James Burrows — the legendary TV director and go-to guy for sitcom pilots like Taxi, Cheers (which he co-created), Frasier, Friends and Will & Grace — on Reiner's outsized impact on comedy as creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show.
Ididn't know Carl that well — I met him a few times with Rob — but everyone who has ever worked in the sitcom world was amazed by him.
Desi Arnaz, with Lucy, created the sitcom with I Love Lucy — he was the one who said, "Let's have three cameras rolling and an audience!" And then Jackie Gleason did it.
For me, growing up, the ultimate sitcom was The Phil Silvers Show — until The Dick Van Dyke Show came along. I loved the audience, the simplicity of it, the common problems, the innocence of the problems.