Share this:

I’ve just enjoyed a jolly holiday with Mr. Van Dyke. His memoir, My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business, is a fascinating journey through the up and down adventures of this star. From his beginnings as a small town boy in Danville, Illinois, to the heights of his success as Bert in Mary Poppins and Rob in the unparalleled Dick Van Dyke show, his life was a fantastic mixture of heartache and happiness. What struck me the most about his story was his decision as a young man to only make movies that he would be proud to take his children to see. His mother told him that he was a good boy and he decided he would always try to remain that way. Can you imagine such a decision in the ‘anything goes’ environment of Hollywood? In the sixties? I was amazed. So was Walt Disney. He read an interview in which Dick communicated his philosophy and he was so impressed he offered him the role of Bert. Mr. Van Dyke’s life was not without disappointment both personally and professionally, and going along with him down memory lane is a jolly holiday indeed.