Happy Sunday – today is the 90th birthday for Dick Van Dyke!
He just came out with a book “Keep Moving: And Other Tips and Truths About Aging”. It is truly amazing and exciting to see him enjoying his life today full of exceptional health.
We immediately think of him with Julie Andrews – as Bert with Mary Poppins, him with Mary Tyler Moore – as Rob and Laura Petrie, and now he has just written a new book.
Yesterday when blogging about the movie “Pocketful of Miracles” it included Ann-Margret – well she and Dick Van Dyke were in Bye Bye Birdie in 1963 – his first film, he reprised his Broadway role.
“Chim Chim Cher-ee” is one of the songs that he performed in Mary Poppins which “won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the Sherman Brothers, the film’s songwriting duo. He received a Grammy Award in 1964, along with Julie Andrews, for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins. It is wonderful to read he has been recognized as a Disney Legend in 1998.
I’m sure you still hear Julie Andrews singing to him from the lyrics of “It’s a Jolly Holiday’:
“Oh, it’s a jolly holiday with you, Bert
Gentlemen like you are few
Though you’re just a diamond in the rough, Bert
Underneath, your blood is blue..”.
He appeared in the movie “Night at the Museum”, its sequel, and third film in the series.
He has enjoyed an amazing career and what is exciting is to see what he is doing today. At the Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix website it tells of a vocal quartet founded in 2000 with Dick Van Dyke and “vocalists Eric Bradley, Bryan Chadima, and Mike Mendyke to celebrate and promote their lifelong love of singing.”
There is a wonderful article on The Bluegrass Situation website from June 3rd this year entitled “DUSTBOWL REVIVAL ON HOW THEY CONVINCED DICK VAN DYKE TO STAR IN THEIR MUSIC VIDEO”. It talks about how they were able to have them in their video.
Here is Dick Van Dyke with wife Arlene in The Dustbowl Revival Music Video
“Be careful not to trip over the ottoman.”
-Dick Van Dyke, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business
From the book description: “Van Dyke isn’t just a born song-and-dance man; his irrepressible belief in embracing the moment and unleashing his inner child has proved to be the ultimate elixir of youth. When he was injured during the filming of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, his doctor warned him he’d be using a walker within seven years, but Dick performed a soft shoe right there and never looked back. ..”
This YouTube: “Dick Van Dyke’s new book about aging ‘Keep Moving” published on October 14, 2015
Watching these two recent videos of him today and seeing him in such great health is truly inspiring! Here’s to wishing each of us “a jolly holiday…” and to “Keep Moving”!
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
Attribution & Thank you to the following who are referenced today —
Image above upper left “Dick Van Dyke’s” star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in California
Image above By Trailer screenshot (Mary Poppins Trailer) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Reference to Disney Legends on Wikipedia
Excerpt from Dick Van Dyke & The Vantastix @iammrvandy
Excerpt from The Bluegrass Situation website “DUSTBOWL REVIVAL ON HOW THEY CONVINCED DICK VAN DYKE TO STAR IN THEIR MUSIC VIDEO“ June 03, 2015 by Cameron Matthews
YouTube: THE DUSTBOWL REVIVAL – FEATURING DICK VAN DYKE – “NEVER HAD TO GO” Published May 20, 2015, by Dustbowl Revival @dustbowlrevival
Image above of Cover of new book and excerpt of book description: “Keep Moving And Other Tips and Truths About Aging” by Dick Van Dyke from website weisteinbooks.com
YouTube: Dick Van Dyke’s new book about aging ‘Keep Moving” published on October 14, 2015 posted by Fox 11 Los Angeles
AnchoredScraps.com blog post “Pocketful of Miracles” December 12, 2015, written by Helen Rittersporn
