The main reason this show failed was because the creative minds behind the show missed out on a major point. Dick Van Dyke will always be one of the great television legends of any era. His ability to work in front of a live audience and stay so natural remains one of his greatest gifts. Sure, his physical comedic skills are an incredible stand out but it's his relationship with his audience that has endeared him to us for decades. So why did this show fail?

From the very first episode it's evident that the director didn't know how to photograph him. Mr. Van Dyke uses his body to comunicate as effectively as his voice. Why then was he photographed in close up and medium shots?

Later in the same episode, he has to climb onto the top half of a bunk bed. Mr. Van Dyke is in fine form as he tries to get to the top without disturbing his sleeping grandson. The studio audience is in hysterics, Van Dyke looks great as in the days of the old Van Dyke series, yet the director neglected to pull the camera back and see Van Dyke's body in full motion. The studio audience is laughing uproariously but the television audience is limited as to what it can see because of the poor camera staging.

During the short run of this series, Richmond Shepard, internationlly acclaimed mime, was hired for an appearance on the show. Before he left, he was asked by a friend to ask Van Dyke to have the camera pulled back so we can see what he's doing with his body. When Shepard came back from filming, he told his friend Van Dyke's reply. He said that Shepard's friend should come to Los Angeles and direct the show because he's been fighting with the director to pull back the camera.

This was a case of a good idea for a series with a proven star that was not served in the best capacity. Too bad because it was the last time Dick Van Dyke was able to do his physical comedy on a national scale.

One of the most memorable segments in the long history of this classic panel show occurs in the final third of the broadcast. Guest Meredith Wilson has the unique honor of conducting a chorus of people to the tune of In The Good Old Summertime. The crack staff of this series went above and beyond to provide an exceptionally well done segment with 24 people picked out of the New York phone book. Their last names placed in a sequence provide the lyrics to the classic song. Inda - Good - Old - Somerstein were some of the names of the participants. Stewart Somerstain was the surprise hit of the segment as his off key and loud delivery was a wow with the audience. The next week's episode had him return with singer Dorothy Loudon singing a tribute to him. A classic in every sense of the word.

One of the great treats to catch is when two veteran performers unite to show off what real talent is and in this classic episode, you get just that. Both veterans of vaudeville, Jack Albertson and Sammy Davis Jr. perform a dance routine that shows off each performer as a real trouper. By this time of the series, Freddie Prinze was the hottest star around. By booking Sammy on this show, the producers knew they had a sure fire winning combination. However, when rehearsals started, Albertson and Davis were having so much fun recalling vaudeville, the writers quickly devised a sequence where the two could show off their considerable dancing skills. All of a sudden, the audience watching the show, see Jack Albertson, who was only known to be an actor, delivering polished dance steps and with the Great Sammy Davis Jr. The audience applauded with thrilling excitement and the fever from the studio at NBC came through into the homes who were watching. Davis has some fun scenes with Freddie Prinze and Scatman Crothers but the highlight is the dance routine.

Note to the reader: This episode #10 of The Sammy Davis Jr. show is not the last episode as noted in its entry on this website. His last show was an amazing concert in front of a live audience at NBC Studios. This episode contains a fellow rat pack member, Peter Lawford who, by the time of this appearance with Sammy, was "personna non grata" in Frank Sinatra's world. Since the time when Bing Crosby was selected to host President Kennedy during his visit to California and not Sinatra, Lawford was made to blame. Being the brother in law, Lawford was to ensure that the President would stay with Frankie and when it was decided to accept Crosby's hospitality instead of Sinatra's, Peter Lawford was tossed away like a bad shoe. Sammy Davis, ever loyal to all his friends, remained quite close to Lawford and appeared on several shows with him as well as starring with him in two feature films, "Salt & Pepper" and "One More Time".

This episode was a reunion of Connie Stevens and Dick Shawn. The two appeared together in the 1966 Jerry Lewis film, WAY...WAY OUT, released by 20th Century Fox. In the film they play scientific volunteers who spend one year on the moon. Connie Stevens was paired with Jerry Lewis and Dick Shawn was teamed with Anita Ekberg. Lewis & Stevens were a married couple in the film and Shawn was sent with the female cosmonaut as a single couple. Not one of the best Lewis films, Shawn is a stand out as he prepares instant vodka from a capsule. The film was not received well at the box office and was deemed not suitable for children in Australia. Go figure, a Jerry Lewis film not for children!