Bring Back Birdie

Dick Van Dyke turns 85 today. I think his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show (good thing they chose him to star in a show with that title) is the best all-around performance ever on a sitcom. He could do anything--farce, romance, drama, whatever was called for. Could sing and dance, too.

But even before that, he became famous for his Tony-winning performance in Bye Bye Birdie. Here's some rare footage from Ed Sullivan where he performs the best-known song from the show. I assume this is the original Gower Champion choreography.



PS  Sorry it's been taken down.  I'm not surprised.  If you want, you can rent the movie version that stars Van Dyke, but that "Put On A Happy Face" has almost nothing to do with the original stage version.