Dick Van DykeRezensionen

Listening to Dick Van Dyke read this book of his is like listening to a beloved but kookie uncle ramble about all sorts of random things that come to his mind. I don’t know that my life is richer for having listened to it, but it was an okay way to spend a few hours. I think Dick’s message can be boiled down to this: Don’t forget to LIVE your life.

That all said, there are some douchey parts - his stealing the show at his wife’s dance performance immediately comes to mind. I also have a really hard time getting past the idea that his wife is 46 years younger than him. I mean, it’s none of my business, but… ick.

Surprisingly fun and engaging read that goes very quickly.

I didn't learn too many new things, other than the author seems as genuinely pleasant as the characters he's played.

There were a few turns of phrase that just made me hear his voice perfectly, and I'd wished I'd been listening to an unabridged audio version of it...but only if DVD himself did the narration.

Worth the time if you want a light bio on an exemplary performer and person.

Part memoir, part book of advice, I chose to listen to the audiobook, which Dick Van Dyke reads himself. Though I’m a few years younger than the book’s primary audience, I still enjoyed the advice, humor, and sections about Van Dyke’s life. As can often happen when you don’t already know much (if anything) about an actor’s real self and tend to conflate his/her on-screen appearances with real life, it was a bit jarring to hear some of the things about his life. However, I’ve read reviews for the full memoir he wrote a few years before this, and it sounds like this is pretty tame in comparison. I had planned to read that too, but I think I’ll leave it at this.

Some of my favorite parts involved Van Dyke’s brother Jerry Van Dyke, who seems to have a considerably different (and quite humorous) outlook on getting older. I was particularly surprised to learn that Van Dyke has never had any formal dance training; I am one, apparently of many, who always assumed he had. I appreciate parts of his outlook on life, while some of his take on politics and religion left me shaking my head. When he basically says that no one can really know the truth about God, I think to myself, “Is that the truth?” It’s an age-old argument that probably never solves anything, though. In the end, I mostly enjoyed this book, and if you plan to read it, I highly recommend the audiobook.

I love the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Edition books. These little books are packed with poems, from the Author(s). I have read some several times. I have even used them to teach about poetry and the works of the certain author. Nice add to any library.

I really enjoyed learning more about Dick Van Dyke's life and career. While I knew about The Dick Van Dyke show, I don't think I've ever actually watched it (or most of Dick's other work, honestly). I really only know him from "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

My Lucky Life by Dick Van Dyke is a 2011 Crown publication.
Dick Van Dyke was one of the first actors I have a strong memory of. His TV show was popular with my parents and of course all those wonderful family friendly movies were aimed right at me, putting me in just the right place and time to watch his career blossom. I might not have known the names of many other famous actors, but I sure knew Dick Van Dyke by name. I loved him!

I am happy to say that after reading his memoir, I am still a big fan. While I do think that success had an impact on him, and affected some of his relationships, overall, he’s a positive person, down to earth in a way that is rare for celebrities, and I have tremendous respect for him because he kept his on-screen persona clean- mostly family friendly, devoid of explicit content or violence.

Dick’s life has been a series of lucky breaks, and he mostly has solid family and professional relationships- he didn’t escape trials, or tragedy. Still, overall, he has a contagious positivity which made this book a pleasure to read.

Dick has lived an extraordinary life- but it wasn’t all due to luck. Still, I like his attitude, and will always have fond memories of him entertaining me as a child, and my own children as well.
This memoir, as of this writing, is already a decade old. I only discovered it recently, though, for some reason. It seems Dick has kept his promise to keep busy, stay active, continue to work and enjoy life, and it looks as though he’s done just that. He’s working his way toward the century mark, and I hope he makes it there!

4 stars

I can't help but be charmed by Dick Van Dyke. Some fun stories in this book.

For once, I am really glad I listened to a book instead of read it. This felt like sitting down with Dick Van Dyke and having him share stories and insights with me. All my life I have enjoyed talking to older people and hearing their stories and having one of my favorites do it was awesome. 'He talked about so many things in this book. He talks about his family and friends. He talks about politics and religion. He talks about aging and mostly, he spoke about love. He made me laugh and he made me cry. I loved how he spoke about his wives, all three of them. He has been a lucky man to have found the "love of his life" more than once. I loved the part when he was talking about his dog and his current wife. I could see his wife slowly falling for the dog and becoming his greatest defender. I loved hearing him talk about his brother Jerry. I could have listened for many more chapters.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. There were great things about every chapter.

I listened to the audiobook, which was great, as it was read by Dick Van Dyke, himself! I learned a lot about him and his life. It was very easy to listen to.

Wonderful and inspirational. He was 89 when he wrote this, is 95 now (96 in three weeks) and still moving! Love it! "Age is something you do not think about until it happens, and I am here to inform you it happens slowly, with a sneaky tap on the shoulder." I was born two months before his The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered... he did something so iconic 60 years ago! And some would think that at 60, I'd be "old"...I'm not (but I am getting that tapping more often!)

I like to intersperse memoirs in my readings - they give me a different perspective and more often than not, a lesson or three. With Mr. Van Dyke, there are more than "or three" lessons here. "Real love, as I have come to know it, is when you care about the other person as much as you care about yourself. You can’t make another person happy, but you can pave the way for them to make themselves happy." And "TIP: Old age is not the time to be scared. Instead, be curious."
Great stuff, recommended. One section resonated especially:
“So what do I think really matters?
1. Family and friends
2. Questions
3. Music
4. Books
5. A Sense of Humor”
He explains each, and I've just listed the bullets, but no surprise, these are all what matter to me as well (though I’d swap music and books!)

A few other selected tips and truths:
These are Baby Boomers, the generation who once screamed, “Hope I die before I get old.” That line should be rewritten, “Hope I die before I feel old.” That is the crux of the matter.

People make To-Do lists, and he suggests also making a "high-level, more philosophical To Do list,

And then there is the list nobody makes, the NOT To-Do list.
1.Do not forget to exercise.
2.Do not stop being curious.
3.Do not forget to try new things—even a new flavor of ice cream will do.
4.Do not forget to open your mind every day.
5.Do not stop asking why do I believe what I believe.
6.Do not forget to smile.
7.Do not forget to make someone else smile.

Yep. He was done with Christianity back in the 1960s ("lost my taste for organized religion"), but says he wasn't done with religion yet. He started going to Congregation Beth Ohr

I attended services for about six months and then lost touch with the rabbi until not too long ago when our paths happened to cross. He was in his nineties. “What do you do now?” I asked. “I’m still learning,” he said. “Still reading and learning.”

Things to aspire to...

This

I remember bumping into Fred Astaire when he was in his early eighties, younger than I am now but still up there. “Do you still dance?” I asked. “Yes,” he said. “But it hurts now.” That might be the best summation I have heard of old age. You do the same things you always did—or try to—except that it hurts. You continue to move. It just takes longer.

And

One last note: I hope I don’t come off in this book as thinking I know everything—I don’t. I don’t claim to know much of anything unless it involves lyrics and a tune. But I do know this:
If you are young, get used to having old people around. There’s only going to be more of us—including you!
If you are middle-aged, don’t think about getting old.
If you are already old, congratulations, you now know what I know! There is no finish line. Stay open to whatever happens. Don’t be scared of dying. Be more frightened that you haven’t finished living. Make living a life achievement.
Keep moving.
Or, as the kids say, #KeepMoving.

That's what I intend to do!

Initially charming and funny. But I'm not as much a fan of the last half. It just sounded like justification instead of responsibility.

Torn on the rating. Possibly a 2.
Never have I wanted to debate politics with a writer more. And never have I felt more like the author had an agenda more than when I read this book.
#frustrated

Excellent Biography by Dick Van Dyke all about his life in and out of Show business. He talks about his smoking and his drinking. I am very surprised that his smoking has not given him any cancer scares!!

My personal favourite movies that he made are Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and I also loved the TV series Diagnosis Murder.

There are not too many surprises in this book, but I enjoyed the many behind the scenes scenarios that Dick includes. Some episodes are passed over rather quickly.

I wanted more details about Diagnosis Murder because it was one of my favourite TV series, but he didnt spend a lot of pages on that series.

This book ends after he lost both his ex-wife and his long time partner to cancer. That was 10 years ago. (Book published in 2011).

Dick is now 95 years old and still going strong!!

Dick Van Dyke’s autobiography My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business provides a delightful retrospective of the charmed life of a brilliant talent. Van Dyke takes us through his struggling years, through early breaks, rise to the top, and his enduring successes throughout his life. During his story we meet a lot of other brilliant talents, as he worked with many of the greatest actors and comedians in the industry.

Van Dyke had many film and TV successes: Mary Poppins, Bye Bye Birdie, TV variety shows, a hugely successful primetime show “Diagnosis Murder,” among others. The centerpiece of his career was, of course, the Dick Van Dyke show in the early 1960s. This is also where Mary Tyler Moore got her start in show business. The most colorful character on that show might’ve been Morey Amsterdam. He was an all-around entertainer who came up through vaudeville and reportedly memorized at least 100,000 jokes for any occasion. Anecdotes of Morey provide an extra dose of fun in the life story.

Dick Van Dyke appreciated earlier actors and comedians from whom he had learned. He especially admired the ones who worked the hardest and made it look the easiest. For example, he said of Stan Laurel (of the Laurel and Hardy comedy duo), about the artistic effort in his work: “Stan took care to hide it, to conceal the hours of hard creative work that went into his movies. He didn’t want you to see that—he just wanted you to laugh, and you did!” The same can truly be said of Dick Van Dyke.

He had his share of heartbreaks, but the overall experience reading the book is positive, full of bright optimism and joy in life

Keep Moving is Dick Van Dyke's memoir and ode to aging. Written as he was about to turn 90, Dick has a lot of opinions and advice on the subject. Most of it boils down to the title, Keep Moving! Stay active, keep doing those things you enjoy for as long as possible and let your inner child play so you can stay young at heart. I especially enjoyed the chapter where he briefly reviewed the historical events he's witnessed and wish this section had been longer. Still, all the anecdotes and advice are entertaining and enjoyable to read.

I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. Dick's joy and love of life comes through brilliantly both in his writing and narration. There are a couple sections where he reads off long lists and the points kind of blend together, which might have been better reading for yourself rather than listening.

Currently available on Audible Plus.½

5 Stars - I am of an age where I have a fond place in my heart for Dick van Dyke from his TV shows and his movies. He wrote a book last year called: "Keep Moving and other tips and truths about aging" He's 90 years old now and this book is full of his spirit, joy, energy and wisdom. But, i recommend you not read the book. Instead get the audio book from Audible or your library, because Dick van Dyke narrates the book himself, and he has not lost any of his ability to communicate with passion. Not only did i need this book, but i am so very glad i stumbled across it. It's perfect for those of us who have turned the corner past 60 and want to get some perspective and advice from someone we respect. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's a joy, it's uplifting, it's funny, and most importantly it's real. He gives an honest, yet optimistic look at old age. He doesn't ignore health issues and pain, but he takes a bigger perspective in his life's view and his advice.

Though I knew of some of his work, I really didn't know that much about Dick Van Dyke's life, so this was an enjoyable memoir about Van Dkye's life in show business. Everything is super G-rated, even discussions of alcoholism and his affair/divorce. There's also a lot of name-dropping when discussing the different shows on which he worked and the different celebrities he met, so the more familiar you are with Hollywood history, I think the more likely you'd be to get a lot out of this.

The writing style of this memoir was simple and unpolished, but once I got used to it, it seemed like listening to a grandfather or favorite uncle reminisce about the old days. There was not a lot of deep reflection, but the stories were interesting. I really appreciated his conscious decision to make movies his kids could see, rather than whatever made the most money. This book was a quick, light read that was enjoyable, but made little impact.

A gentle, interesting memoir about a nice man.

This is a memoir by Dick Van Dyke about mostly his older years. He has tips and advice on aging. None of the advice was really new but he says everything in such a positive and upbeat way, that it was enjoyable to listen to (it was audio read by Van Dyke). In general, he continues to learn and try new things and makes adjustments to his abilities as needed. Then he keeps going. He was 89 at the time of this book and seems to take his own advice and enjoy life.½

Aging and keeping fit are two topics that interest me more and more these days. Dick Van Dyke is in his nineties, still singing and dancing and as he likes to tells us, still enjoying life to the full. His secret? Keep moving!! Getting older he says, has the benefit of letting us do what we want when we want. So, when he feels like dancing in a store because the music is catchy, he does. He likes to go to the gym where he lifts weights and walks on the treadmill. He does a daily crossword to exercise his brain and eats ice-cream every night for dessert. You won't find any recipes or diet advice here, nor will you find any exercise routines. It's all about what works for him, and what works for him is to keep moving, everyday! It's written in a chatty style and although I found it very 'American' it was friendly take on life.

Dick Van Dyke is one of my favorite actors, but the book was sort of "meh". He was a trailblazer in show business, in radio, TV, and movies, but this book just wasn't hitting it. In an early part of the book, he describe a time he was performing for the Hollywood elite (which included Lucille Ball) and no one was laughing, and there was definitely no applause. That's about how I felt with the book. There were some interesting stories, and some chuckle-inducing ones, too, but overall, it was just very flat.

A great and honest look into one of Hollywood's most beloved actors. Some might be disappointed because he doesn't reveal very much dirt about himself, but that isn't to say that he only paints a perfect picture either. He readily admits to some of his biggest regrets, and as we realise that we all have a skeleton or two in the closet we easily love him just as much.

I will say this for the recent British publication: the proofreading needed some serious work. Typos, misspellings, and wrong words were dusted throughout each chapter. But I don't think that's Mr Van Dyke's fault.

Review: Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke. 4.5 Stars 07/14/2017

This witty person is a very entertaining advisor. This book is all about aging and how to stay young. Dick Van Dyke wrote some good advice, tips, and facts that were thought provoking. Dyke writes about his health, spirit, and his general outlook on life and emotional well-being, dealing with grief and many other issues. I can agree with his view of life so I felt the book was strongly helpful to read. He is ninety-years-old going on fifty. He writes about physical fitness, mental awareness, spiritual and emotional topics.

Dick Van Dyke is still active, sings and dances and refuses to feel “Old”. He claims his secret is “Keep Moving”. He writes that you don’t have to act your age or even feel it because there is no such thing as “age appropriate”. As far as he knows there is no manual for old age and no test to pass. Dyke’s optimistic outlook is a stimulating reminder that life should be lived with enthusiasm despite whatever really matters in life just enjoy and be positive. If you sometimes stray toward a negative thought turn it around to a positive side.

This book is inspiriting, enjoyable, heartwarming and educating. I know it has changed my views on some of my “old age” issues.½

What a great autobiography! Open and giving, you got a real sense that there is nothing secret if you just ask politely.