. Van Deusen says, "If I needed some autographed photos to give away to fans of my newsletter, Carl would sign them and say, How many do you need?". I was shocked at how accurate [the episodes color] is, says Reiner, 94. The plot of the pilot was subsequently the basis of the series episode "Father of the Week". Not because of its 15 Emmy awards, or because its frequently cited as one of the best TV series of all timeits because Dick Van Dyke inspired generations of comedy writers. David Van Deusen, left, poses with Carl Reiner, creator, producer and co-star of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." He also wanted the show to have a consistent look when reruns appeared in syndication. All content shown in the videos uploaded are not owned by me and belong to their respective owners. Later, in somewhat of a reluctant retirement, Tinker spoke out against much of what he was seeing on television, particularly "reality" fare. 3. In "Laura's Little Lie," Laura confesses to Rob that she The name came from the names of all of the key persons involved in production: Carl Reiner, Sheldon Leonard, Dick Van Dyke and Danny Thomas. The show was filmed at Desilu Studios in front of a live audience. A pilot episode, Head of the Family, starring Reiner as Rob, did not catch on, but producer Sheldon Leonard (you know him as the bartender in Its a Wonderful Life who threatens to throw George Bailey and his guardian angel through the door or out the window) liked the 13 scripts Reiner had written. In 2019 the show's archives were donated to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York.[21]. As ever, the latter is based on a true incident. In "Turtles, The series portrayed daily life, comic scenarios that charming, goofy Rob Petrie found himself in the middle of with his family, his work colleagues Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam), Sally Rogers (Rose Marie), Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon) and his neighbors Millie (Ann Morgan Guilbert) and Jerry Helper (Jerry Paris) and friends. ), Pratfall-prone Rob and his wife Laura, along with wisecracking co-workers Sally and Buddy, continue to combine wit and slapstick. Reiner says the two colorized episodes have given The Dick Van Dyke Show a renewed relevance. There was a dignity in their relationship, and that was something that you had to write to [for Rob and Laura]. It was produced by Calvada Productions in association with the CBS Television Network and Desilu Studios. 12257 97 Avenue, Surrey, V3V 2C8. The National Minority Supplier Development Council's Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification is the gold standard for Ethnic Minority Business Certification in the United States. Carl Reiner is colorized in the newly released "The Dick Van Dyke Show." God, I hated that couch, Persky recalled with a rueful laugh. In the adventure movie The Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives. [24], 0*Shared with Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt for Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Magnificent Yankee" and Barbra Streisand for My Name Is Barbra, Image Entertainment has released all five seasons of The Dick Van Dyke Show on DVD in Region 1. Moore's character's "look" was influenced to some extent by that of Jackie Kennedy, who was at the time First Lady of the United States.[6]. I said, Well let them be the arbiters. There were two censors in the audience. Leonard was President of T&L Productions. ), First published on November 30, 2016 / 4:52 PM. I dont know why CBS didnt do it., So, Van Deusen, newly retired after 38 years with the New York state comptrollers office, took up the challenge, particularly because I thought it was a pretty momentous milestone, and Ill tell you, because I was going a little stir crazy from COVID.. Photographer Robert Trachtenberg's new book is a who's who of comics and actors posing completely seriously. Ties and Toreadors," Rob feels very much the hero when he hires a maid for his overworked wife, Laura. The network called Carl in and they said, You dont want to go in this direction right now. Ad Choices. Thats My Boy? He handles many of the calendars and features in Preview, the Friday Scene section and the Sunday Unwind section. Writer and director Carl Reiner on-set with Dick Van Dyke, 1971. Millennials are never even going to know it was shot in black and white. $300.00. ? and Coast to Coast Big Mouth, are more than a half century oldbut theyll still probably be the funniest thing on TV on Dec. 11. "That's My Boy??" He felt that actorwriter Carl Reiner was too overbearing as the lead, and insisted that the script be refilmed with up-and-coming comic Dick Van Dyke. The result of all this effort is The Dick Van Dyke Show Celebrating the 60th Anniversary, an impressive and professional 95-minute documentary (the budget was zero) available since early December on YouTube, but one that would be at home on any of the cable channels or streaming service like TV Land, MeTV, Decades or Amazon Prime that still air the series. Rob was the head writer for The Alan Brady Show. I think it could hold its own in prime time.. guest-stars, Rob invites 44 fellow PTA members to his television show, but forgets all about it until air time, Rob's forgotten loan turns into a forgotten debt, and a television script, Richie's expanding vocabulary starts to branch out in unexpected directions. In it, Laura accidentally blurts out on a game show that vain, toupee-wearing Alan Brady is bald. ), Includes all 32 episodes from the 1964-1965 season, Pratfall-prone Rob and his wife Laura, along with wisecracking co-workers Sally and Buddy, continue to combine wit and slapstick. sent a message to the TV audience that the Petries and Peters lived in the same town and their children went to school together. USD United States (US) dollar. Credit: Calvada Productions/CBS. I would have quit the show, he asserted. ", Chicago police officer fatally shot on Southwest Side in exchange of gunfire: officials, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown to exit CPD this month in the wake of mayoral election, 3 takeaways from Chicago Cubs camp, including Hayden Wesneski making his pitch for the last rotation spot, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. As a kid, he leaned on comedy: I couldnt throw a football, he joked in an e-mail exchange. In Region 4, Umbrella Entertainment has released the first three seasons on DVD in Australia. When Bill Persky learned that two classic Dick Van Dyke Show episodes he co-wrote with his partner, Sam Denoff, would be broadcast in prime time on CBS this monthin newly colorized editions, no lesshe contacted series creator Carl Reiner to see if his worst fear would be realized. Its a new burst of freedom, he says. "You wouldn't use to technology to change the fundamental aesthetics of a Picasso," he said. The 93-year-old actor, who 54 years ago was Bert (and Mr. Dawes Sr.) to Julie Andrews' Mary Poppins, can be seen in Mary Poppins Returns, which opened Thursday, as Mr. Dawes Jr. Six episodes of the series, all from the second season, are believed to have lapsed into the public domain and have been released by numerous discount distributors. .more .more Dislike Share Save ZMB's Worldwide Logo. It tickles me more than anything. "Big Max Calvada" is about an underworld figure who involves Rob, Sally and Buddy in an unusual writing assignment. Calvada Productions got its name from CA rl, L eonard, VA n Dyke, and DA nny Thomas. Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon), a balding straight man and recipient of numerous insulting one-liners from Buddy, was the show's producer and the brother-in-law of the show's star, Alan Brady (Carl Reiner). Laura Petrie was played by Barbara Britton, Buddy Sorrell by Morty Gunty, Sally Rogers by Sylvia Miles, Ritchie by Gary Morgan, and Alan Sturdy, the Alan Brady character, was played by Jack Wakefield, although his face was never fully seen, which was also the case with Carl Reiner's Alan Brady for the first three seasons of The Dick Van Dyke Show. "When I wore a wig, I always told people I was wearing a wig," he said. A group of character actors played several different roles during the five seasons. As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies". Most widely held works by His role was to salute Benny out of the blue in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey, Bud. the personification of all the beauty, grace, and mystery that is woman. (Way to go, Rogerthe lovestruck teenager who penned that ode to Laura in the Season 4 episode The Lady and the Babysitter). One of his last acting roles was a guest appearance on the TV series Cheers, in which he played Sid Nelson, the proprietor of "The Hungry Heifer", Norm Peterson's favorite eating establishment. Get Direction. The image of Van Dyke is from an interview Van Deusen conducted with him on the set of his 1993-2001 series "Diagnosis Murder. Bill Cosby included an impersonation of Sheldon Leonard in one track of his 1966 hit comedy album Wonderfulness. It remains displayed in his household memorabilia collection to this day in his Glenmont home. The show's theme was by Earle Hagen, who also wrote many other TV series themes, including those for The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, USMC, I Spy, and The Mod Squad. Brownstein says the details included colorizing series star Mary Tyler Moores hair. [5] Van Dyke's character was based on Reiner himself. "The success just rubbed off on me. Leonard died on January 11, 1997, six weeks before his 90th birthday. It was produced by Calvada Productions[notes 1] in association with the CBS Television Network, and was shot at Desilu Studios. They werent great recordings, but they were recordings of the people. A commissioned caricature for David Van Deusen's unofficial "Dick Van Dyke Show" fan newsletter "The Walnut Times." [2] All rights reserved. But the show, which premiered on CBS in fall 1970, was a critical and popular smash for seven seasons and became the flagship series of a studio whose mewing kitten (parodying the MGM lion) came to signify some of TV's best. This was 1963, five years before a Petula Clark variety special caused controversy when the singer touched Harry Belafontes arm during a duet. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Dan Seymour, Aldo Nadi, Humphrey Bogart, Sheldon Leonard, Marcel Dalio and Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not (1944) As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies". seen little bit of 'Leave It to Beaver,' 'The Beverly Hillbillies' and also 'Sanford and Son,' but we also owned the entire box set of 'I Love Lucy . And I knew Dick, and I knew Carl, and I knew Rose Marie., In 2020, with the sitcoms 60th anniversary approaching, Van Deusen again saw a void: no one was a producing a special to commemorate the occasion. ? and Coast to Coast Big Mouth were chosen by series creator Carl Reiner, who also played irascible show-within-a-show star Alan Brady. That was the greatest gift Sam and I ever received, was to learn from Carl Reiner., 2023 Cond Nast. Please login with social Media or create an account to comment. Tinker left NBC in 1986, shortly after the announcement of its purchase by G.E. Editor's Note: Actress Mary Tyler Moore died Jan. 25, 2017. LOS ANGELES (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Grant Tinker, who brought new polish to the TV world and beloved shows to the audience as both a producer and a network boss, died this week. Sheldon Leonard, producer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (as well as "The Danny Thomas Show," "The Andy Griffith Show," "I Spy" and several other shows), was also an accomplished actor ("It's a Wonderful Life," "Guys and Dolls"). A Special Tribute to Carl Reiner on July 3, 2020. Gus Kenworthy Says a Gay Kiss Was Cut From, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. The Dick Van Dyke Show was filmed before a live audience (one of the few sitcoms at the time to do so) at Desilu-Cahuenga Studios in Hollywood, California,[19] with audience "sweetening" performed in post-production. and is about Rob's fear that he's brought the wrong baby home from hospital. In 2002, the series was ranked at 13 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time[3] and in 2013 it was ranked at 20 on their list of the 60 Best Series.[4]. Reiner recalled that network executives suggested that the Peters be another nationality, but he resisted. Whatever you want, David was the reply. Tinker died Monday at. The 1961-66 series centered on Rob, who commuted into Manhattan to write for The Alan Brady Show alongside wisecracking Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie) and Alans brother-in-law, sycophantic producer Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon). He was named Man of the Year by the National Association of Radio Announcers. Van Deusen was at both tapings. I love that Laura takes it upon herself to talk to Alan Brady, and not let Rob or anybody else fight her battle for her., This, too, was another edict Reiner gave to writers about Rob and Lauras relationship: theirs was to be one of equals, two against the world., That relationship, Persky offered, was based on Reiner and his wife, Estelle, who passed away in 2008. in love with Rob. in New Rochelle NY, would be same hideous yellow-orange on-screen that it was in real life. Soon after the new CBS sitcom had begun its five-season run in fall 1961, Tinker returned to NBC, this time as vice president of West Coast programming. I guarantee you the audience knows where our heart is. Reiner wanted stories that came from his writers real lives. "The Mob was very, very good to me," says Rose Marie (yep, Sally from The Dick Van Dyke Show). It is being uploaded for preservation, entertainment and/. Its too soon for a white couple to make a black couple the butt of a joke, Persky recalled. But its about to make its network debut in living color. Square Enix Holdings will merge wholly owned subsidiary Luminous Productions, the development studio behind Forspoken, with wholly owned subsidiary Square Enix . The Cave: An Adaptation of Plato's Allegory in Clay; Chasing the Shadows; The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf: A Stop-motion Adaptation who owned calvada productions. But if one had been directed at Glenmont resident and Selkirk native David Van Deusen, lifelong superfan of the groundbreaking 1961-66 CBS sitcom, the quote would be something along the lines of Whatever you want, David. Hes heard variations of that phrase repeatedly for decades as he forged relationships and often friendships with cast members and creators, producers, executives and many of their children and family members. The final scene between Laura and Alan Brady is laugh-out-loud hilarious, Levine said. About Us. Home; About; Blog; Media Room. October Eve, a.k.a. A shot of the computer program David Van Deusen used to produce and edit his self-initiated video to salute the 60th anniversary of "The Dick Van Dyke Show." To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. And I would say both of my experiences with them is they were the most normal, down-to-Earth people. I know it was probably 'Sheldon Leonard / Danny Thomas,' but was. This interaction was emblematic of what gives Van Deusens tribute such added dimension. A new time slot following The Beverly Hillbillies, coupled with an ottoman-tripping opening that perfectly communicated the shows blend of sophistication and slapstick, helped land the show on its feet. Their biggest challenge was coming up with an endinga quick, unequivocal, funny conclusion that established Rob had the right baby.