“I still get kidded about it,” he says.
“But it didn’t seem to harm anybody’s enjoyment of the movie.
But I do get kidded about it.
Dick Van Dyke in ‘Mary Poppins’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
The people who don’t kid me are the British.
So what were you told about the event, and how different and surprising was everything the night of?
DICK VAN DYKE:Everything was.
Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke at ‘Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic’.Monty Brinton/CBS
Because I thought it was going to be just some reminiscences and maybe a few pieces of footage.
It was quite a night for me.
Was there a performance or moment that was particularly meaningful to you?
Dick Van Dyke and Janet Leigh in ‘Bye Bye Birdie’.Everett
VAN DYKE:Probably “Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious.”
How did this evening compare?
I felt like the birthday special was more personal.
Sally Ann Howes and Dick Van Dyke in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’.Mary Evans/DRAMATIC FEATURES/WARFIELD/Ronald Grant/Everett
The Kennedy Center was really people he didn’t know doing tributes.
Mary Steenburgen talked about how you always elevated the women in your work.
Was that something you did consciously or were looking for in projects?
VAN DYKE:Actually, the women elevated themselves.
I just paved the way and left the room to do it.
Mary Tyler Moore was great from day one.
She just had it, so she elevated herself.
If you give them the time and the space to do it, they’ll elevate themselves.
Everett
Do you have a particularly cherished memory of doingBye Bye Birdie,either on stage or screen?
VAN DYKE:Broadway was superior to the movie.
With bothBirdieandMary Poppins,how do you go from never taking a dance lesson to this stellar final product?
VAN DYKE:I was always pretty light footed.
And I said, “Mr. Champion, I don’t dance.”
He said, “I’ll show you.”
He saw that I had the physical ability to do it, and it was like learning to fly.
Was it even more challenging to learn theMary Poppinsdances?
VAN DYKE:Oh, boy.
Oh my God, I think we did 25 takes of that.
I was twice as old as all the other dancers.
Do you have a favorite number fromMary Poppins?
They’re all wonderful songs.
“Supercalifragilistic” was the most fun to do with the dance number.
How did you build your bond with Julie Andrews?
VAN DYKE:During rehearsal, the day we met was on the rehearsal floor.
Some of the moves we made up.
We became good friends during the rehearsals.
VAN DYKE:Shirley MacLainewas such a brat.
She was like a little kid.
She was a real character.
Did you choreograph a lot of the silent movie sequence with her?
I know Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin were great inspirations for you.
VAN DYKE:Right.
They were probably spinning in their graves as I’d steal all their bits.
But yes, they let us play with it a bit.
Is there something you’re proudest of?
VAN DYKE:Oh, god, that really is a difficult one.
That I had such a good impression on so many.
You’re 98 and have an incredible body of work to your credit.
Is there anything you still want to do?
Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magicis available to stream on Paramount+.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
