Dick Van Dyke has spent decades making audiences smile – but a new documentary marking the Hollywood legend’s 100th birthday takes an unabashed look at the struggles he faced behind the scenes.
“American Masters – Starring Dick Van Dyke,” premiering Friday on PBS, chronicled the entertainer’s eight-decade career while addressing what director John Scheinfeld described as Van Dyke’s “personal demons with alcohol” during the height of his fame.
“I’ve done a lot of these on famous people, and almost always there’s somebody who will say, ‘Oh, I didn’t like him’ or ‘He did this, or she did that,’” Scheinfeld told The Post ahead of the doc’s release.
“In the ten months we were working on this, there was not one person who had a bad thing to say about Dick,” the director added. “So he’s very much the same off-screen as he is on screen.”
However, Scheinfeld acknowledged that it was important the film didn’t gloss over Van Dyke’s battle with alcoholism, a chapter of the “Bye Bye Birdie” star’s life that isn’t as well known.
“We do touch on a number of things along the way, primarily his battle in the ’60s and ’70s with alcoholism,” the filmmaker said. “He has spoken about it, but it is something that not everyone knows a lot about.”
One of the documentary’s most revealing moments revisited an appearance Van Dyke made on “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1974, where he spoke openly about his addiction.
“He did a whole 90-minute show with Cavett in which he spoke with remarkable candor and honesty about this battle that he had,” Scheinfeld shared. “I think that reveals much about Dick as a person as well.”
During his appearance on “The Dick Cavett Show” in question, Van Dyke described alcoholism as a “physical disease.”
“It has nothing to do with the person not being mature enough not to drink too much,” he said at the time. “It’s a true addiction, like a heroin addiction.”
Van Dyke opened up about his battle with alcoholism and how his struggles began more recently during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“I was very shy – with strangers – I couldn’t talk to people,” he explained. “And I found if I had a drink, it would loosen me up. The barriers went down, and I became very social.”
“That’s what got me started,” Van Dyke added. “It took me a long time to get over it.”
Scheinfeld’s new PBS doc, meanwhile, looked back at a gritty 1974 TV movie in which Van Dyke portrayed a business executive battling alcoholism called “The Morning After.”
The role marked a sharp departure from the “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” star’s usual family-friendly image.
“I thought it was a very important part of the story,” Scheinfeld told The Post. “It was really shocking for fans of Dick, who knew him as a singing and dancing performer. He got an Emmy nomination for it, and then it disappeared.”
But for the first time since its original airing, the documentary included clips from the thought-to-be-lost film.
“We have extended excerpts from it that not only show the range of Dick’s talent as a dramatic actor, but also help flesh out his own personal demons with alcohol,” Scheinfeld revealed.
More than 50 years since he’s been sober, Van Dyke has made it clear that he doesn’t miss alcohol one bit.
“I like life too much without it,” he said last year, per Today. “Now that I’m completely free of it, I don’t have any desire to ever drink again.”
Elsewhere during his discussion of “American Masters – Starring Dick Van Dyke,” Scheinfeld opened up about what he believes is the secret to Van Dyke’s longevity as the “Mary Poppins” star approaches his monumental 100th birthday.
“He wrote a book a few years ago called ‘Keep Moving,’ and I think that describes his philosophy very well,” Scheinfeld told The Post. “Whether it’s work or personal, he continually keeps moving.”
“He’s never been retired and gone to play golf or whatever,” the director continued. “He’s always been doing something, and that keeps him alive and in the public eye.”
That mindset, Scheinfeld added, is paired with the Hollywood legend’s absolute enthusiasm for life.
“He has a joy for life and everything that life brings him,” the filmmaker shared. “I think that’s admirable.”
Scheinfeld said that the doc was created as a tribute to Van Dyke as he prepares to ring in his milestone 100th birthday.
“Dick, my team and I have spent the last ten months creating this love letter to you and your career, and we hope you enjoy it,” he said in a touching birthday message to the beloved funny man.
“With all the turbulence going on in the world, it was a pleasure for us to come to work every day and laugh and smile, because that’s what Dick makes you do,” Scheinfeld concluded. “And don’t we all need more smiles and laughter these days?”
“American Masters – Starring Dick Van Dyke” premieres Friday, Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS and will stream on pbs.org and the PBS App.
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