My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir

I wasn't a big fan of Dick Van Dyke and yet, I found his story to be interesting and told with a smile. This man is probably a better man than actor and I would say he has given meaning to his life in a way others could never do. I would be very happy to make his acquaintance after reading his story. I think he would be most entertaining and leave me smiling. Just as his book did!

As memoirs go, Dick covers it all from birth.Based on the conversational tone, I'm assuming he dictated much, if not all, of the book. There are places where, as an editor, I would have trimmed and snipped a bit...and other places I would have had him go further in-depth. For instance, while I came away feeling he was proud of the work he did with Mary Tyler Moore on 39 episodes a year for five or six years, and in spite of the fact they shared an on-screen chemistry unlike any TV show before or since, he seemed more passionate about his relationships with Carl Reiner, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. Even Jerry Paris got more props than Mary.I'm not a Hollywood gossip hound. Perhaps there is/was some animosity between them unknown to me...perhaps he was being diplomatic. I came away feeling he had tossed her from his Christmas card list many years ago. And unfortunately, this book reveals little.Dick comes off as a really nice guy who is pretty darn honest about his human faults and weaknesses. He is fairly honest about his alcoholism, but like most addicts, I felt he probably took some liberties with the truth. (This is a memoir, not a confessional.) And when I say he is a nice guy, he seems deeply devoted to family and friends...and appears to go out of his way not to say a bad thing about anybody in a town famous for eating its young. You'd think after almost 70 years in show biz, he'd want to get in one last shot at somebody!Now into his 90s, sounding hale and hearty, I began to wonder if Dick Van Dyke will live forever. After watching a few episodes of his classic show on Hulu last weekend, I'm convinced he will.Dick...if you're reading this...thank you for helping the world put on a happy face. You are a treasure!

I've never written a fan letter to anyone. Have always thought it was odd how some people got hooked on a celebrity. So, I guess this is a form of fan letter...Dick Van Dyke entered my life through The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961 (I was 6 years old), cemented his stardom in my mind when he played Bert in Mary Poppins (Who cannot sing those wonderful songs and see Dick and Julie Andrews and Ed Wynn in their minds dancing to them even now, 56 years later?) and was/is a legend when he started in Diagnosis Murder for 10 years! By the way, I watched both NYPD Blue and D.M.!!!This memoir takes you through Dick's career and home life in relatable vignette format that touch your heart because he puts his personal story and growth and development right along side all the stories and personalities he worked with! And Dick does not shy away from sharing his mistakes, his struggle with alcoholism as well as his personal fears. He shares his humanity humbly and with dignity.In the past pages of his memoir, he links his once wanting to be a minister with his career choices of wanting to make people happy through comedy, his is a ministry of comedy, truly!

This book is obviously for fans. There’s not much dirt. Dick Van Dyke is optimistic, kind, and modest throughout. He humbly credits his long successful career to luck though he’s clearly extremely talented. He talks openly of his alcohol issues and the difficult decision to leave his long marriage for another woman. Yet, he always comes across as honest, kind, generous, and happy. He decided early on to keep his career kid friendly. He started out in comedy; then learned to sing and dance and do dramatic roles. I loved his first show and had a major crush on him. I thought he was the perfect man: amiable, funny, honest, and sincere. He says he was playing himself. He worked with some wonderful and talented people and so did they.

Don't get me wrong...I grew up when "The Dick Van Dyke" was the funniest show on television. I really, really wanted to like this book but found myself skimming major chunks of the simply because it read more like diary entries than the story of his "life." I think were I not such a huge fan of his I would have given it two stars. Very few people can write believable criticism of themselves and Van Dyke is no exception. His rationalization of his affair with Lee Marvin's "ex" was a bit much and anyone who remembers her lawsuit remembers her coming across as money-grubbing rather than the victim she attempted to portray herself as. She came across as a little too perfect and he came across as a bit too much of an Everyman humanitarian, interested only in the betterment of mankind. Even his concerns about the civil rights movement made him sound pompous rather than caring. All-in-all, a huge disappointment.

As Dick himself says, if you are looking for a 'my terrible childhood' story this isn't for you. Whilst he is honest about his alcohol consumption and personal life, this is more about his work, with little tales and tit bits about his career. At first I struggled reading it as it is written as he speaks but I very soon got into this. I suspect Dick Van Dyke could write 20 books and still not tell everything and that is my only complaint, that I wanted more. I didn't want it to end. I read it in a couple of sittings which for me is very unusual. He comes across really well (something I was a little worried about as I love watching him) and it seemed a very honest account. Great read.

How could you not love Dick Van Dyke? Yes he's far from perfect what with the alcoholism and affairs but that's what makes him fascinating and he readily admits he's no saint. From Mary Poppins to Diagnosis Murder he's had a varied and long career and is still going strong at 92, a living legend by anyone's means and long may he continue. A great read!

Liked reading this autobiography and what Dick Van Dyke's life so far has been in film and dance also about his family who I watched in diagnosis murder and other mystery's also Mary Poppins which I enjoyed and chitty chitty bang bang

And I love this book. It's an honest, open account of the first portion of Dick's life. He opens up his life and his world and makes me love him even more because, even though a superstar, he is only too willing to let his audience know that he's human, like the rest of us. I'm now looking forward to reading 'Keep Moving', which I bought at the same time as this one.

Bought as present for a Dick Van Dyke fan. She loves him and liked it. Not in the league of David Niven or Clive James or Frank Skinner, but a readable, candid, honest and interesting account of his life.