My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke, 273 pages

Let me tell you right off the bat that I've never seen the Dick Van Dyke Show. I know that it's a giant gaping hole in my pop cultural education and one that I need to fill, post haste. That show is, I'm guessing, the main reason most people pick up Dick Van Dyke's memoirs. Not me. Mary Poppins all the way.

Anyway, Van Dyke's memoir is just the sort of light, rambling tale that you'd expect to hear from the man who consciously decided to focus on family-friendly projects. He tells the reader from the introduction that this book is not the place to find sordid tales of Hollywood, so while his skimming over his own drinking problems and marital infidelity are not a surprise, it's still something of a disappointment. I mean, when you're talking about how your wife goes into painkiller rehab the same day you're coming out of alcohol rehab, couldn't you go just a little deeper than, "What a pair we were!" Mr. Van Dyke?

That said, this is a light friendly autobiography that's heavy on the show biz reminisces. For me, it was a nice break from all the school-related reading I've been doing lately. And it was yet another reminder to check out the Dick Van Dyke show. I'm even more convinced now that I'll love it.