Flashback Friday: Dick Van Dyke’s Lifetime of Grandfatherly Perfection

At 42, Dick Van Dyke stole the hearts of children and adults alike with his delightful performance in the cinema classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Now, 45 years later, at the age of 87, the man who won a Tony Award for his performance in Bye Bye Birdie – in addition to, Grammy, SAG Life Achievement, and five Emmy Awards – has returned to the beloved (and annoyingly catchy) title tune. And this time, he’s brought his a capella group.

That’s right, Dick Van Dyke is part of an a capella group. They’re called…wait for it… The Vantastix. With an x.

And in the video below, they sing a thoroughly beguiling a capella rendition of the Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman song (which is a track on their 2008 album, Put on a Happy Face), perfect down to the sound of the movements of the car from the original movie. Because you know, they’re kind of Vantastic.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had a Broadway debut in 2005, when a stage version of the musical played Hilton Theatre for 285 performances. It was directed by Adrian Noble (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and featured Philip Bosco (Heartbreak House) as Grandpa Potts and Raúl Esparza (Leap of Faith) as Caractacus Potts. The production resulted in Tony nominations for performers Erin Dilly (A Christmas Story the Musical), Marc Kudisch (9 to 5), and Jan Maxwell (Follies).

To learn more about The Vantastix and their album Put on a Happy Face, click here.