DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, THE: OCTOBER EVE (TV)
Summary
One in this series of comedy programs about the personal and professional life of Rob Petrie, the head comedy writer for television's "Alan Brady Show." In this episode, Laura receives a phone call from Sally, who is shocked to have spotted a very familiar face in a portrait at an art gallery. Laura rushes out to join her and is horrified to see the painting, titled "October Eve," and explains that shortly after her wedding, she posed for an "eccentric" artist, Sergei Carpetna, intending the portrait as a present for Rob. Elsewhere, Rob tells Buddy about the odd phone call, sure that Sally and Laura are "up to something." Back at home, Laura struggles to confess the truth to him, and a flashback shows that she sat for the arrogant painter and was outraged by the final product, which shows her in a far more "revealing" state than she had expected. Sergei boasts that he has depicted his interpretation of her "true self," but she seemingly destroys it and storms out, deciding never to tell Rob about the failed gift. Rob is amused by the story – until Laura adds that Sergei apparently managed to restore the piece and it is now hanging in a gallery for all to see.
Rob hurries to the gallery, where he is upset to find several sketch artists admiring his wife's form, and he encounters the "perpetrator" Sergei, who informs him that he has already received multiple offers on the work, starting at $5,000. Laura frets that they cannot afford to buy it, but when she mentions that she originally paid Sergei a $50 commission, Rob points out that technically speaking, they already own the painting. He returns to Sergei's studio and reveals that he is the model's husband, pretending to have a hand-painted receipt for the work. Sergei is furious at the idea that Rob will destroy his masterpiece, so Rob convinces him to instead sell it to one of the bidders – who lives far away in Brazil. Later, Sergei decides to make amends with another portrait of Laura, though she is again taken aback by its bizarre, abstract style. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: April 8, 1964 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:15
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:52152
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Marriage; Television comedy writers
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1961-1966
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sheldon Leonard … Executive Producer
- Carl Reiner … Producer, Created by
- Ronald Jacobs … Associate Producer
- Jerry Paris … Director
- Bill Persky … Writer
- Sam Denoff … Writer
- Dick Van Dyke … Cast, Rob Petrie
- Rose Marie … Cast, Sally Rogers
- Morey Amsterdam … Cast, Maurice "Buddy" Sorrell
- Larry Matthews … Cast, Ritchie Petrie
- Mary Tyler Moore … Cast, Laura Petrie
- Carl Reiner … Cast, Sergei Carpetna
- Richard Deacon … Cast, Mel Cooley
- Howard Wendell … Cast, Henry
- Genevieve Griffin … Cast, Henry's Wife
- Frank Adamo … Cast, Sketch Artist