PBS Celebrates Dick Van Dyke with a New 100th Birthday Documentary
Rare footage, special moments, and exclusive interviews! PBS is honoring one of entertainment’s most beloved performers with a new American Masters documentary titled Starring Dick Van Dyke.
PBS
The film debuts Friday, December 12, at 9 p.m. ET on PBS, just one day before Van Dyke’s 100th birthday.
The special explores how van Dyke built a career spanning nearly eight decades across radio, theater, television, and film.
Career and Entertainment
Photo: Deadline
Van Dyke was born in 1925 in West Plains, Missouri, and grew up in Danville, Illinois. He joined the choir and drama club in high school, later working as a local radio DJ.
His early years led to television gigs, including co-anchoring The CBS Morning Show with Walter Cronkite.
Photo: Kennedy Center
His breakthrough came on Broadway with his performance as Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie. Despite his success, he continued to seek a steady television role to support his young family.
In 1961, he found it with The Dick Van Dyke Show, also starring Mary Tyler Moore. The series helped cement him as one of America’s great comic talents.
Hollywood quickly followed with standout movie roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the screen version of Bye Bye Birdie.
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Photo: Disney
Starring Dick Van Dyke features all of these milestones and includes rare footage, archival material, and new interviews with Julie Andrews, Carol Burnett, Jim Carrey, Ted Danson, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, and Martin Short.
Viewers will also hear stories and behind-the-scenes fun from Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner, Walter Cronkite, Sheldon Leonard, and Rose Marie.
US Weekly
Filmmaker John Scheinfeld shared his admiration for van Dyke, saying, “Dick Van Dyke is a national treasure” and calling the project “an absolute joy.”
Van Dyke has earned six Emmy Awards, one Grammy, and one Tony, and he remains active in film and television.
CBS
Starring Dick Van Dyke offers an in-depth look at how he became a star and why his work continues to inspire so many fans today.
Stay tuned and follow along with us at MickeyBlog to stay updated on this and all things Disney.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Thank you!
Article Source/Feature Photo: PBS/ disney
