First off I must admit that I am a huge Dick Van Dyke fan. So I went into this memoir with an open mind (albeit somewhat clouded by fandom) and a desire to get to know the man a bit better.
I got what I hoped for! I hope you enjoy my…
B O O K R E V I E W
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Type: Autobiography
Date: 2011
Pages: 290
ISBN: 978-0-307-59223-1
The forward is written by Carl Reiner who helped to put Van Dyke on the map back in the early 60’s with a certain little sitcom we all remember and love, The Dick Van Dyke Show. After reading this memoir, it’s obvious these two men have a great deal of respect for one another!
With Mary Tyler Moore in 1963
That brings me to the first thing I liked about this book. Van Dyke is generous with his praise of, and the giving of credit to, the many talented people who worked with him over the years. No ego here!
The book gives a nice overview of his childhood and the challenges of his early life trying to break into show business. I didn’t realize how many challenges he faced! But after his signature show was a success, things began to roll along nicely.
With Julie Andrews in 1964
I was happy to hear that he enjoyed working with Andrews on Mary Poppins as I am also a huge Disney fan!
With Walt Disney
The book contains one of my favorite Van Dyke/Disney stories involving how Van Dyke got the role of the old banker in Mary Poppins. Look for other insider tidbits about that movie also.
One disappointment as a fan of Van Dyke’s work was learning how he felt about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
With Sally Ann Howes in 1968
I won’t get into too many details about his issues with the movie. Suffice to say he had some valid points… but I still love his work on the piece!
He touches on many of the projects he did between Chitty and his Diagnosis Murder television triumph as well as his battle with alcoholism. On this point, I’d like to quote directly from the book to show what Van Dyke’s goal was in writing this memoir:
“A word of warning about this book: If you are looking for dirt, stop reading now. I have had some tough times and battled a few demons, but there is nothing salacious here…. I have tried to write an honest story, with lightness, insight, hope, and some laughs.”
In my opinion, he has succeeded on all counts!
In the end, he leaves you believing he is as happy as he looks in the picture above.
COOL FACTOR: 5/5
Anyone with as extensive a career as Van Dyke could easily pen a larger volume and cover much more ground, but Van Dyke only hits the key moments with insight and asides designed to give the reader a nice look into his life without wearing him out with needless details.
Even if you aren’t a big Van Dyke fan, there is enough Hollywood name-dropping to keep you interested, but the book is interesting enough without it.
And for the rabid Dick Van Dyke fan I say, “Buy it! Read it! Love it!” I did.
[…] can read a little aside about this role in Van Dyke’s memoir book entitled My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business. Click the link for my […]