One of the biggest show business names to come out of Central Illinois is back home for a couple days with hopes of nurturing more talent, and making sure he always has a place to call home. Friday, the city of Danville gets a chance to honor native son Dick Van Dyke. Illinois Public Radio’s Jeff Bossert has more.
In his first return home in 12 years, Van Dyke rolled up in a replica of the car he drove in the 1968 movie musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The 90-year old entertainer was welcomed by the Danville High School show choir, which will be performing with him tonight.
A 1944 graduate of Danville High School, Van Dyke went to school with famed pianist Bobby Short. The city was also home to Dick’s brother, actor Jerry Van Dyke, as well as actors Donald O’Connor and Gene Hackman. Van Dyke says he can’t put his finger on why so much talent has come from his hometown.
Van Dyke says he expects more talent to come from Danville – due in part to the launch of the Dick Van Dyke Foundation, providing scholarships to young people pursuing a career in the arts:
Proceeds from Van Dyke’s appearance in Danville will go towards the foundation, but the original incentive was to save the house where he lived during the 1930’s. The actor learned about a year ago that his childhood home was slated to be demolished by the city. Mayor Scott Eisenhauer says efforts to save the house started with a Tweet from Van Dyke. The mayor first feared it had already been torn down.
Around that time, Danville Realtor Heather Cunningham got a call from a fellow Realtor in California, and began efforts to turn over the home to the Dick Van Dyke Foundation. That group hopes to buy adjoining rental properties, and one day start up a museum there. Cunningham also held a recent cleanup day at the home, which hasn’t been occupied since the last owner died in 2011.
The work to preserve the Van Dyke house joins other efforts to preserve cultural landmarks in Danville. Cher Pollock is president of the Vermilion Heritage Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to restore Danville’s 130-year old Fischer Theatre.
Pollock’s group also operates a museum in the lobby of the Fischer Theatre, with displays of memorabilia from the city’s best-known celebrities, and even some lesser known ones. Board member Jean Beck says Danville natives, whoever they are, take pride in where they came from:
One person with a huge role in honoring Van Dyke this week is Danville High School show choir director David Woodrow. He says it’s easy to get caught up in the bad news, such as the recent shootings in Danville.
Woodrow says tickets are sold-out for the show honoring Dick Van Dyke at the high school auditorium that bears his name. The audience can expect the show choir to present a Van Dyke career retrospective - including well-known favorites from his movie musicals, ChittyChitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Van Dyke is expected to join the show choir on stage for the finale, before a separate reception honoring the 90-year old native son.