The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV Series) The Ugliest Dog in the World (1965) User Reviews

Much Better than 6.8 rating.

[lrrap · 8/10 · 1 December 2021]

Again, I'm puzzled by the IMDB rating by viewers of the Dick van Dyke show. Hokey, labored shows like "Ghost of a Chantz" and "Uhny Ufzt" rate as fan favorites, while excellent, deftly-written, clever shows like "Baby Fat" and "The Lady and the Babysitter" are rated as average or below. Can the van Dyke audience really be so immune to the brand of humor that made this show unique?

Of course, it's all subjective..but readers who disagree with my opinions will..with a certain vengeance...hit the "NOT helpful" button, when in fact their problem is my pointing out the flaws in their favorite show, not that my comments are not insightful and logical (ie: "helpful").

In any case, the teleplay of "Ugliest Dog" won an Emmy nomination, so you know it's got to be pretty good (I didn't find this out 'til AFTER watching the episode). I started off feeling we were in for another long-ish, contrived show..with a dog as the focal point...but ended up moved and very appreciative of the whimsical, yet sweet and tender way in which the dog dilemma was handled. Very nicely done.

Add to it a featured role for Billy deWolfe in one of his trademark, superbly "queenly" characters, and you have a very solid 26 minutes of comedy: not spectacular--but CERTAINLY better than a 6.8 rating from admirers of the show. LR.

How could Rob take that dog without thinking about re-homing it?!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 16 December 2023]

Rob has an idea about a sketch which is based on "Pygmalion" but with dogs. The guest star is a Lassie-like performing dog and Rob has found a rather unattractive dog at the pound to play the Before dog in the skit. It's a very nice dog but Rob is clearly allergic to it and cannot keep it. And that leads to a problem...no one wants the dog because it's not very attractive...and Rob NEVER considered what to do with the dog when they were finished. Fortunately, he cannot just bring himself to return the dog to the pound...at least until it is made more presentable.

I liked this episode but I also think many will be a bit horrified with Rob wanting to just return the dog to the pound...which seems pretty cruel. Still, it's a nice episode and worth seeing.