The Sleeping Brother

Dick Van Dyke was blessed with a funny brother, and made the most of his talents in this sitcom classic, a continuation of the previous episode.

What you see here is actually part of his real-life act, the banjo playing and the corny jokes, which he used for years starring around the country at the Playboy Club and in Las Vegas. TV producers began noticing him, not surprisingly Carl Reiner.

The story of TWO Staceys. Rob's brother (when he's awake?) is a very shy guy, who aspires to be an entertainer. When he's asleep(?) -- he becomes a super star on steroids, rapid-fire jokes and some fine banjo playing. Here's the problem. Rob wants him to audition for Alan Brady -- wide AWAKE. Is that at all possible? What's in the mix is a little party at Rob's house, and some entertainment you won't forget. Jerry Van Dyke is a scene stealer.

Fun Fact; About a year later, producer Sherwood Schwartz offered Jerry the role of Gilligan on GILLIGANS ISLAND! May have been due all his talent on display in this two part episode. What happened? Jerry turned the role down, thinking the show wouldn't be a hit. Imagine if he took the part. Would have been something.

Enjoy the schtick. Thank you Jerry Van Dyke. Dick's younger brother passed in 2018. He's missed.

SEASON 1 EPISODE 27 remastered CBS dvd box set. The original box has a classic old black and white tv on the cover. Also on blu ray.

"I Am My Brother's Keeper" is an episode which apparently is an attempt to launch the career of Dick Van Dyke's brother, Jerry. It's the second of a two-parter, with "I Am My Brother's Keeper" playing the previous week. This episode is not entirely successful, as Stacey's act is something you might only enjoy in VERY small doses!

Stacy has come to stay with the Petries. However, he soon begins showing some VERY strange manic behaviors. It turns out that Stacey has two personas...a shy, nerdy guy when he's awake and a manic 'life of the party' when he's sleepwalking. Rob knows Stacey has talent but poor Stacey doesn't feel like he can channel that manic fun guy unless he's sleeping. So what happens when Rob invites friends, including Alan Brady, to the house to meet Stacey?

What deficits of talent Jerry Van Dyke has he tries to compensate with being loud and goofy. It's only partially successful, as he is fun briefly but after a few minutes you wonder why all the characters are so enraptured by his meager talents. While the guy could be entertaining in a different situation (such as on a different sit-com playing a different character), he he just seems boorish and annoying. Not a terrible episode but clearly a very weak one in comparison to most of the shows.

In honor of Dick Van Dyke turning 99 today, I thought I'd review some eps of his show. This is the second part of the previous ep in which Dick's real-life brother Jerry plays Rob's sibling Stacey. Rob has found a solution for Stacey's sleepwalking habits which is when he displays his comic talents-the opposite of when he's awake! He records that performance on reel tape when his brother is "sleeping" so that brother can try to duplicate that when awake. Not only do we see Jerry in full performance mode, we also see Rose Marie's singing talents, Morey Amsterdam's comic routines, Dick and Mary Tyler Moore's fine singing duet. This is also the first time the Alan Brady appearances begin though here, it's only from the back though we do hear Carl Reiner's voice. It will be this way for the next few seasons. Anyway, I really enjoyed both episodes where Jerry Van Dyke appeared. So that's a high recommendation for both.

According to "The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book," (Vince Waldron, Hyperion, 1994) John Rich , the director of the episode, said about Jerry Van Dyke "he got it just right, the shy, self-deprecating lovely quality that was the character." Dick Van Dyke is also quoted as saying "he was very nervous, but his comedy instincts were good, particularly when he had an audience to work with. ANd by the time we hit the audience , he was doing great." (pages 160-1). Carl Reiner recalled "He came in, and he was delightful." Jerry Van Dyke performance in this episode is very funny and wonderful.

The only other review disagrees writing "he he just seems boorish and annoying. Not a terrible episode but clearly a very weak one in comparison to most of the shows."