LIFE

Before Jerry Van Dyke was famous, he hosted a variety show at an Indiana TV station

Nate Chute
IndyStar
Jerry Van Dyke: July 27, 1931.

Actor and comedian Jerry Van Dyke, made famous by brother Dick Van Dyke and his roles on shows like "Coach," has died. He was 86.

Six years Dick's junior, he was born in Danville, Ill., and eventually decided to follow his brother into a career in comedy. He gained experience working in local clubs, and after enlisting in the military, entertained the troops during the Korean War. This included time working alongside Ed Sullivan as part of an Air Force Revue.

After being discharged, Van Dyke returned to the Midwest in 1954, getting work at a brand new TV station in Terre Haute: WTHI-TV. According to IMDB, Dick Van Dyke also applied for the job but didn't get it.

At the new station, Jerry hosted a half-hour variety show Monday through Friday called "The Jerry Van Dyke Show." Regulars on the show included Joseph Benti, who hosted "CBS Morning News" in the late 1960s and early '70s, Lee Falber and Nancee South, who appeared on shows and as a staff organist at the station for 25 years.

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The show lasted until the late 1950s, never achieving the success his brother's show, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," later did. (Dick's show played for a national audience on CBS.)

Jerry's appearances on his brother's legendary sitcom helped launch him into the mainstream, though he did miss out on opportunities. He turned down the title role on "Gilligan's Island" and a supporting role on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s. One role he had the bad luck to accept: "My Mother, the Car," the often-mocked sitcom about a man whose mother is reincarnated in the form of a 1928 Porter touring automobile.  

He supported himself through stage acts at clubs and on cruise ships for the next two decades.

He later found success in the role of Assistant Coach Luther Van Dam on the ABC comedy "Coach" from 1989 to 1997. The role earned him four Emmy Award nominations. (A 2015 revival of the series was canceled after the production of a pilot. Though Van Dyke wasn't going to be part of the regular cast, producers said he would be invited back to guest star.) 

His final role was Tag Spence on the "The Middle" from 2010 to 2015, including an episode where he's joined by Dick, singing together. You can watch the sentimental moment below.

Nate Chute is a producer with IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.