What you need to know
With a career spanning more than 70 years, it’s no wonder that it took director Steve Boettcher so long to put together the most comprehensive documentary on legendary entertainer Dick Van Dyke.
“Dick Van Dyke: 100 Years” takes viewers through the hyphenate’s extensive career in film, television and stage, stretching back to Mary Poppins, The Dick Van Dyke Show and Bye Bye Birdie. To tell this story, Boettcher spoke with many late Hollywood greats over nearly 30 years, including Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner, and Betty White.
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“Our premise was to interview people who worked with him, rather than people who remember seeing him all the time,” Boettcher tells PEOPLE of the film, which will be released in theaters for a limited time on Dec. 13 and 14, to coincide with Van Dyke’s 100th birthday on Dec. 13. “So it’s like all the people there were doing lightning in a bottle with him,” he added.
Boettcher said the process began with interviews with former “Dick Van Dyke Show” cast members, including Maury Amsterdam, who passed away in 1996, and Rose Marie, who passed away in 2017.
“That was kind of the beginning,” Boettcher says of his interviews with comedians.
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Boettcher originally thought the documentary would be about “early television pioneers,” including Van Dyke. After sitting down with Moore and Reiner, Boettcher says, “suddenly it started gaining momentum on its own.”
In the film’s trailer, both Moore, who passed away in 2017, and Reiner, who passed away in 2020, speak enthusiastically about how they were old friends and colleagues.
“He’s a wonderful human being and one of the most generous performers I’ve ever worked with,” says Moore, who co-starred with Van Dyke on the self-titled sitcom.
Reiner, who created “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” calls him “the most gifted physical comedian of all time.”
Providing BT archives
Much of his life has been chronicled, including in his upcoming book “100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist’s Guide to a Happy Life,” which will be released on November 18th, but Boettcher promises that fans will see a “new side” of Van Dyke through the film.
“This is something that’s been forming over an 80-year career, and I think it’s easy to watch a few shows and say, ‘Wow,’ but what does that mean overall? Why is he so extraordinary today? Why do we love him so much?” he says.
“There are some really touching, sweet, fun moments in there,” he continues. “And I think we’re laughing with him too. We’re just kind of humming along to the songs he sings. I think that’s what it’s all about. It’s really a celebration.”
“Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration” will be shown in select theaters on December 13th and 14th.
