Jerry Van Dyke

Van Dyke with Stefanie Powers in McLintock! (1963)

Van Dyke pursued his stand-up comedy career while still in Danville High School and was already a veteran of strip joints and nightclubs when he joined the United States Air Force Tops In Blue in 1954 and 1955.[4][5] During the mid-1950s, Van Dyke worked at WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana.[6] The Jerry Van Dyke Show, which included future CBS News Early Show news anchor Joseph Benti, Nancee South and Ben Falber, was popular fare.[5] In the service, he performed at military bases around the world, twice winning the All Air Force Talent Show.[6]

Following his first guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show and two others on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show, CBS made him a regular on The Judy Garland Show.[7] He was also given hosting chores on the 1963 game show Picture This.[5] In that same year, movie audiences saw him in supporting roles in McLintock!, Palm Springs Weekend and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.[6]

Van Dyke in a publicity photo for Accidental Family (1967)

In 1963 Van Dyke was cast on an episode of GE True, hosted by Jack Webb.[8] When The Judy Garland Show was unsuccessfully revamped, Van Dyke left the program.[9] He turned down the offer to play Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, a role which instead went to Bob Denver.[8] It is uncertain whether he was considered to replace Don Knotts as Sheriff Andy Taylor's deputy on The Andy Griffith Show, although he did appear as a guest star in one episode.[10] He also appeared in a 1964 episode of The Cara Williams Show.[11] Van Dyke finally accepted the lead role of attorney David Crabtree in My Mother the Car (1965), the misadventures of a man whose deceased mother Gladys (voiced by Ann Sothern) is reincarnated as a restored antique car.[5] Though the series was a commercial failure, Van Dyke continued to work steadily in supporting television and film roles through the rest of the decade.[5] He starred in another short-lived situation comedy Accidental Family (1967) as widowed comedian Jerry Webster who buys a farm to raise his son while he is not away on professional tours.[7]

He was also featured in Love and Kisses (1965) and as Andy Griffith's co-star in Angel in My Pocket (1969).[8]

During the 1970s Van Dyke returned to stand-up comedy. He spent much of the decade touring Playboy Clubs around the country and headlining venues in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Summerfest in Milwaukee, and in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[2] He returned to television for guest appearances on Love, American Style and Fantasy Island.[8] In 1973 he portrayed Wes Callison, News Writer, on the season four episode "Son of 'But Seriously, Folks'" on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.[12] He also had roles in The Amazing Cosmic Awareness of Duffy Moon (1976) and 13 Queens Boulevard (1979).[12] Also in 1989 he appeared as a panelist in the pilot for the revival of Match Game, hosted by Bert Convy.

In 1988 he made a guest appearance on Scott Baio's sitcom Charles in Charge as Jamie Powell's health teacher Mr. Merkin.[12] In 1989 Van Dyke began portraying beloved, yet befuddled, assistant coach Luther Van Dam on the long-running series Coach.[9] For this role, he received four consecutive Emmy Award nominations (1990 through 1993) for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series".[9]

In 1995 he appeared in a series of Hardee's commercials to promote the Big Hardee, then in the late 1990s acted as the spokesperson for Big Lots.[5] He had a recurring role on Yes, Dear as Big Jimmy, the father of Jimmy Hughes.[7] He made a guest appearance on a September 2008 episode of My Name Is Earl and in 2010 he made an appearance on the second-season episode, "A Simple Christmas" of the television series, The Middle, playing Frankie's father, Tag Spence.[12][2] He returned in "Thanksgiving III" in November 2011, "Thanksgiving IV" in November 2012, "From Orson with Love" in May 2013, "Thanksgiving V" in November 2013.[2] and "Flirting with disaster" in March 2015. Van Dyke also played the object of Maw Maw's affections on the 18th episode of the first season of Raising Hope.[7] In a December 2013 episode of The Millers he played Bud Miller, father to Margo Martindale's character, Carol.[12] In his final television role in April 2015 he reprised his role as Frankie's father on The Middle, along with real-life brother Dick Van Dyke playing his character's brother.[13][14]