Video: Dick Van Dyke surprises Uintah High students with announcement


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VERNAL — The fine four-fendered friend that enchanted the lives of Jemima and Jeremy Potts will grace a Utah high school’s stage in March of 2017 as announced by none other than the charming Dick Van Dyke on Facebook.

Uintah High School is sure to pull off a Truly Scrumptious production of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” next year, seeing as its recent version of “The Little Mermaid” snagged the Best Musical in the state award at the Utah High School Musical Theater Awards in May.

On June 24, Uintah High drama teacher Chris Piner posted a video of Dick Van Dyke, who portrayed Caractacus Potts in the 1968 “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” film, announcing the school musical.

“To say I am honored is an understatement,” Piner wrote on Facebook. “Mrs. and Mr. Van Dyke graciously made this happen today during the special commemorations of his childhood home and high school in Danville, Illinois. He is sitting in an exact replica of the car from the movie built by Tony Garofalo! And the house in the background is Mr. Van Dyke's childhood home! We have our work cut out for us to make an extraordinary show! Take a look at this very special video announcement!”

Piner told KSL.com he met Van Dyke at a Disney convention in California last year, and his wife, Arlene Silver, wanted to invite Piner to her husband’s 90th birthday party with his fans. Silver and Piner became friends on Facebook and have chatted occasionally.

“When we decided on ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,’ we thought it would be worth asking if he might be able to help us make that announcement,” Piner said. “She let me know that he gets a lot of requests like that, and he normally can’t accommodate those requests just due to the daily number that come in. But where we had established a bit of a relationship, she said, ‘I’ll ask him.’”

In the video, Van Dyke tells everyone at Uintah High to have a good time, have fun and step in time, a line from “Mary Poppins.”

Even though the musical isn’t until March, Piner said they are preparing for it now, because he wants it to be perfect.

“We had such a great run with ‘The Little Mermaid’ last year that we don’t want to lose momentum,” Piner said.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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