The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)

101 mistakes since 30 Aug '20, 03:26

(16 votes)

4 1/2 - S4-E8

Character mistake: Rob tells the people that are about to get on the elevator "my wife is expecting a baby!" In all the other episodes where "she's expecting a baby" as well... No change in stomach size at all! Not a single sign of pregnancy... (After 12-16 weeks it starts to show that the baby is there.) Even before Richie was born, still flat as a pancake.

Liz Blue 1970

The Life and Love of Joe Coogan - S3-E17

Other mistake: Rob is discussing the box of love letters with Laura she tells him "they're by the furnace!" Rob tells her "there's no shoe box by that furnace." Laura tells him "they're right behind some loose bricks" well when we see the basement... There's no furnace or bricks anywhere to be seen.

Liz Blue 1970

The Meershatz Pipe - S1-E10

Other mistake: Laura tells Rob "oh you don't smoke!" But in several (double digit) episodes Rob not only has a lighter but also a cigarette in his hand or mouth. One episode while he and Laura are illegally about to eavesdrop he puts out the cigarette on the speaker causing the speaker to turn on and they start eavesdropping again.

Liz Blue 1970

Remember the Alimony - S5-E20

Other mistake: That mirror behind Rob at the hotel in their room has fog (condensation) on it which means that the humidity there in "Mexico" is really really high or it's over 100°F in their room with humidity or unless it was raining inside their room, the window behind the bed is perfectly clear. (Real life that mirror would not be all foggy.) Also Rob, Laura and the hotel guy would have been sweating up a storm if it was really really hot out there. Which it wasn't. (00:13:52)

Liz Blue 1970

Show generally

Deliberate mistake: While Rob is on his honeymoon, as well as 3 day pass, things like that, Rob still wears his army outfit. Yet in real life us real humans wouldn't be wearing the same clothes every time we were out. We would go home and change.

Liz Blue 1970

A Show of Hands - S4-E29

Revealing mistake: If Rob and Laura actually did dye their hands not only would their hands be black but so would their wedding rings. Also, while Laura is "using water" on her hands you can tell she wasn't using water or soap because her hands aren't wet and there isn't any soap to be seen at all... You only see the dish rag. (Same for when Rob does the same thing later on). (00:06:07)

Liz Blue 1970

Bupkis - S4-E24

Other mistake: Rob mentions Buzzy Potter to Sally and Buddy as if they knew him. Rob and Laura did the Army stuff way before working on the Alan Brady show. Also, there was no mention of Buzzy Potter anywhere else in the series. There for Sally and Buddy wouldn't have known Buzzy, but Millie would have known him.

Liz Blue 1970

Show generally

Factual error: Alan Brady and Mell's offices are a few floors up. Yet Rob, Buddy and Sally's office window shows that they are way higher up than Alan and Mell's office - you do not see the roof tops of buildings anywhere from Alans and Mell's offices.

Liz Blue 1970

One Angry Man - S1-E24

Factual error: Talking to the lawyers, parties, or witnesses about anything. This will give the impression that something unfair is going on. And is also illegal. Which Rob was doing during this whole episode.

Liz Blue 1970

100 Terrible Hours - S4-E28

Other mistake: The record that is to Rob's right (our left) isn't spinning while the base part under it is, until Rob puts the ceramic coffee cup on the record. Notice that ceramic coffee cup is also the same coffee cup that Rob threw away in the episode "Your Home Sweet Is My Home"

Liz Blue 1970

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: So you are claiming that they somehow rigged the turntable so it would spin without spinning the record until he put the cup down on it. For what reason? No only does this error defy common sense, it is obviously wrong if you watch the episode. The record is spinning. You can see the variations in the highlights on the surface as it does so. Also, it is not a ceramic cup, it is a paper cup, complete with a folding paper handle. And it in no way resembles any cup used in "Your Home Sweet Home is My Home."

I did great! I forgot which episode I saw the same cup in.

Liz Blue 1970

Happy Birthday and Too Many More - S3-E15

Other mistake: Laura is doing some work on when to have Richie's birthday, and Rob tells Laura "I thought we decided that about 8 years ago." Yet Mrs Billings has asked Rob to do 2 plays (1 each year for the PTA meetings) In the Happy Birthday... (Feb 1964) episode that would have made Richie about 10 due to the fact that Richie was 8 when "What's in a middle name" (Nov 1962) aired. (00:01:00)

Liz Blue 1970

The Ballad of the Betty Lou - S3-E9

Other mistake: While Jerry and Rob are furious, Jerry asks the sailor "What's the matter with the lights?" and the sailor says "power failure on the line, they can't locate it." If there's a power failure then the room would be completely dark just like it is outside. Yet Rob and Jerry have shadows on their hats, jacket, shirts etc. as well as a shadow from the bunk bed. These shadows are caused by the non-working lights or the lights behind the camera.

Liz Blue 1970

What's in a Middle Name? - S2-E7

Deliberate mistake: Rob, Sally and Buddy's "old office" is exactly the same shape as Robs basement (except for the door in the center of the back wall. Instead of going upstairs it's all on 1 level. There's a door to the right which goes into a random room which we never get to see inside). (00:10:38)

Liz Blue 1970

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Since you listed multiple differences, it's obviously not "exactly the same." Filmmakers not building every set and prop from scratch is not a mistake. Modifying and reusing old sets is just an economic reality of production. If anything this should be under trivia.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Rob specifically said he broke the tooth on a chicken bone that was in the sandwich.

Rob Petrie: At least I'll prove one thing tonight: Television writers marry the prettiest girls.

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