Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

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Dustin Stinett
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Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Dustin Stinett » June 15th, 2012, 9:59 pm

This bit of video from Dick Van Dyke's variety show was made when Tina was with the LA Mime Company. By the way, the move at the end is one she still does!

Please to enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykpn-ep6 ... ture=share

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Steve Hook » June 16th, 2012, 1:34 am

Thanks, Dustin. Good fun!

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Nickle
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Nickle » June 16th, 2012, 10:37 am

Very fun. Thanks for sharing.

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 16th, 2012, 1:01 pm

I had completely forgotten about that show (Van Dyke & Company). I like Dick Van Dyke, but it's amazing what passed for humor on TV in the 1970s. The show was so bad that it lasted only three episodes (and one of those was the pilot), however it did win an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series. Hard to figure.
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby John Signa » June 17th, 2012, 2:53 am

It lasted bit longer than 3 episodes, but not much... 11 episodes (3 months).

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 17th, 2012, 10:46 am

Wrong show, John, It lasted 3 episodes.

The 11 episodes you're referring to are the length that his next sitcom ran, which happened after Van Dyke & Company.
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby John Signa » June 17th, 2012, 12:25 pm

From Dick Van Dyke's Wikipedia page :
Van Dyke returned to comedy in 1976 with the sketch comedy show Van Dyke and Company, which co-starred Andy Kaufman[19] and Super Dave Osborne. Despite being canceled after three months, the show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series.

Listing of episodes: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-6499/episode_list

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 17th, 2012, 1:05 pm

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Dave V » June 17th, 2012, 4:14 pm

Seems to me the tv.com page is incomplete. Along with the episode list, it's missing many of the guest names. Freddie Prinze was the guest for the Thanksgiving episode, which would have been two months into the series.

The Wikipedia and Tvrage pages more closely match each other, and also what is found on YouTube.

There's no way that so many mime sketches would fit into only three episodes. Three months, yes. Three episodes, no.
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Bill Mullins » June 17th, 2012, 5:33 pm

On 30 Oct 1975, he hosted a special entitled Van Dyke and Company. Guests were Carl Reiner, Ike and Tina Turner, Gabe Kaplan, Mary Tyler Moore, Kenneth Mars and Lynne Lipton. You may remember Mars as Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein Footschteps, footschteps! This was the pilot for the show which ran the following year.

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 17th, 2012, 5:50 pm

I also remember Kenneth Mars from the original film "The Producers."

He was the playwrite: "Vhat is dis 'baby'? The Fuehrer never said 'baby'!"
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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Q. Kumber » June 17th, 2012, 6:01 pm

Back in 1980 I flew into Chicago the Sunday morning before the Abbott's convention and was staying with George Johnstone. That afternoon Jay Marshall and Sonny Mars (Kenneth Mars father - though at the time I hadn't heard of either) plus some others arrived chez Johnstone. They had been at an entertainers' picnic and were on the way back to town.

Sonny Mars started to tell us about an experience ha had the night before. He was in the bath smoking his cigar when he had an attack of flatulence. He proceeded to tell us about the bubbles of methane gas that rose to the top of the water and how he poked them with his cigar causing minor explosions around the bathtub.

George and I were - literally - rolling around the floor laughing so much that we were in pain as Sonny continued. It is quite an experience to be unable to catch your breath and be laughing hysterically.

Jay was completely dead pan.

Later at Abbott's I asked Jay about Sonny Mars. Jay said that he was the funniest comedian he had ever seen. He had no set act, just went out and talked about whatever came into his head and killed. According to Jay he had been offered major TV work and a showroom in Vegas but had turned them down as it would have meant a move from Chicago.

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Joe Gallant » June 17th, 2012, 6:10 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:I also remember Kenneth Mars from the original film "The Producers."

He was the playwrite: "Vhat is dis 'baby'? The Fuehrer never said 'baby'!"


Then he says to the woman sitting next to him: "You are the audience. I am the author. I outrank you."
(one of my favorite lines from "The Producers")

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Re: Robot Fun with Dick Van Dyke and Tina Lenert

Postby Bill Mullins » June 17th, 2012, 8:38 pm

Speaking of Ms. Lenert:
Image


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