'The Dick Van Dyke Show' Special Tribute to Carl Reiner Left Fans With Happy Tears Following His Death at 98

Daniel S. Levine

07/03/2020 11:15 pm EDT

CBS aired a special hour of The Dick Van Dyke Show episodes Friday night as a tribute to the late Carl Reiner. The show's creator and recurring star died on Monday night at age 98. Although the two episodes were colorized, fans still appreciated getting to see the two shows, especially after Reiner's family tweeted about how much Reiner liked seeing the colorized versions.

The special tribute featured the episodes "Coast to Coast Big Mouth," one of the funniest and most beloved Dick Van Dyke episodes. In the episode, Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore) revealed on national television that her husband's boss, the comedian Alan Brady (Reiner) wore a toupee. The episode originally aired onSept. 15, 1965 and won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966. It was the Season 5 premiere.

Next, CBS aired "October Eve," in which Laura learns an artist (Reiner) took the liberty of painting her "undraped" even though she posed for him wearing clothes. The episode aired on April 8, 1964, during Season 3. "In 'October Eve,' I got a chance to perform on the show as someone other than Alan Brady, and I loved the character of Carpetna the artist as soon as I read it," Reiner said of the episode in 2017.

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Reiner personally supervised the colorization of Dick Van Dyke Show episodes for CBS specials in 2016 and 2017. On Saturday, Reiner's family thanked CBS for scheduling the tribute, adding, "Carl often said about the new colorization of the show, 'it made me smile then ssmmiillee and sssssmmmmmiiiiillllleeeeee.'"

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Reiner's family also shared a new statement from Reiner's daughter, author Annie Reiner. "As you may know, Carl passed away on Monday, June 29th at the good old age of 98. We wanted to write a final tweet for him to let you know how much he appreciated your responses and support," Annie wrote. "I will say one last thing for him. I know he would be disappointed not to have lived to see Trump's eviction from the White House, to make America safe again for honor and truth. Please VOTE!"

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Reiner died of natural causes Monday night at his Beverly Hills home with his family by his side. He was a giant of both television and movies, leaving a lasting impact on the shape of American comedy. Aside from creating The Dick Van Dyke Show, Reiner was known for directing Steve Martin in The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, The Man With Two Brains and All of Me. He won 11 Emmys, a Grammy, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and is a member of the Television Hall of Fame. His son, Rob Reiner, is also an actor and director.

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