CARL REINER

He was one of the great comedy directors.

He moved from Broadway and "Call Me Mister" to TV and "Your Show of Shows."

On the legendary "Dick Van Dyke Show," he wrote an amazing number of CLASSIC episodes.

It's an irony that he starred in the pilot, about a comedy writer who works for "Alan Sturdy," and has a suburban wife, a kid, and a few oddball co-writers. No, somehow it was decided that, despite his great work on "Your Show of Shows," the lead should be played by somebody else...even a virtually unknown guy from the Midwest who didn't fit the stereotype of a Jewish comedy writer.

It was just another example of Carl Reiner's humility, and brilliant comic sense, that Dick Van Dyke would star in the re-titled (from "Head of the Family") "Dick Van Dyke Show."

The show struggled in its first year and got a CANCEL (nobody knew who Van Dyke was, and the time slot wasn't the best) but producer Sheldon Leonard fought for the show, and with Carl continuing to write brilliant episodes, and people discovering the brilliant episodes during summer repeats, the show became a hit in its second year.

Carl's humility was also a factor in the Grammy-winning success of the "2000 Year-Old Man" records. He let his lifelong friend Mel Brooks get all the laughs. He could've snuck in a witty throw-away, as Fred Allen or Steve Allen would've done, but that wasn't Carl.

Mel got some laughs on a few lines that were a little bit edgy. He got laughs even out of one slightly inappropriate, but beautifully-accented word:

"How did you feel about Joan of Arc being burned at the stake?" "Terrible!"

Mel of course, went on to do Hitler jokes in "The Producers," racial and raunch gags in "Blazing Saddles," and even seeming to make fun of a mentally-challenged monster (the "Putting on the Ritz" number in "Young Frankenstein."

Mel developed a reputation for being outrageous, broadly "offensive" and unpredictably "crude."

Carl? Those words never applied to Carl Reiner. Even as abrasive Alan Brady on "The Dick Van Dyke Show," he never got a laugh out of an insult gag.

"Everybody liked him," son Rob Reiner said.

I first met Carl when my book "Stars of Stand-up" came out. He wasn't too well at the time; a little out of it, due to some illness or perhaps the meds he was taking for it. He and Mel Brooks had done a signing for their new "2000 Year Old Man" book, and Carl was pretty much in a daze, hardly acknowledging the fans, and writing "Carl," when the book was passed along from Mel Brooks.

Now, these two legends were looking at a different book. Mine.

Mel Brooks finished reading and he thought I did a pretty good job. He autographed the "Reiner and Brooks" entry, and handed it to Carl. Mel said, "He wrote this great book! Sign your FULL NAME!"

Which he did.

Carl put out what I think were his 19th and 20th books just recently. He was still a prolific comedy mind. He was also, like Steve Martin, addicted to Twitter. I don't think Carl himself did the Tweeting. His account gave an odd credit to a dotcom that, apparently, handled the job for him, and made sure there was a well of comments that could be posted regularly. Some say "he was posting on Twitter just the day before he died." Probably not. Still, it was nice to see something new from him, whether an anti-Trump sigh or a nostalgic salute to Noel Coward.

If some Tweeting was handled for him, he still had plenty of ideas to share, and was still doing interviews.

Mel Brooks drove to his house every day for dinner and "Jeopardy!" TV watching. The two old friends no longer had their wives, but they had each other.

From "Your Show of Shows" and the "Dick Van Dyke Show" and "2000 Year Old Man" albums, Reiner added books, more scripts, and a variety of film directing.

Some of his films were taken for granted at the time, and are now acknowledged as great achievements. This most certainly includes "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid," which was considered just a "gimmick" picture...film clips expertly woven into a freshly plotted detective movie satire. Carl himself had a role in the film.

Few seem to remember that Steve Martin's "The Jerk" got poor reviews, as well as "Plaid," also starring Steve. Steve said he was hoping that disappointed critics would give him another chance with "All Of Me.

I remember Carl Reiner standing in the lobby after the press screening of "All of Me," which took place at a big midtown theater. The idea was not just to have a few critics sit around in a small room, but have a full audience laughing. Which they did.

As people were leaving, he called out, "Was it funny?" A great director, writer, actor...he was also that rarity in comedy, a gentle, inoffensive man. His humor was kindly, always.