I ended my last blog article, about Woman on the Run, with the observation that three of the actors in that film—Ross Elliott, Steven Geray, and Joan Shawlee—had guest appearances or supporting roles in my favorite classic sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show. I decided this time to give each of these three actors a shoutout and highlight their appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show. It’s also my way of celebrating Dick Van Dyke’s recent birthday. He turned ninety-nine years young on December 13, 2024.
Click here to see my article about Woman on the Run.
Ross Elliott
I was a fan of Ross Elliott before I knew his name and before I knew he was the same actor in Woman on the Run and on The Dick Van Dyke Show. I saw him first on The Dick Van Dyke Show. The first couple of times that I saw Woman on the Run, I knew that he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. It took one or two more viewings of the film before I made the connection.
Here he is, as Frank Johnson in Woman on the Run, the witness to a murder who goes on the run to avoid testifying against a cold-blooded killer.
And here he is as Dr. Philip Nevins, the psychiatrist in “The Brave and the Backache” (season 3, episode 20) on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Rob Petrie (played by Dick Van Dyke) knows Dr. Nevins from his commute to work on the train from New Rochelle, New York, to New York City, but he wants to see Dr. Nevins professionally because of what he thinks are his psychosomatic reactions to his wife Laura’s suggestions that they spend a weekend at Lake Sisseemanunu.
Ross Elliott apparently did such a good job playing a psychiatrist that he came back two seasons later as Dr. Phil Ridley in “Uhny Uftz” (season 5, episode 3). This time, Rob Petrie consults him because he has seen, or thinks he saw, a flying saucer when he was working late one night at his office in New York City.
The portrayal of the psychiatrist is handled with so much humor, as one would expect from a sitcom, and Ross Elliott is wonderful and sympathetic in both roles. Rob Petrie is not psychosomatic and he is not suffering from hallucinations, but viewers don’t know that until the end of both episodes. The warmth and compassion for Rob’s predicaments really come through in both the writing and in Ross Elliott’s portrayals.
Steven Geray
Steven Geray is a familiar face to film noir fans because he had many supporting roles in many films noir. In Woman on the Run, he plays Frank Johnson’s doctor, Dr. Arnold Hohler. It’s a small part, but it’s a memorable one because Geray plays a sympathetic doctor who helps Eleanor Johnson get some prescription medicine to her husband, even though the doctor has been warned by the police about helping a fugitive witness to a murder.
But Steven Geray could play comedy, too. He plays the Petries’ neighbor, Mr. Gerard, in “The Man from My Uncle” (season 5, episode 27). Mr. Gerard’s nephew is a wanted criminal, and federal agents are assigned to track him. They want to use the Petrie home as a base of operations, and their son Richie’s bedroom is the perfect spot to put Mr. Gerard’s house under surveillance. The agents hope that the nephew will pay a visit to his uncle. When Mr. Gerard shows up at the Petries’ front door, worried about what his nephew might do next, he delivers some of the funniest lines in the episode.
Joan Shawlee
Joan Shawlee has only a bit part in Woman on the Run. She goes by her maiden name in the credits: Joan Fulton. The part is so small that her character doesn’t even have a name; the credits describe her as the tipsy blonde in the bar. The bar is Sullivan’s Grotto, where Eleanor Johnson discovers that her husband still loves her and where viewers discover that Danny Legget is falling in love with Eleanor. Joan Shawlee is the one who tells Eleanor Johnson, “It’s no use looking, honey. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Ross Elliott and Steven Geray make brief guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but Joan Shawlee had a supporting role as one of two actresses who played Pickles Sorrell, Buddy Sorrell’s wife. She really has a chance to shine in “Divorce” (season 2, episode 28). Her comedic talent is on full display when she and Buddy get Rob enmeshed in an argument that threatens their marriage.
Joan Shawlee is the reason to see this episode. She is hilarious as the wife who still loves her husband and who wants Rob to intervene and prevent Buddy Sorrell from splitting up with her.
Another good reason to see this episode (and the entire Dick Van Dyke Show series) is the writing. Each character has a unique personality, and all are given a chance to show off their talents. Even when I was a kid watching reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show, I always noticed that the closing credits included a line for “Script Continuity, Marjorie Mullen.” I didn’t know what it meant, but I did notice that the episodes were never disjointed, that the overall series had a reassuring sense of place and time and consistency. The attention to detail really paid off.
Now, as an adult, I can catch some minor inconsistencies, but they never did anything to diminish my love for the series. One example is the difference in the psychiatrist’s name in the two episodes featuring Ross Elliott: Dr. Philip Nevins and Dr. Phil Ridley. Only a fan like me would probably even notice such a detail, but it sticks out in a show as well written as The Dick Van Dyke Show. And in the modern days of binge watching!
But this is a digression, believe me. Both The Dick Van Dyke Show and Woman on the Run are well worth the time. Both are wonderfully written, and both stand up so well to the test of time.
The Dick Van Dyke Show Credits
October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, broadcast dates • Written by Carl Reiner, Frank Tarloff (as David Adler), John Whedon, Sheldon Keller, Howard Merrill, Martin Ragaway, Bill Persky, Sam Denoff, Garry Marshall, Jerry Belson, Caral Kleinschmitt, Dale McRaven, Rick Mittleman • Directed by Sheldon Leonard, John Rich, Jerry Paris, Howard Morris, Alan Rafkin • Opening theme song by Earle Hagen • Series created by Carl Reiner
Dick Van Dyke as Robert Petrie • Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie • Rose Marie as Sally Rogers • Morey Amsterdam as Buddy Sorrell • Ross Elliott as Dr. Philip Nevins and as Dr. Phil Ridley • Steven Geray as Mr. Girard • Joan Shawlee as Pickles Sorrell
Produced by Calvada Productions • Broadcast by CBS
Woman on the Run Credits
November 29, 1950 (New York City), release date • Directed by Norman Foster • Screenplay by Alan Campbell, Norman Foster, Ross Hunter • Based on the short story “Man on the Run” by Sylvia Tate • Music by Arthur Lange, Emil Newman • Edited by Otto Ludwig • Cinematography by Hal Mohr
Ann Sheridan as Eleanor Johnson • Dennis O’Keefe as Daniel (“Danny”) Legget • Robert Keith as Inspector Martin Ferris • John Qualen as Maibus • Frank Jenks as Detective Shaw • Ross Elliott as Frank Johnson • Jane Liddell as the messenger girl • Joan Shawlee (credited as Joan Fulton) as the tipsy blonde in the bar • J. Farrell MacDonald as the sea captain • Steven Geray as Dr. Arnold Hohler • Victor Sen Yung as Sam • Reiko Sato (credited as Rako Sato) as Suzie • Syd Saylor as Sullivan • Milton Kibbee as man yelling from the apartment house • Tom Dillon (credited as Thomas P. Dillon) as Joe Gordon
Distributed by Universal-International Pictures Company • Produced by Fidelity Pictures, Inc.
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