Dick Van Dyke Shares Why He Doesn't Like the BYE BYE BIRDIE Movie

Dick Van Dyke is setting the record straight about Bye Bye Birdie. Despite reprising his Tony-winning performance as Albert Peterson in the 1963 film, the legendary performer isn't fond of the movie. In a recent interview on SiriusXM’s podcast “Where Everybody Knows Your Name," he called the movie a "drag," explaining that they couldn't replicate the magic of the stage version. 

"The Ann-Margaret part was rather small on Broadway," he explained. "And they wrote special songs for her, and took other songs out, and it just changed the whole pitch of everything. Paul [Lynde] was really pissed all the time. But that was just his nature."

Among the songs cut for the movie were "An English Teacher," "What Did I Ever See in Him?" and "Baby, Talk to Me." Van Dyke's wife, Arlene Silver, who was also a guest on the podcast, noted that "a lot of people liked the movie" adding that it makes her laugh when people talk to him about the film because of how much he doesn't like it. Watch the interview clip below.

The original 1960 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical starred Dick Van Dyke as Albert Peterson (earning Van Dyke a Tony) and Chita Rivera as Rosie (earning Rivera a Tony nomination). The book was by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse.

At 99 years old, Dick Van Dyke continues to remain one of the most popular and beloved performers in show business history. After winning a Tony for Bye Bye Birdie, he returned to the stage in the 1970s and 80s with national tours of The Music Man and Damn Yankees.

In 1961, his superstar status was solidified with the debut of The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS, winning three Emmys® for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy over the course of its six-season run. On the big screen, he starred in Bye Bye Birdie and Mary Poppins (1964). Other films include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), The Comic (1969), Dick Tracy (1990), the Night At The Museum films, the HBO documentary If You're Not In The Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).

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