Julie Andrews Reminisces on First Encounter With Dick Van Dyke During Mary Poppins Rehearsals

Summary

• Julie Andrews fondly remembers her first meeting with co-star Dick Van Dyke during Mary Poppins rehearsals.
• Mary Poppins was a major Hollywood film for Andrews and earned her a Best Actress Oscar.
• Van Dyke’s joyful presence made filming Mary Poppins a happy experience for the entire cast.

Mary Poppins star Julie Andrews reminisced about her first encounter with co-star Dick Van Dyke during a special tribute for the actor. On Thursday night, Andrews was among the stars paying homage to Van Dyke, who celebrated his 98th birthday on December 13, for CBS’ two-hour Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic special (via PEOPLE). Andrews recounted her memorable first meeting with Van Dyke during Mary Poppins rehearsals. For the 1964 Disney musical, Andrews was cast as the titular character, while Van Dyke portrayed two characters: chimney sweep Bert and Mr. Dawes Sr (initially credited as the anagram Navckid Keyd), the old bank director.

It was a very hot early September if I recall correctly, and the Disney team had built a big stage outdoors on the backlot of the studio and created a roof for shade from a giant tarpaulin,” Andrews explained. “As I arrived on that very first day, Dick was already working with the choreographers and the dancers.

Mary Poppins marked Andrews’ first major Hollywood film role. Her only other feature film credit was voice-over work for the English dubbed version of the Italian animated film La Rosa di Bagdad. Although Van Dyke was “young, fit as can be, and really gorgeous to look at,” meeting the actor and realizing the magnitude of the project proved daunting for Andrews:

I’d never made a movie before, and I’d given birth to my lovely daughter Emma nearly six weeks earlier, and I quickly realized that I had better pull my socks up and get in shape,” she said. “I found it pretty daunting, I can tell you. Dick could not have been kinder, more genuinely sweet and helpful. I like to think that we did bond instantly.

Related: Mary Poppins Star Dick Van Dyke Visits Disneyland in Heartwarming Footage

Julie Andrews Says She Was Lucky to Have Dick Van Dyke by Her Side for Mary Poppins

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Upon its release, Mary Poppins became a box office and critical success and earned Andrews a Best Actress Oscar. The film’s music also received acclaim, winning Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for “Chim Chim Cher-ee”) and Grammy Awards for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture and Best Recording for Children. In 2013, the film was inducted into the Motion Picture Hall of Fame.

The magic captured on-screen has transcended off-screen, too. According to Andrews, working alongside Van Dyke was a joyful experience.

“It was so delightful to watch him imitating the animated penguins or attempting to ride the pony from the carousel. Becoming a magical chimney sweep. Actually, it was a very happy film for, I think, the entire company.” She adds: “How lucky I was to have him by my side for my first venture in Hollywood.”

Van Dyke began his career as a pantomime performer in the 1940s. He earned a Tony in 1961 for Bye Bye Birdie (later reprising the role of Albert Peterson for a 1963 musical directed by George Sidney). Shortly after appearing in the stage production of Bye Bye Birdie, he led The Dick Van Dyke Show from 1961 to 1966 – Van Dyke earned three Emmys for lead actor in a comedy series for his portrayal of television writer Rob Petrie. Decades later, he had another successful television series run with Diagnosis Murder, where he starred alongside his son Barry Van Dyke from 1993 to 2000.

Although revered for his comedic chops and musicality, Van Dyke also appeared in numerous dramas, including 1969’s The Comic and 1974’s The Morning After (which earned him an Emmy nod).

Earlier this year, Van Dyke competed in the ninth season of The Masked Singer. Upon his elimination, Van Dyke sang a portion of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” as an encore.

The original Mary Poppins is streaming on Disney+.

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