Object Details
user, owner
Reiner, Carl
Associated Name
Van Dyke, Dick
maker
Smith Corona
Description
Smith-Corona Silent typewriter used by Carl Reiner to write the scripts for The Dick Van Dyke Show. Reiner first used this typewriter to write thirteen scripts for a show he called Head of the Family while on vacation at Fire Island, New York in 1958. A pilot for that show, starring Reiner as a beleaguered television writer named Rob Petrie, was filmed in 1960 but failed to sell. With the assistance of television producer Sheldon Leonard, Reiner retooled the show, casting rising Broadway star Dick Van Dyke in the lead and young Mary Tyler Moore as his wife. The Dick Van Dyke Show ran for 5 seasons, from 1961-1966, on CBS, with Reiner serving as producer, writer, and actor in the role of Alan Brady, Rob Petrie's demanding and vain boss.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Carl Reiner
date made
1952
ID Number
2017.0140.01
accession number
2017.0140
catalog number
2017.0140.01
Object Name
typewriter
Physical Description
metal (body material)
plastic (keys material)
silk (ribbon material)
felt (soundproofing fabric material)
Measurements
overall: 5 7/8 in x 13 in x 13 1/2 in; 14.9225 cm x 33.02 cm x 34.29 cm
place made
United States: New York, Syracuse
used
United States: California, Los Angeles
United States: New York, West Fire Island
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Television
Entertainment
Typewriter
Writing
Humor
Comedy
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1846410