Book of the Month: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

Written by one of televisions most beloved funny men, Dick Van Dyke's autobiography, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business, covers everything from his early days on radio and television at its birth, his stint in WWII, the beloved TV show named after him, meeting silent film stars Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton, his Disney films, the rocky 60s, his personal struggles, and his later work, including his fairly recent role in Night at the Museum where he impressed the cast by doing most of his own stunts.

With a forward by Carl Reiner, the 280 page book is a quick and easy read (I will admit though, I skipped/skimmed the later chapters on his struggles and divorce as I never like to read that sort of thing) and contains stories that Dick Van Dyke fans won't want to miss. I especially enjoyed reading about The Dick Van Dyke Show.





For example:

Many of the episodes were based on actual things that had happened to different members of the cast. When Dick told about how his younger brother Jerry used to sleepwalk, it was written into a two-part episode with Jerry Van Dyke as the guest star.

Dicks wife Margie rarely came to the set because she said he acted pretty much the same as he did at home.

The cast knew from the beginning that creato Carl Reiner intended to stop after 5 seasons. The show was canceled after the first season due to a bad time slot (they were competing with the hugely popular Perry Como show) but after it found its audience in summer re-runs, it was picked back up.

Did you know there are words to the shows theme song? They were written by Morley Amsterdam, who played Buddy Sorrell on the show.

So you think that you got trouble

Well trouble's a bubble

So tell old Mister Trouble to get lost.

Why not hold your head up high, and

Stop cryin'

Start tryin'

And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed.

When you find the joy of liven'

Is lovin'

And given'

You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed.

A smile's just a frown

That's turned upside down

So smile, and that frown

Will defrost

And dont forget to keep your fingers crossed.

The Petrie's last name was supposed to be pronounce Pee-tree but Dick Van Dyke mispronounced it and no one corrected him.

The title of the show came about at the last minute. However, everyone was worried that no one would watch the show as Dick Van Dyke was a household name. Rose Marie, who played Sally Rogers, even quipped, "What is a Dick Van Dyke?" (In the walnut episode, guest star Danny Thomas says, "What is a Danny Thomas?").

 

Photo of the Week: On the Set!

 

The Leave it to Beaver set.

Happy Birthday Betty White!!!

Today is the birthday of the second most famous woman in the history of television, Betty White (the first undeniably being Lucille Ball). Staring in hit series after hit series, this energetic and charismatic 94 year old has done it all.

Born in Illinois in 1922, Betty Marion White and her family moved to Los Angeles during the 1930s. It was while performing in a high school play that Betty decided she wanted to become an actress. At first she was turned down because she wasn't photogenic, leading her to try out radio instead, soon having her own show, The Betty White Show.

Her very first on-screen appearance was in the 1945 short Time to Kill. She plays Lou's girl.

In 1949, Betty began to co-host and, eventually in 1952, host Hollywood on Television. In 1950 she was nominated for her first Emmy.

Also in 1952, Betty White starred in her own television series, Life with Elizabeth (1952-1955). She also had full creative control of the show, and much of the episodes were based on real-life situations. Each episode was divided into three "incidents" in the life of Elizabeth and her husband Alvin. Unfortunately there is no complete list of episodes. You can watch a total of 20 episodes for free on Hulu. I highly recommend the show. It is delightful and hilarious.

Check out this article from the Huffington Post with 35 photos of a very young and stylish Betty White.

From 1953-1955 she had a daily talk show, The Betty White Show, where she would chat with the band, sing songs, and advertise products. It ran for 65 episodes. In 1958 she had another show of the same name (14 episodes) where she would perform skits, many of them in the vein of I Love Lucy.

Betty's next series was Date with the Angels (1957-1958), which ran for only 33 episodes. It is also available on Hulu (I haven't gotten around to watching it yet).

Over the next decade, Betty would guest star in several television series, including Petticoat Junction, The Odd Couple, and the Carol Burnett Show.

In 1973, Betty joined cast of the popular Mary Tyler Moore Show. After guest starring in one episode it was decided to make her a regular member of the cast. In it's fourth season, Betty played Sue Ann Nivens, who hosted a homemaker show for WJM-TV. She won an Emmy for her role. The first three seasons of the show are on Hulu and season 4 will begin airing in a month or two on MeTV.

After the series ended in 1977, Betty again had her own show with the ever popular title of the Betty White Show. It ran for one season (14 episodes). She also appeared in several TV Movies and guest starred in several more television shows.

Slideshow

In 1985, Betty starred in her most famous role, that of Rose in The Golden Girls. The show ran until 1992 and re-runs are constantly shown on TV.

Betty's most famous recent role is that of Elka in Hot in Cleveland, which ran from 2010-2015. Her popularity through the years is a testament to her, her acting, and her ability to embrace the present.

Super Bowl 2010 Snickers commercial

In addition to her impressive screen career, Betty White has also written 7 books:

1983: Betty White's Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us

1987: Betty White In Person

1991: The Leading Lady: Dinah's Story

1995: Here We Go Again: My Life In Television

2008: Together: A Novel of shared vision

2011: If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)

2011: Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo

source

I'm in the acting business. That's the ego business. When you get offers, the way things are going now you've gotta enjoy it. You've gotta take to time to taste it, and appreciate it and make the most of it.Those offers aren't going to come around all the time. By the time I'm 100...

Sources:
Wikipedia
IMDb