Dick Van Dyke Celebrates Early 100th Birthday with 2-Hour Sing-Along

Paul Morigi/Getty Dick Van Dyke

Paul Morigi/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Dick Van Dyke performed for attendees of the Vandy High Tea charity event produced by Chris Isaacson Presents at the home he and wife Arlene Silver share in Malibu on Nov. 3

  • Along with a panel and Q&As, Van Dyke also participated in a sing-along during the 2-hour-long event

  • This comes just two weeks before the comedian celebrates his 100th birthday on Dec. 13

Age will never stopDick Van Dykefrom putting on a show!

On Sunday, Nov. 30, the legendary entertainer, 99, and his wife,Arlene Silver, opened up their home in Malibu, Calif, for a Vandy High Tea charity event raising funds to benefit The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and the Dick Van Dyke Museum, which is currently in development.

Produced by Chris Isaacson Presents and hosted by Stu Shostak, attendees at "Vandy Manor" enjoyed two hours of conversation, Q&As and sing-along performances from Van Dyke and his special guests.

"There are several reasons for having these — all good — but mine is to revive the art of conversation," the comedian explained. "I don't care if you're on a street, you're in a bus or in a restaurant, everybody's looking at their phones. Nobody talks. I've seen young couples having dinner together and they're both looking at their phones. I may be the only person in the United States over 10 who does not have a cell phone. I don't have a phone."

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty  Arlene Silver and Dick Van Dyke

Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty

Joking that he's almost always played an "irate and cantankerous" old man, Van Dyke noted the best way of life is actually "to have a serene attitude about things at this age."

"You're a very special, almost 100-year-old person," Silver, 54, gushed, highlighting her husband's upcoming 100th birthday on Dec. 13.

"I've never met a 100-year-old person," Van Dyke revealed before his wife pulled out a giant version of his recent PEOPLE Magazine cover, teasing, "We're going to reveal the cover of the Sexiest Man Alive!"

Looking at his photo on the Dec. 8 issue, Van Dyke quipped: "Oh my God. Isn't that great? At least I didn't end up fat and bald!"

Then came the first song of the day, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from the titular 1968 film starring Van Dyke, performed by his quartet, The Vantastix.

Music is a central theme throughout the event, with interludes of "You Two" — the iconic actor's favorite song — fromChitty Chitty Bang Bangand "Supercalifragilistic" from Disney's iconic 1964 musicalMary Poppins,in which Van Dyke starred alongside Julie Andrews.

Donaldson Collection/Getty Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins

Donaldson Collection/Getty

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At one point, a fan asked Van Dyke what his favorite part of the Christmas season is, which he said was always "the singing, the caroling." On that note, he and The Vantastix sang "Caroling, Caroling" by Nat King Cole.

Another fan asked him what his daily life in Malibu looked like, which Van Dyke said included a lot of singing with Silver. In fact, he said he discovered her musical talents by casually singing together, teasing that once he found out that, "I was sold! On the spot!"

The next performance was "Carolina In the Morning," originally by Gus Kahn and music by Walter Donaldson. Shortly after came another rendition, again by Van Dyke and The Vantastix, of "Old Senility" — a parody of Bruce Reitherman and Phil Harris' "The Bare Necessities" — followed by the Morey Amsterdam-penned lyrics toThe Dick Van Dyke Showtheme song.

The event concluded with a final sing-along to the belovedMary Poppinssong "Let's Go Fly a Kite," which Van Dyke first sang with the late David Tomlinson in the film.

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