So I was reminded when I read one of the posts as I checked out my today’s Facebook feed. It read …

“Happy 100th birthday to Dick Van Dyke, and congratulations on reaching this incredible milestone! He has a humorous special message for everyone on his 100th birthday:

“The funniest thing is, it’s not enough. A hundred years is not enough. You wanna live more, which I plan to!”

Dick Van Dyke’s career has spanned more than seven decades and he remains one of the most enduring entertainers in film and television history. He first became widely known through The Dick Van Dyke Show, which brought him into homes around the world in the 1960s. He later starred in classics such as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and enjoyed success on stage, radio, and later television dramas including Diagnosis: Murder.

Over the years, he’s earned Emmys, a Grammy, a Tony, and lifetime honours, with his humour and humility resonating across generations. Even as he celebrates a century, Dick Van Dyke continues to show vitality, dedication, and a genuine love for performance.

Happy 100th, Dick — thank you for all the joy you’ve brought to the world.”

This ain’t going to be long one … Although DVD appears to be a jolly decent chap and full of grit and character, I know too little to say for sure but hope my perception is correct. While I only know a little about his very long career as an entertainer (which has been well documented – check out Google etc. to find out more), my memories are of someone who has spent a lifetime as a brilliant and versatile actor (and a lot more) with, for me, two stand out performances.

As a child I watched the film “Mary Poppins” in which DVD played Bert the (not over convincing) Cockney, chimney sweeper. The film was brilliant and so was Bert. It remains one of my all-time favourite musicals, and here DVD acted, sung and danced. Many years later, I came across the TV series “Highway to Heaven” starring Michael Langdon as the probationary angel, Jonathan Smith. It remains one of my all-time favourite TV series, and the episode titled “Wally” imo the best. DVD appeared as Wally, the kindly tramp (bum) that Jonathan was assigned by the boss (God) to help. Yet again, he was at his brilliant best! Over the years, since my youth, DVD has often popped up onto my radar, and that was probably a mere fraction when it came to his noteworthy screen appearances.

All that remains is to wish Dick Van Dyke a happy birthday and to thank him for the lovely memories.