IN MEMORIAM: Carl Reiner (1922-2020)

I didn’t really become a fan of Carl Reiner until I saw Ocean’s Eleven in 2001. I knew the name and I knew he was a comedy great, but I had never really paid much attention to his work until I saw him as Saul, the eldest member of Danny Ocean’s eclectic and diverse group of thieves taking on Las Vegas for millions. 

I love those movies, and Reiner was awesome in all of them, especially the first one. 

It then occurred to me later that I was already a fan of his work and didn’t know it, because as a kid I watched The Dick Van Dyke Show religiously on Nick at Nite. I know Dick Van Dyke from a ton of things, especially Mary Poppins AKA My Favorite Disney Movie Of All Time, so when I found out he had a sitcom back in the 60’s, I was all over it. 

The whole time, Reiner’s name was in the end credits and I just glossed over it. He created and wrote for the damn show, and guest starred in it multiple times as Alan Brady, the hot shot comedian that Rob Petrie(Van Dyke) wrote for. 

When you look at Carl Reiner’s body of work, that show is likely what stands out the most in his career, as it was one of the most successful sitcoms in TV history spanning 158 episodes, a spinoff continuation in the 70’s and launching the career of Mary Tyler Moore, whom Reiner cast as Laura Petrie, Rob’s wife. 

What I remember and appreciate most about Carl Reiner though was his tenacity and persistence. The man was a legend for decades and called Dick Van Dyke, Mel Brooks and Norman Lear his best friends. His son Rob Reiner became a successful actor and director in his own right still to this day, and worked on one of Lear’s most revered shows, All In The Family. His legacy over his 98 years on this earth isn’t one that a lot of younger people will realize or know much about, but it’s indelible without question to the industry itself. 

In recent years, Reiner was not only going strong well into his 90’s, but also vocal along with his son Rob about social issues. My favorite image of him now that’s roaming social media is the one of him and his daughter wearing Black Lives Matter shirts together. He did videos and interviews and didn’t shy away from his opinions on the world at large, and seriously who was going to tell him otherwise at age 98? 

That’s the best part to me, that he got to 98. One of my other favorite images of him was a group shot he did with Lear, Brooks and Van Dyke only a few years back, all in their 90’s, all still going strong, unwilling to let age define them at any point. In fact, it was for an HBO Documentary they all did called “If You’re Not In The Obit, Eat Breakfast,” which is all about them redefining the expectations for people of older age, especially in Hollywood. In a world that is constantly acting like 30 is old, 50 is geriatric and 70 or above is ancient, it’s nice that people like Reiner put that crap to rest and continue living no matter what the clock says about their time on this Earth. We can only all hope to have such wisdom and strength in our lives. At least I do. 

Rest in peace, Carl Reiner AKA Alan Brady AKA Saul Bloom/Lyman Zerga. You will be missed, but your legacy is forever intact.