Ep 1. The Sick Boy and the Sitter

The Dick Van Dyke Show season 1 episode 1, titled "The Sick Boy and the Sitter," follows Rob Petrie (played by Dick Van Dyke), a comedy writer for the fictional "Alan Brady Show," and his wife Laura (played by Mary Tyler Moore) as they navigate the challenges of parenthood and their professional lives.

The episode begins with Rob and his co-writers Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally (Rose Marie) struggling to come up with new sketch ideas for the show. Meanwhile, Laura is at home with their young son Ritchie (Larry Mathews), who is sick with a cold. The couple has hired a teenage babysitter, named Wilma (Katherine Warren), to watch him while they are at work.

As the day progresses, Rob receives a phone call from Laura informing him that Ritchie's condition has worsened and that she needs to take him to the doctor's office. Rob rushes home to be with his family, but he becomes flustered when Wilma accidentally locks him out of the house.

Unable to get inside or reach Laura by phone, Rob enlists the help of his eccentric neighbors Jerry (Jerry Paris) and Millie (Ann Morgan Guilbert) to try and break into his own home. Their attempts to climb through a window and pick the lock fail, but they eventually devise a plan to use a ladder to access the house through the second story window.

Once inside, Rob and Jerry discover that Wilma has fallen asleep while watching Ritchie and that he has developed a high fever. They wake Wilma up and attempt to take care of Ritchie themselves, but chaos ensues as they struggle to give him medicine and keep him calm.

Finally, Laura arrives home with the doctor and saves the day. The doctor analyzes Ritchie's condition and offers advice to the worried parents on how to care for him. The episode ends with Rob and Laura thanking the doctor and Wilma for their help and cuddling up with Ritchie to watch TV together.

Overall, "The Sick Boy and the Sitter" sets the stage for the beloved sitcom by introducing viewers to the Petrie family and their quirky neighbors. The episode highlights the show's signature mix of slapstick humor and heartwarming moments, as Rob and Laura face the challenges of balancing work and family life with grace and humor.