The Dick Van Dyke Show What's in a Middle Name? (1961–1966) Online
- Original Title :
- Whatu0027s in a Middle Name?
- Genre :
- TV Episode / Comedy / Family
- Year :
- 1961–1966
- Directror :
- John Rich
- Cast :
- Dick Van Dyke,Rose Marie,Morey Amsterdam
- Writer :
- Carl Reiner,Carl Reiner
- Type :
- TV Episode
- Time :
- 30min
- Rating :
- 8.2/10
Ritchie asks his parents if he has a middle name like most of his friends have, which Rob and Laura seem somewhat reluctant to answer. When Ritchie pulls out his birth certificate (discovered in a safe box that was supposed to be locked) and asks if the other name listed on it - Rosebud - is his middle name, Rob and Laura have to confess that it is indeed his middle name... sort of. Rob and Laura say they will tell him the whole story about how he got his middle name after he comes home from school, which gives them time to recall the events. It all started the day that Laura told Rob she was pregnant. The news not only excited Rob but also all their friends and especially their respective parents and Rob's paternal grandfather. Everyone had a specific name they wanted to call the baby, with no one willing to budge from their stance. Rob came up with Rosebud as an agreeable compromise name because...
| Episode cast overview: | |||
 | Dick Van Dyke | - | Rob Petrie |
 | Rose Marie | - | Sally Rogers |
 | Morey Amsterdam | - | Buddy Sorrell |
 | Larry Mathews | - | Ritchie Petrie |
 | Mary Tyler Moore | - | Laura Petrie |
 | Richard Deacon | - | Mel Cooley |
 | Carl Benton Reid | - | Mr. Meehan |
 | Geraldine Wall | - | Mrs. Meehan |
 | J. Pat O'Malley | - | Sam Petrie |
 | Isabel Randolph | - | Clara Petrie |
 | Cyril Delevanti | - | Grandpa Petrie |
When Ritchie is quizing his parent about middle names, he gives three examples, the third of which is Lucas Joseph (a mumbled last name that sound very similar to Creiner). Show creator and episode writer Carl Reiner's youngest son name is Lucas Joseph. He was about two years old at the time.
The title is based on a quote from William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet."
Ritchie's middle name Rosebud is an abbreviation and an acrostic (which otherwise wouldn't fit on the birth certificate) for Robert Oscar Sam Edward Benjamin Ulysses David.