What you need to know
Dick Van Dyke has nothing but fond memories of making Mary Poppins.
Speaking to PEOPLE to celebrate his 100th birthday and the publication of his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100, he opened up about his most famous role as a Cockney chimney sweep.
When asked about his favorite song from a classic musical, Van Dyke said, “I think it’s the first song when I get into a fantasy thing.”
He couldn’t help but start singing. “Isn’t it a beautiful day? During the day? May moments are brighter. I feel like I can fly.”
“It meant something and the dancers went along with it. It was just fun,” he continued.
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Van Dyke had great relationships with his co-stars on this film, which made the experience even more memorable.
“[Matthew Garber]was this little guy who was just a regular guy. We would often have to stand there while the lights were on, and he would get bored and he would bite me on the butt,” the actor laughed.
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“He gave me a bite, but he was just playing around. The little girl was sweet. And of course, the greatest woman of all time, Julie Andrews,” he continued.
“My problem with Julie was that I wasn’t a real singer. Julie not only had a beautiful soprano, but she sang a little bit, a little sharply, on the notes. I don’t know how many takes we had to do in pre-recording. We finally got there, but it was tough.”
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As for Andrews, he continued: “I don’t think we ever had an argument. We just had a good time. Doing musicals is fun. I don’t care what you’re doing, it’s just fun. You never get bored.”
Van Dyke’s casting in this film was something of a fate when Walt Disney himself heard the comments Van Dyke had made in an interview.
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“I said in an interview that I didn’t think there was enough quality entertainment for children. When Walt Disney heard about it, he called me and brought me to see Mary Poppins. And he took me all over the place. He had several offices with watercolor paintings of different scenes, and he had the boys play music, and I walked home on air,” he recalls.
“We knew long before it started that we had a great movie. There was something about it…everyone was kind of inspired by it. We knew we had to do something really worthwhile and really good. So we all just did our best and had as much fun as we could. I don’t really think of one thing that went wrong.”
There was a production gaffe he’ll never forget. “While we were all having tea on the ceiling with Bert Edwin, they took a break from lunch and forgot about me and left me hanging there, and I had to yell for help,” he shared.
“Well, it was fun,” he laughed.
“100 Rules for Living to 100 Years Old” is currently available for purchase anywhere.
