Carl Reiner shown above with one of the thousands of pages of scripts from the Dick Van Dyke show that were recently donated to the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY for digital preservation.
JAMESTOWN – The National Comedy Center made a major announcement on Wednesday involving a legendary TV Producer and TV Program.
The NCC joined legendary producer, director, and writer Carl Reiner in announcing an initiative to digitally preserve Reiner’s extensive personal collection of production-used scripts from “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
The program is considered one of the most iconic, innovative, and beloved comedy series in television history.
The scripts, which are heavily annotated in Reiner’s own hand, have been stored away since the series wrapped production in 1966, and have never before been made available to a cultural institution for conservation or exhibition.
Scripts for all 158 episodes, totaling more than 7,500 pages, feature detailed edits and additions made in real-time during the writing, read-throughs and rehearsals for each episode.
Officials say the documents provide extraordinary access into the script development and creative process for the 15-time Emmy-winning situation comedy.
The National Comedy Center also announced the acquisition of production documents and scripts from the collection of award-winning situation comedy director John Rich, who helmed the first 41 episodes of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
The announcement came on the same day Carl Reiner turned 97.
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