Dick Van Dyke has spent decades making audiences smile \u2013 but a new documentary marking the Hollywood legend\u2019s 100th birthday takes an unabashed look at the struggles he faced behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican Masters \u2013 Starring Dick Van Dyke,\u201d<\/a> premiering Friday on PBS, chronicled the entertainer\u2019s eight-decade career while addressing what director John Scheinfeld described as Van Dyke\u2019s \u201cpersonal demons with alcohol\u201d<\/a> during the height of his fame.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of these on famous people, and almost always there\u2019s somebody who will say, \u2018Oh, I didn\u2019t like him\u2019 or \u2018He did this, or she did that,\u2019\u201d Scheinfeld told The Post ahead of the doc\u2019s release. <\/p>\n Dick Van Dyke in 1960. Michael Ochs Archives<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican Masters \u2013 Starring Dick Van Dyke\u201d premieres on PBS on Dec. 12, 2025. PBS<\/p>\n \u201cIn the ten months we were working on this, there was not one person who had a bad thing to say about Dick,\u201d the director added. \u201cSo he\u2019s very much the same off-screen as he is on screen.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Scheinfeld acknowledged that it was important the film didn\u2019t gloss over Van Dyke\u2019s battle with alcoholism, a chapter of the \u201cBye Bye Birdie\u201d star\u2019s life that isn\u2019t as well known.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do touch on a number of things along the way, primarily his battle in the \u201960s and \u201970s with alcoholism,\u201d the filmmaker said. \u201cHe has spoken about it, but it is something that not everyone knows a lot about.\u201d<\/p>\n Director John Scheinfeld onstage at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 29, 2023. Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n Scheinfeld at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California, on March 11, 2020. Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n One of the documentary\u2019s most revealing moments revisited an appearance Van Dyke made on \u201cThe Dick Cavett Show\u201d in 1974, where he spoke openly about his addiction.<\/p>\n \u201cHe did a whole 90-minute show with Cavett in which he spoke with remarkable candor and honesty about this battle that he had,\u201d Scheinfeld shared. \u201cI think that reveals much about Dick as a person as well.\u201d<\/p>\n During his appearance on \u201cThe Dick Cavett Show\u201d<\/a> in question, Van Dyke described alcoholism as a \u201cphysical disease.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has nothing to do with the person not being mature enough not to drink too much,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cIt\u2019s a true addiction, like a heroin addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke on \u201cThe Dick Cavett Show\u201d on Nov. 14, 1974. ABC<\/p>\n Van Dyke discussing his battle with alcoholism on \u201cThe Dick Cavett Show\u201d on Nov. 14, 1974. ABC<\/p>\n Van Dyke opened up about his battle with alcoholism and how his struggles began more recently during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was very shy \u2013 with strangers \u2013 I couldn\u2019t talk to people,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd I found if I had a drink, it would loosen me up. The barriers went down, and I became very social.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what got me started,\u201d Van Dyke added. \u201cIt took me a long time to get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n Scheinfeld\u2019s new PBS doc, meanwhile, looked back at a gritty 1974 TV movie in which Van Dyke portrayed a business executive battling alcoholism called \u201cThe Morning After.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke in the 1974 TV movie \u201cThe Morning After.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Van Dyke played a business executive struggling with alcoholism in \u201cThe Morning After.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n The role marked a sharp departure from the \u201cChitty Chitty Bang Bang\u201d star\u2019s usual family-friendly image.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was a very important part of the story,\u201d Scheinfeld told The Post. \u201cIt was really shocking for fans of Dick, who knew him as a singing and dancing performer. He got an Emmy nomination for it, and then it disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n But for the first time since its original airing, the documentary included clips from the thought-to-be-lost film.<\/p>\n Van Dyke in \u201cThe Morning After.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n Van Dyke in the 1974 TV movie \u201cThe Morning After.\u201d Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n \u201cWe have extended excerpts from it that not only show the range of Dick\u2019s talent as a dramatic actor, but also help flesh out his own personal demons with alcohol,\u201d Scheinfeld revealed.<\/p>\n More than 50 years since he\u2019s been sober, Van Dyke has made it clear that he doesn\u2019t miss alcohol one bit.<\/p>\n \u201cI like life too much without it,\u201d he said last year, per Today<\/a>. \u201cNow that I\u2019m completely free of it, I don\u2019t have any desire to ever drink again.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke in New York City in 1970. Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Elsewhere during his discussion of \u201cAmerican Masters \u2013 Starring Dick Van Dyke,\u201d Scheinfeld opened up about what he believes is the secret<\/a> to Van Dyke\u2019s longevity as the \u201cMary Poppins\u201d<\/a> star approaches his monumental 100th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wrote a book a few years ago called \u2018Keep Moving,\u2019 and I think that describes his philosophy very well,\u201d Scheinfeld told The Post. \u201cWhether it\u2019s work or personal, he continually keeps moving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s never been retired and gone to play golf or whatever,\u201d the director continued. \u201cHe\u2019s always been doing something, and that keeps him alive and in the public eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Dyke in 1958. Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n That mindset, Scheinfeld added, is paired with the Hollywood legend\u2019s absolute enthusiasm for life.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a joy for life and everything that life brings him,\u201d the filmmaker shared. \u201cI think that\u2019s admirable.\u201d<\/p>\n Scheinfeld said that the doc was created as a tribute to Van Dyke as he prepares to ring in his milestone 100th birthday.<\/a><\/p>\n Van Dyke speaks during the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021. Getty Images<\/p>\n Van Dyke attends the premiere of \u201cMary Poppins Returns\u201d in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 29, 2018. FilmMagic<\/p>\n \u201cDick, my team and I have spent the last ten months creating this love letter to you and your career, and we hope you enjoy it,\u201d he said in a touching birthday message to the beloved funny man.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the turbulence going on in the world, it was a pleasure for us to come to work every day and laugh and smile, because that\u2019s what Dick makes you do,\u201d Scheinfeld concluded. \u201cAnd don\u2019t we all need more smiles and laughter these days?\u201d<\/p>\n