Dick Van Dyke started celebrating his upcoming 100th birthday early by hosting a two-hour sing-along-with-fans charity event in Malibu, Calif., on Nov. 30 (via People). The event, which the icon co-sponsored with his wife Arlene Silver, raised money for the Dick Van Dyke Museum and the Van Dyke Foundation for the Arts.
“There are several reasons for introducing these, all good, but my reason is to bring back the art of conversation,” Van Dyke told the audience. “Whether you’re on the street, on the bus, or in a restaurant, everyone is looking at their phones. No one talks. I’ve seen young couples eating together, and they’re both looking at their phones. I might be the only person in America over the age of 10 who doesn’t have a cell phone. I don’t have a phone.”
Van Dyke will turn 100 years old on December 13th. At the event, he and his quartet The Vantastics performed some of the most famous songs of his career, as well as some of his personal favorites. The group opened with a performance of the actor’s 1968 classic title song, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and ended with the “Mary Poppins” classic “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.” Van Dyke also performed other favorites from these films, including “You Two” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
According to People, “A fan once asked Van Dyke what his favorite part of the Christmas season was, and he always said ‘the songs and carols.'” In that regard, he and the Vantastics sang Nat King Cole’s “Caroling, Caroling.” ”
Other songs at the sing-along event included “Carolina in the Morning” and the theme song from the actor’s iconic CBS sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which aired for five seasons from 1961 to 1966.
Earlier this fall, Van Dyke spoke to fans about his upcoming 100th birthday, saying, “I sometimes brag about how I made it to 100, but the truth is, if I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. And it’s frustrating because I don’t know what I did right. Other than (my wife Arlene), I never did anything right.”
Last year, in an interview with Variety to commemorate his appearance on the CBS special “Dick Van Dyke: The Magic of ’98,” the actor spoke fondly of his Hollywood career, saying, “I’ve had fun in everything I’ve done. Not many people can say that.”
“I left a good example for the younger generation,” he added about how his legacy remains in Hollywood. “I’m a positive influence on the kids. And I can tell by the emails I get from the kids that I’m a positive influence. They want to emulate that behavior. I think that’s why it’s really worth it for us to achieve. I’m very happy that the impact I had was a positive influence. I’m completely satisfied with that.”
