Today, Dick Van Dyke is known across the world as a singer, actor, and performer to boot. However, in the early days of The Dick Van Dyke Show, he was practically unknown. This was why it was especially strange that Carl Reiner made the executive decision to name the series after Van Dyke. It was a name that, in time, everyone would recognize, though at the time of the show's conception, was relatively meaningless. Perhaps even then, Reiner was aware of the lasting impact that not only the series but also Van Dyke himself, would have.

Still, when arguments were being made for the series's title of what would one day become The Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick Van Dyke himself wasn't even especially interested in the series sharing his name. In his memoir, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, Van Dyke revealed that when Reiner brought the possibility to the cast and crew, he was met with a resounding wall of incredulity.

Van Dyke wrote that Reiner used successes of the past to provide evidence for his argument. Reiner said, "Look, Make Room for Daddy, a big hit, became better known as The Danny Thomas Show. We should do the same. It solves our problems."

However, there was still the issue of name recognition, as Rose Marie, better known as Sally Rogers, explained when she jokingly asked, "What's a Dick Van Dyke?"

The actor himself had his own reservations about the matter. Specifically, Van Dyke wrote, "It sounded like a mistake." 

Van Dyke asked Reiner, "Nobody's heard of me. Who's going to tune in?" But Reiner, who did seem to have a sixth sense about this sort of thing, retorted, "I disagree. I think it's perfect."

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Obviously, Reiner was the correct party in the argument, and the series was instrumental in ensuring that Van Dyke would become a household name.

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