Here he is,
the one and only Man in Black!
Dick Van Dyke was born on December 13th, 1925 in West Plains, Missouri.
His parents were Loren and Hazel Van Dyke.
Already in his early years there were some signs of Van
Dyke‘s talent for entertaining. Maybe he got it from his father, who
worked for the Sunshine Biscuit Company, (that was why his widely-known
nickname was Cookie), but also was described as a great comedian by his
son.
Anyway, Dick was the class-clown at Danville Highschool. Of course, he
had some big idols: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel&Hardy.
When he was 16 and the USA were involved in World War II, a lot of
radio hosts were drafted and that way Dick got his first chance to
prove his talent. After school and on weekends he worked as an
announcer and host at the local radio station.
Before graduating from highschool Dick enlisted for the American
airforce, but even there he didn’t give up his passion, which later
should become his job. Instead of sitting in flying airplanes he played
and danced on the stages of the Army.
Three years later he and his friend Phil Erikson, who he still knew
from his hometown, appeared in small clubs in Los Angeles as the
pantomime duo “Merry Mutes”. Dick was, as Erikson once remembered, “a
born dancer and singer..and without ever taking lessons.” After having
worked together for about five years, they decided to move to Atlanta,
Georgia. Later they admitted that both of them had fallen in love with
that town. There the duo split up since they had both family and
children by now.
Dick really liked his job as a comedian, but he didn‘t earn much money
and after all he had to feed a family. “At that point I was willing to
try anything but opera”, he says.
For a while he hosted a gameshow without any budget in New York and
after work he went to auditions for Broadway plays.
He was quite surprised himself when he got a leading part in the
Gashner Champoin musical “Bye Bye Birdie”, which was one of the most
successful Broadway musicals in 1960 and 61. The production got
some prizes and there
was also one for Dick Van Dyke. “It changed my life”, he says about the
musical. Which is about the truth, you could say.
Carl Reiner saw him on stage and asked him to play the main character
in a new TV-Show called “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. So Dick went back to
LA
and started filming the first episodes for the programme, which aired
first on the 3rd of October on CBS. In the Show Dick plays the TV
writer Robert Petrie who lives together with his wife Laura and his son
Ritchie in a New York suburb and has to deal with the daily problems of
a husband, dad and TV writer. The attractiveness of the female leading
actress Mary Tyler Moore also was also recognized by Dick Van Dyke: “Oh
sure, I had a crush on Mary. Everybody did!”
Certainly the concept was risky, as the run for the quotes was big and
Dick Van Dyke at this time still completely unknown in the TV buisness.
When
the show started, comedy star Rose Marie even asked: “What’s a Dick van
Dyke?”
The people soon learned and seemed to like what they saw. During its 5
years on air the show won loads of prizes, among those 15 Emmy Awards.
3 of the Emmys were for the unique leading actor of the show.
In 1964 Dick first had success with a cinema movie in the Walt Disney
production of “Mary Poppins”. As the only American among the mainly
English
crew he played the funny and kind busy-body (chimney-sweep/asphalt
painter/musican) Bert. Leading actress Julie Andrews got an Oscar for
that movie.
Another movie he did was “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968). In that film
he played the widower Caractacus Potts, who has a liking for technical
bits and pieces. The film was based on a book by Ian Fleming (author of
the James Bond books) and found its fans among the old and young.
Other very popular movies Dick Van Dyke was in are Bud Jorkin’s
“Divorce American Style”, Jerry Paris’ “Never A Dull Moment” and Warren
Beatty’s and Billy Burtons “Dick Tracy”.
THE Dick Van Dyke Movie I still love most of all is called “Mary Poppins”:
Content
The Banks’ children have managed to make every nanny run away,
screaming...until now. But with Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) even the
Banks’ kids can’t put up. The resolute but good-humored nanny quickly
gets a place in the Jane and Michael's hearts. Then they also get to
know the nice and multi-talented Bert who takes the three on
adventurous trips by jumping into paintings, flying to the ceiling and
dancing on the roof tops...but the strict Mr. Banks, Jane and Michael’s
father, doesn’t appreciate his children’s new company very much.
My Opinion
Starring as Bert in that
Disney Movie Dick Van Dyke became something like my first big love, and
I think I’m not the only one who feels like that about the film. The
fact that a grown-up doesn’t behave like Bert at all was why I like the
movie so much. In this role Dick Van Dyke proved his
incredible comedy talent in a way that touched me, touches me now and
will ever do. And there is only one word in the world that could meet
the
demands of that motion picture: *take a deep breath*
Supercalifragilsticexpialidocious! :-)
This smile is melting, isn’t it?
Dick Van Dyke grew
up in Danville, Illinois, where he lived together with his parents and
his
brother Jerry. As he says himself, he was very shy when he was a child.
The
more surprising is it that a so reserved young boy should once become
one
of the most famous entertainers of America. It was just his hobby and
what
he does, he still does with passion: “ I could have retired some time
back.
I just couldn’t get away.” By now he doesn’t have to worry about money,
but
times were not always like these: When he married his highschool-love
Margorie
Willett in 1948, he did so on a local radio programme since there was
no
other way he could afford a wedding. The couple also won their
honeymoon.
Within the following 7 years their sons Chris and Barry were
born, who, as Dick remembers, often had to sleep on the backseat in the
car when their father was on camera or stage somewhere. The couple
later
also welcomed two daughters, Stacy and Carrie-Beth.
Finally the success came for Dick, who privately remained reserved. “He
has wonderful personality and he’s great to talk to, but it’s hard to
get really close to him. Dick’s a loner”, said his colleague Mary Tyler
Moore once.
The success also brought some problems. Everything started with a
Bourbon in the Coke or some Martinis after a day of hard work, a few
drinks which slowly became Dick’s addiction. His son Barry assumes that
at that time things just kinda got too much for his dad. He wanted to
content everybody and soon realized that he couldn’t. “I think that shy
people like myself very often find alcohol helps you forget your
self-consciousness. Unfortuantely, it’s a miracle drug in that
respect”, says Dick Van Dyke himself. Not only him but also his family
went through a rough time. They all suffered with him said Barry later.
Even though his father was never drunk on the set,
he needed the alcohol. Having been through an unsuccessful therapy
already,
Dick, in his desperation, started to pray. And this time he really
found
the strenght to stop. After a long and hard rehabilitation, he found
back
to his ‘normal’ life and has been sober since 1978.
Unfortunately that was also the year when his marriage “just ran out of
gas somehow”. “To this day I don’t have clue why...”, comments Dick.
But against all bad luck and sorrow, which startled the whole family
when Chris’ daughter, the 13 year old Jessica, died unexpectedly, Dick
always got back onto his feet again and also stood by his kids.
Since the middle of the 80’s he lives together with his companion
Michelle Triola Marvin. “Michelle is a lot more social than I...which
is good for me, I suppose.”
Dick’s home is in Malibu, Los Angeles, where he does some sports in his
spare time or sits in front of his computer. If he was able to choose
his
job again in these days, the confessing computerfreak would work out
special
effects even rather than acting.
Please don’t, Mister Van Dyke, we’d miss ya! :-)
From “Diagnosis: Murder” Dick Van Dyke is known as the main character
Dr Mark Sloan. For the first time he played that role in 1991 as he
performed a guest appearance for the TV show “Jake and the Fatman”. For
the producer Fred Silverman that was enough of a reason to ask him if
he was interested in playing that role furtherly in a spin-off around
that character. At the beginning Van Dyke was sceptical: “I liked
the character, but I just didn’t think that the audience would buy it.
Also,
I had never played a detective character before, and, quite frankly,
couldn’t picture myself playing one. So they really had to talk me into
it.”
More likely the Man in White as it seems!
One decisive factor was his son Barry who was offered the part of
Detective Lt. Steve Sloan. “I always wanted to work with Barry. If it
hadn’t been for that, I might
have not agreed to do Diagnosis: Murder”
By now he is happy that he was talked into it years ago. He likes his
character and loves working with his son. He works hard, but enjoys it
pretty much. And as one of the producers he definitely sets the tone:
“He certainly is the conscience of the show. We have never tried to do
anything he didn’t
want to do”, says Les Moonves, president of CBS.
As Mark Sloan, Dick Van Dyke has got his place in the heart of the
audience. “I started out with a doctor who had a terrific sense of
humor, and from
there I was really playing myself.”
As he says, Dick has some things in common with Mark Sloan. “Well, he’s
rather disorganized for a doctor and I’m not the most organized person
in the world. Mark Sloan has a sense of humor about the world and
himself. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. That’s me!”
And, as Dick furtherly explains: “He is very old-fashioned about his
business, which happens to be medicine. I take an old-fashioned
approach to my business, which happens to be show business. So in those
ways we’re very much alike.”
 
“Isn’t he the cutest guy you’ve ever seen
on that show?”
Dr Mark Sloan has been working at
the Community General Hospital (Los Angeles) for ages and in the
meantime
has become Head of the Internal Medicine there. The funny doctor is
known
for skating through the halls of the hospital (later he has got a small
electronic scooter which is the cause of some “little” accidents), his
love for magic tricks and giving lectures in rap-style which some of
his colleagues have only little understanding for.
Nevertheless his biggest hobby is solving crimes (especially murder
cases) and as medical consultant for the LAPD he usually manages to get
involved somehow. His son Steve, homicide detective at the LAPD, is not
always very happy about his curious dad, who on the one hand often
solves the cases
but on the other hand also gets himself into dangerous situations now
and
again.
But Mark has a feeling for men and mostly he is the one who finds the
deciding clue in a difficult investigation. Mark doesn't always believe
what he sees. He always assumes more behind the facts on hand. Actually
the
best description of him is given by Mark himself in one episode: “I
don’t
have to be on any side, I’m eccentric and almost retired.” Mark really
doesn’t care very much about what other people think of him or his
methods, though in despite of all his stubborness he is neither
dogmatic nor unfriendly.
He has some life experience and is a good and trusting friend as he
listens
to everyone’s problems and believes in people.
He was married once. His beloved wife Katherine died of cancer some
years ago and, even though Mark rarely ever shows that, he misses her
very much. From Katherine he has both of his children, Steve and Carol,
who he loves whole-heartedly. Steve lives with him in the beach house
and while their
relationsship is almost perfect, Mark always has some problems with his
daughter.
Carol left him years ago with her husband Bruce, whom Mark never liked,
and
hasn’t talked to her father since then until she leaves her husband one
day
and returns to her family. Now the realtionship between the two of them
is better than before but still not what Mark wants it to be.
Nevertheless he loves his son Steve more than everything, but also
worries about him from time to time. For Mark it’s not easy to accept
that Steve
as a cop often gets into dangerous situations which can have awful
consequences. But still he knows that Steve loves being a cop as much
as his dad loves
being a doctor.
Mark not only does have own children but also some “adopted” ones. At
first there is the young Pathologist Amanda Bentley who he has been
knowing for years and who regularly helps him and Steve in the
investigations. Mark
also is the godfather of her son CJ. For Dr Jesse Travis, former intern
and now resident at the CGH, Mark is a mentor and something like a
second
dad who he can ask for help in every case.
Dr Sloan also is silent partner of the BBQ Bob’s, Steve’s and Jesse’s
restaurant, which they run with all their passion. Only they don't like
it very much if their silent partner spoils their guests meals by some
medical quibbling. One of Mark’s other hobbies, for which at least
Steve rather wants to sink into the ground from time to time, is his
Babershop-quartett. Mark is also a affectionate dancer and a long-time
member of the Comedy Club.
The Must-See episodes for all of the true Dick/Mark fans:
Season 1
(A doc who
solves crimes...is that really possible? You can bet, it is!!)
Flashdance
With Death
Watch out girls: Make sure you close the curtains before you start
dancing in front of the TV!
Season 3
(He has given
up skating...what will Mark do next?!)
Murder
In The Courthouse
Mark as a member of the jury...gives “The Jury” a very new meaning,
doesn’t it?
Murder
On The Road 1+2
Amanda is right, Mark is really the only person on earth who manages to
get kidnapped and then return with the kidnapper as a new best friend.
But will Steve really appreciate that?
Living
On the Streets Can Be Murder
Maybe you shouldn’t watch it while eating, but it’s definitely a great
eppi!
Season 4
(Maybe I
could need a new doctor...care for
a new patient, Mark?)
Murder
Can Be Contagious
Sweet eppi which again shows how much Mark’s friends mean to him.
The
ABC’s Of Murder
Opposites attract each other...you wonder what this has to to with the
eppi? Well, go and find out!
Murder
In The Family
There is no perfect family, not even on TV. So it’s even more
heart-melting to see that there are happy ends sometimes...
Murder
Two 1+2
Two of the greatest supersleuths of the American TV share one camera.
Who wants to miss that?
The
Murder Of Mark Sloan
Dunno about you, but I almost swallowed my spoon when Mark’s car was
blown up...(should stop having breakfast in front the TV...)
Season 5
(Simply too
much DM...slowly gettin’ addicted to coffee)
Down
And Dirty Dead
Mark in the euphoria of speed! Just cool!
Retribution
1+2
Sad, heart-melting and a Dick Van Dyke who doesn’t even seem to act any
more. Wonderful and lovely!
First
Do No Harm
Not a very typical DM episode, but great though. Dramatical and
fascinating, especially Mark’s little speech at the end.
Obsession
1+2
Pure action, excitement and probably Mark’s most stubborn
opponent...even after the death.
Season 6
(Boy, the new
season, finally!! How did I survive the last months with that
cliffhanger?!)
Resurrection
1+2
The best advice I’ve ever got from Mark was in this eppi: “Luck is as
good as brain..as long as it lasts.” ;-)
The
Last Resort
The best father-son-relationship of TV history in an identity
crisis...at least it looks like that.
Today
Is The Last Day Of The Rest Of My Life
A hugging season finale which describes the ridge walk of medics and
also shows that sometimes even the gods in white are only human beings.
Season 7
(Why
homework?! Yesterday was Wednesday, you don’t honestly believe that I
did any homework in the evening then?!)
The
Roast
Don’t laugh yourself to death!...literally...
Sleeping
Murder
You can choose your friends, not your family. And what Dick and Jerry
are presenting here is love for siblings in its greatest ways.
The
Flame
Hey Mark, I always thought you’d live in Malibu, not France...did I say
anything wrong?
Gangland
1+2
Dick Van Dyke x 2. Will I be able to cope with that without getting a
cramp of laughing?!
Murder
By Remote
Mark is exaggerating a little, I think. Steve’s pyjamas ain’t looking
THAT bad!
A
Resting Place
My granny was right, you should never underestimate older people!
Season 8
(Everthing
has an end...no, please not! Sob, sniff, cry!!)
The Sins Of A
Father 1+2
Mark Sloan discoveres his past. Interesting, exciting and sensitive!
And
here are Dick Van Dyke’s movies and guest appearences at one sight!
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