Originally, Dick Van Dyke was going to retire from performing in 1972 — but Carl Reiner knew better
A good friend knows what's good for you, but a best friend knows what's good for you even before you figure it out for yourself.
When Carl Reiner cast Dick Van Dyke in his original series, The Dick Van Dyke Show, the two men became quick pals, and it was a friendship that lasted long after the show had ended.
In an interview with The Buffalo News, Reiner spoke about Van Dyke.
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"He's the greatest single male performing talent working today," said Reiner. "He's so good it's sickening to us actors who watch him work every day. It's terrible to realize that no matter what you do, he can do it better. He's the jack of all trades — and master."
On his end, Van Dyke credited part of the success of The Dick Van Dyke Show to Reiner's creative direction. But while Van Dyke was grateful for the opportunity to work as an actor, he already had his eyes set on the horizon.
At the time of the interview, Van Dyke actually had plans to retire in a few years.
"I'm not turning my back on show business," Van Dyke said. "I've enjoyed every one of these twenty years and wouldn't change a minute of them. It's just that I want to devote the last half — I hope half — of my life to growing, changing, becoming a different person, one who does something for someone else's sake."
It's a noble pursuit, but it's difficult to imagine an entertainment industry where Dick Van Dyke isn't performing. Apparently, neither could Reiner.
"He'll never retire," Reiner said of Van Dyke in an interview with The State Journal. "He has to work." Of course, Reiner was right, and Van Dyke made his mark in more than one medium of show business. In our opinion, everyone is all the better for it.
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