oh rob (18. 853)

Debuting on this day in 1961, attracting few viewers for the initial telecast competing against the established staples of the sitcom Bachelor Father on ABC and the Western Laramie on NBC, CBS considered pulling the Carl Reiner vehicle after the release of the underperforming pilot, but was rescued in part due to intervention from Proctor & Gamble who threatened to pull commercial sponsorship if the series was not renewed—going on for five seasons, with the principal cast saying that they wanted to retire the show whilst they were still proud of it. Split between two sets—among the first sitcoms recorded with a live studio audience—the show had the meta, breaking-the-fourth-wall premise of following the work and home life of Robert Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), the head writer of a comedy-variety television programme, the fictional Alan Brady Show starring Reiner as the host, from his Manhattan production office with co-writers Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (Rose Marie), with the after hours focus on his family in suburban New Rochelle, his wife and former USO entertainer, Laura, played by Mary Tyler Moore.