MovieChat Forums > The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) Discussion > Did the Petries Have Other Children?

Did the Petries Have Other Children?

posted 7 years ago by [email protected] (5497)
6 replies | jump to latest

I know, I know! Ritchie was hard enough to deal with! And they always had to find a place to send him, mostly next door with the Helpers. Laura never babysat Millie's kids, but Ritchie was always at Millie's house. I know that was because the show couldn't accomodate little kids in every scene.

But I often wondered, liked to think that Rob and Laura had another baby (or two) after the series ended.

In the first season episode, Harrison B. Harding of Camp Crowder, Ritchie implies that he'll have siblings. Harrison asks him if he has any brothers or sisters and he replies,"No, but I will someday. Daddy promised."

Rob overhears that and says to Laura, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

In the fifth season episode, "Go Tell the Birds and the Bees", Rob has to give his son an explanation of the facts of life. Laura asks Rob what he told Ritchie because , "Someday we may have a daughter, and I'll be the one who has to do the telling."

At the end of the episode Laura says that she misses the fact that Ritchie is no longer a baby and Rob says that it "might be fun to have another one."

I never would've wanted the show to "jump the shark" with a pregnancy episode, but all the same, I like to think that the Petries had another baby after the show ended. Silly huh?

In 2004 there was a Dick van Dyke reunion show with Rob and Laura living in New York City and Ritchie still living in their old house in New Rochelle. I know there wasn't time to introduce new characters but I so wished there would've been a line or two of dialogue about his brother or "twin sisters" who were out of town.

It was just something I always imagined for a reunion episode. Never though they'd actually DO a reunion show, but that's what I wanted to see.

[–] GlenEllyn (21086) 7 years ago

I think they provided enough comedy with the pregnancy story line in the flashback to Richie's birth, so I see no reason to add a sibling, even for the reunion show. A previously unknown sibling would just complicate things with no real benefit to the show. If they wanted a sibling for Richie the time to do it would have been around season 3, but as difficult as it is to write for children's roles (child labor laws, babies' temperaments, etc.) I can certainly understand why the Petries had only one child.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 7 years ago

Well thanks for the reply. It would have not helped the show for the Petries to have a baby during its initial run. Like I wrote, it was hard enough to find a place to put Ritchie for long stretches. He was usually in his room. Luckily Millie lived next door and was willing to babysit so much.

The show was great as it was and it would've just been awkward. Who would be watching the baby? Just like little Ricky on I Love Lucy, babies and toddlers are just "in the way" of the storyline.

In the reunion show I didn't necessarily want to see another sibling. Like I said, just a mention. Since Laura had started out as a dancer, I would not have minded if they threw in a line or two about the Petrie's daughter who was "out of town performing with a dance company." I don't know. Just an idea I had.

Actually the reunion show was kind of sad. Buddy and Mel were gone since the actors passed away and their absence left a big hole. And then there was Millie without Jerry since Jerry Paris had also passed away. I watched the show but I felt sad.

[–] GlenEllyn (21086) 7 years ago

True, they could have written another sibling into the reunion show. Who knows? It might have made it a little more interesting since there were such big holes left by the passing of Jerry, Buddy, and Mel. I think I've watched the reunion show just once a long time ago so I don't remember much about it except that Alan wanted Rob to write his eulogy.

[–] liscarkat (16530) 5 years ago

Why would they need another baby? They seemed perfectly happy the way they were.

[–] FootOfDavros (6719) 5 years ago

They did have another son, Jerry.

But he didn't work out so good so they kept him in a cage behind the big rock in the basement and never spoke of him. Different times...

[–] JackNorth (244) 4 years ago

Other children? They barely had Ritchie! A lot of epidoses (most?) made little or no references at all to him. Every time I see an episode with him in it, I go "oh, yeah! They have a kid!"