Dick Van Dyke celebrated at Kennedy Center Honors
Dick Van Dyke was honored at the 43rd annual national celebration of the arts at the Kennedy Center. He was introduced by his longtime friend, Julie Andrews.
Dick Van Dyke reacts to honor
After receiving the honor, Dick reflected on his career. “All those numbers reminded me of how much fun I had over the years. I wasn’t working for a living – they were paying me to play!”
President Biden bows to Dick Van Dyke
Dick is enthusiastic about the accolades. He went on to say, “I got to meet the president in the Oval Office. When I walked in, he genuflected. He went down on his knees in front of me.”
Julie Andrews tribute
As part of the celebration, Julie Andrews was asked to talk about her Mary Poppins costar’s impressive career.
Julie wore her own Kennedy Center Honors rainbow ribbon in her pre-recorded tribute, which she earned back in 2001. Then she shared memories of her “Mary Poppins costar’s impressive career.
I think Dick is as magical as [Mary Poppins] is. Like his character, Bert, in that movie, Dick seems to have found the secret to happiness. And, like Bert, Dick is many things.
Watch Julie Andrews honor her friend Dick Van Dyke at the Kennedy Center Honors. pic.twitter.com/c2nfDstS7c
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 7, 2021
He’s an artist, a one-man band, a profound philosopher, a high-stepping showman and spreader of charm. And there’s a secret — good luck does rub off when he shakes hands with you.”
Longtime friends
Julie described Dick as “endlessly kind, wildly imaginative, insanely talented and hilariously funny.” Julie also remarked, “Every day is ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ with you, Dick.”
Julie once recalled to Vanity Fair that she met Dick during dance rehearsals and “hit it off” with him immediately.
“He was dazzlingly inventive, always in a sunny mood, and he often made me roar with laughter at his antics,” Julie recalled to the publication. “For instance, when we began work on the ‘Jolly Holiday’ sequence, the first step we learned was the iconic walk, arm-in-arm, our legs kicking up ahead of us as we traveled. I performed Mary Poppins’s demure, ladylike version of the step — but Dick flung his long legs up so high that I burst out laughing. To this day, he can still execute that step.”
Steve Martin in awe
Friend and fellow actor-comedian Steve Martin also paid tribute to Dick Van Dyke at the Kennedy Center Honors.
"I first encountered #DickVanDyke in 1963, when he walked into Merlin's Magic Shop at Disneyland where I worked. I remember thinking, 'Steve! This has to be the luckiest day of Dick's life!"—@SteveMartinToGo
How's that for #KCHonors trivia? 😂 @iammrvandy pic.twitter.com/6YdduS4d6x
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 7, 2021
From his Twitter account, Steve Martin says, “When I was 17, Dick Van Dyke and his family walked into the magic shop where I worked at Disneyland. I was awe-struck then and awe-struck now that I was able to deliver his voice-over narrative for his bio at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Dance tribute
Derek Hough performed “Step in Time” in a tribute to honor Dick Van Dyke:
And it turns out Dick Van Dyke was pretty impressed by the dance tribute from Derek Hough!
Your commercial break moment of joy: @derekhough meeting #DickVanDyke (@iammrvandy) after his #KCHonors tributes. 😍
🎥 via @derekhough on Instagram pic.twitter.com/axbgABqPFc
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 7, 2021
Pentatonix joins in
Pentatonix sang a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tribute a cappella to Dick Van Dyke.
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you!" 🚗💕@PTXofficial & @AaronTveit join forces for an a cappella tribute to #DickVanDyke and his fine four-fendered friend on the River Terrace. 🎶 @iammrvandy #KCHonors pic.twitter.com/YfB4rW8sum
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 7, 2021
From one Bert to another
Lin-Manuel Miranda is gushing, too:
"Spend five minutes with #DickVanDyke, and you're more alive than you were before."—@Lin_Manuel 🌈 #KCHonors @iammrvandy pic.twitter.com/49WrnCw12s
— The Kennedy Center (@kencen) June 7, 2021
Richard and Robert Sherman alongside Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke during the filming of Mary Poppins in 1964.
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