Set Decorator John Sparano SDSA imparts, “Every so often, a project comes into your life that you really want to do just for the experience of being a part of it. 
DICK VAN DYKE: 98 YEARS OF MAGIC was one of those projects.”

At one point, the stage splits to allow a dance floor center. What would a tribute to Dick Van Dyke be without dancing? Note the single section of the iconic sofa and read below for details! Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

John graciously gives us an insider look at re-creating the now iconic sets that have become hallmarks of classic Television comedy, and paying homage to one of Hollywood’s legendary greats in this original CBS special.
 
...from John Sparano SDSA...
“The design of the show, by Steve Morden and James Yarnell, included a reproduction of the living room set from THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, one of the most iconic interiors in television history. A midcentury masterpiece meant to be timeless.”

The on-point re-creation, with inset shot of Dick Van Dyke on the original set. Set Decorator John Sparano SDSA did deep research to determine the actual colors of the furnishings that were broadcast in black and white! Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

“Any references to the year in which the show was aired were intentionally left out by the producers for this reason. In researching the set, I found that the furnishings were all classics and still in use today, save for a custom sofa with a table built into the back of it based on series creator Carl Reiner’s own den.” 
 [Editor’s note: See photo with inset above]
 
“Early on, I suspected most of the furniture was not going to be readily available to rent or purchase, and did a cursory shop of the prop houses in Los Angeles to see if any of the dressing from the show still existed.” 
 
“I got lucky years ago when I was doing a re-creation of the house from PSYCHO and was surprised to find some of the original pieces, so I was hoping to have the same luck this time. Didn’t happen. I did find a re-creation of two matching coffee tables that were made by SDSA member Claudette Didul when she had a similar assignment, and she was good enough to give me some of her insight. There was another coffee table at Omega Cinema Props that was very close, and the curtains for the main window Claudette had Omega make also still existed. Other than that, nothing from either project had survived.”
 
“I put together pictures of the furniture from the show from all angles. The problem was that since the show was broadcast in black and white, the proper shades of grey came from the original colors of the furniture. In order to get that accurate shading, I found behind the scenes color promo shots of Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in front of the set and was able to see the actual colors.”

The custom sofa with built in sofa table and a not-favorite painting! Exact-match pillows, of course! Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

“The Production Designers re-created the portrait of galloping horses above the sofa (a painting Van Dyke always hated!). Strangely enough, I also discovered that the horse picture and the iconic Jotul fireplace (which we had re-created by the shop at CBS) show up several years after the DICK VAN DYKE show as dressing in Marlo Thomas’s  apartment in the television series THAT GIRL.”
 
 “Armed with the specs of the sofa, the two side chairs, the recliner and the infamous ottoman, I went downtown to my favorite custom furniture builder, Robert Gullien, and we made the plans. We discovered the sofa was a sectional that was broken into three pieces. Two of the pieces were in the main seating area in which a shelf was built around the back of them, and the third piece was used alone in the secondary seating area by the dining table.”

Single portion of the sectional sofa, matching coffee tables and classic Mid-Century dining table. Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

“With the furniture being made, the next issues were the lamps and the smalls. Because the show meant so much to its fans, everyone I approached for assistance really got into the project. I found several replica items on Etsy and in a few prop houses. “My buyer, Jeanne Benedict, put in extra days tracking down the bulk of the case goods from the old photos we had, and found one of the lamps from the original show high on a shelf in Warner fixtures.”

“Rob’s chair” and definitive case goods. Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

The bifarcated set...
“With the elements in place, including a midcentury dining table from Omega, and some folding dining chairs from Universal which were almost dead matches to what was used originally, the last thing was to install the entire set onto moving platforms.”

Concept image of the stage that can split for dance floor numbers, while audience watches from café tables surrounding Dick Van Dyke’s custom booth. Photo courtesy of Sparano & CBS. All Rights Reserved

“After host Rob Reiner came through the front door of the set to start the show, the entire stage split in half and moved off left and right and revealed a large dance space and curved digital screen where the musical tributes to Van Dyke would be performed.”
 
“The design also included London chimney stacks behind the audience who were seated at café tables around Van Dyke and his wife, who were in an upholstered booth with a custom table inspired by MARY POPPINS and designed by James Yarnell. A replica of the car from CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG trucked in from New York completed the design.” [Editor’s note: See top photo.]
 
“During the show, the stage came back together and I got to add a sitcom Christmas layer to the set the way they did back in the sixties, for a few more musical tributes.”

Roma Downey in that beautifully pulled together corner of the tribute set. Photo by Monty Brinton ©2023 CBS. All Rights Reserved

“The night of the show was a tremendous success. Van Dyke and his wife were moved to tears as were many of the celebrity guests. The best moment for me however was when Larry Matthews who played Dick Van Dyke’s son Richie on the show saw the set and told us we nailed it. The colors and the textures were just like he remembered it. All the research and last-minute scrambling had paid off in that moment. We all got handshakes from Van Dyke, and it was great to see that classic smile firsthand.”

Dick Van Dyke enjoying the entertainment special honoring and celebrating his legendary career. Set Decoration by John Sparano SDSA. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Laura Johansen.