As Carl Reiner's kid, Rob Reiner probably felt pressure to be funny from an early age. His father was this legendary comedy figure, having contributed to some of the most important writers' rooms in TV history. Carl created The Dick Van Dyke Show. No matter what path his son Rob chose, those were gigantic shoes to step into.

Fortunately, there was a person outside the family who saw Reiner’s promise, even at such a young age. When Rob grew up, together with this family friend, he'd be able to put that talent to good use. In Norman Lear’s autobiography, Even This I Get To Experience, Lear recalled that when his daughter Ellen was nine years old, the Lear family rented a cottage on Fire Island one summer. The cottage was neighboring another two doors down, which belonged to Carl and Estelle Reiner. 

During that vacation, Lear got to know all nine of the Reiner children, though he took a special interest in Rob, who was only a few months apart from Ellen. Lear recalled, “He was playing with Ellen one day, showing her how to play jacks, when I first thought, ‘That kid is funny.’” It was something that Lear recognized that, despite Reiner’s young age, his comedic talent was obvious, no doubt partially thanks to his early childhood spent with comedy professionals.

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Lear also recalled, “Sixteen years later, watching him rehearse with Carroll O’Connor, I would be reminded daily of Rob on the floor with Ellen, teaching her jacks that summer on Fire Island.” Even as an adult, Reiner was demonstrating his prowess, even beyond his duties as an actor. It’s not necessarily a secret that Lear and the lead of All in the Family, Carroll O’Connor, weren’t always on the best of terms. When that was the case, Rob, who was close with both of the men, could serve as a sort of buffer between them.