Comedic acting legend Dick Van Dyke received many well-wishes for his 98th birthday — including a CBS special.
Various stars wished him a happy birthday at the “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic” event from actress Jane Seymour to actor Ted Danson, per CBS Pittsburgh.
When asked what he was most proud of in his career, Van Dyke said, “The Dick Van Dyke Show, obviously. Yeah. I’d still be doing it if they let me.”
According to People Magazine, actress Julie Andrews, who worked with him on “Mary Poppins,” described their connection on set.
She said, “I’d never made a movie before and I’d given birth to my lovely daughter Emma nearly six weeks earlier, and I quickly realized that I had better pull my socks up and get in shape.”
“I found it pretty daunting, I can tell you. Dick could not have been kinder, more genuinely sweet and helpful. I like to think that we did bond instantly” she said.
Andrews noted how there were “countless times that he made me collapse with the giggles,” especially while learning to dance to “Jolly Holiday” with him.
“It was so delightful to watch him imitating the animated penguins or attempting to ride the pony from the carousel. Becoming a magical chimney sweep. Actually, it was a very happy film for, I think, the entire company,” she added.
Craig Plestis, co-executive producer of “Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic,” explained how he wished to honor Van Dyke in a special way, via the New York Post.
He stated, “I became friends with Mr. Van Dyke and when it came down to what I could do differently here to make it really special … with my set designer we came up with this idea that when he walks onto the set everything around him would be something from his past, from one of his movies, TV shows … they would all come to life.”
“He was floored and was literally almost in tears when he walked onto the set because it instantly reminded him of everything from ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ to ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ to ‘Mary Poppins,” he continued.
Then he added, “This was a passion project for everyone who loves Dick Van Dyke.”
