The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV Series) It May Look Like a Walnut (1963) User Reviews

Off the Walnut

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 26 January 2017]

This is my favorite episode of the show, this was an episode that really was a bit revolutionary for it's time from the fact that it not just was one of the first dream episodes before they became common place but to me it was really just the blending in of sci-fi, horror and comedy, this episode show what a beautiful combination they make.

The whole episode is like a "Twilght Zone" episode gone maximum overdrive. The premise is ridiculous on aliens from a planet of walnuts but that's what makes it all the more funny. I really like how the episode despite being funny also has a bit of a scary tone to it because of how weird things really get and just keep getting weirder and almost dangerous.

I really like Rob's reactions to everything, I can imagine if I was in the same predicament I would react the same. From losing his sense of humor and thumbs for no reason, the sudden obsession for walnuts surfacing but mainly just everyone familiar to him not acting like themselves. Really like the supporting cast members performances where they act contrary to themselves. This really gives the feel of isolation as Rob is constantly trying to make sense out of a nonsensical situation and how everything familiar to his life has just turned on a dime.

The highlight of the episode no doubt is the closet surprise which just cracked me up, I'll give you a hint it's some kind of nut.

Overall this episode is just nutty fun.

Rating: 4 stars

I couldn't believe what I was seeing

[robcat2075 · 9/10 · 29 October 2013]

I never saw this episode until maybe... the 80s?... long after I thought I had seen every Dick Van Dyke Show episode there ever was. Imagine my surprise as the story unfolded.

It is the most gob-smackingly strange and compelling half hour of sitcom TV I've ever seen. It was so odd I couldn't even stay in my chair as I watched it. I could not reconcile what I was seeing with the world of Rob and Laura Petrie I thought I knew and yet there wasn't one false note about it, it is so perfectly executed.

Up until the very end I was wondering how they were ever going to pull this out of the fire.

Whoever wrote this deserves a place in TV Valhalla.

Simply unforgettable...and one of the best episodes of any TV series from the era.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 16 December 2009]

This is definitely the most memorable episode from the wonderful "Dick Van Dyke Show". Whether or not it's the best is up for debate but you certainly can't forget it. If you can, then I think you should consult a doctor and have your head examined.

This is a very surreal episode and is nothing like any other, that's for sure! It begins with Rob and Laura watching a scary movie on TV. Laura can't stand it and says the show is bound to give them nightmares, but Rob insists on seeing it to the end. However, the next day, all the crazy stuff from the movie is coming true--and Rob is worried that the people from planet Twylo are going to take over the Earth.

There are tons of comedic touches in the episode--including a very funny cameo from one of the show's producers, Danny Thomas. However, the funniest and most memorable bit must be the walnut scene. I won't say more, but you just have to see it to believe it.

Overall, funny, strange and unforgettable...and a must for any "Dick Van Dyke Show" fan.

Brilliant is too mild a word

[bobbynear · 10/10 · 2 February 2015]

If only there was a word to describe this historically and hysterically funny episode. A once in a lifetime laugh fest that belongs up there right next to classic Seinfeld episodes like The Contest and The Soup Nazi.

It is hard to imagine that as reported in the trivia section Sheldon Leonard hated this story since he really was a brilliant producer. It would have been tragic had anyone listened to him.

So funny that it is hard to believe the cast kept a straight face during this. The one take at a time closet moment is TV history to say the least.

A must see for young people who wonder what we old folks are always complaining about when we say that TV comedy is dreadful today compared to fifty years ago

If the current appalling edition of Saturday Night Live did a parody today like this, it would make headlines around the world and convince people like myself that we were transported back to a glorious comedy past in some sort of time machine.

a 9.4 rating? Get serious..this one is off the charts.

bob near The-Fugitive-Views-And-Reviews

Best Episode With A Sci-Fi Edge

[DKosty123 · 10/10 · 22 February 2017]

If there is an episode that kids and grand kids should see of this series, this is it. This episode plays a lot like both a nightmare and a sci-fi movie. It is just flat out funny how this is done.

Walnuts are never funnier than here. When Mary Tyler Moore died, the scene of her on top of a pile of walnuts from this episode was shown more than once in the news and programs in her memory. While her own show would go on to some classic stuff like the eulogy of chuckles the clown, this one is so classic that the episode was featured on cable TV channel and drew respectable ratings.

Aliens are somehow involved with walnuts, and are taking over. Great fun and very funny, this is one you have to see. I think I should look for a DVD with it, or check it out on line. It's got to be on you tube or some place.

My Favorite Episode!! "I have perfect 20-20-20-20 vision".

[nsavage3-1 · 10/10 · 20 January 2007]

(Spoilers) The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "It may look like a Walnut" was one of a few 'dream-themed' episodes. I don't remember all of the details, but in the dream, Danny Thomas (as himself) is really an alien from a planet filled with walnuts. They don't have thumbs, but have four eyes (literally). I think they were supposed to change all humans into aliens like them. It was a little like "Invasion of the Body Snatchers".

If you are reading this review and have never seen the episode, I'm sure the plot sounds completely ridiculous and silly, but it is so well done, that it actually comes off as being very scary! No real special effects are used or needed. Rob's reactions to seeing the mutations are very convincing. At some point, everyone has been transformed except Rob, giving the viewer a feeling of isolation, which is usually associated with real nightmares.

This episode does an excellent job of creating a 'nightmarish' feeling, with its eerie background music, deep black and white image, and convincing performances by all, including special guest star Danny Thomas. Its as creepy as any of the best classic Twilight Zone episodes, and in fact is more effective, because we are so familiar with the characters involved.

In the episode's conclusion, Rob is awake with Laura, who states that she had just had a nightmare as well. I always have a feeling of relief, just like waking up from a real nightmare.

Oh, and the episode also has some very good funny moments as well. A perfect blend of humor and horror!

Danny Thomas Passes Out Walnuts

[timothylane-22717 · 9/10 · 25 April 2019]

This is a superb episode, starting with Rob watching TV in his room -- a supremely schlocky science fiction horror movie about an alien (played by Danny Thomas, though we never see one scene from the movie) from the planet Twilo who uses strange devices hidden in walnut shells to convert humans into Twiloites (who have eyes in the back as well as fronts of their heads, but no thumbs).

Laura is naturally upset listening to all the eerie music and by Rob's summary of the plot -- wondering (in an imitation Boris Karloff voice) how he could type without thumbs. (He wouldn't be able to press the space bar.)

The next morning things turn weird. Laura brings out an egg carton -- packed with walnuts. She hands Richie his school lunch -- a bag of walnuts. Then Rob tells Sally and Buddy about the movie, and Sally insists she was at the UN when it all happened. Later the alien (Kolak) turns up, and Rob naturally tries to assume he's really the actor -- receiving the response, "What is a Danny Thomas?" (Very British-sounding accent.) Rob finds a walnut with the alien device, and while trying to flick his lighter seems to be missing a thumb.

He finally arrives to a famous scene of Laura sliding out of the closet on a large pile of walnuts. You'll have to view the episode to see what happens after that.

Another Brick In The Walnut

[uncatema · 10/10 · 7 June 2021]

Pound for pound this episode holds up as one of the best. Those who give it a not so good review have no sense of humor; maybe it's because they lost their thumbs.

One of my All-time Favorites!

[cranvillesquare · 24 July 2022]

This is probably one of the best DVD episodes, if not THE best. It's certainly over-the-top, but in a good and funny way. Most people like the cascading walnuts out of the closet, but for me - the best scene was Rob telling Laura over the phone "I still have my thumbs, and you can't do much about that!" - to which she just laughs in response...and a not-very-cheery laugh, at that.

The only show's episode which even comes close to this one is the final episode of Newhart, in which at the end Dick awakens next to his wife after a particularly disturbing nightmare. (Or IS it Dick?)

One of the best episodes of the Dick Van Dyke show

[Viewer111 · 9/10 · 5 April 2019]

"It May Look Like Walnut" is a great episode of the Dick Van Dyke show. I would give it a ten, but Danny Thomas' acting is so poor it drags it down to a nine. I personally do not like much of Danny Thomas' work, so I am biased. The rest of the cast is superb! The story is incredibly funny and a great spoof on sci-fi shows of the era and on the interactions between a married couple over a movie. Just good fun stuff. Might be the first use of "absorbatron" which term is picked up later by comic books and other stuff. Although that term might have earlier dates in pulp sci-fi.

A WALNUT FOR YOUR THOUGHTS??

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 15 October 2023]

What better combination could there ever be but having Jerry Paris direct and Carl Reiner write this totally classic, campy, cult episode.

This has been flagged as one of the most funniest episodes of all time, and it's a must for Dick Van Dyke Show completists. No question, what with the enormous popularity of the TWILIGHT ZONE at the time, the gang had to put this one together.

10 Stars. Well earned.

Rob and Laura watch an eerie late night horror flick... and comes the next day... or next nightmare. Ron awakens to find a walnut trail around the house, this all leading to a super alien who resembles Danny Thomas? Has the earth been taken over? Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Thomas was the executive producer of the show, so why not add him to the insanity.

The ULTIMATE surprise is the exploding closet full of walnuts, and "alien duplicate" Laura casually rolling out onto the floor! One you have to see, and expertly filmed as it would have taken a lot of time and effort to keep re-shooting the same scene. It had to have been done in one take and it's perfect, and a bit ominous. All us kids loved this kind of stuff back in the day.

As the last reviewer noted, yes, applause to Dick Van Dyke for some priceless expressions as to what the heck is going on in his otherwise serene, suburban world. Jerry Paris did an excellent job directing, particularly Mary Tyler Moore, as we have never seen her before, though she was no stranger to dramatic roles either. She appeared on many cop shows early in her career. I remember Mary briefly discussing this episode years ago on a talk show, explaining that rolling out of a closet with literally thousands of walnuts was easier said than done, but it all went fast and they got the shot they wanted.

Production notes indicate the nuts were acquired from a local wholesaler, which were used for the scene and then returned? The cast and crew were also allowed to help themselves and some obviously got sick from consuming TOO many. The closet scene had to have been inspired by the likes of the Three Stooges, and even Abbott and Costello's off the wall tv show, which usually had Costello being buried alive in something.

Another quick note; around this time was a popular sci-fi flick called, THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH (1962), all about a scientist's family being duplicated by aliens? It was one of those really weird drive-in chillers, and well done, starring Kent Taylor. Watch for it as its fun and could have been the springboard to this story.

Another example of the cast having a good time with a super script. From SEASON 2 EPISODE 20 remastered dvd box set.

Grade A episode

[dtucker86 · 10/10 · 3 October 2023]

I saw the other day where Dick Van Dyke made a surprise appearance at Walt Disneyworld at the age of 98. We are celebrating the 99th birthday of former President Jimmy Carter lets also be glad this comic legend is still with us. Van Dyke is one of those rare geniuses that can do everything, comedy or drama and do it well. This episode of his show was always a favorite of mine. Someone pointed out that a character on a sitcom having a comic nightmare is an old cliche but it started with this wonderfully original epiosde where Rob is having a nightmare about the world being invaded by walnut loving martians who look like Danny Thomas. Dick gets to demonstrate his wonderful talent at slapstick on this episode and we are greeted to Mary Tyler Moore sliding down a huge avalanche of walnuts that come out of the closet. I feel sorry for the poor people who had to clean up the set after this scene was filmed!

Great episode?

[fentress · 7/10 · 14 July 2020]

I just got finished seeing this episode aired on MeTV as part of a tribute to the late Carl Reiner, being presented as one of Reiner's favorite episodes. I have also read that it is one of Dick Van Dyke's favorite episodes. It is a favorite episode for a lot of folks.

Apparently, I'm in the minority. I didn't find it to be anything extraordinary. I've read that it is a satire of the Twilight Zone. I appreciate that it was innovative for its time. It used dreaming as a device. As one other reviewer described it, if you walk into it expecting a normal episode of typically humorous dialogue between Rob and Laura, you'll find this episode to be delightfully off-kilter.

I get all that. And normally I hate reviewers of other works who sound all jaded and say, "Well, I have seen all these devices used before ..." yada yada. But as one person simply sitting down and watching this, I found it weird, and not in such a good way. And I didn't laugh all that much.

By contrast, the episode MeTV aired after this one was the one where Laura gets really mad because Rob used an argument they had as material for The Alan Brady Show. That was full of nuances and realistic touches in the banter among the characters. Now that is more like what I watch The Dick Van Dyke Show for.

I still give it a 7 because there's no such thing as a bad episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. But it's not an episode I would select to watch over others.

Bad, sucky twist

[euhafshzs · 3/10 · 25 April 2023]

Why is this the highest rated Dick Van Dyke show episode? The twist is bad and did not age well at all. I will not give it away, but Pyrocynical is spot-on on turning into a mocking meme. The twist undermines the clever humor and suspense of the rest of the episode, and leaves the viewer feeling cheated and confused. It might have been revolutionary at the time, but the same way the Beatles do not feel heavy enough today, the twist does not feel clever enough. "How will they write themselves out of this one?" With a quick fix-all of writing.

On the bright side, the humor was definitely enjoyable and it's refreshing to see the protagonist couple not fight and argue for once.

A score of 7 out of 10

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 3 January 2021]

Mary Tyler Moore seems a bit more animated here than she did on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her hair is perfect, even when she is supposed to be in bed. She's very stylish in the daytime scenes, giving ole June Cleaver a run for her money in the classy housewives department.

Dick Van Dyke is perfectly groomed. He has zero percent body fat on him. The guy must not have believed in large meals.

Obviously it is Dick's show, and everyone else plays their supporting part like fine-tuned instruments. Mercifully the boy who plays their son only had two or three lines. Morey and Rose Marie are fun together but scriptwriter Carl Reiner can't resist a jab at Rose Marie's character Sally by having her complain about being single. The implication being that if she gave up her career she might find a man and not be single.

Richard Deacon does not seem to jive with the other cast members. He's perfectly adequate but his energy level is different from the others. Maybe that was intentional? He was like this on Leave It To Beaver and The Mothers-in-Law so I don't think he's able to play characters any other way on television sitcoms.

The plot...the stuff with the walnuts was certainly outlandish and meant to be so. At times it felt like the writing was stretching the basic sitcom premise and trying to veer off into psychological fantasy, and Dick Van Dyke is good at playing whimsical material. The only way "out" at the end was for it to be a dream/nightmare. This plot device reminded me of the end of Newhart where we learned Dick Loudon was really Dr. Bob Hartley and had dreamt all eight seasons about running an inn in Vermont.

What I don't like about sitcoms from this period is that they lack a subplot or "B" plot. There is just one main "A" plot and all the supporting characters have to be placed into it, even if they don't quite fit the story. For instance, I think Richard Deacon's character Mel could have easily been left out of this one. Or a slight subplot could have been developed with Mel and guest Danny Thomas. Because the whole thing focuses on one main plot, the gag has to be stretched out for the full running time of the episode. And after awhile, the walnut shtick was wearing thin.

Danny Thomas' funny appearance saved this one for me, especially where he mocks his own image and says "what is a Danny Thomas?"

The big gag scene near the end where Dick Van Dyke's character Rob opens the hall closet and the walnuts tumble out wasn't very funny to me. I think what spoiled it was that he comes home and is calling out for wife Laura...but why would he open the closet to see if she was in there? Why not just walk into the kitchen where she mostly like would be found preparing supper? Yes, this was part of his dream/nightmare...where everything wasn't going to make complete sense...but it would have worked better in my opinion if he was opening the closet door to hang up his jacket or to put something away he found on the floor. Again nobody looks for their spouse in a hall closet.

The set design for the Petrie home is fabulous. The bedroom is rather simple and does not differ much from the Ricardos' bedroom set in I Love Lucy. However, the living room, dining room and kitchen all look "chic" and up-to-date modern for the era. Even Rob's office is nicely furnished and spacious. They are without a doubt a successful upper middle class family. Well-off Caucasians with Caucasian friends and coworkers.

One other thing I kept thinking as I watched the episode-- Laura often seems like she is saying and doing stuff a Jewish wife would say or do (probably things that Reiner's wife said or did, which inspired his writing). So Mary Tyler Moore almost feels a bit miscast.