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Twizzle, The - The name of a dance craze that was
the focus of episode No. 23 "The Twizzle" (2/28/1962) on the sitcom THE DICK VAN
DYKE SHOW/CBS/1961-66.
Randy Twizzle (Jerry Lanning) was a reluctant pop singer who invented a new
dance craze while singing at a Connecticut bowling alley. Comedy writer Sally
Rogers (Rose Marie) was so impressed with "The Twizzle" (a cross between the
Twist and the Sizzle) that she dragged director Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon) and
her fellow employees to see him perform.
Randy Twizzle doing his thing at the bowling alley
This program (which ranks among the cast's least favorite episode) was
designed as a showcase for singer Jerry Lanning, the son of pop vocalist Roberta
Sherwood. The episode was written by Carl Reiner to cash in on "The Twist" dance
craze of the time.
The dance was performed to a chorus of people singing "2,3,4,5,6,7,8" with
instruction to Twizzle "To and Fro...Left and Right...and High and Low."
Jerry Lanning resurfaced in the 1970s on the soap operas SEARCH FOR TOMORROW,
GENERAL HOSPITAL, and TEXAS. Songwriters Mack David and Jerry Livingston wrote
"The Twizzle" song.
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