https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/a...iner-dead.html
What a run! Just 2 years short of a full c-note.
But what a comic powerhouse! Not only was Carl Reiner a comic genius, he was a pioneer in the Golden Age of Television. To me, a kid growing up in that era, I considered Carl Reiner and his contemporaries to be rock stars. One of the characters he created was my role model: Sally Rogers, the wise-cracking comedy writer portrayed by Rose Marie on The Dick van Dyke Show. Like Rob and Buddy, Sally could fire off one-liners, albeit encased in pre-feminist notions which didn't escape my notice. Sally was the one who did all the typing, and a recurrent bit of schtick was the paucity of her love-life. It didn't make any difference. She got laughs, and I wanted people to laugh at me, too. (In a good way, I mean.)
At the time the three major networks shied away from controversy (thus avoiding angering sponsors), but Reiner was brave enough to buck that trend. For instance, a few episodes included racial diversity with sensitivity and gentle humor.
And Reiner's wit shone through the dialogue. One particular episode features a character who happens to be an old flame of Rob's wife Laura,played by Mary Tyler Moore. Inexplicably,the guy's name is "Jim Darling." We discover the reason at the climax of the ep, when Rob confronts his supposed rival: "Now see here—" Rob yells "— Darling!"
As a writer-manqué (even at this wizened old age), I am grateful for everything I learned from Carl Reiner.