The Dick Van Dyke Show: The 10 Best Alan Brady Episodes, Ranked

“Everybody wants to laugh—you know that. They need to laugh…People need to laugh,” Carl Reiner remarked. The comedy writer, creator, and producer passed away on June 29, 2020, at 98 years old. Reiner achieved great success throughout his career, but perhaps his greatest attribute to the entertainment business was the ’60’s situational comedy, The Dick Van Dyke Show.

As the creator, producer, and writer of the show, Reiner was instrumental behind-the-scenes. He crafted scripts about real-life situations. Everyone can find a version of themselves in his characters and in fact, Reiner occasionally stepped in front of the camera. In “October Eve,” he played an eccentric painter while in “I’m No Henry Walden,” he played a peculiar philosopher. However, he’s perhaps best known on the show as the recurring character Alan Brady, Rob Petrie’s loud, frustrating boss. Take a look at ten of his best episodes as Alan Brady. Binge-watch these episodes as you remember Carl Reiner.

10 Talk To The Snail

At its core, The Dick Van Dyke Show is a sitcom about comedy writer Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), his co-writers Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie), and their experiences writing for The Alan Brady Show. Some of the best episodes take place in the writers’ office.

In the season five episode “Talk to the Snail,” the writers think one of them is going to be fired after finding a memo in the trash. They decide to find a new gig together instead of being split up. Alan is upset with their decision to leave the show. When he learns the writers found the memo, he reassures them that he never intended to fire them. It’s a rare moment where Alan shows them respect.

9 My Husband Is The Best One

For the first three seasons of the show, Alan’s face remains unseen. Viewers only see the back of his head or hear his voice. This happens in the season three episode “My Husband is the Best One.” Rob is interviewed by Newstime magazine about his work. His wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), has a big mouth and brags about Rob.

The article claims that the show’s success is from Rob—excluding Buddy, Sally, and even Alan. Of course, Alan is furious with the article. He’s the star of the show, regardless of what the editors at Newstime think.

8 When A Bowling Pin Talks, Listen

In the season two episode “When a Bowling Pin Talks, Listen,” Rob accidentally stole a comedy sketch from another television program. It was an accident, but it’s still plagiarism.

Alan loves the idea for the sketch. So, when he finds out it was stolen, he’s understandably upset with the writers. However, he finally comes up with a solution to still use the idea while cleverly convincing the other show that they stole from his program. Alan’s pretty sneaky, isn’t he?

7 The Gunslinger

The Dick Van Dyke Show often reflected on pop culture trends of the ’60s, including science fiction and in this case, the Western. The season five episode “The Gunslinger” is a parody of the popular cowboy shows and films of the time. Rob is anesthetized in Jerry Helper’s (Jerry Paris) dental chair when he has an elaborate dream that he’s in the Old West.

The episode ends with a duel between Rob and Alan “Big Bad” Brady. Reiner perfectly portrayed an evil villain demonstrated in westerns. His physical comedy and humor match Van Dyke’s, leaving audiences laughing during the whole showdown.

6 Obnoxious, Offensives, Egomaniac, Etc.

In the show’s final workplace episode “Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac, Etc.,” Rob, Buddy, and Sally mistakenly leave crude comments about Alan in a show script. They always take out the comments before sending it to Alan for his review, but they forgot.

The writers go on a wild goose chase to find the script before Alan reads it. They end up at his house, where they find Alan asleep. Alan already read it, but he’s a little tipsy after a party. Reiner brilliantly portrayed a tired, drunken man who accidentally mentioned the wrong woman’s name in his sleep. Uh oh!

5 Three Letters From One Wife

In the season four episode “Three Letters from One Wife,” viewers finally see Alan Brady’s face for the first time. The episode focuses on Alan, who is hosting an intellectual documentary show on comedy. He asks Rob to write the script, and Alan is genuinely worried about his performance. Can he be intellectual and philosophical?

To help, Millie Helper (Ann Morgan Guilbert) sends letters praising Alan’s performance. When the show doesn’t air, everyone worries about Rob’s job. But Rob is surprised when Alan praises him, saying he has brains.

4 The Bottom Of Mel Cooley’s Heart

Alan Brady is always mean towards Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon), the producer of The Alan Brady Show. They’re also brothers-in-law, but that doesn’t make Alan friendly towards him. Alan repeatedly remarks, “Shut up, Mel!”

In the season five episode “The Bottom of Mel Cooley’s Heart,” Mel gets fired after he tries to stand up for himself against Alan’s constant tongue-lashing. Rob, Buddy, and Sally team up to help Mel get his job back. Alan might not like to admit it, but he quickly realizes he needs Mel.

3 A Day In The Life Of Alan Brady

The season five episode “A Day in the Life of Alan Brady” is fittingly all about Alan. A film crew is producing a documentary about Alan, which he, of course, loves. Alan decides to take over Millie and Jerry’s anniversary party.

He makes the party about himself. He directs everybody, wanting them to show that he’s beloved. He says, “These people are supposed to be my friends, the little people who love me. Why don’t you rush to the door and love me?” Alan Brady might have been a tyrant, but everyone loved Reiner.

2 Baby Fat

In the season four episode “Baby Fat,” Reiner demonstrated he was just as good in front of the camera as he was when he was writing the show. Alan is performing in a Broadway play, and he wants Rob to add more humorous lines in the script.

Reiner and Van Dyke have perfect comedic timing while Rob’s the frustrated writer and Alan’s the demanding star. He mistreats Rob, even throwing him into a closet to hide him from the Broadway playwright and director. Alan remarks, “It’s kind of frightening to look at a joke and have it look back at you.” Did Reiner feel this way about his jokes?

1 Coast To Coast Big Mouth

The show’s fifth season premiere, “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” is undeniably Reiner’s best performance. When Laura accidentally reveals on a TV game show that Alan is bald, Rob’s career is in jeopardy. Laura tries to apologize to Alan, leading to an iconic scene between the two.

Alan doesn’t have the patience for Laura’s infamous “blubbering” hysteria. He’s upset and apologizes to his toupees. The scene is one of Moore’s best performances, but it’s also a standout performance from Reiner. He rightfully stole the show, and television will never be the same.

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