"Comedian and actor Dick Van Dyke danced across rooftops more than 60 years ago in Mary Poppins. And he danced barefoot across his backyard last year in "All My Love," a Coldplay video that went viral on his 99th birthday. As he begins his second century on Saturday, it seems the right moment to remember the way he first came into our lives: in a six-year blaze of multimedia glory that began on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theater on April 14, 1960."
"Reiner had originally cast himself as TV writer Rob Petrie, because he'd based the character on his own experience in comedian Sid Caesar's writing room. But with Van Dyke paired with 24-year-old newcomer Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie, the show wasn't just a workplace comedy there was heat on the home front. From the first episode, Laura and Rob Petrie were sexy together, especially compared to the characters in the Andy Griffith and Danny Thomas sitcoms that were their main competition."
Dick Van Dyke gained widespread recognition in a six-year burst that began with his Broadway debut in Bye Bye Birdie on April 14, 1960. He was second-billed to Chita Rivera, won a Tony Award as best featured actor, and became known for the hit song "Put on a Happy Face." He auditioned for a sitcom by Carl Reiner and impressed producers, leading to The Dick Van Dyke Show being named after him. Paired with Mary Tyler Moore, the series combined workplace and domestic humor with notable on-screen chemistry and modern suburban style. He danced in Mary Poppins and reappeared dancing in a Coldplay video at age 99.
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