100 Years of Dick Van Dyke Trivia Quiz

Answer: Missouri

Richard Wayne Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, USA. His mother was Hazel Victoria McCord Van Dyke. She was a stenographer. His father was Loren "Cookie" Van Dyke, a salesman. The oldest of two children, he grew up in Illinois.

Answer: True

Dick Van Dyke was the brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke, who passed away in 2018. Dick was six years older than Jerry, and he was also considered to be the most talented of the two. Despite Jerry always being in his legendary brother's shadow, the brothers were always close.

Jerry appeared a few times on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" playing Stacey, Rob's younger brother. In turn, Dick Van Dyke once appeared in an uncredited role on "Coach", a series in which Jerry appeared from 1989-1997.

Answer: Air Force

Dick Van Dyke dropped out of high school during his senior year to join the military. Originally, he wanted to be an Air Force pilot during WWII. However, he was underweight and was denied several times. He was finally able to join the Special Services as a radio announcer, and later became an entertainer for the troops.

He served from 1944-1946, and his rank was staff sergeant. In 2004, he earned his high school diploma.

Answer: Eric and Van - The Merry Mutes

Phil Erickson convinced Van Dyke to form the duo in 1947. At first, they toured the West Coast nightclubs. In 1950, they moved to Atlanta, GA, and performed on a local TV station. The duo was together from 1947 to 1953. Known for not speaking, their act consisted of lip syncing to popular tunes of the time. They were regularly featured at the Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta.

Answer: Bride and Groom

"Bride and Groom" aired from November 26, 1945, to September 15, 1950. The show, which John Nelson hosted, featured a couple about to get married. He would interview the couple, and then the announcer, Jack McElroy, sang a song for them. The couple then went to the chapel and got married in private. During the ceremony, Nelson talked to the audience. The couple returned married and were given gifts by the sponsors of the show.

Dick Van Dyke and Margaret and Margaret "Margie" Willett married in 1948. They divorced in 1984.

Answer: The Girls Against the Boys

"The Girls Against the Boys" was a musical revue in two acts. It premiered on Broadway on November 2, 1959, and lasted only 16 performances. Richard Lewine and Arnold B. Horwitt wrote the songs, with additional songs by Albert Hague.

Dick Van Dyke played four roles: Counselor, Jock, Groom, and He. Bert Lahr (known for playing the Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz" and Nancy Walker (known for playing Rhoda's mother on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") were some of the other people in the cast. Dick Van Dyke won a Theatre World Award for his part in the production.

Answer: Bye Bye Birdie

Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wrote the score for "Bye Bye Birdie." Michael Stewart wrote the book. It opened on Broadway on April 14, 1960.

Dick Van Dyke plays Albert Peterson, an English teacher. He is in love with Rose (played by Chita Rivera) and wants to marry her. However, his mother (played by Kay Medford) does not want him to get married, and his mother has a lot of control over him. Albert has also written a song for the Elvis-esque singer Conrad Birdie (played by Dick Gautier).

"Bye Bye Birdie" ran for 607 performances in its original run on Broadway. Dick Van Dyke won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. In 1963, Van Dyke reprised his role as Albert Peterson in the movie remake. He has expressed that he did not like the film.

Answer: Rob Petrie

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" stars Van Dyke as Rob Petrie, headwriter for the "Alan Brady Show." His wife, Laura (played by Mary Tyler Moore), is a stay-at-home mother raising their son Ritchie (played by Larry Mathews).

At the office, Rob works with fellow writers, Buddy Sorrell (played by Maurey Amsterdam) and Sally Rogers (played by Rose Marie). Buddy is usually at odds with the show's producer, Mel Cooley (played by Richard Deacon). Rob has to get his other writers to write good comedy to please Alan Brady (played by the show's creator Carl Reiner). Dick Van Dyke won three of the four Emmy Awards for which he was nominated for this show.

Answer: Yes

Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, and the rest of the cast of "Mary Poppins" won a Grammy in 1965 for Best Recording for Children for the "Mary Poppins" soundtrack.

Dick Van Dyke played Bert in "Mary Poppins." Bert was not a character in the P.L. Travers book series, but a combination of characters. In the movie, Bert has a one-man band, he is a sidewalk artist, and a chimney sweep. He and Mary Poppins are good friends.

Dick Van Dyke also played Mr. Dawes, Sr. at the bank. In fact, he wanted that part so badly, he paid to do it.

Answer: Broccoli hung up on him.

In 1964, Dick Van Dyke co-starred in the movie "Mary Poppins" with Julie Andrews. His character was supposed to have a cockney British accent. However, Van Dyke has explained in interviews that his vocal coach was from Ireland. He was not able to do the accent very well himself. So Van Dyke never mastered it.

Broccoli was interested in Van Dyke after Sean Connery played the role with so much charm. He thought that since Dick Van Dyke had a lot of charm and had just finished the successful film, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," he would be a good choice.

Answer: Stan Laurel

Stan Laurel was born on June 16, 1890. Dick Van Dyke used to do impressions of him. He has talked in interviews about how he found Laurel's number in the phone book while doing "The Dick Van Dyke Show." He saw the name Stan Laurel in the phone book. He called the number, thinking there was no way it was that Stan Laurel, but it was.

The two became friends. Laurel died on February 23, 1965. Dick Van Dyke gave the eulogy at Stan Laurel's funeral on February 26, 1965. Van Dyke admired Laurel's mastery of physical comedy and timeless style. He thought that Laurel was a comic genius.

Answer: Altar Egos

"Altar Egos" was published in 1967. It features pictures from various films he was in, such as "Never a Dull Moment." It is a humorous book. The title refers to the different characters he has played. On the opposite page, captions for the pictures are provided.

Answer: Alcoholism

"The Morning After" stars Dick Van Dyke as Charlie Lester. Lester works in public relations and is an alcoholic. His life gets worse as his alcoholism progresses. He gets to the point where he is abusing his wife, and ends up with liver damage. His doctor informs him, "Either you stop drinking, or you're going to drink yourself to death!"

After the movie was released, Van Dyke publicly revealed that he had recently gotten help for alcoholism. He had struggled with the disease for 25 years before admitting it was a problem and getting help.

Answer: Clown

Dick Van Dyke plays Ken, a successful lawyer on "Golden Girls." He is dating Dorothy (played by Bea Arthur). He tells her he has something important to discuss, and Blanche (played by Rue McClanahan) thinks he is going to propose. Dorothy doesn't think so since they've only been dating for three months.

Ken has her close her eyes so he can show her. She holds up her hand, expecting an engagement ring. He puts on a big red clown nose. He explains he's been clowning in hospitals for years and wants to do it full-time. He tells her he thinks they will have a serious relationship, and she agrees to support him. However, when he shows up to defend Dorothy and others wearing a clown suit, Dorothy is embarrassed and realizes she can't handle a relationship with a clown.

Answer: Jake and the Fat Man

"Jake and the Fatman" aired from 1987 to 1992. On the season 4 episode, "It Never Entered My Mind," Van Dyke guest-starred as Dr. Mark Sloan. The episode aired on March 20, 1991.

Dr. Haviland (played by James Cromwell) has accused Sloan of selling a drug. He explains that he gives it to homeless people who are at risk of infectious disease. Sloan asks for a piece of paper and uses it to resign from Claremont Hospital. He also informs the man he's going to file formal charges against Haviland. However, when Haviland is found dead, Sloan is accused of killing him. Sloan has to find the murderer to clear his own name.

Answer: Television Academy Hall of Fame

The Television Academy Hall of Fame was founded on March 4, 1984, by John H. Mitchell. The Hall of Fame honors those who made important contributions to television. The inductees (except for the first year) receive a crystal television screen mounted on a cast-bronze base as their award.

In 1995, Dick Van Dyke was inducted. Also inducted with him that year were Michael Landon (posthumously), Richard Levinson (posthumously), William Link, Jim McKay, Bill Moyers, and Betty White.

Answer: Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix

Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix was formed in Los Angeles, CA in 2000. The a capella group has performed at charities and benefits. In 2008, they released a children's album called "Put on a Happy Face."

Van Dyke is usually the lead vocalist of the group. The other three members are Eric Bradley (vocals), Bryan Chadima (tenor and vocal percussion), and Mike Mendyke (bass). Some of the songs they perform are "The Dick Van Dyke Theme Song," Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and "Put on a Happy Face."

Answer: Huge age gap

There is a 46-year age difference between Dick Van Dyke and Arlene Silver. They have both talked in interviews that the age gap was not an issue for them or their friends and family. However, the media has accused her of being a gold-digger, marrying Van Dyke because he was so much older.

Dick Van Dyke met Arlene Silver in 2006 when she was a makeup artist for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. He says he saw her and it was love at first sight, and he felt compelled to approach her. He then hired her to work for him doing his makeup. In 2009, they began dating. Silver was not familiar with his work. She said she had heard of him and knew he was in "Mary Poppins", but had not really seen anything he had done.

Answer: 2012

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was a labor union for actors from 1933 to 2012. In 2012, they merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Most years, a lifetime achievement award is given by SAG. The first person to win the prize was Eddie Cantor in 1962. In 1963, 1981, and 2020, the award was not given. The award is given "for outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession."

In 2012, Alec Baldwin presented the award to Dick Van Dyke. Ironically, Van Dyke presented the award the year before he won to Mary Tyler Moore, his former co-star and friend.

Answer: Coldplay

In 2024, Coldplay released the music video for "All My Love" as a tribute to Dick Van Dyke, who is also in the video. The song itself came out in October of 2024, and there is another video. Dick Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene Silver, helped with the production of the video. The song was inspired by the Beatles and Elton John's music.

In the video, we see Dick Van Dyke walking out of his house. Chris Martin, from Coldplay, is sitting at a piano. Van Dyke asks him, "Chris, shall we?" Chris starts singing and playing the piano. We see pictures of Dick Van Dyke's life. Van Dyke joins him in singing "All My Love." We see a barefoot Van Dyke dancing. We then see pictures of his family. Van Dyke talks about some of the pictures. The song is interspersed with Van Dyke talking about his life. Some of his family, such as his wife, Arlene, stand near him when he is sitting in a chair during the video.