Dick Van Dyke Movies
Born in Missouri, entertainer Dick Van Dyke was raised in Danville, Illinois, where repeated viewings of Laurel & Hardy comedies at his local movie palace inspired him to go into show business. Active in high school and community plays in his teens, Van Dyke briefly put his theatrical aspirations aside upon reaching college age. He toyed with the idea of becoming a Presbyterian minister; then, after serving in the Air Force during World War II, opened up a Danville advertising agency. When this venture failed, it was back to show biz, first as a radio announcer for local station WDAN, and later as half of a record-pantomime act called The Merry Mutes (the other half was a fellow named Philip Erickson). While hosting a TV morning show in New Orleans, Van Dyke was signed to a contract by the CBS network. He spent most of his time subbing for other CBS personalities and emceeing such forgotten endeavors as Cartoon Theatre. After making his acting debut as a hayseed baseball player on The Phil Silvers Show, Van Dyke left CBS to free-lance. He hosted a few TV game shows before his career breakthrough as co-star of the 1959 Broadway review The Girls Against the Boys. The following year, he starred in the musical comedy Bye Bye Birdie, winning a Tony Award for his portrayal of mother-dominated songwriter Albert Peterson (it would be his last Broadway show until the short-lived 1980 revival of The Music Man). In 1961, he was cast as comedy writer Rob Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which after a shaky start lasted five seasons and earned its star three Emmies.He made his movie bow in the 1963 filmization of Bye Bye Birdie, then entered into a flexible arrangement with Walt Disney Studios. His best known films from that era include Mary Poppins (1964), Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN and The Comic, in which he played an amalgam of several self-destructive silent movie comedians. His TV specials remained popular in the ratings, and it was this fact that led to the debut of The New Dick Van Dyke Show in 1971. Despite the creative input of the earlier Dick Van Dyke Show's maven Carl Reiner, the later series never caught on, and petered out after three seasons. A chronic "people pleaser," Van Dyke was loath to display anger or frustration around his co-workers or fans, so he began taking solace in liquor; by 1972, he had become a full-fledged alcoholic. Rather than lie to his admirers or himself any longer, he underwent treatment and publicly admitted his alcoholism -- one of the first major TV stars ever to do so. Van Dyke's public confession did little to hurt his "nice guy" public image, and, now fully and permanently sober, he continued to be sought out for guest-star assignments and talk shows. In 1974, he starred in the TV movie The Morning After, playing an ad executive who destroys his reputation, his marriage and his life thanks to booze. After that Van Dyke, further proved his versatility when he began accepting villainous roles, ranging from a cold-blooded wife murderer in a 1975 Columbo episode to the corrupt district attorney in the 1990 film Dick Tracy. He also made several stabs at returning to weekly television, none of which panned out--until 1993, when he starred as Dr. Mark Sloan in the popular mystery series Diagnosis Murder. He made a few more movie appearances after Diagnosis Murder came to an end, most notably as a retired security guard in the hit family film Night at the Museum. As gifted at writing and illustrating as he is at singing, dancing and clowning, Van Dyke has penned two books, Faith, Hope and Hilarity and Those Funny Kids. From 1992 to 1994, he served as chairman of the Nickelodeon cable service, which was then sweeping the ratings by running Dick Van Dyke Show reruns in prime time. Van Dyke is the brother of award-winning TV personality Jerry Van Dyke, and the father of actor Barry Van Dyke. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Get a glimpse of comic legend Dick Van Dyke before he rose to fame in such features as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with this collection of vintage performances rarely seen since they originally aired in the 1950s. In addition to the song and dance routines, monologues, and pantomimes of The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom - presented here with new introductions by Van Dyke himself - classic routines such as "Mailing a Letter on a Windy Corner," "The Tennis Champ," and "The Pet Cat," as well as special musical performances by Boone and Shirley Jones ensure that longtime fans will be able to relive their favorite comic moments while sharing these treasured clips with a while new generation of fans. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2006
Dick Van Dyke draws heavily from both his classic 1960s sitcom and his later detective-series vehicle Diagnosis Murder as star of the made-for-cable whodunit Murder 101. Van Dyke is cast as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, a retired detective who teaches a course on criminology in a small-town college. Though he tends to trip over his own feet and bump into doors with alarming regularity, Maxwell's deductive skills are as sharp as ever, as proven when he is called upon to prove the innocence of Cheryl Collins (Tracey Needham), an investigative reporter charged with the murder of corrupt CEO Nelson Raymond (Tony Denison). It is clear that Cheryl has been framed, but who did the framing? Was it Raymond's vindictive ex-wife Louise (Lisa Thornhill), or his shady business associates Max Arnholdt (Bradford English) and Karl Larch (Camren Argeniano)--or could it be the proverbial Least Likely Suspect? Dick Van Dyke's son Barry Van Dyke, who previously costarred with his dad in Diagnosis Murder, is seen as private eye Mike Bryant, while Barry's son (and Dick's grandson) Wes Van Dyke shows up briefly as one of Dr. Maxwell's students. Clearly intended as the pilot for an ongoing series of Hallmark Channel TV movies, Murder 101 first aired on January 7, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The naughty little monkey from Margret Rey and H.A. Rey's beloved children's stories makes the leap to the big screen in this animated adaptation. Ted (voice of Will Ferrell) is an explorer with a large yellow hat who is good friends with Bloomsberry (voice of Dick Van Dyke), who runs a natural history museum. Bloomsberry's greedy son, Bloomsberry Junior (voice of David Cross), wants to tear down his dad's museum and put a parking ramp in its place, but the elder Bloomsberry is convinced that a spectacular new exhibit could save the museum from the wrecking ball. Ted heads to Africa on an expedition to find some special artifacts that will keep his friend in business, but while he's there he befriends a playful monkey he calls George (voice of Frank Welker). While George is friendly, he has a taste for mischief and seems to always get Ted in hot water; Ted thinks he's seen the last of his simian friend when his ship heads back to America, until he discovers that George managed to hide aboard the boat before it set sail. Ted's search for a eye-catching exhibit proved to be a failure, and Ted and his good friend Maggie (voice of Drew Barrymore), a schoolteacher who's sweet on him, struggle to find of a way to save Bloomsberry's museum. But time becomes precious for Ted when George has an entire new city to explore. Curious George features a handful of original songs composed for the film by surfer-turned-singer/songwriter Jack Johnson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, (more)
The new night watchman at New York's Museum of Natural History finds that the job comes with more responsibility than he ever dreamed in this wild fantasy comedy directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke. Larry Daley (Stiller) is a kind-hearted dreamer who always knew that he was destined for greatness, he just never quite knew how. None of his ideas or inventions has panned out, so with a heavy heart, he takes a regular job as a lowly graveyard-shift security guard at the Museum of Natural History in order to provide a more stable life for himself and his ten-year-old son. His first night on the job, however, he finds that guardianship of the museum is far from stable -- at nightfall, an Egyptian spell brings the artifacts and wax figures to life! With Attila the Hun charging to war through the hallways, the diorama miniatures embroiled in a deadly feud, and a two-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex nagging to play fetch, Larry has half a mind to turn tail and run. On top of cleaning up after two million years of historical chaos every night, he also has to make sure that not a single museum piece leaves the building -- from the bratty Capuchin monkey in the African exhibit, to the life-sized Neanderthal in the prehistoric display -- because if morning light falls on an escaped artifact, it will turn to dust. Larry turns to a wax replica of President Roosevelt (Williams) for a little advice on keeping things in tact, but Teddy seems to think that a man of Larry's greatness needs little help. Larry isn't sure if the former commander in chief is right; this is hardly what he signed up for, but he can't pass up the chance to care for a museum where history really does come to life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, (more)
- 2003
The first original cartoon special from the TV Land cable channel, The Alan Brady Show spotlights the fictional star of the series-within-the-series on the classic The Dick Van Dyke Show. Producer/director Carl Reiner lends his voice to a new 3D-animated version of his devilish doppelganger, the egotistical and witheringly sarcastic TV superstar Alan Brady. The premise: With the 50th anniversary of his television debut rapidly approaching, Alan's long-suffering staff of writers is ordered to put together a celebratory special. Although the writers simply want to concentrate on highlights from past Alan Brady Shows, their vainglorious boss insists upon showing that he has kept apace with the times by headlining a new reality series, "Who Wants to Marry Alan Brady?" The comic tone of the proceedings is implicit in the name of Alan's new trophy girlfriend -- she's known simply as Trophy. Familiar Reiner associates Dick Van Dyke and Rose Marie make guest voice appearances, as do Gary Owens and Carol Leifer. The Alan Brady Show first aired August 17, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, (more)
Mary Tyler Moore reunites with the man who played her '60s small-screen husband, Dick Van Dyke, in this film adaptation of D.L. Coburn's much-lauded 1976 play. The Gin Game concerns a burgeoning friendship -- and an insurmountable rift -- between Fonsia Dorsey (Moore) and Weller Martin (Van Dyke), two seniors who find companionship with one another over daily card games at their retirement home. Fonsia is initially attracted to Weller's wry, sarcastic manner, but over the course of their conversations together, the two begin to impose their life's failures and regrets upon each another. The Gin Game premiered as part of PBS' Hollywood Presents series in May 2003. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- 2003
Written in 1976 and staged on Broadway the following year, D.L. Coburn's two-character play The Gin Game was first televised in 1981 with the play's stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy repeating their roles as a pair of oil-and-water residents in a dismal nursing home. This 2003 remake, produced for PBS, pulls off the spectacular clue of reuniting Dick Van Dyke Show stars Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, casting them in parts that are as different from Rob and Laura Petrie as it is possible to get without traveling to another planet. Van Dyke plays Weller Martin, an irascible oldster who considers the day wasted if he doesn't fill the air with the foulest language imaginable. Not surprisingly, Weller gets along with no one at the home -- which would suit him fine if he wasn't a gin-rummy addict. Enter Fonsia Dorsey (Moore), a prim, proper senior citizen who has only two things in common with Weller: She has been effectively abandoned by her family, and she loves playing cards. Inevitably, the mismatched duo embarks upon a series of spirited gin games, punctuated by terse verbal combat, at least one physical assault, and, ultimately, a touching display of tenderness and concern. For those PBS outlets whose viewers were not prepared to hear and see two TV icons swearing like sailors and striking one another, the network prepared a "clean" version of The Gin Game, where at least the language was toned down (if not the play's original bite and bitterness). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, (more)
- 2002
Two years after its cancellation, the long-running TV mystery series Diagnosis Murder briefly resurfaced in this two-hour "movie." Dick Van Dyke returned to the role of crime-solving medico Dr. Mark Sloan who, at the beginning of the story, is basking in the glow of his daughter Carol's (Stacy Van Dyke) marriage to Arabian-American Anton (Fahan Tahir). Not long afterward, however, Mark receives a frantic phone call from Carol who was stranded with her husband in a remote small town. Upon his own arrival in the village, Mark was forced to confront the horrible prospect that Carol and Anton might have been murdered. With the help of his police-detective son Steve (Barry Van Dyke), his fellow doctors Jesse (Charlie Schlatter) and Amanda (Victoria Rowell), Mark tried to get to the bottom of his daughter's disappearance -- and in the process, he unearthed a hotbed of intrigue, treachery, race hatred, and political corruption. The more tragic elements of the story were leavened by the presence of Dick Van Dyke's grandson, Carey Van Dyke, as a clumsy thief. Filmed in the spring of 2001, Diagnosis Murder: A Town Without Pity was aired by CBS on February 6, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2002
- Add The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special to Queue Add The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special to top of Queue
Television's first and most influential situation comedy gets a loving tribute in this television special. The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special includes interviews with the writers and directors who helped bring the show to life, a visit to Lucille Ball's hometown with Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., clips from favorite episodes chosen by the show's fans, a musical tribute to Latin music pioneer Desi Arnaz, and thoughts on I Love Lucy from such celebrity fans as Dick Van Dyke, Cher, Barbara Walters, and Antonio Banderas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2002
This two-hour TV-movie spinoff of the long-running mystery series Diagnosis Murder is reminiscent of the classic "Dr. Christian" B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s. Dick Van Dyke is back as Dr. Mark Sloan, still combining his regular medical duties with sleuthing, this time for humanitarian purposes. Sloan and his colleagues are determined to stem a deadly epidemic that started in a migrant worker's camp and threatens to spread throughout Los Angeles. This requires the good doctor to journey all the way to Mexico to determine the source of the disease--and hopefully, to find an antidote. In the course of his investigation, Sloan comes to the horrifying conclusion that the epidemic is the result of a bioterrorist plot. . .and, of course, there is a murder involved. Diagnosis Murder: Without Warning made its CBS debut on April 26, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, (more)
Few men have had as great an impact on American popular culture as Walt Disney. Starting with a handful of cartoon characters, Disney created an entertainment empire that revolutionized movies and television, and created the theme park industry as we know it today. Disney also created a carefully molded public image as the joyous and fatherly spinner of magic tales, but behind that facade was a shrewd businessman, an artist who knew how to bring out ideas in his collaborators, and a family man who was devoted to his wife and children even though he wasn't always sure how to show it. Walt: The Man Behind the Myth is a made-for-television documentary (produced by the Disney organization) that takes a look at the Walt Disney his friends, family, and co-workers knew, featuring interviews with almost 50 people who share their memories of Disney, illustrated with rare behind-the-scenes footage from the Disney studios and never-before-seen home movies. Dick Van Dyke narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1993
Dick Van Dyke stars as a doctor-turned-detective in this made-for-television medical thriller. Van Dyke stars as Dr. Mark Sloan, the ring leader of a small group of doctors who investigate the death of a U.S. Senator (David Richards) during surgery. Sloan has his own interest in finding out the cause of death -- his ex-lover (Suzanne Pleshette) is the prominent heart surgeon who was at the helm. Unfortunately though, Dr. Sloan gets more than he bargained for and stumbles onto a plot of revenge and murder. This two-hour movie was one of several which introduced viewers to Van Dyke's character and led to the popular TV-series Diagnosis Murder. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1992
A physician--an amateur sleuth--decides to investigate the suicide of a former student of his and begins to suspect that it was murder. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- 1992
In a 1991 episode of Jake and the Fatman, Dick Van Dyke guest-starred as Dr. Mark Sloan, who couldn't seem to keep his nose out of a murder investigation. Diagnosis of Murder is the two-hour TV-movie spin-off of that episode. This time, Dr. Sloan tags along with his police-sergeant son (Barry Van Dyke, the real life son of you-know-who) on another homicide case. The victim is a powerful business magnate whose questionable ethics have given plenty of people plenty of motive for the killing. Somehow or other, Dick Van Dyke finds time between his hospital rounds and his clue-hunting to perform a brief soft shoe. Diagnosis of Murder was the pilot for a potential series, which was sold under the slightly truncated title Diagnosis Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Mariette Hartley, (more)
- 1991
In this drama a Florida newspaper owner's daughter gets involved with her daddy's biggest competitor who uses her to help destroy her father's business. Trouble ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Warren Beatty directed and starred in this big-budget action comedy featuring Chester Gould's square-jawed, two-dimensional comic strip detective. Ruthless gangster Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) touches off a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), with Big Boy and his minions rubbing out enough of Manlis's goons (along with Manlis himself) to take over his nightclub, and a healthy percentage of the city's criminal activities in the process. Caprice also gains proprietary rights to Manlis's girlfriend, nightclub chanteuse Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Big Boy's next move to is unite the rest of the city's crooks under his command; this wave of corruption attracts the attention of lawman Dick Tracy, who is determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once and for all. As Tracy plots to put Big Boy behind bars where he belongs, Breathless uses her considerable charms in an attempt to sway Tracy from the path of righteousness; this causes no small amount of anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering female companion, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and the street-smart kid (Charlie Korsmo) they've been keeping an eye on. The various bad guys, heavily made up to resemble Gould's cartoon characters (though Beatty is not made up to resemble Tracy), include Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, R.G. Armstrong, and William Forsythe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, (more)
- 1987
Ghost of a Chance is a failed TV pilot starring Redd Foxx and Dick Van Dyke. Foxx is a piano player accidentally killed by hard-hearted narcotics officer Dick Van Dyke. Since he's died before his scheduled time, Foxx is sent back to earth, where he helps Van Dyke track down genuine criminals. Naturally, Foxx is endowed with supernatural abilities, including a penchant for disguise. Ironically, Dick Van Dyke's son Barry had starred in another unsold pilot in 1981, also titled Ghost of a Chance and also dealing with a misplaced spirit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1986
This two-part, four-hour TV miniseries was adapted from the same-named 1984 novel by Arthur Hailey. Pamela Sue Martin headed the huge cast as Celia Gray, a young woman who rose from humble drug store clerk to become the head of a major pharmaceutical manufacturing firm during the 1950s and 1960s. Along the way, of course, Celia met with formidable opposition from the all-male medical establishment, and consequently, her private life was often a mess. Also on hand were two other TV stalwarts, Patrick Duffy as Dr. Andrew Jordan and Dick Van Dyke as Sam Hawthorne. Presented as part of the syndicated Operation Prime Time dramatic anthology (one of many pre-Fox efforts spearheaded by a consortium of independent TV stations to establish a "fourth network"), Strong Medicine was first made available on April 21, 1986, though most local markets did not run the property until May. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
This comedy focuses on a bank executive and a former bank guard who access funds from inactive accounts to give to good people. (AKA Found Money) ~ Rovi
- 1983
Two giants of American TV comedy--Dick Van Dyke and Sid Caesar--were teamed for the first (and thus far last) time in Found Money. Forced into early retirement, bank executive Max Shepherd (Van Dyke) befriends bank guard Sam Green (Caesar) who likewise has been given the sack. Since both men have been cheated of their pensions, Max and Sam plot an intricate revenge. They will use their combined "inside" know-how to rob the bank, then cleanse themselves of perfidy by redistributing the wealth to the needy. Originally telecast December 19, 1983, Found Money was directed by former Dick Van Dyke contributor Bill Persky; it was co-written by actor Richard Sanders, of WKRP in Cincinnati fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
In this television remake of a 1954 Bing Crosby film, a down-on-his-luck actor tries to battle his way back from alcoholism. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- 1982
Dick Van Dyke is the Drop-Out Father in this lighthearted TV movie. A successful but unsatisfied insurance executive, Van Dyke decides one day to kick over the traces. As his wife (Mariette Hartley) and family listen in fascinated horror, our hero announces his plans to move from the suburbs to a Manhattan loft, there to "find himself." With the exception of his loyal youngest daughter, Van Dyke's family elects to stay put, permitting him to carve out a new life on his own. Peter Matz won an Emmy nomination for his sprightly musical score. Originally telecast September 17, 1982, Drop-Out Father was followed in 1988 by a made-for-TV sequel, innovatively titled Drop-Out Mother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1982
- R
This entertaining "commercial" video gives us over fifty celebrities pushing their favorite, wild product. ~ Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
© 2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2013 Rovi Corporation.