Happy 100th Birthday to Dick Van Dyke

There are many people (most certainly every generation since Generation X) who have never known life without Dick Van Dyke. He has brought joy to people of all age for literally decades. Indeed, he is the consummate performer. He can act. He can do comedy. He can sing. He can dance. And he has appeared in many beloved projects, from The Dick Van Dyke Show to Mary Poppins (1964) to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Dick Van Dyke was born 100 years ago today, on December 13, 2025, in West Plains, Missouri. His younger brother, the late Jerry Van Dyke, was born in 1931.

Arguably, Dick Van Dyke's entertainment career began when he was still serving in the latter days of World War II. He served as a radio announcer before being transferred to Special Services. He entertained troops throughout the United States. Following his service he worked as a DJ at WDAN in Danville, Illinois. He toured with pantomime performer Phil Erickson as part of a comedy team, Eric & Van--the Merry Mutes. Eventually, they settled in Atlanta, where they performed on television. Eventually, Dick Van Dyke went to work at television station WDSU-TV in New Orleans, where he was the emcee of a comedy program. It was in 1954 that he first appeared on a network television program, the talent show Chance of a Lifetime on DuMont. He eventually signed a seven year contract with CBS. He worked on one of their early CBS news and talk morning show simply called The Morning Show. In November 1959, he made his debut on Broadway in The Girls Against the Boys. It was in 1960 that he starred as Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway. For the musical, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

From stardom on Broadway, Dick Van Dyke went to stardom on television. It was in 1961 that The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted. While the series performed poorly in its first season, it was critically acclaimed even then and was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy for John Rich and won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy for Carl Reiner. With its second season, it rose to no. 9 in the Nielsen ratings for the year and remained high in the ratings for the rest of the run. It turned Dick Van Dyke, as well as co-star Mary Tyler Moore, into superstars. The Sixties would see Dick Van Dyke become a very busy man.

I have to think it was from his work in the Sixties that many, if not most people, know Dick Van Dyke. When I was a kid, there were reruns of The Dick Van Dyke Show on every day. During the Sixties, he reprised his role as Albert in the movie version of Bye Bye, Birdie (1963), played Bert in Mary Poppins (1964), the title character in Fitzwilly (1967), and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). I remember watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) more than once on television in the Seventies. It made its television debut on CBS on Thursday, November 23, Thanksgiving night. Bye Bye Birdie (1963) had aired on network television in the mid-Sixties, but was still airing on local stations in the Seventies. I also remember watching the comedy Cold Turkey (1971) on television in the Seventies. 

Dick Van Dyke didn't do much in the way of movies in the Seventies, but he did appear quite a bit on television. From 1971 to 1974, he had another sitcom simply called The New Dick Van Dyke Show. He later had a short-lived variety show, Van Dyke and Company. He guest starred on such shows as Columbo, The Carol Burnett Show, and Supertrain. It was in 1981 that I finally got to see Mary Poppins (1964). It aired on CBS as a special movie presentation on November 22 of that year. If it seems odd that it took me that long to see it, consider that my family did not go to the movies and I was too young to go to the movies by myself when it was re-released in 1973. And in the Seventies, home video was not much of a thing. It would not be released on VHS until 1980.

The Eighties saw Dick Van Dyke guest star on such shows as American Playhouse, Matlock, Airwolf, and Highway to Heaven. He had a short-lived sticom, The Van Dyke Show, with his son Barry Van Dyke. The Nineties would see Dick Van Dyke find success in a television series again with Diagnosis:e Murder, which ran for eight seasons. His son Barry Van Dyke played his son on the show, a police detective whose doctor father insists on solving mysteries. In the Naughts, he appeared in a series of mystery movies on the Hallmark Channel called Murder 101. Of course, Dick Van Dyke also appeared in the Night att the Museum movies and made guest appearances on television.

Of course, through all of this, much of Dick Van Dyke's earlier works have remained widely available. Generations of fans have been introduced to Mr. Van Dyke through Mary Poppins (1964) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Even some of his more obscure films remain available. Fitzwilly (1967) airs on TCM every December, and is available on streaming. Many of his other movies also can be found on streaming, including  Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), Divorce American Style (1967), Never a Dull Moment (1968), and others can be seen on streaming services. And, of course, not only is The Dick Van Dyke Show on streaming, but it can be seen on such broadcast venues as MeTV, Catchy Comedy, and UP Faith and Family. 

As to why Dick Van Dyke has been so successful, it comes down to what I said earlier. He has a talent for acting, comedy, singing, and dancing. He is truly a quadruple threat. Actually, he could be called a quintuple threat when you consider the fact that he has written six books! More than anything else, Dick Van Dyke has a talent for bringing joy to people. I believe it is impossible not to see Dick Van Dyke and not find oneself smiling. Indeed, I have never heard anything bad about Dick Van Dyke. Every instance I have heard of someone having met him, they recount as very nice he is. We are truly lucky to still have Dick Van Dyke with us at 100 years of age.