Carl Reiner was the writer and producer who created “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961-66), in which he played the star’s tyrannical boss, Alan Brady. Before that, Reiner had made a name for himself on the New York stage and in Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows” (1950-54) and “Caesar’s Hour: (1954-57), where he won two Emmy Awards for his work as a comic actor.
Reiner had success in feature films also, directing comedies including “Enter Laughing” (1966-67, based on his autobiographical book and starring Alan Arkin), “Oh, God” (1977) and four movies with Steve Martin: “The Jerk” (1979), “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (1982), “The Man With Two Brains” (1983) and “All of Me” (1984). Reiner was also known for his long-running comedy routine with Mel Brooks, “The 2,000 Year-Old Man.”
In 2008, Reiner lost his wife after 64 years of marriage. She was 94 years old, and best remembered for her one-line in their son Rob’s hit movie, “When Harry Met Sally,” when she said, “I’ll have what she’s having!”
As he approached his 88th birthday, Carl said he was still going strong and his passion helped keep his mind alert. He talked about his legendary career and his flourishing writing career, including his book for children, “Tell Me Another Scary Story.”
