Carl Reiner based The Dick Van Dyke Show on his feelings for his wife, Estelle
While big verbal declarations are very cute, the best way to tell someone that you love them isn't with words; it's with action.
As an entertainer, one of the best ways for Carl Reiner to show his wife, Estelle, that he loved her was through his preferred medium of television.
During an interview with the Edmonton Journal, Reiner explained that multiple elements of his series, The Dick Van Dyke Show, mirrored his life with his wife, Estelle.
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"All the shows in flashback where they [Rob and Laura] met," said Reiner., "All of those shows were based a little bit on our feelings at the time. Maybe the stories weren't, but the feelings were close."
Perhaps the truest testament to The Dick Van Dyke Show's quality was not its popularity during the show's initial run, but rather, its lasting impact on television and audiences after the final episode.
While Reiner was aware of the caliber of The Dick Van Dyke Show, he found that he was truly able to enjoy the series when he approached the series as an audience member, rewatching old episodes beside his wife.
"We knew we were doing something good," he said. "A few years ago, my wife and I watched them (on Nick at Nite) and I kept saying, look at what Mary and Dick are doing.' They were revelatory as far as performance is concerned. When I was no longer involved in making the piece and just sitting back as an audience, I was really amazed at how many of them are very, very funny."
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