Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Showtime
logofile	Showtime.svg
logosize	150px
launch	July 1, 1976
picture format	480i (SDTV)1080i (HDTV)
owner	Showtime Networks, Inc. (CBS Corporation)
slogan	Brace Yourself
country	United States
broadcast area	Nationwide
headquarters	New York City
sister names	The Movie ChannelSmithsonian ChannelFlix
web	http://www.sho.com
sat serv 1	DirecTV
sat chan 1	545 Showtime (east) (SD/HD)546 Showtime (west) (SD/HD)547 Showtime 2 (SD/HD)548 Showcase (SD/HD)549 Showtime Extreme (SD/HD)550 Showtime Beyond (HD)551 Showtime Next (HD)552 Showtime Women (HD)1545 Showtime On Demand
sat serv 2	Dish Network
sat chan 2	318 Showtime (east) (SD/HD)319 Showtime (west) (SD/HD)320 Showtime 2 (SD/HD)321 Showcase (SD/HD)322 Showtime Extreme323 Showtime Beyond
cable serv 1	Available on most cable systems
cable chan 1	Check local listings for channels
adsl serv 1	Verizon FiOS
adsl chan 1	See List of Verizon FiOS channels
adsl serv 2	AT&T; U-verse
adsl chan 2	See AT&T; U-verse channel lineup
online chan 1	}}

Showtime is an American premium cable television service featuring programming that consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures, along with original series, made-for-cable movies, and occasional boxing and mixed martial arts matches. The channel is owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation.

As of April 2011, Showtime's programming reaches 20 million subscribers in the United States. The Showtime brand is used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to the group of channels in the United States.

History

Showtime, originally a service of Viacom, went on the air on July 1, 1976, first shown on a local cable system in Dublin, California. Its first program was Celebration, a concert special featuring Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd and ABBA.

On March 7, 1978, Showtime expanded to the national market via satellite, competing with HBO and other pay cable networks.

In 1979, Viacom sold 50% of Showtime to TelePrompTer. In 1982, Westinghouse, who had acquired TelePrompTer the previous year, sold its share of Showtime back to Viacom. In 1983, Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment merged Showtime and The Movie Channel to form Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. (later Showtime Networks, Inc.). 1984 saw the premiere of Showtime's first original movie, The Ratings Game, both starring, and directed by, Danny DeVito. In 1985, Viacom acquired Warner's share of Showtime/TMC, making them the sole owner of Showtime once again.

In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films directly for the channel, originally as part of its 30-Minute Movie anthology series of short films. One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM, was nominated for an Academy Award. In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into the realm of feature-length fare, including the 1997 remake of Lolita, directed by Adrian Lyne.

In the early 2000s, Showtime launched several additional multiplex channels including Showtime Too (a pun on its current name, Showtime 2), Showcase (formerly Showtime 3), Showtime Beyond and Showtime Extreme. Showtime had also launched several channels exclusively for digital cable: Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, and Showtime Women.

Showtime Networks also owns the channels The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix. Each multiplex channel offers movies and programs fitting each channel's particular theme. Premieres of popular movies are usually made on the primary channel.

In 2000, Showtime launched the "Showtime Interactive 24.7" channel—providing DVD-like interaction opportunities to its entertainment offerings. In the 2000s, Showtime began test marketing a subscription-video-on-demand SVOD system; the subscription-video-on-demand channel called Showtime On Demand, which users are able to see episodes of Showtime original series, movies, adult programming and boxing, was launched officially in 2002. Showtime also became one of the first cable TV networks to broadcast an HDTV version of its channel, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

In 2005, Viacom and CBS announced its intention to split up only six years after Viacom bought the network and its television assets. The original Viacom was renamed CBS Corporation and got the broadcasting elements, Paramount Television's production operations (renamed CBS Paramount Television, now two separate arms, CBS Television Studios for production and CBS Television Distribution for syndicated program distribution), Viacom Outdoor advertising (renamed CBS Outdoor), Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster and Paramount Parks, which the company later sold, while the new Viacom kept Paramount Pictures, MTV Networks, BET Networks, and (until it was sold off in 2007), Famous Music. National Amusements retains ownership of both companies to this day.

In May 2010, it was reported that Showtime plans to launch a service to stream episodes of original series to subscribers.

Channels

Showtime operates eight multiplex channels and a video on demand service (Showtime On Demand): Showtime also packages the Eastern and Pacific feeds of the main channel and its multiplex services together, giving viewers a second chance to watch the same movie/program three hours earlier or later — depending on their geographic location. However, certain cable systems only offer the main channel in this manner. Note: the abbreviation in parenthesis is used as an on-screen identifier and in programming guides

Showtime (SHO): The flagship channel; blockbuster movies, first-run films, original series, specials, mixed martial arts events and championship boxing.

Showtime 2, referred on-air as SHO2 (SHO2): Secondary channel; offers more movies, original series and specials. Launched in 1991, the channel was rebranded as Showtime Too from 2001 to 2006. Showcase (SHO3): Similar to Showtime Two, features movies, first-run films and original pictures. The channel was previously known as Showtime 3 from 1996 to 2001. Showtime Beyond (SHOB): The channel features a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror films as well as Showtime original sci-fi series; launched in 1999.

Showtime Extreme (SHOX): Action and adventure, thrillers, gangster and martial arts. Airs over 60 movies each month and a Sunday double feature spotlighting a different action star; launched in 1998.

Showtime Family Zone (SHOF): Family-oriented programming, including movies and specials aimed at a younger audience. All movies are G, PG, or PG-13 rated and no R-rated movies or TV-MA rated programming airs on Showtime Family Zone. The channel is currently exclusively available on digital cable, but is not available in all areas; launched in 2001. Showtime Next (SHON): Movies geared towards adults 18–24; features over 50 films each month, original pictures, short films and animated shorts; launched in 2001. Showtime Women (SHOW): Targeted to women; airs films, Showtime original series and specials geared primarily at women; launched in 2001.

Other services

Showtime HD

Showtime provides 1080i high definition simulcast feeds of all of its channels except Showtime Family Zone, which are carried by most of the major American television providers.

Showtime On Demand

Showtime On Demand is the Video on Demand counterpart to Showtime and is available to subscribers of Showtime on most providers.

Showtime Anytime

On October 27, 2010, Showtime launched Showtime Anytime to customers of Comcast's Xfinity TV service who are subscribers to Showtime. Showtime Anytime comprises a web site which distributes around 400 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition. Content includes Showtime original programming, feature films, comedy specials, documentaries and sports programming.

Programming

Showtime has several original programs airing on the network. The most popular shows are Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall as a police department blood-spatter analyst who maintains a secret life as a vigilante serial killer, and Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker as a widow from an upper-middle class suburb of Los Angeles who turns to dealing marijuana to support her family after her husband dies. Other shows include Dead Like Me, Californication, Nurse Jackie, The Tudors, Shameless, Soul Food, Queer as Folk, The L Word, The Big C and United States of Tara.

Although another showtime series Brotherhood about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy a local politician and Michael a professional criminal involved with New England's Irish Mob was also quite popular but, in a different way it was not as popular in terms of ratings but, was quite popular critically with some critics even comparing the show to The Wire and The Sopranos. It was even said by one critic to be "the jewel Showtime has sought for years."

Showtime 2 carries one original program exclusive to the network, a late night program called Big Brother After Dark as a companion series to the American Big Brother series airing on sister broadcast network CBS.

Showtime has long employed a late night block of programming called "Showtime After Hours", a block consisting of programming aimed at adults, airing after 12 a.m. ET; the programming featured within the block, which has existed since the early 1980s, includes smaller feature films and occasionally stand-up comedy specials. Softcore erotica programming typically does not air within the block and adult films have been absent from the main Showtime channel since the mid-2000s (though a limited amount of original erotica series have resurfaced on the main channel in 2010, after having been absent for most of the previous decade), although the network's multiplex channels Showtime 2 and Showcase do occasionally feature adult films on their overnight schedules.

Movie library

As of 2011, Showtime holds first-run premium cable rights to films from Summit Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films (also including rights to Dimension Films releases), DreamWorks Pictures (live-action releases through Touchstone Pictures only), CBS Films, First Look Pictures, IFC Films (rights are shared with Starz), THINKFilm and Anchor Bay Entertainment. Showtime holds sub-run rights to films from MGM, United Artists, Sony Pictures, Paramount and Disney.

After its launch, Showtime signed exclusive first-run agreements with several movie studios. The first exclusive deal between the channel and a movie studio was done in 1977, when United Artists (then a subsidiary of Transamerica) agreed with Showtime for an exclusive first-run deal for the next five years. United Artists was merged with MGM in 1981. The deal expired in 1982. After being merged with WASEC's The Movie Channel, Paramount Pictures (then owned by Gulf + Western) signed an exclusive deal with the newly formed Showtime/The Movie Channel for 75 films for the next five years. In 1986, Showtime/TMC signed deals with Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group and Orion Pictures. They lost the rights for new Paramount films in 1989 after HBO signed a deal with the studio two years earlier for features released from May 1988. By 1989, Showtime had already exclusive deals with Carolco Pictures, Atlantic Entertainment Group, Cannon Films, Buena Vista, Universal Studios, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, Imagine Entertainment and Weintraub. They lost out the rights for new Disney releases to Liberty's Starz in 1997. On April 13, 1990, Showtime signed an exclusive first-run deal with New Line Cinema. The deal expired in 1995, when the first-run rights were moved to Starz. On November 22, 1993, Showtime signed exclusive first-run premium cable rights with MGM and United Artists which lasted 15 years.

After being acquired by Viacom in 1994, Paramount Pictures began an output deal with Showtime (then also owned by Viacom), effective after 1997, which lasted 10 years. After the old Viacom was split in two corporations, the output deal with Paramount was not renewed after 2007, thus the pay-cable rights transferred in 2009 to Viacom's Epix premium venture. Showtime has also agreements with IFC Films (which it shares broadcasting rights with Starz), ThinkFilm, certain films put out by The Weinstein Company (those that are distributed theatrically in conjunction with MGM Studios), and the newly re-formed United Artists (still a subsidiary of MGM). In 2008, the channel signed a deal with First Look Pictures to air their films.

The future of the channel was put into question when it was announced that three of its major suppliers of films Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Lions Gate Entertainment, as well as their respected subsidiaries (Paramount Vantage and United Artists), would be teaming up together to form a new premium movie channel. Called Epix, it launched in May 2009 as a broadband Internet service, and arrived on television on October 31 of that year. This is primary due to the company split-up of parent company Viacom into two separate entities, Viacom and CBS Corporation, the latter owning Showtime (though both companies are still controlled by National Amusements). Paramount's contract with the channel expired January 2008. This includes such films as Cloverfield and Iron Man being available to the new channel upon its initial run. MGM and Lions Gate's contracts expired at the end of 2008.

On July 15, 2008, it was announced that Showtime had signed a seven-year deal with The Weinstein Company to exclusively air their films during their initial premium-channel broadcasts, starting with their 2009 film slate. This includes films such as Nine, All Good Things and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. The deal also includes films from the studio's subsidiary Dimension Films. On December 4, 2008, Showtime entered into an exclusive 4-year output deal with Summit Entertainment to air 42 of their films during their initial premium cable run. The deal includes all the films in the Twilight franchise, as well as the films Push, Knowing with Nicolas Cage, and the horror remake Sorority Row.

Though not owning the broadcasting rights to show first-run movies from 20th Century Fox, Showtime has been able to show independent films the studio owns the home video rights to, even if they didn't release them theatrically, most notably being Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ. Others include Party Monster, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Woman Thou Art Loosed and Donnie Darko. As of 2006, Showtime has a partial deal with Rogue Pictures, allowing them to broadcast particular films put out by the studio (especially those originally produced for video), including Carlito's Way: Rise to Power and Dave Chappelle's Block Party.

On March 12, 2010, Showtime came to an agreement with The Walt Disney Company, which had recently purchased the distribution rights to DreamWorks Pictures, to air at least 35 movies from the latter studio between 2009 and 2015 during their premium-cable run. This deal also allows Showtime first-choice to renew their contract when the initial tenure lapses. The deal does not include films from DreamWorks Animation (the pay-cable rights to those films are held by HBO and Cinemax). Showtime also inked a pay-cable output deal with CBS Films, which is also owned by the network's parent company CBS Corporation.

Usually films to which Showtime has pay-cable rights will also run on The Movie Channel and Flix during its time of license.

Sports programming

Showtime broadcasts a limited amount of sports programming on its schedule produced by the channel's Showtime Sports division. Beginning in March 1986, Showtime's sports programming consisted largely of boxing matches produced under the banner Showtime Championship Boxing; in 2001, the network launched ShoBox: The New Generation, focusing primarily on up-and-coming boxers. In 2004, Showtime began broadcasting all domestic fights telecast on the channel in high definition. In December 2006, Showtime announced a deal to broadcast mixed martial arts matches from the then-newly formed Elite Xtreme Combat (or EliteXC), an MMA organization formed by Showtime Networks and ProElite, Inc., with all events broadcast under the banner ShoXC; the league folded two years later in 2008.

In 2008, Showtime acquired Inside the NFL, the longest-running program in the history of HBO, from that network when it had cancelled the seasonal analysis and interview program in February 2008. In February 2009, Strikeforce announced a three-year broadcast agreement with Showtime, allowing it to broadcast up to 16 events per year, as well as a deal with sister network CBS for an option to produce up to four events for them. In addition to broadcasting big-ticket Strikeforce events on Showtime, it also announced it would produce ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers, an event series highlighting up-and-coming fighters. In 2010, Showtime debuted another original sports insider program Inside NASCAR. Showtime also operates Showtime PPV, formerly SET (Showtime Entertainment Television), which broadcasts boxing matches and other select event programming to pay-per-view subscribers. In 2011, Showtime announced they were expanding their MMA programming by televising events produced by M-1 Global, the Russian PTC company of popular Strikeforce fighter Fedor Emelianenko.

Branding

Showtime's original logo was a circle with a TV screen inside (very similar to the logo used by Brazilian television network Rede Globo, though without the circle in the center), accompanied by a generic "Showtime" text in Avant Garde font. From 1984 to 1990, the screen was accompanied by an italic "Showtime" text in Franklin Gothic type, with the "W" and "T" connected. The TV screen was dropped in 1989, and the italic text became the network logo from that point until 1997. That year, the current logo was implemented, consisting of the network's name in all capitals with the 'SHO' prefix imprinted on a circle (as with Cinemax's highlighting of 'MAX' in their logo, the use of 'SHO' as the logo focal point comes from the channel's former TV Guide abbreviation in the magazine's local listings era).

Showtime was one of the first U.S. premium channels to brand its programming with digital on-screen graphic logos starting in 1999, this originally pertained to only the main Showtime channel and Showtime 2 and was only done during promo breaks between programs; Showtime only shows their logo bug off-and-on during programming, while Showtime 2 runs theirs during all programming. On April 1, 2010 the remaining Showtime multiplex channels, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women (as well as The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix) began using on-screen logo bugs during all of their programming.

Just like Starz, Showtime has recently begun to air promotions for upcoming programs during films airing during primetime slots on the main channel and during original series on the main Showtime channel, Showtime 2 and Showcase (in the case of its original series, the closing credits are typically replaced with a marginalized credit sequence similar to those used by the major U.S. broadcast networks).

Network slogans

1976–1982: We're Sure You're Going to Like What You See

1982–1984: All Eyes Turn for Showtime 1984–1988: Showtime Excitement / We Make Excitement

1987: Showtime Has the Hits HBO Misses

1987–1990: Where the Action Is

1990–1993: We Entertain You Like No One Can

1993–1995: Something Good is Gonna Happen

1997–2005: No Limits

2005–2011: TV. At Its Best.

2011–present: Brace Yourself

International

Showtime has two main pay TV networks that operate using its name; Showtime Australia and Showtime Arabia. It also has several channels that are licenced to use its name; Showtime Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), Showtime Extreme (Spain), and others.

Showtime debuted on South African television for the first time as part of the new TopTV satellite provider's package on May 1, 2010.

See also

Showtime Networks

References

External links

Official website

Showtime Anytime

Category:Showtime television network Category:Television channels and stations established in 1976 Category:English-language television stations in the United States Category:American television networks Category:Commercial-free television networks Category:Westinghouse Broadcasting Category:Movie channels

ar:شوتايم bs:Showtime ca:Showtime cs:Showtime da:Showtime de:Showtime et:Showtime es:Showtime (televisión) fr:Showtime id:Showtime it:Showtime (rete televisiva) he:שואוטיים lt:Showtime hu:Showtime nl:Showtime ja:ショウタイム (テレビ局) no:Showtime pl:Showtime pt:Showtime ru:Showtime sh:Showtime fi:Showtime sv:Showtime tr:Showtime (kanal) zh:Showtime頻道

Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Jon Lajoie
birth date
birth place	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
known for	''I Kill People" skit, "WTF Collective" music video
occupation	Canadian, comedian, musician, actor
nationality	Canadian
website	http://www.jonlajoie.com/
influences	}}

Jonathan "Jon" Lajoie (born August 21, 1980) is a Canadian comedian, actor, rapper, singer, musician and Internet celebrity from Montreal, Quebec.

Background

Lajoie was born in Saint-Hubert, Quebec and raised in Montreal, Quebec. His father is French-Canadian and his mother is English-Canadian. He graduated from Dawson College's theatre program in 2001. Since 1998, he has acted as an English-Canadian musician named Thomas Edison in Radio-Canada's French-Canadian sitcom L'auberge du chien noir.

Beyond the Internet

The League

Lajoie currently has a role in the FX Network TV show called The League as Taco McArthur, a perpetually stoned and unemployed musician. Lajoie performs his song "The Birthday Song" in an episode of the show's first season.

Comedy Central Presents

Jon Lajoie filmed an episode of Comedy Central Presents on November 7, 2009. It premiered on March 5, 2010. The same special aired uncensored as part of Comedy Central's Secret Stash on June 6 at 1:30 AM (EST). The special featured the world premiere of the video for his song "Pop Song".

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details
You Want Some of This?		* Release date: January 30, 2009	* Label: Normal Guy Productions	Compact disc>CD, music download
I Kill People		* Release date: November 15, 2010	* Label: Normal Guy Productions	* Formats: CD, music download

Singles

"Very Super Famous" (2011)

"The Best Song" (2011)

"F**k Everything" (2011)

Music videos

Song title !! width="150"
	"High as Fuck"			October 1st, 2007
"2 Girls 1 Cup Song"		November 1st, 2007
"Everyday Normal Guy"		November 21st, 2007
"Cold Blooded Christmas"		December 10th, 2007
	"Why Did You Leave Me?"		January 8th, 2008
"Everyday Normal Guy 2"		January 16th, 2008
		February 4th, 2008
"Sunday Afternoon"		March 11th, 2008
"Show Me Your Genitals"		May 31st, 2008
"Stay at Home Dad"		August 21st, 2008
"Show Me Your Genitals 2: E=MC Vagina"		September 5th, 2008
Bootlegs & B-Sides (including "I Don't Understand" and "Potty Training Song")		October 11th, 2008
"Too Fast"		November 17th, 2008
	"Everyday Normal Crew"		January 5th, 2009
"Alone in the Universe"			March 8th, 2009
"I Kill People"		April 23rd, 2009
"Michael Jackson is Dead"		June 26th, 2009
"Radio Friendly Song"		August 27th, 2009
"WTF Collective"		October 5th, 2009
	"Chatroulette Song"		March 26th, 2010
"I Can Dance"		April 19th, 2010
		Non-album song	May 31st, 2010
"Pop Song"	Julien Demers-Arsenault	You Want Some of This?	June 5th, 2010
"Mel Gibson's Love Song"			July 5th, 2010
"WTF Collective 2"		November 16th, 2010
"In Different Ways"	Julien Demers-Arsenault	December 18th, 2010
	"Very Super Famous"		"Very Super Famous" single	February 15th, 2011
		Non-album song	May 2nd, 2011
"The Best Song"		"The Best Song" single	June 21st, 2011
"Fuck Everything"	Jon Lajoie	"Fuck Everything" single	July 29th, 2011

References

External links

Official website

Lajoie on Funny or Die

The Lance – Jon Lajoie's transition from online to stage, Dec. 3, 2008

Jon Lajoie Conquers web with Coarse Songs – AOL Music

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian comedians Category:Canadian comedy musicians Category:Canadian Internet personalities Category:Canadian people of English descent Category:Canadian rappers Category:Canadian stand-up comedians Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Quebecers of French descent Category:People from Longueuil Category:Musicians from Montreal Category:Dawson College alumni

ca:Jon Lajoie de:Jon Lajoie et:Jon Lajoie es:Jon Lajoie fr:Jon Lajoie it:Jon Lajoie ka:ჯონ ლეჟუა lt:Jon Lajoie pl:Jon Lajoie pt:Jon Lajoie ru:Лажуа, Джон sr:Džon Lažua fi:Jon Lajoie sv:Jon Lajoie uk:Джон Лажуа

Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Dick Van Dyke
birth name	Richard Wayne Van Dyke
birth date	December 13, 1925
birth place	West Plains, Missouri, U.S.
nationality	American
occupation	Actor, comedian, producer, writer
years active	1955–present
spouse	Margie Willett (1948–84) (divorced)
partner	Michelle Triola (1976–2009) (her death)
parents	Loren "Cookie" Van DykeHazel (née McCord) Van Dyke
home town	Danville, Illinois
nationality	American
notable works	The Dick Van Dyke Show }}

Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke. Van Dyke starred in the films Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the television series The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Diagnosis: Murder . Van Dyke has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Life and career

Early and personal life

Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, to Loren (nickname "Cookie") and Hazel (born McCord) Van Dyke, but he grew up in Danville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke, who is best known for his role on the TV series Coach. His grandson, Shane Van Dyke, is also an actor, and directed Titanic II. He is of Dutch descent on his father's side. His mother, as a Mayflower descendant, is of English extraction but also carries additional Scottish ancestry.

During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps where he became a radio announcer and served in Special Services entertaining troops in the Continental United States. While Van Dyke appeared at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, he and the former Margerie Willett were married on the radio show "Bride and Groom", in 1948. They had four children: Christian (Chris), Barry, Carrie Beth, and Stacy. They divorced in 1984 after a long separation. He lived with longtime companion Michelle Triola for more than 30 years until her death in 2009. Van Dyke's son Barry Van Dyke and grandsons Shane Van Dyke and Carey Van Dyke are also actors; both of these last two, along with other Van Dyke relations and grandchildren, appeared in various episodes of the long-running series Diagnosis: Murder. All of Van Dyke's children are married, and he has seven grandchildren. His son Chris was district attorney for Marion County, Oregon in the 1980s. In 1987, his granddaughter Jessica Van Dyke died from Reye's Syndrome which drove him to do a series of television commercials to raise public awareness of the danger to children. In 2010, he claimed to have once been rescued from drifting out to sea and possible death by a pod of porpoises.

Radio and stage career

During the late 1940s, Van Dyke was a radio DJ in Danville, Illinois. In 1947, Van Dyke was persuaded by Phil Erickson to form a comedy duo with him called "Eric and Van—the Merry Mutes." The team toured the West Coast nightclub circuit, performing a mime act and lip synching to old 78 records. They brought their act to Atlanta, Georgia, in the early 1950s and performed a local television show featuring original skits and music called "The Merry Mutes".

On the stage, Van Dyke was the lead in Broadway's Bye Bye Birdie. In a May 2011 interview with Rachael Ray, Van Dyke noted that when he auditioned for a smaller part in the show he had no dance experience, and that after he sang his audition song he did an impromptu soft-shoe out of sheer nervousness. Gower Champion, the show's director and choreographer, was watching, and promptly went up on stage to inform Van Dyke he had the lead. An astonished Van Dyke protested that he could not dance, to which Champion replied "We'll teach you". That musical won four Tony awards including Van Dyke's Best Actor Tony, in 1961. In 1980, Van Dyke appeared as the title role in The Music Man on Broadway.

Television career

Dick Van Dyke's start in television was with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program. Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was with Dennis James on James' Chance of a Lifetime in 1954. He later appeared on The Phil Silvers Show in the 1957–8 season. He also appeared early in his career on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and NBC's The Polly Bergen Show. During this time a friend from the Army was working as an executive for CBS television and recommended Van Dyke to that network. Out of this came a seven year contract with the network. During an interview on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! program, Van Dyke said he was the anchorman for the CBS morning show during this period with Walter Cronkite as his newsman.

Van Dyke starred in the situation comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS from 1961 to 1966, in which he portrayed a comedy writer named Rob Petrie. Originally the show was supposed to have Carl Reiner as the lead but CBS insisted on recasting and Reiner chose Van Dyke to replace him in the role. Complementing Van Dyke was a veteran cast of comic actors including Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Jerry Paris, Ann Morgan Guilbert, and Carl Reiner (as Alan Brady), as well as television newcomer Mary Tyler Moore, who played Rob's wife, Laura Petrie. Van Dyke won three Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the series received four Emmy Awards as Outstanding Comedy Series.

From 1971 to 1974 Van Dyke starred in an unrelated sitcom called The New Dick Van Dyke Show in which he starred as a local television talk show host. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance but the show was less successful than its predecessor, and Van Dyke pulled the plug on the show after just three seasons. In 1973 Van Dyke voiced his animated likeness for the October 27, 1973 installment of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "Scooby-Doo Meets Dick Van Dyke," the series' final first-run episode. The following year, he received an Emmy Award nomination for his role as an alcoholic businessman in the television movie The Morning After (1974). Van Dyke revealed after its release that he had recently overcome a real-life drinking problem. That same year he guest-starred as a murdering photographer on an episode of Columbo. Van Dyke returned to comedy in 1976 with the sketch comedy show Van Dyke and Company, which co-starred Andy Kaufman and Super Dave Osborne. Despite being canceled after three months, the show won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety Series. When Carol Burnett's main foil, Harvey Korman, quit Burnett's long-running variety series in 1977 Van Dyke took his place. This was the first time he had ever played second banana on television and there were few comic sparks between Van Dyke and Burnett. He left after three months. For the next decade he appeared mostly in low-rated TV movies. One exception was an atypical role as a murdering judge on the first episode of the TV series Matlock in 1986 starring Andy Griffith. In 1989 he guest-starred on the NBC comedy series The Golden Girls portraying a lover of Beatrice Arthur's character. This role earned him his first Emmy Award nomination since 1977.

His film work affected his TV career: the reviews he received for his role as D.A. Fletcher in Dick Tracy led him to star first as the character Dr. Mark Sloan in an episode of Jake and the Fatman, then in a series of TV movies on CBS that became the foundation for his popular television drama Diagnosis: Murder. The series ran from 1993 to 2001 with son Barry Van Dyke co-starring. Van Dyke continued to find television work after the show ended, including a dramatically and critically successful performance of The Gin Game, produced for television in 2003 that reunited him with Mary Tyler Moore. In 2003 he portrayed a doctor on Scrubs. A 2004 special of The Dick Van Dyke Show titled The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited was heavily promoted as the first new episode of the classic series to be shown in 38 years. Van Dyke and his surviving cast members recreated their roles; the program was roundly panned by critics. In 2006 he guest-starred as college professor Dr. Jonathan Maxwell for a series of Murder 101 mystery films on the Hallmark Channel.

Film career

Van Dyke began his film career by reprising his stage role in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Despite his unhappiness with the adaptation—its focus differed from the stage version— the film was a success. That same year, Van Dyke was cast in two roles: as the chimney sweep Bert, and as Mr. Dawes Senior, the chairman of the bank in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964). For his scenes as the chairman, he was heavily costumed to look much older, and was credited in that role as "Nackvid Keyd" (at the end of the credits, the letters unscramble into "Dick Van Dyke"). Van Dyke's attempt at a cockney accent has been decried as one of the worst accents in film history, cited as an example by actors since as an example of how not to sound. In a 2003 poll by Empire magazine of the worst-ever accents in film, he came in second. Van Dyke claims that his accent coach was Irish, who "didn't do an accent any better than I did." Still, Mary Poppins was successful upon release and its enduring appeal has made it one of the most famous films of all time. "Chim Chim Cher-ee", one of the songs that Van Dyke performed in Mary Poppins, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the Sherman Brothers, the film's songwriting duo.

Many of the comedy films Van Dyke starred in throughout the 1960s were relatively unsuccessful at the box office, including What a Way to Go!, Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N., Fitzwilly, The Art of Love, Some Kind of a Nut, Never a Dull Moment, and Divorce American Style. But he also starred (with his native accent, despite the English setting) in the successful musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), which co-starred Sally Ann Howes and featured songs by the Sherman Brothers, and choreography by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. The Sherman Brothers, Breaux, and Wood were also songsmiths and choreographers for Mary Poppins.

In 1969, Van Dyke appeared in the comedy-drama The Comic, written and directed by Carl Reiner. Van Dyke portrayed a self-destructive silent-film era comedian who struggles with alcoholism, depression, and his own rampant ego. Reiner wrote the film especially for Van Dyke, who often spoke of his admiration for silent film era comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and his hero Stan Laurel. Twenty one years later in 1990, Van Dyke, whose usual role had been the amiable hero, took a small but villainous turn as the crooked D.A. Fletcher in Warren Beatty's film Dick Tracy. Van Dyke returned to motion pictures in 2006 with Curious George as Mr. Bloomsberry and as villain Cecil Fredericks in the Ben Stiller film Night at the Museum. He reprised the role in a cameo for the sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian but it was cut from the film. It can be found in the special features on the DVD release.

Other projects

Van Dyke received a Grammy Award for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins. In 1970 he published Faith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child's Eye View of Religion a book of humorous anecdotes based largely on his experiences as a Sunday School teacher. Van Dyke was principal in "KXIV Inc." and owned 1400 AM KXIV in Phoenix (later KSUN) from 1965 to 1985. KXIV was at one time an applicant for an FM station in the same area.

As an a cappella enthusiast, Van Dyke has sung in a group called "The Vantastix" since September 2000. The quartet has performed several times in Los Angeles as well as on Larry King Live, The First Annual TV Land Awards, and sung the national anthem at three Los Angeles Lakers games including a nationally televised NBA Finals performance on NBC. Van Dyke was made an honorary member of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 1999.

Van Dyke became a computer animation enthusiast after purchasing a Commodore Amiga in 1991. He is credited with the creation of 3D-rendered effects used on Diagnosis: Murder and The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. Van Dyke has displayed his computer-generated imagery work at SIGGRAPH, and continues to work with LightWave 3D. In 2010, Van Dyke appeared on a children's album titled Rhythm Train, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and singer Leslie Bixler. Van Dyke raps on one of the album's tracks.

Works

Books

}} (Van Dyke's memoir) |last=Van Dyke |first=Dick ||title=Altar Egos |=Westwood, New Jersey |publisher=F. H. Revell Co. |year=1967}} |last=Van Dyke |first=Dick |title=Faith, hope and hilarity |editor=Ray Parker |others=Phil Interlandi (drawings) |location=Garden City, New York |publisher=Doubleday |year=1970}}

Albums

Bye Bye Birdie (Original Cast Album) (1960)

Bye Bye Birdie (Soundtrack) (1963)

Songs I Like By Dick Van Dyke (with Enoch Light & his Orchestra/Ray Charles Singers) (1963)

Put on a Happy Face (with Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix) (2008)

Rhythm Train (with Leslie Bixler and Chad Smith) (2010)

Stage

The Girls Against the Boys (November 2, 1959 – November 14, 1959)

Bye Bye Birdie (April 14, 1960 – October 7, 1961) (left the show when it moved to the Shubert Theatre)

The Music Man (June 5, 1980 – June 22, 1980) (Revival)

Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (guest star from January 24, 2006 – January 26, 2006)

Filmography

What a Way to Go!The Art of Love (film)Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. Divorce American Style Never a Dull Moment (1968 film)Some Kind of a Nut Cold Turkey (film)Tubby the Tuba (1975 film)The Runner Stumbles Dick Tracy (1990 film)Walt - The Man Behind the Myth Batman: New Times Curious George

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1963 in film	1963	Bye Bye Birdie''	Albert Peterson
rowspan="2"	1964	|	Edgar Hopper
Mary Poppins (film)	Mary Poppins	Bert/Mr. Dawes, Senior
1965 in film	1965	The Art of Love ||	Paul Sloane/Toulouse aka Picasso
1966 in film	1966	|	Lt. Robin Crusoe
rowspan="2"	1967	|	Richard Harmon
Fitzwilly	Claude R. Fitzwilliam
rowspan="2"	1968	Never a Dull Moment ||	Jack Albany
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)	Chitty Chitty Bang Bang	Caractacus Potts
rowspan="2"	1969	|	Fred Amidon
The Comic	Billy Bright
1971 in film	1971	Cold Turkey ||	Rev. Clayton Brooks
1976 in film	1976	Tubby the Tuba ||	Tubby the Tuba	(voice)
1979 in film	1979	|	Father Brian Rivard
1990 in film	1990	Dick Tracy ||	D.A. Fletcher
2001 in film	2001	|	narrator/interviewee	(voice)
2005 in film	2005	|	Commissioner Gordon	(voice)
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Mr. Bloomsberry	(voice)
Night at the Museum	Cecil Fredricks
2009 in film		2009	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

*Note: Although he is not seen in the regular release of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Dick van Dyke's work can be seen in the "Deleted Scenes" section of the film's DVD, along with Bill Cobbs and Mickey Rooney.

Television

The Morning Show (1955) (host)

CBS Cartoon Theater (1956)

To Tell the Truth (1956 - 1957)

''The Phil Silvers Show (1957)

The Chevy Showroom Starring Andy Williams (1958)

Mother's Day (1958–1959)

Laugh Line (1959) (canceled after 3 months)

The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966)

"Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman" (1969)

"Dick Van Dyke Meets Bill Cosby" (1970)

The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–1974)

"Julie and Dick at Covent Garden" (1974)

The Morning After (1974)

Columbo: Negative Reaction (1974)

Van Dyke and Company (1976)

The Carol Burnett Show (cast member in 1977)

George and Mildred (one episode in 1978))

Supertrain (1979)

The Runner Stumbles (1979)

"True Life Stories" (1981)

"Harry's Battles" (1981)

The Country Girl (1982)

Drop-Out Father (1982)

Wrong Way Kid (1983) (voice)

"Found Money" (1983)

"Breakfast with Les and Bess" (1985)

Strong Medicine (1986)

Ghost of a Chance (1987)

The Van Dyke Show (1988)

The Golden Girls (1989)

Matlock (1990)

Daughters of Privilege (1991)

The House on Sycamore Street (1992)

"The Town That Santa Forgot" (1993) (voice)

A Twist of the Knife (1993)

Becker (1999) (Becker's father)

Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001)

Paul O'Grady Does America (2003)

A Town Without Pity (2002)

Diagnosis: Murder - Without Warning (2002)

Sabrina the Teenage Witch as Duke (2000)

The Gin Game (2003)

The Alan Brady Show (2003) (voice)

The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited (2004)

Scrubs (2004)

Murder 101 (2006–2008)

The Bonnie Hunt Show (2010)

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2010)

The Rachel Ray Show (2011)

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2011)

References

[35] My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: a Memoir, Dick van Dyke (2011)

External links

Dick Van Dyke in Danville, Ill and Crawfordsville, Ind. — PDF Article

At the Museum of Broadcast Communications

"Remembering the Van Dyke Show"

Dick Van Dyke -Disney Legends profile (requires Flash)

Dick Van Dyke talks about his career for the Archive of American Television Arts and Sciences (requires Flash)

Empire - The Worst British Accents Ever - Number 11 - Dick Van Dyke singing in Mary Poppins (1964) (requires Flash)

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