I have always loved Dick Van Dyke. Any American who has spent any time in England might possibly have been called that name since so many have made fun of his bad cockney accent in "Mary Poppins"! I say who cares! He's Dick Van Dyke, for Pete's sake! I love him and I thought he was wonderful in that movie. "Step In Time" was one my son's favorites and we heard it again and again with all the chimney sweeps dancing and singing. And what about "Bye, Bye Birdie"? What a great movie for an eight year old to see! I loved it!
On TV, we had The Dick Van Dyke Show during the 60's and I enjoyed it just as much as I did The Andy Griffith Show. The writing was so clever and funny and I loved all the song and dance numbers that they would do. I really wanted to find the clip where Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) had to go to his son's school and explain what he did for a living, which was working as a comedy writer for a TV show. He explains comedy to a group of children in such a way that it should be used for comedy writers today! The clip that I found here for you is when he and Laura (his wife) are mad at their neighbors for something, and they are expressing it in this game of charades.
Lol, he would never be mistaken for an Englishman, but I love Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, still brilliant to watch today :) x
ReplyDeleteAnd did you know that he refused to even ATTEMPT an English accent in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? HA, he said he would never try to do one again. (And in his defense, he said that his speech coach for the Cockney accent was from Ireland!)
DeleteAh Dick -- he was so charming in Mary Poppins. I used to think he was pretty cute ;)
ReplyDeleteI must have thought so too, my husband is built just like him! :-)
DeleteDid you get The Dick Van Dyke tv show?
I loved the Dick Van Dyke Show when I was a kid. Especially when he tripped over the ottoman in almost every opening sequence!
ReplyDeleteThe first season opened with a display of photos of all the stars, and then they did the opening of him tripping over the ottoman, and then they did one with him sidestepping it...and then they would swap out between the two. I loved it as a kid too, we can't help it if we have good taste!
DeleteMary Poppins is a wonderful film. I love the bit where he dances with the penguins in the park.
ReplyDeleteDear Joanne,
DeleteOh YES! I love that part too! And Dick Van Dyke only learned to dance when he was on Broadway for "Bye,Bye Birdie". He was auditioning for a very small role. The director and choreographer saw him nervously do a soft-shoe and gave him the leading man's role! When Dick told him he really couldn't dance, he said that they would teach him. They must have done a very good job!
!
We all love Dick Van Dyke. My favourite movie with him starring is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We have watched it several times in the last few weeks.
ReplyDeleteAnd did you see my comment to Cheryl? Dick Van Dyke said he would do the part but because he had been ridiculed so much about his accent in "Mary Poppins", he would not even try for an English accent in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".
DeleteThat Mary Poppins film is one of my all time favourites; I have the DVD and watch it occasionally. The song was familiar to me from long before I ever saw the movie; my Dad loves it and I remember him singing it at home when I was very little :-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder, did you ever get to see the TV show that he did in the 60's, The Dick Van Dyke Show? It was so much a part of my childhood, I loved it so much.
DeleteAnd Mary Poppins was one of C's favorites, along with many others!
No, Kay, I don't think the show ever aired on German TV.
DeleteSo many wonderful memories! Have you read his book Faith, Hope, and Hilarity? It's mostly about the stuff he encountered teaching Sunday school for years. Great fun.
ReplyDeleteDear Mimi,
DeleteIsn't Dick Van Dyke the best? The joy that he gives with his performances is just so obvious.
I haven't read that book but I want to read it!
Thanks for mentioning it here! :-)
Oh, how classic ~ I LOVE Dick Van Dyke. Step In Time was definitely something so magical that caught my attention when I was young. And it caught Sophie's attention also. She mentions that scene from time to time. Your photo above totally captures it ~ you can just imagine him with his chimney sweep hopping around up there!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend, Kay!
Oh, and isn't it nice that you can enjoy the same movies with your children that you enjoyed too!
DeleteYes, and Richard took that photo in Eastbourne, it was taken as the sun was setting, that is the Downs to the left of the photo.
Hope you have a great weekend too!
I love Dick Van Dyke too, bad cockney accent and all!
ReplyDeleteI was called Dick Van Dyke, of course, but hey, that's okay by me! And DAVE, Burwash Bloke, you know who you are! :-)
DeleteGreat photo! Loved him in Mary Poppins!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Taken in Eastbourne by Richard and I can just picture our friend Bert with all his chimney sweeps dancing on the rooftops. Those chimney pots really do look like that in England.
DeleteI always loved Dick van Dyke and one of my favorites was when he thought they had brought home the wrong baby!! Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteDear Connie,
DeleteYes, I loved that one! I read that that particular episode got the longest laugh. I also loved the one where Laura got her toe caught in the bathtub faucet, the one where they sang "I Am A Fine Musician", the one where Laura dropped the family heirloom brooch down the garbage disposal, oh heck..I loved them all!
I'm a fan too. I remember the Dick van Dyke show well, and I used to watch Diagnosis: Murder too. He had many of his family playing roles in it.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think we could start a fan club! I have loved him in anything he has ever done. And yes, I know he had family members playing in Diagnosis Murder.
DeleteAnd I just remembered from The Dick Van Dyke Show, his brother in the episode where he could only perform when he was sleep-walking, so good and so funny!
Kay, you come up with the most interesting things. I loved Dick van DYke; he was quite the character! I particularly enjoyed when he teamed up with Carol Burnett. another favourite comedian.
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks so much Martha, it is YOU who comes up with the interesting topics and you write about them so well! (Besides being a great photographer too!)
DeleteYes, I love Carol Burnett too! :-)
Loved Dick Van Dyke...His show was such a great example of that era that had grace and class and being funny didn't mean being vulgar. My fav episode was the walnuts in the closet and when you lose your thumbs you lose your sense of humor...I think so many people need thumbs today!
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember both of those episodes! And now, I am remembering the English singers that they had on there, I think they were really Chad & Jeremy but they were called the Redcoats, or the Brits, something like that...I always did love those English guys!
DeleteGrace and class, we need more of that these days!
He was so talented - and so cute! What a dancer.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful chimney-pot photo. :)
You know, talented and cute and a good dancer is all true, but charming too, and isn't that something that we wish we could see more of?
DeleteThanks, and of course, Richard took the chimney-pot photo! :-)
Very popular show in the early 60's. Became a joke figure after his accent in that film however. Never recovered.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Peter. Great Bluebells!
Some blogger problem stops me posting on that one.
Thanks so much for your comment.
DeleteNow, Wikipedia assures me that the Brits still loved Dick Van Dyke even after his bad accent, and you KNOW Wikipedia can't be wrong! :-)
Thanks for the birthday wishes for my wonderful father-in-law!
I couldn't comment on the last post, Kay, there was something up with the way Blogger was displaying. But happy birthday to Peter, however it is said. I love bluebells, not just the look of them but the characteristic scent of them too. Sadly, they are a long way away in the year from us right now!
ReplyDeleteSorry, about that blogging comment problem. It sorted itself out, but something was up with it.
DeleteThanks for your birthday wishes!
And May will be here before you know it! :-)
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ReplyDeleteBack in the day of the Dick Van Dyke show Hollywood knew what real comedy was. But after "Murphy Brown and "Designing Women", TV comedy went downhill. Can you imagine the gentle laughs of "Newhart" getting on the air today?
ReplyDeleteOh I agree and I love the Newhart Show, both versions of them...loved the ending of the second series, where he wakes up with his wife from the first series and that makes the 2nd series a dream! So funny!
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