Today's Video Headlines: 12/10/25
Dick Van Dyke has spent decades making audiences smile – but a new documentary marking the Hollywood legend’s 100th birthday takes an unabashed look at the struggles he faced behind the scenes.premiering Friday on PBS, chronicled the entertainer’s eight-decade career while addressing what director John Scheinfeld described as Van Dyke’s “I’ve done a lot of these on famous people, and almost always there’s somebody who will say, ‘Oh, I didn’t like him’ or ‘He did this, or she did that,’” Scheinfeld told The Post ahead of the doc’s release.
“In the ten months we were working on this, there was not one person who had a bad thing to say about Dick,” the director added. “So he’s very much the same off-screen as he is on screen.”Disturbing photos show moment comedian Andy Dick suffered apparent overdose on LA streetHowever, Scheinfeld acknowledged that it was important the film didn’t gloss over Van Dyke’s battle with alcoholism, a chapter of the “Bye Bye Birdie” star’s life that isn’t as well known. “We do touch on a number of things along the way, primarily his battle in the ’60s and ’70s with alcoholism,” the filmmaker said. “He has spoken about it, but it is something that not everyone knows a lot about.”One of the documentary’s most revealing moments revisited an appearance Van Dyke made on “The Dick Cavett Show” in 1974, where he spoke openly about his addiction. “He did a whole 90-minute show with Cavett in which he spoke with remarkable candor and honesty about this battle that he had,” Scheinfeld shared. “I think that reveals much about Dick as a person as well.”“It has nothing to do with the person not being mature enough not to drink too much,” he said at the time. “It’s a true addiction, like a heroin addiction.”“I was very shy – with strangers – I couldn’t talk to people,” he explained. “And I found if I had a drink, it would loosen me up. The barriers went down, and I became very social.”Scheinfeld’s new PBS doc, meanwhile, looked back at a gritty 1974 TV movie in which Van Dyke portrayed a business executive battling alcoholism called “The Morning After.”“I thought it was a very important part of the story,” Scheinfeld told The Post. “It 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.”“We have extended excerpts from it that not only show the range of Dick’s talent as a dramatic actor, but also help flesh out his own personal demons with alcohol,” Scheinfeld revealed. More than 50 years since he’s been sober, Van Dyke has made it clear that he doesn’t miss alcohol one bit.Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.“He wrote a book a few years ago called ‘Keep Moving,’ and I think that describes his philosophy very well,” Scheinfeld told The Post. “Whether it’s work or personal, he continually keeps moving.” “He’s never been retired and gone to play golf or whatever,” the director continued. “He’s always been doing something, and that keeps him alive and in the public eye.”Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.That mindset, Scheinfeld added, is paired with the Hollywood legend’s absolute enthusiasm for life. “He has a joy for life and everything that life brings him,” the filmmaker shared. “I think that’s admirable.”Van Dyke speaks during the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.“Dick, 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,” he said in a touching birthday message to the beloved funny man. “With 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’s what Dick makes you do,” Scheinfeld concluded. “And don’t we all need more smiles and laughter these days?” “American Masters – Starring Dick Van Dyke” premieres Friday, Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS and will stream on Fired Michigan coach Sherrone Moore was ‘suicidal’ after cops were called to executive assistant's apartmentWild street brawl erupts during Christmas celebration in ritzy neighborhood: videoListen to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s emotional first call after post-Vienna Eras Tour returnCourtesy Everett CollectionVan Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.Van Dyke attends the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.Van Dyke speaks during the 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2021.
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