It May Look Like a Walnut

It May Look Like a Walnut is the 20th episode in season 2 of the TV series The Dick Van Dyke Show that aired February 6, 1963. The episode was ranked #15 in TV Guide's ''Top 100 Episodes of All Time'' 1997 list. It moved up to #13 in TV Guide's revised 2009 list.

"It May Look Like a Walnut"
The Dick Van Dyke Show episode
Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 20
Original air date	February 6, 1963 (1963-02-06)
Guest appearance
Danny Thomas
List of episodes

Synopsis

Rob enjoys a scary sci-fi movie on TV while Laura cowers under the bed covers so as to not see or hear it. When the show ends, Rob further tortures Laura by telling the tale of Kolak, a visitor from the planet Twilo who resembles Danny Thomas and deploys walnuts to steal Earthlings' thumbs and imaginations. Rob awakes in the morning to a living room strewn with walnuts and Laura preparing scrambled walnuts for Rob's breakfast. Everyone at the office is acting as if Kolak really existed. Is Rob dreaming or is Laura having her revenge?

Cast

Main

• Dick Van Dyke - Rob Petrie
• Rose Marie - Sally Rogers
• Morey Amsterdam - Buddy Sorrell
• Larry Mathews - Ritchie Petrie
• Mary Tyler Moore - Laura Petrie

Recurring

• Richard Deacon - Mel Cooley
• Carl Reiner - Alan Brady

Guest

• Danny Thomas - Kolak

Production

The concept for the episode was a parody of The Twilight Zone. As writer Carl Reiner noted, it was his own version, "with several hundred walnuts".^[1] Additional inspiration for the episode came from other science fiction of the day, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers.^[1]

The episode was filmed January 15, 1963.^[2]

Release

"It May Look Like a Walnut" aired on February 6, 1963, as episode 51.^[2]

Reception

The episode was ranked #15 in TV Guide's ''Top 100 Episodes of All Time'' 1997 list.^[3][4] It moved up to #13 in TV Guide's revised 2009 list.^[5]

In other media

A clip from this episode is also shown in the WandaVision episode "Previously On" (2021).^[6]

References

1. Waldron, Vince (2001). The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book: The Definitive History and Ultimate Viewer's Guide to Television's Most Enduring Comedy. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 201. ISBN 978-1-55783-453-9.
2. Weissman, Ginny (2014-11-11). The Dick Van Dyke Show: Anatomy Of A Classic. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-4668-8501-1.
3. "TV Guide's list of top 100 episodes". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
4. "Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time". TV Guide (June 28-July 4). 1997.
5. "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time: #80-61". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
6. "'WandaVision' Recap: Some Assembly Required". Rolling Stone. 26 February 2021.