“Forgotten Hollywood”- A Life in the Shadows…

Posted on January 7, 2018 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

“`Jerry Van Dyke was the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke, who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom,  before clicking as the amiable sidekick in  Coach. For his efforts, Jerry received four consecutive Emmy nominations. He also co-starred with Ann Southern in the dreadful sitcom My Mother the Car. He joined  The Judy Garland Show in 1963, to provide comic relief; but, was unceremoniously let go at the end of the season.

“`Jerry knew from childhood that he wanted to be a comedian, and grew up listening to the radio shows of Bob Hope and Red Skelton. Van Dyke entered  Eastern Illinois University. His education was interrupted by service in the  Air Force throughout the Korean War.  Jerry would entertain at military shows with comedy skits and his banjo playing. After his service, he followed his brother to Hollywood.

JERRY VAN DYKE

“`He had his initial break with a recurring role on  The Dick Van Dyke Show as Rob Petrie’s banjo-playing brother. Van Dyke also guest starred on  The Ed Sullivan Show, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.Perry MasonThat GirlLove American Style, The Andy Williams ShowThe Love BoatFantasy Island, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, he did turn down a chance to replace Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show, and the character of Gilligan on Gilligan’s Island. Jerry also lamented losing a role in 1982 when he was up for a supporting gig in a Bob Newhart vehicle, which would run for eight celebrated seasons.  But, Tom Poston got the part on Newhart. In 1995, Van Dyke appeared in a series of Hardee’s commercials.

“`He was cast in motion pictures, including  McLintock!,  The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Palm Springs Weekend, and Angel in My Pocket. During the 1970s, Van Dyke returned to stand-up comedy. He toured Playboy Clubs around the country, and headlined venues in Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City.  Van Dyke was an avid poker player, and announced a number of poker tournaments for ESPN.

“`Jerry Van Dyke was 86.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 7th, 2018 at 12:37 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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