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- The PBS documentary American Masters: Starring Dick Van Dyke, directed by John Scheinfeld, chronicles Van Dyke’s eight-decade career using rare archival footage and interviews with celebrity fans and former co-stars.
- Scheinfeld emphasizes that Van Dyke is universally admired both on and off screen, with no one offering a negative word about his character during the making of the film.
- The film highlights Van Dyke’s continual reinvention, including recent achievements like winning a Daytime Emmy in 2023, demonstrating his enduring relevance and appeal.
Dick Van Dyke‘s centennial birthday has been 100 years in the making — but John Scheinfeld, director of PBS’ American Masters: Starring Dick Van Dyke, which premieres on December 12, 2025, at 9/8c, only had 10 months to put together the story of one of America’s most prolific entertainers. “Normally, I like to have 12 to 14 months to make a film,” Scheinfeld told ReMIND, “So it was very crazy. We were doing a lot of things simultaneously. We had a good time and we’re all a little tired and weary, but very proud.” Scheinfeld’s film covers Van Dyke’s entire career, and features interviews with celebrity fans including Ted Danson, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Jim Carrey, Conan O’Brien, as well as extremely rare archival footage, including Van Dyke’s early radio appearances and his 1955 audition for CBS News.
Scheinfeld talked to ReMIND about what it’s like to try to condense an eight-decade-long career into a two hour film, and how the star “is very much the same person off screen as he is on screen.”
How Dick Van Dyke became Dick Van Dyke
Most Americans first encountered Van Dyke in 1961, when The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted. The actor seemed to have “emerged fully formed,” said Scheinfeld. “And the truth is, there were 15 years of different experiences that came together to help shape him as a man and as an artist.”
Scheinfeld’s film zeroes in on those early formative experiences, showcasing footage of early performances, such as his comedy duo The Merry Mutes (yes, they were mimes). “We found a radio broadcast he did in 1946. How great was that? You’re always amazed that these things survive.”
“I didn’t have anyone say one bad word about Dick”
Julie Andrews, 1964 composite” width=”1280″ height=”720″ data-mce-src=”https://www.remindmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/mary-poppins-composite-1280×720.jpg”>- Everett Collection
“With all the pop culture documentaries I’ve done, I always come across somebody who has something negative to say about the subject,” says Scheinfeld. But “Dick is very much the same person off screen as he is on screen.” The film includes new and archival interviews with former costars including Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Julie Andrews, Sheldon Leonard, Chita Rivera, Mary Tyler Moore and others weighing in on their experiences with the legendary funnyman. “In the 10 months of putting this together, I didn’t have anyone say one bad word about Dick. And I think that speaks highly to his character — I think people will want to know, that he’s as nice as you would want him to be.”
“It takes a lot to have a long career in this business”
- Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Starring Dick Van Dyke does more than just tell the story of Van Dyke’s life as a performer — it also tells the story of his many reinventions, which continued into 2024, when he took home an Emmy for his unexpected guest turn on Days of our Lives and appeared in a Coldplay video (Chris Martin, Coldplay’s lead singer, wasn’t able to appear in the film due to travel obligations, but told the director that “he must have seen Mary Poppins 30 times as a kid.”)
“It takes a lot to have a long career in this business, and it takes even more to have an eight decade career. And that’s why I chose the theme of reinvention to drive the narrative,” says Scheinfeld. “And Dick more than many has been able to successfully reinvent himself over eight decades to remain relevant and fresh and beloved. And so I think that was also something I learned, that this was a mindful, purposeful thing that he did, and it’s kept him going.”
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