00:00:11
S1: Do you remember the music 60 years ago? We were all glued around the amazing, amazing television set watching that. He's one of Hollywood's greatest and absolute giant in so many different ways. He's been a radio announcer, he's been on stage, he's been on television, and of course, been in the movies. American actor, performer, comedian Dick Van Dyke. He is turning 100 years of age. Tomorrow is actually the weekend. Really. It's a really big deal for somebody who has has reached that sort of age. Because the bloke I don't know, I don't even know how he's managed to live this long. He was a heavy drinker once, by his own admission. Uh, we couldn't get the bloke himself. We couldn't get the bloke himself. We've gone, I think, for one of the next best things. The voice of countdown, Gavin Wood, one of my mates, is on the line. Gavin, this is pretty exciting, isn't it? Dick Van Dyke turning 100. Yippee!
00:01:08
S2: It's the Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.
00:01:16
S1: But doesn't that say something? Mary Tyler Moore, who became a legend in her own right, got the start on the show as Laura Petrie in that television show. Were you all used to love watching that as a kid?
00:01:27
S2: Oh, as a kid, yeah. And then the spin off was The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was even bigger than the Dick Van Dyke Show. But 100. What a milestone. I mean, you and I, as little kids would, would go along to the theater to see Mary Poppins and Bye Bye Birdie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Uh, they were just great, fun, wholesome movies. And, uh, you always had a smile on your face. And you look at a photo of Dick Van Dyke. He's always got a smile on his face.
00:01:55
S1: Yeah, I think that's right. I think that's right. And of course, you know, Dick Van Dyke, by his own admission, didn't exactly have the best British accent, but he managed to sing a little bit in Mary Poppins. Have a listen.
00:02:08
S3: Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim I does what I likes and I likes what I do.
00:02:18
S1: I gotta tell you the funny part about the funny part about it, Gavin, is that J. Pat O'Malley apparently was his vocal coach and taught him an English accent. An Irish American trying to teach an American American from the Midwest an English accent. It didn't work, did it?
00:02:32
S2: Yeah. Go figure. You've just taken me back to the Capitol Theatre in Roma, where I used to go there as a kid, you know, with the canvas seats. Oh my goodness. Now, Dick Van Dyke, in his lifetime, he's won six Emmys, one Grammy and one Tony Award. Sadly, he never won an Oscar. Otherwise, he would be a goat, you know? So. So he's won all these awards and danced through his life. The only the only trouble he got into. I remember when I was in LA, um, it was about eight, eight years ago, his car caught on fire on the five freeway.
00:03:08
S1: Yeah.
00:03:09
S2: And it was. And it was a Jag. It was an English JAG.
00:03:12
S1: Yeah. He's had a few things over the years. Uh, that that was one I remember, mate. In fact, can I take you back even further in this long life? I said before, I don't know how he's managed to live as long, given that he was a pretty heavy drinker and, you know, did what people did in the 50s and 60s, I guess with drinking and smoking and stuff like that. But the dancing thing, I think has been the difference. He had this car accident back in the early 60s and it was really, really nasty. But something good came out of it because around the world, in countries like ours, he was able to and in fact made an enormous driver's education video about the virtue of seatbelts, his Dick Van Dyke.
00:03:53
S3: And.
00:03:53
S4: Lost control of the car. I couldn't straighten it out. I finally hit this wall at about 50 miles an hour. The car flipped off the wall and back into the street again, turning completely over. Now I had the top down and I could have been killed right away. I only know that had I not had that seatbelt, I would have gone head first through this hard cement wall. So I just thank God that I had the good sense to wear my seat belts around my lap.
00:04:19
S1: So whether we realize it or not, Gavin Wood, Dick Van Dyke's actually probably helped save a lot of lives. I just remember him telling us, put on a seatbelt. I would have died without one.
00:04:28
S2: What an impactful message. I mean, I've even forgotten about that. I vaguely, vaguely, vaguely remember him doing it. But, uh, gee, when you become a spokesperson or a star, you've got to have some responsibility. And to do a CSA like that, a community service announcement like that, uh, is is is terrific. I mean, talk about giving back. He's given back and given back so many fond memories and laughs to so many people through the years. Uh, you know, he's he could probably live for another ten, because I think the dancing kept him fit all the way through. And that's what that's what saved him, and that's what got him to 100 years.
00:05:09
S1: Well, in fact, I have another comment from Dick Van Dyke himself exactly along those lines. Gavin, have a listen.
00:05:15
S3: 99.9.
00:05:19
S4: And my next birthday, I'll be 100.
00:05:21
S3: Yeah.
00:05:23
S4: Don't ask me how. How what I did. I don't know what I did. I never I never took care of myself. I think it was a lot of singing and dancing. You didn't think so? A lot of a lot of that.
00:05:35
S1: I think singing and dancing, smiling, laughing, finding the joy in life. I reckon that's true, Gavin.
00:05:41
S2: Well, yeah, he certainly found the joy in life. And as I said before, every photo you see, he's got a big smile on his face. Now, I always say to people, you've only got one life. Enjoy it. And he did and he has. And he will continue to.
00:05:55
S1: I think it's a great message, though for this time of year. So 13th of December, which is tomorrow. Our time. It's, you know, overnight tomorrow night. But I have been thinking about Dick Van Dyke for make of this what you like. But for 18 months, I've been saying Dick Van Dyke is going to hit 100. Mel Brooks is not far behind him. These people have made me laugh over the years. Uh, they've they've they've actually lived long and prospered.
00:06:24
S2: Speaking of Mel Brooks, one of my favorite movies of all time is The History of the world, Part one. And the beautiful thing about it is there'll never be a part two.
00:06:35
S1: Well, he's apparently he's trying to do Spaceballs number two or something at the moment.
00:06:40
S2: But there's this funny man that just brought so much joy to to the world. And, uh, what a great thing to have on your resume.
00:06:48
S1: But this Dick Van Dyke and his attraction to cars. I mean, he was well into his 90s when he had that most recent incident, the car catching fire. And apparently he was found walking the streets of Hollywood. And everyone said, oh, there's Dick Van Dyke over there. You okay, mate? He was just. He just. I don't know what happened. The car just caught fire.
00:07:06
S2: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was just pulled over to the side of the road, and there was flames coming out from the from the hood. So, uh, he was lucky. Very lucky. It wasn't a it wasn't a car crash. It was just the car. And those English cars had a habit of had a penchant of catching fire, if you remember back then.
00:07:24
S1: Sure. Well, he was he was a radio announcer. He was a disc jockey. He'd served in the military. He's done theatre. The the whole the whole whole gamut, really, in so many ways. It's inspiring. And I think we should talk about inspiring people. Gavin.
00:07:40
S2: Oh, yes. You've got to have your role models like Dick Van Dyke and Taylor Swift.
00:07:46
S1: Ha, ha. Oh, Gavin, you just you've had another five years of my life with that laugh now, so.
00:07:55
S2: Well, she is she is a great role model I love her. She she's you know, songs are great. It's, you know, there's no scandal. There's nothing like that. It's like Barack Obama compared to our current to the current president. Uh, no scandals with Obama's, but the current president. Oh my God.
00:08:13
S1: Oh, yeah. Well, that's what Dick Van Dyke would say too, because he's not a big fan. So anyway, park that for the moment, but did you know that there were words to the old Dick Van Dyke theme, the TV show? I never, ever knew there were words. Did you know that?
00:08:31
S2: No. It was it adapted from a song. Was it?
00:08:33
S1: Now, apparently the story goes that Morey Amsterdam, who was obviously vaudeville and and Broadway entertainer, he, he, he lived a great age to so did Rose Marie, the other star in that TV show. Apparently, Morey Amsterdam put some words together. Well, hey, look, Gavin, I'll get Dick Van Dyke to explain it.
00:08:52
S5: But I love it.
00:08:53
S4: You know, a little Morey Amsterdam, who was on our show for years, wrote words to our theme song. So tell Mr. Trouble to get lost. Get lost. Why not hold your head up high and stop crying? Start crying. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. When you find the joy of living is loving and giving. You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed and tossed. A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down. So smile and that frown will be frosty frost. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. Yeah.
00:09:36
S1: Isn't that great, Gavin? That was Dick Van Dyke just a few months ago with a couple of, you know, people there on stage. Just decided to perform the words of Morey Amsterdam wrote all those years ago.
00:09:47
S2: A scoop for the Gary Hardgrave show.
00:09:50
S1: That's what we try and do here. Because you were coming. I thought I'd be inspired and find all this. I find all this out.
00:09:57
S2: That's absolutely brilliant. You've made my day and I'm sure you've made all your listeners day. That is. That is just amazing.
00:10:04
S1: Yeah. No, the smile is just a frown turned upside down. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. It's kind of. It makes. Makes perfect sense to me. Hey, Gavin. You have a great Christmas, mate. I appreciate you coming on and talking to us about that. I know you lived in Hollywood a long time as well, and you got to see these people close and, you know, personal. And there's no doubt about it, Dick Van Dyke would be on one of my lists of people I'd love to have met through the course of my life.
00:10:31
S2: Oh, same here. And Merry Christmas to you and yours, Gary. And and and all your listeners who I still love and adore after all these years.
00:10:39
S1: And they feel the same about you, Gavin Wood. Good man. Do you go well and keep your fingers crossed? That's good advice for us all. All right. Tomorrow we're going to be thinking about Dick Van Dyke turning 100, and he should hold his bat high. And we should. We should certainly cheer him on the field. What do you think? 133. 882. Thanks to watch smoke alarms. It's 5:19.
S1: Do you remember the music 60 years ago? We were all glued around the amazing, amazing television set watching that. He's one of Hollywood's greatest and absolute giant in so many different ways. He's been a radio announcer, he's been on stage, he's been on television, and of course, been in the movies. American actor, performer, comedian Dick Van Dyke. He is turning 100 years of age. Tomorrow is actually the weekend. Really. It's a really big deal for somebody who has has reached that sort of age. Because the bloke I don't know, I don't even know how he's managed to live this long. He was a heavy drinker once, by his own admission. Uh, we couldn't get the bloke himself. We couldn't get the bloke himself. We've gone, I think, for one of the next best things. The voice of countdown, Gavin Wood, one of my mates, is on the line. Gavin, this is pretty exciting, isn't it? Dick Van Dyke turning 100. Yippee!
00:01:08
S2: It's the Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.
00:01:16
S1: But doesn't that say something? Mary Tyler Moore, who became a legend in her own right, got the start on the show as Laura Petrie in that television show. Were you all used to love watching that as a kid?
00:01:27
S2: Oh, as a kid, yeah. And then the spin off was The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was even bigger than the Dick Van Dyke Show. But 100. What a milestone. I mean, you and I, as little kids would, would go along to the theater to see Mary Poppins and Bye Bye Birdie and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Uh, they were just great, fun, wholesome movies. And, uh, you always had a smile on your face. And you look at a photo of Dick Van Dyke. He's always got a smile on his face.
00:01:55
S1: Yeah, I think that's right. I think that's right. And of course, you know, Dick Van Dyke, by his own admission, didn't exactly have the best British accent, but he managed to sing a little bit in Mary Poppins. Have a listen.
00:02:08
S3: Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim Jim I does what I likes and I likes what I do.
00:02:18
S1: I gotta tell you the funny part about the funny part about it, Gavin, is that J. Pat O'Malley apparently was his vocal coach and taught him an English accent. An Irish American trying to teach an American American from the Midwest an English accent. It didn't work, did it?
00:02:32
S2: Yeah. Go figure. You've just taken me back to the Capitol Theatre in Roma, where I used to go there as a kid, you know, with the canvas seats. Oh my goodness. Now, Dick Van Dyke, in his lifetime, he's won six Emmys, one Grammy and one Tony Award. Sadly, he never won an Oscar. Otherwise, he would be a goat, you know? So. So he's won all these awards and danced through his life. The only the only trouble he got into. I remember when I was in LA, um, it was about eight, eight years ago, his car caught on fire on the five freeway.
00:03:08
S1: Yeah.
00:03:09
S2: And it was. And it was a Jag. It was an English JAG.
00:03:12
S1: Yeah. He's had a few things over the years. Uh, that that was one I remember, mate. In fact, can I take you back even further in this long life? I said before, I don't know how he's managed to live as long, given that he was a pretty heavy drinker and, you know, did what people did in the 50s and 60s, I guess with drinking and smoking and stuff like that. But the dancing thing, I think has been the difference. He had this car accident back in the early 60s and it was really, really nasty. But something good came out of it because around the world, in countries like ours, he was able to and in fact made an enormous driver's education video about the virtue of seatbelts, his Dick Van Dyke.
00:03:53
S3: And.
00:03:53
S4: Lost control of the car. I couldn't straighten it out. I finally hit this wall at about 50 miles an hour. The car flipped off the wall and back into the street again, turning completely over. Now I had the top down and I could have been killed right away. I only know that had I not had that seatbelt, I would have gone head first through this hard cement wall. So I just thank God that I had the good sense to wear my seat belts around my lap.
00:04:19
S1: So whether we realize it or not, Gavin Wood, Dick Van Dyke's actually probably helped save a lot of lives. I just remember him telling us, put on a seatbelt. I would have died without one.
00:04:28
S2: What an impactful message. I mean, I've even forgotten about that. I vaguely, vaguely, vaguely remember him doing it. But, uh, gee, when you become a spokesperson or a star, you've got to have some responsibility. And to do a CSA like that, a community service announcement like that, uh, is is is terrific. I mean, talk about giving back. He's given back and given back so many fond memories and laughs to so many people through the years. Uh, you know, he's he could probably live for another ten, because I think the dancing kept him fit all the way through. And that's what that's what saved him, and that's what got him to 100 years.
00:05:09
S1: Well, in fact, I have another comment from Dick Van Dyke himself exactly along those lines. Gavin, have a listen.
00:05:15
S3: 99.9.
00:05:19
S4: And my next birthday, I'll be 100.
00:05:21
S3: Yeah.
00:05:23
S4: Don't ask me how. How what I did. I don't know what I did. I never I never took care of myself. I think it was a lot of singing and dancing. You didn't think so? A lot of a lot of that.
00:05:35
S1: I think singing and dancing, smiling, laughing, finding the joy in life. I reckon that's true, Gavin.
00:05:41
S2: Well, yeah, he certainly found the joy in life. And as I said before, every photo you see, he's got a big smile on his face. Now, I always say to people, you've only got one life. Enjoy it. And he did and he has. And he will continue to.
00:05:55
S1: I think it's a great message, though for this time of year. So 13th of December, which is tomorrow. Our time. It's, you know, overnight tomorrow night. But I have been thinking about Dick Van Dyke for make of this what you like. But for 18 months, I've been saying Dick Van Dyke is going to hit 100. Mel Brooks is not far behind him. These people have made me laugh over the years. Uh, they've they've they've actually lived long and prospered.
00:06:24
S2: Speaking of Mel Brooks, one of my favorite movies of all time is The History of the world, Part one. And the beautiful thing about it is there'll never be a part two.
00:06:35
S1: Well, he's apparently he's trying to do Spaceballs number two or something at the moment.
00:06:40
S2: But there's this funny man that just brought so much joy to to the world. And, uh, what a great thing to have on your resume.
00:06:48
S1: But this Dick Van Dyke and his attraction to cars. I mean, he was well into his 90s when he had that most recent incident, the car catching fire. And apparently he was found walking the streets of Hollywood. And everyone said, oh, there's Dick Van Dyke over there. You okay, mate? He was just. He just. I don't know what happened. The car just caught fire.
00:07:06
S2: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was just pulled over to the side of the road, and there was flames coming out from the from the hood. So, uh, he was lucky. Very lucky. It wasn't a it wasn't a car crash. It was just the car. And those English cars had a habit of had a penchant of catching fire, if you remember back then.
00:07:24
S1: Sure. Well, he was he was a radio announcer. He was a disc jockey. He'd served in the military. He's done theatre. The the whole the whole whole gamut, really, in so many ways. It's inspiring. And I think we should talk about inspiring people. Gavin.
00:07:40
S2: Oh, yes. You've got to have your role models like Dick Van Dyke and Taylor Swift.
00:07:46
S1: Ha, ha. Oh, Gavin, you just you've had another five years of my life with that laugh now, so.
00:07:55
S2: Well, she is she is a great role model I love her. She she's you know, songs are great. It's, you know, there's no scandal. There's nothing like that. It's like Barack Obama compared to our current to the current president. Uh, no scandals with Obama's, but the current president. Oh my God.
00:08:13
S1: Oh, yeah. Well, that's what Dick Van Dyke would say too, because he's not a big fan. So anyway, park that for the moment, but did you know that there were words to the old Dick Van Dyke theme, the TV show? I never, ever knew there were words. Did you know that?
00:08:31
S2: No. It was it adapted from a song. Was it?
00:08:33
S1: Now, apparently the story goes that Morey Amsterdam, who was obviously vaudeville and and Broadway entertainer, he, he, he lived a great age to so did Rose Marie, the other star in that TV show. Apparently, Morey Amsterdam put some words together. Well, hey, look, Gavin, I'll get Dick Van Dyke to explain it.
00:08:52
S5: But I love it.
00:08:53
S4: You know, a little Morey Amsterdam, who was on our show for years, wrote words to our theme song. So tell Mr. Trouble to get lost. Get lost. Why not hold your head up high and stop crying? Start crying. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. When you find the joy of living is loving and giving. You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed and tossed. A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down. So smile and that frown will be frosty frost. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. Yeah.
00:09:36
S1: Isn't that great, Gavin? That was Dick Van Dyke just a few months ago with a couple of, you know, people there on stage. Just decided to perform the words of Morey Amsterdam wrote all those years ago.
00:09:47
S2: A scoop for the Gary Hardgrave show.
00:09:50
S1: That's what we try and do here. Because you were coming. I thought I'd be inspired and find all this. I find all this out.
00:09:57
S2: That's absolutely brilliant. You've made my day and I'm sure you've made all your listeners day. That is. That is just amazing.
00:10:04
S1: Yeah. No, the smile is just a frown turned upside down. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. It's kind of. It makes. Makes perfect sense to me. Hey, Gavin. You have a great Christmas, mate. I appreciate you coming on and talking to us about that. I know you lived in Hollywood a long time as well, and you got to see these people close and, you know, personal. And there's no doubt about it, Dick Van Dyke would be on one of my lists of people I'd love to have met through the course of my life.
00:10:31
S2: Oh, same here. And Merry Christmas to you and yours, Gary. And and and all your listeners who I still love and adore after all these years.
00:10:39
S1: And they feel the same about you, Gavin Wood. Good man. Do you go well and keep your fingers crossed? That's good advice for us all. All right. Tomorrow we're going to be thinking about Dick Van Dyke turning 100, and he should hold his bat high. And we should. We should certainly cheer him on the field. What do you think? 133. 882. Thanks to watch smoke alarms. It's 5:19.
