The Funny Ones

One of the things that sparked my love for the past was 1960s sitcoms. For years, I unwound before bedtime by watching an episode with my family. We saw quite a few series, and The Dick Van Dyke Show was one of my favorites.

Like a lot of kids, I was familiar with Dick Van Dyke from his role in the classic Disney movie, Mary Poppins. I’m not a big Disney-lover, but Mary Poppins has always been one of my favorite movies.

So, a sitcom starring Van Dyke was right up my alley. He is hilarious as the main character, Rob Petrie, and his co-stars are equally hilarious. They shine in everything from sophisticated wit to plain old goofiness.

When I watched the show in my teens, I just knew it made me laugh. I loved the characters and enjoyed seeing how they dealt with the various story lines. Now, I think there was more than just humor that made the show a favorite of mine.

It centers around writers. Not just any writers, either. Rob, Sally, and Buddy were comedy writers, something I like to consider myself to some extent. Back in my teens, I was still learning who I was and how to be comfortable with that. I knew I loved to write, but I hadn’t decided to make a career out of it. Maybe, in some small, subconscious way, The Dick Van Dyke Show helped push me in that direction. If nothing else, the writing aspect made it relatable. Nowadays even more so as I have experience with deadlines and editors.

I’d always loved comedy and laughter. All the other funny series I’d watched proved that. But, it was the Dick Van Dyke Show that made me fully embrace my own comedic abilities. Again, because the characters were in the comedy business, I connected with them and saw my interests legitimized. The show sparked my interest in the more technical, for lack of a better word, side of comedy. I became interested in how it was created, not just in enjoying the results. I’d always been good at getting a giggle from family and friends, but I started doing it more intentionally after being inspired by Rob, Sally, and Buddy.

In fact, the Dick Van Dyke show inspired me to try comedy very literally, not just in conversation or writing. When I was 14 or 15, I started learning the accordion. I don’t play as often now, but I practiced religiously for the first few months and got good fairly quickly. Because I loved old-style variety shows, I suggested to my mom that we put one together for our homeschool co-op. I prepared and practiced an accordion song—the clarinet polka—and began performing it. Despite having practiced until I could play it flawlessly, my fingers still managed to trip over one another on the big night. I got to one section of the song and just couldn’t do it. So, I stood up so I could speak into the microphone and began telling jokes that I’d learned from The Dick Van Dyke Show. Everyone loved it, and I sat down and finished the song without another catch. Afterward, I was very embarrassed, even though I loved the feeling I’d had on stage. Partly because I was still frustrated over my accordion mistakes even though no one else remembered them. Partly because I’d gotten more laughs than the planned comedy sketches in the show.

Since then, I’ve come to terms with my personality and gifts. In the peer-pressure-filled teen years, it was understandably hard for me to confidently embody my humor. I would either be deemed— in a nice, but still slightly dismissive way—as “the funny one.” Or I’d be looked at oddly for not taking things seriously enough.

For a while, I struggled with these two options, because I could certainly be both. I loved laughing and making others laugh, but I also enjoyed heavier topics. I love learning, old books, history, science, and language. Those are all serious topics, according to plenty who study them. Pursuing academic success was not something usually associated with “the funny one.”

Now, I’ve learned that “taking things seriously” is boring. Sometimes people just do it because a snobby person told them to. You can crack a joke a minute and still be intelligent.

And, at least in my life, things like The Dick Van Dyke Show are equal in importance to philosophy and literature. Having a wide range of interests and enjoying them in the unique way allowed by your personality is a wonderful thing. It’s the real way to achieve the well-roundedness so many people value.

You may have noticed that there’s new tagline at the top of my website: “Adventure with a Sense of Humor.” That’s the slogan I’ve created for my fiction. Once I finally got past the initial embarrassment over my impromptu stand-up act and ignored the idea that “the funny one” is two-dimensional, I haven’t looked back. The Dick Van Dyke Show inspired my love for comedy writing in general. The delightful books of P.G. Wodehouse have helped me learn how to write funny novels specifically. Star Trek and Dr. Who have showed me that humor and quirkiness can work great with adventure. And, of course, I’ve always loved mysteries, so there’s a dash of inspiration from that genre as well.

But, as I was rewatching a few episodes of Dick Van Dyke the other day, I realized that it had been the first inspiration toward what I’m doing now. I was filled with nostalgia, and even a touch of pride when I realized that I’m living the life and following the dream that younger me had just barely started to imagine.

Rob, Sally, and Buddy taught me that “the funny one” was a very special thing to be.

White Marbles Update

I have added a description of White Marbles to the Other Writing page. If you want to know more about the story, check it out.