Today's Video Link

A lady named Marina Coates does something interesting with architectural renderings on her computer. She watches old TV shows and attempts to map out the floorplans of the homes in which those shows were set. This involves great detective work and a certain amount of speculation about what was on those "fourth walls" that weren't there so there'd be a place to put the cameras.

This video is of 148 Bonnie Meadow Road in New Rochelle, New York — home of Rob and Laura Petrie and their son Ritchie. The rooms, as reconstructed by Ms. Coates, feel bigger to me on her video tour but it feels like she got just about everything in the right place. One of many details to note: Remember the episode where the British singing sensations The Redcoats (Chad & Jeremy) stayed in the Petries' guest room? Well, apparently they had to share a bathroom with Ritchie.

As you may know, I attended one filming of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It was a flashback to before they moved into the house we saw most weeks in the series. In fact, it was the episode in which the Petries bought that house but the only part of it in that episode was the infamous basement with the rock in it. Because of the rock, Rob said, he wouldn't have room for a pool table down there.

But then in another episode, as you'll see, we are in the basement again and it now has a pool table and no rock. This is the kind of continuity error that would have brought tons of angry mail if it had been made in a post-1961 Marvel Comic. Ignore that kind of thing and enjoy the tour…