Danville native Dick Van Dyke will have his story told perhaps unlike ever before in an upcoming PBS documentary. Steve Boettcher from free lance film company Boettcher-Trinklein Television is in town this week shooting a variety of video and interviews about Dick Van Dyke. He says that ironically, it all began with another project called Pioneers of TV, done for PBS years ago.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: We kind of came across and met Dick that way. And we’ve always kind of fallen in love with his work. We did a film last year on Betty White; we started that about four years ago. And I remember Betty said to us, “Have you ever thought about something on Dick Van Dyke?” And I said, “Yes we have, we love Dick Van Dyke.” And that’s what brings us here today.
(Left) Dick Van Dyke posing during a Danville visit. (Right) Film maker Steve Boettcher is in Danville this week continuing preparation for a PBS documentary on Van Dyke.
And along the way, Boettcher says they’ve interviewed loads of people about their time working with Van Dyke.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: We’ve interviewed Maury Amsterdam for the project; 24, 27 years ago. Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner, Rose Marie; we’ve interviewed Dick Van Dyke. We were here four years ago when Dick was in town and visiting his house. So we’ve been on the trail for a while.
And in addition to the Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Poppins moments; what about some other memories being jogged, such as a brief 70s variety show that gave a boost to the career of his former co-star Mary Tyler Moore.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: He did actually do, I think, a short season of that “Van Dyke and Company” show. It did air, it had Mary Tyler Moore on it. He kind of reintroduced the world to Mary Tyler Moore; she got her series from that show.
Boettcher says, if all goes well, the documentary will be out sometime during the first quarter of 2023.
