The Masterpiece: The Dick Van Dyke Show (TV Episode)

• Genre: Comedy
• Movie Type: Sitcom
• Themes: Writer's Life
• Director: John Rich
• Main Cast: Howard Morris, Alan Reed, Sr., Amzie Strickland, Ray Kellogg
• Release Year: 1963
• Country: US
• Run Time: 30 minutes

Plot

Attending an art auction, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) amuses Laura (Mary Tyler Moore), Buddy (Morey Amsterdam), and Sally (Rose Marie) by giving a demonstration of how some people make silent bids. It isn't so amusing, however, when the auctioneer accepts Rob's phony bids, sticking our hero with an expensive painting, signed by an unknown artist named Artanis. Hoping to recoup his losses, Rob tries to find out if the Artanis is covering up a more valuable painting. Rubbing away the first layer of paint on the canvas, Rob uncovers a replica of Grant Wood's American Gothic -- only the farmer and his wife are smiling! Howard Morris guest-stars as the zany art critic who solves the mystery and reveals the truth worth of Rob's accidental acquisition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide