Mary Tyler Moore only had the best things to say about Dick Van Dyke

Sometimes a co-star's chemistry looks better on camera than it does in person. While their job is to act—and act like they all get along—there have always been stories about cast members who didn’t quite click off-screen.

It makes us wonder how our favorite classic TV stars got along when the cameras weren’t rolling. One on-screen couple we always hoped shared the same real-life connection they had on television is Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. 

The duo played a married couple from 1961 to 1966 on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Their on-screen love inspired audiences everywhere, making them one of the ultimate duos in classic TV history.

According to a 1965 interview with the Wausau Daily Herald, Mary Tyler Moore said one of the most frequently asked questions she got from reporters and fans alike was: What is Dick Van Dyke really like to work with?

Her answer? Almost too good to be true.

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"The truth is that Dick doesn’t lose his temper," Moore said. "He doesn’t sulk. He doesn’t throw his weight around. He’s so nice, in our hearts we know we don’t deserve him."

She also revealed that many people asked whether the two of them might ever get married in real life. Everyone wanted to see them together off screen. Watching them on the show, it felt like a missed opportunity.

Moore said Van Dyke turned that idea down—but not for lack of love. He said it was because he considered himself a "marshmallow type," not forceful enough for someone like her.

"If Dick is a marshmallow type, it’s over a steel core," Moore said. "He’s one of the strongest men I’ve ever known. But he’s quietly strong."

There were plenty of big personalities on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Moore said there was no shortage of loud types—which is part of what made Van Dyke stand out in her eyes.

"Dick does live up to his reputation as a funny, funny man," Moore said. "The great thing about working with him is that he does more hilarious things offstage than we ever have time for on camera."

It’s great to know that Moore and Van Dyke shared chemistry off screen. Their admiration for each other went far beyond The Dick Van Dyke Show. Moore could’ve talked about him forever, but one quote really says it all:

"He makes it look as though things are easy for him," Moore said. "And because of this, he makes things easy for all of us who work with him. Who could ask for anything more?"