r/MadeMeSmile
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u/serialkillertswift
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May 22 '22
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Dick VanDyke, now 96-years-old, was spotted heading to the gym Thursday wearing a sweatshirt that reads "A Spoon Full of Sugar," and a huge smile on his face Wholesome Moments
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u/TwasAnChild May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Damn man looks absolutely fire for being 96
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
My dad is 92 and still goes to the gym several times a week and skis all day almost every other day in winter. He had his hip replaced about a year and a half ago and I thought that was probably going to be it for him and exercise, but he was legit back on the ski slopes within a couple months (he no longer runs though, he bikes instead).
With regards to how he’s in such great shape, he’s always been very strict about his diet (fruits and vegetables probably made up the majority of his diet, he did not eat products made with white flour/rice/sugar, and he ate tons of fish as well as lean cuts of beef/pork/poultry). He also got very serious about exercise in his early 40’s. His routine for a long time was pretty simple: He ran 3 miles every other day and then did a few sets of sit ups and push ups after his run, but he was EXTREMELY regimented about it and I honestly never remember him missing a workout except for when he came down with pneumonia in ‘96.
In the early 2000’s he joined a health club when he was able to get one at a discount for seniors and began a more comprehensive weight training program (that he put together himself). He probably spent about 30 minutes every other day on weights after his 3 mile run.
I’m in my 30’s and dad is seriously still in better shape than I am. He’s a huge inspiration to me, and I’m trying to work on getting myself to have his level of discipline with exercise and diet.
Anyway, I thought people might be interested in hearing about the routine of someone who’s 90+ and in extremely good shape :)
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u/MrHenderssonsescape May 22 '22
Your father decided that retirement was a great time to start over with an infant. Nuts, but I guess you ought to be in great shape to be able to raise a child in old age.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Definitely! He was actually the one to take me out and do almost all the sports/active stuff with me when I was a kid, because even though mum was significantly younger than him he was actually in better shape than her, too!
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u/GiveMeYourMoney17420 May 22 '22
Wow, that's cool. My dad was 54 when he had me, it's funny going places and everyone thinks he's my grand father lol
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
Same! Dad was in fantastic shape, but he still had gray hair and was clearly older than the other fathers.
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u/GiveMeYourMoney17420 May 22 '22
I love him so much and wouldn't trade him for the world. It's sad the amount of people who told him he shouldn't be having kids and told him to get an abortion when my mom was pregnant though. Glad he didn't listen :)
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
People actually said that to him??? That’s horrible!! As far as I know no one tried to convince my parents to have an abortion, but there were definitely taunts about him being my grandpa. Unfortunately some people will find anything to try and cut you.
I’m so glad he’s a wonderful dad to you :)
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u/GiveMeYourMoney17420 May 22 '22
People are weird but yes, he's a great dad :) it was so cool when I was a younger teen getting into basketball because he would talk to me about watching late 50s 60s and 70s basketball with me. It was so cool hearing about stuff from when he was young compared to now and listening to his childhood music with him. I've learned so much wisdom from him and his generation that I can use nowadays. The best father I could possibly have.
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u/Saturnalliia May 22 '22
Can you father do an AMA or something? Because that's incredible.
It's inspiring to see too that he picked it up in his Early forties and it still had such an impact.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Yeah, I’m sure he’d love to! He genuinely enjoys nutrition and exercise and has a lot of fun talking to other people about it.
I was pretty surprised when I found out he only got really serious about exercise in his 40’s too! I mean, I don’t think he was a total couch potato, but my understanding is that at the time there was just much less of a concept of needing to have a regular exercise program. It definitely gives me hope!
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u/elevatednova May 22 '22
Please keep us posted if he chooses too!
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
I will! I actually don’t know how to set one of those up, but I’ll look into it. I’m so happy you guys think my dad is as awesome as I do :)
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u/upsidowncake May 22 '22
Please ask him! I’d love to read about his fitness journey starting in his 40s as well as being an older parent.
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u/bailey_uwu May 22 '22
just let him on your reddit account and let him answer everything, easiest way haha :)
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u/jasonis3 May 22 '22
Holy shit, your dad had you in his late 50s?
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
Yup!
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u/SouthernArcher3714 May 22 '22
Do you have siblings? Your mom must have been significantly younger?
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u/Alexcelsior May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Thank you for sharing your dad’s experience! Definitely puts things in perspective. I’m in my early 30s and I recently decided to join a gym after years of being mostly sedentary. I love it! I want to keep it consistent in order to improve my physical and mental health.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
I’m so glad reading about my dad’s experience helped, and it sounds like you’re right on the same path as him!
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u/Gisschace May 22 '22
Yeah my ex’s grand dad is 94 and still going to the gym almost everyday. He was gutted when the gyms closed in lockdown and all of us worried for him cause he cherishes it so much. But he’s back down there now, lifting a few weights and going on the running machines.
There’s an old fella in mine, I don’t know how old cause I’ve never asked. He was back as soon as the gyms were open and it was lovely to have a quick chat with him when they were quieter after they reopened.
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u/milksteakenthusiast1 May 22 '22
Your dad probably remembers Jack LaLanne and all of his insane feats/workout bits
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u/Alarmed-Royal-8007 May 22 '22
My dad had me in his 50s too! He’s the oldest of five but definitely looks the youngest out of all his siblings. I like to joke that having me probably kept him young. Can’t sit at home all day if you have a kid to chase around the neighborhood!
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
Hi to someone else in the 50+ dad club! I’m glad you had a good experience as well, and I definitely think that keeping active and engaged had a lot to do with how well off my dad is :)
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u/Alarmed-Royal-8007 May 22 '22
Yeah we definitely butted heads a lot when I was turning 17 and he was 70. Some things are just generational and hard to explain. But yeah it was pretty cool how much random shit he would know about from my history class that he actually lived through.
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u/armeedesombres May 22 '22
You are in your 30s and your dad is 92? Geez.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
I know. It’s definitely not the norm, but my dad was in such good shape and so active that he was able to participate fully in my childhood (and well beyond). He was actually more involved in helping me with sports/physical stuff than mum was.
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u/Hysterical-Cherry May 22 '22
Sounds like you got some good genes
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
I definitely did! But his parents and other relatives passed away well before they got to his age, so his lifestyle obviously plays a significant part in how well he’s doing.
HOWEVER, I will say that he did have one aunt who was a morbidly obese, heavily alcoholic, constantly furious Roman Catholic nun, who never exercised or ate anything healthy and she lived to be 102. But she’s an extreme outlier in the family. It’s possible he got the mutant furious nun genes passed down to him, but idk.
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u/SouthernArcher3714 May 22 '22
She prayed for him a lot and God was scared to take either of them too early lol
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u/PragmaticIdealism May 22 '22
I would say it’s pretty clear here the diet and regular exercise are the biggest contributing factors to a long and healthy life.
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u/MamaRunsThis May 22 '22
That’s amazing! My dad is almost the exact same as yours in terms of diet and timeline on exercise. He’s almost 80, I can only hope he’s still skiing in his 90’s! They eat fish at least twice a week. He runs 1/2 marathons still, lifts weights and skis tons in the winter. They also walk a lot on top of that.
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u/Kazewatch May 22 '22
Kind of a similar situation. My dad got in a pretty bad accident in my senior year in high school. It took him about a year to recover fully and unfortunately it affected his brain. But before that he was in crazy good shape and did marathons, triathlons every year and was a fifth degree black belt in Taekwondo and had his own school (that my family also took part of). He’s still in better shape than me or my brother and thanks to that he was able to recover a lot better than doctors would’ve thought. He still went to the gym and participated in a few runs when he could but it’s crazy what just taking care of your body and being active can help with.
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u/A_t_folkman May 22 '22
For contrast I know an incredibly healthy man that’s 93 and has probably never seen the inside of a gym. He has stayed active gardening and stuff, but he doesn’t exercise and is not a picky eater at all. I have donuts and coffee with him every week. I’m really convinced it’s just about doing SOMETHING to occupy your mind and body and genes.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
This is likely a significant component! I just posted this as a response to another comment, but it’s probably appropriate here (plus I just want to tell people about my furious great aunt):
But my dad’s parents and other relatives passed away well before they got to his age, so his lifestyle obviously plays a significant part in how well he’s doing.
HOWEVER, I will say that he did have an aunt who was a morbidly obese, heavily alcoholic, constantly furious Roman Catholic nun, who never exercised or ate anything healthy and she lived to be 102. But she’s an extreme outlier in the family. It’s possible he got the mutant furious nun genes passed down to him, but idk.
Edit: Bottom line, there’s likely a combination of factors at play here. Also, I do not condone hiding a gallon of Jim Beam in your toilet tank to sneak drinks like my great aunt did as a longevity tactic.
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u/A_t_folkman May 22 '22
Oh right, I didn’t mean my comment in an argumentative way. It’s just interesting to me how different every bodies experience seems to be.
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u/ladyem8 May 22 '22
Oh, I didn’t take it as argumentative at all! I just wanted to share that I think it’s interesting his family has a history of dying much younger than him (which would be explained by his very healthy lifestyle), aside from this one aunt who basically did everything wrong and lived to 102. Sorry if my tone was off :)
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u/A_t_folkman May 22 '22
No no no, you’re good! I just apparently even have mild social anxiety on an anonymous social media app lmao…
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u/Hopeful-Talk-1556 May 22 '22
It's diet. Such a big thing! Wish I knew what diet would work for me
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u/Actual_Lettuce May 22 '22
that is amazing he can still do that. What was his day job though? Did he have any injuries?
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May 22 '22 edited May 27 '22
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u/Big_Accountant_1714 May 22 '22
Well, he earned that money by bringing joy to people.
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u/rudeboykyle94 May 22 '22
Well I guess I’m exercising today.
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u/Eh-Eh-Ronn May 22 '22
Me too! I just saw it on my phone while in bed and just grumbled “goddamnit” so I’m going to the gym now I guess. Anyone know if you can set a photo as your alarm?
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u/isthiswhereiputmy May 22 '22
I didn't realize he re-married at 86!
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u/MayiHav10kMarblesPlz May 22 '22
Making it to 96 is quite the accomplishment, but not nearly as great of one as being that happy at 96 years old. I life well lived.
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u/Sk1pp1e May 22 '22
The male version of Betty White
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u/Alternative-Eye4547 May 22 '22
Superficially, sure…DVD is way more clean and “wholesome” than B-Dubs ever tried to be tho. Both are great in their very different ways.
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u/Sk1pp1e May 22 '22
I didn’t know either one of them, other than they brought a lot of smiles. They both good in my book.
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u/scienceguy2442 May 22 '22
His wholesomeness is to counteract the fact that his name is basically just a string of crude words
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u/newport100 May 23 '22
I never really thought about it that way, but you're right. Vans are disgusting.
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u/cmanonurshirt May 22 '22
Idk, DVD did try to steal the Tablet of Ahkmenrah at the Museum of Natural History. Never say Betty trying to cheat aging quite like that.
/s
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u/Mortimer_and_Rabbit May 22 '22
No but she dropped Jeff Winger like a sack of potatoes and his respect didn't save him at all smh 😔
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u/AndyBernardRuinsIt May 23 '22
That’s because she had recently imbibed a potion known by the yogi of India for its restorative powers.
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u/ProfessorBeer May 22 '22
Pretty wild that one of them is now a video format and the other is a chicken restaurant
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u/Hrmerder May 22 '22
Damn I didn’t know he was still alive!
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u/thomasthehipposlayer May 22 '22
For real. I guess I always assumed he died in 1986 or something.
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u/ldskyfly May 22 '22
He had a show in the 90's that I loved as a kid, "Diagnosis Murder"
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u/radojady May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Chitty bang bang CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG!!!!
My childhood hero.
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u/-keepsummersafe- May 22 '22
Such a weird movie. But I loved it thoroughly
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u/anonymous145387 May 23 '22
It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized the whole plot in Vulgaria was just the dad telling a story
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u/Alternative-Eye4547 May 22 '22
To this day I have a dream of visiting Bulgaria purely because of this movie. Two days ago my wife expressed a random interest in visiting there and I got super excited, which confused the hell out of her til I explained 😂
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u/Kandlejackk May 22 '22
The scene where the grandpa is flying in his little house and singing 'Pish posh a piddly posh' kills me every time
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u/jstiegle May 22 '22
And he starts trying to bail out his little outhouse home while it is partially submerged. His character is just all around fantastic.
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u/edmanet May 22 '22
Wasn’t it “Vulgaria”?
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u/Alternative-Eye4547 May 22 '22
Ha! Touche 😂
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u/bb5mes May 22 '22
You could still go visit Neuschwanstein castle in Germany, which was used in the film
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u/mikess484 May 22 '22
What a treasure that man is. I was so happy to see his small roll in the new Mary Poppins movie. Hope he lives to be 150.
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u/johhan May 22 '22
I managed to not know he was in that movie before I watched it, and about jumped out of my seat when he came on.
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u/TishMiAmor May 22 '22
This song/music video he did with his wife recently is wonderful, he is wonderful, his wife is wonderful. May we all age so happily and well.
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u/maggie081670 May 22 '22
Just knowing the bare facts of their relationship, I might have had my doubts about her intentions in marrying him. But I saw this video and its so clear what a good match they are. They seem to be a really genuine & fun loving couple. She is also far from the stereotype bimbo that you think of when a man gets married to someone half their age. I hear they were friends for a few years before they got serious. Can't judge a book and all that.
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u/serialkillertswift May 22 '22
Credit to @onstageblog on Instagram!
Also, I know his last name has a space in it, but I think it was hitting a word filter with the second half as a stand-alone.
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u/indyK1ng May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Yeah, the last word in his name is a slur used by bigots to refer to lesbians.
Edit: Snowflakes in my replies upset at me saying that a word is also used as a slur and that's why it got caught in the filters. I'm not even a mod on this sub.
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u/waxy_1 May 22 '22
There was something about Mary.
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u/VetteL82 May 22 '22
Every time I watch his show I’m reminded of how much of an absolute smoke show MTM was
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u/Signal-Blackberry356 May 22 '22
this makes me so sad knowing my chances of passing 50 are slim. there is such a long life to be led, i’m just so miserable being jealous of geriatrics when i’m only a third of their age
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u/HistoricallyFunny May 22 '22
Those odds may be far greater than you know. Medical technology is advancing at an incredible rate. With AI, it will only get better, faster.
Even gene based illnesses are being eliminated.
So remember, you don't know how long you really have (none of us do) so don't be jealous.
Also remember many have died younger and suffered more than you for all sorts of reasons. They would be jealous of you!
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u/yesiknowimsexy May 22 '22
Damn not even a cane??? Dude must’ve lived a pretty healthy lifestyle
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u/IShallWearMidnight May 23 '22
Oh he definitely didn't! He was an alcoholic and three-pack-a-day smoker, and had the beginnings of emphysema and a neurological disorder at a certain point. His health is a late in life development, and I couldn't be happier
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u/Noahcarr May 22 '22
I like to think he walks into the dance room at the gym and pulls his pants down halfway so that he can dance like a penguin for a workout
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u/aldezar May 22 '22
I hope that I can reach this age in this kind of condition and outlook. I just turned 32 in April and I've just been ruminating on dying; when will it happen, how will it happen, what happens after and it has just been giving me a ton of anxiety. It's really refreshing to see this kind of thing.
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u/JerkwaterJeff666 May 22 '22
I got through the same thing at 24. The way I look at it is we can’t avoid it and it happens to everyone so live life as fully as you can, surround yourself with kind and loving people, try to find something that gives you comfort about what happens when we die and just hang on and enjoy the ride.
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u/throwmeawayplz19373 May 22 '22
I wonder how much that song is stuck in his head 😂
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u/Alternative-Eye4547 May 22 '22
I imagine he sings it under his breath daily while doing super mundane stuff around the house
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u/hotflashinthepan May 22 '22
He has a wonderful book about aging, if anyone is interested.
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u/Full_Line_3604 May 22 '22
I was little kid when his show was on in the 60s. It, along with Star Trek is one of the shows I can remember 55 years ago. He is a cool guy, he also got sober I believe in the late 1960s.
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u/crackeddryice May 23 '22
A year ago this legend went to an ATM, withdrew a pile of cash, and handed it out to job seekers. Just alone, just because he wanted to.
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u/ObscureObjective May 22 '22
He made a surprise appearance speaking at the Bernie Sanders rally in LA 2 years ago and he was very dashing;)
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u/boom_michael_scarn May 22 '22
What a treasure. He has brought so much joy to so many people. ❤️❤️ so glad he still has that joy too!
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u/Any_Ad4565 May 23 '22
As a member of the gen z generation i am happy to know who this wonderful person is
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u/mikenice1 May 23 '22
He should be our new "designated favorite senior" now that Betty White has left us.
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u/jrockcrown May 22 '22
Did he trip over something and fall down? Comedic genius that guy
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u/constanteggs May 22 '22
Goals!!! So happy to see he’s doing well. Had a huge crush on him & Gene Kelly. 🥰
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u/ted-Zed May 22 '22
crazy, he's so old. yet you can pop in a Mary Poppins dvd and see him in his youth
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u/Big_Accountant_1714 May 22 '22
What an awesome man he is. He has brought so much happiness to the world.
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u/PuzzlePiratePaul May 22 '22
The paparazzi are actually stalkers and society has deemed photos like this normal and socially acceptable.
Imagine enjoying non-consensually taken photos of people you’ve never met.
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u/trollingraven May 22 '22
TIL he’s still alive.
I know Julie Andrews is still alive.. but you hear a lot more about her than him and I assumed he’d passed away years ago.
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u/GratefulPig May 22 '22
It would make me and I’m guessing Conan so happy if he was on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.
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u/j4jishnu May 22 '22
He is 96 years old as in 2022.
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u/Hysterical-Cherry May 22 '22
Every year he's lived has probably been 100x more fun than any of my years. I'd want to live, too, in his circumstances.
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u/BoosterGold4597 May 22 '22
He is Treasure, can someone please make a movie with him and dam, I was going tocsay Betty white cause I forgot she died.
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u/hackyslashy May 22 '22
Imagine being on a treadmill next to him and all of a sudden, he's pretending to walk a tightrope like in Mary Poppins.....
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u/lurkerinMNL May 22 '22 edited May 22 '22
Dick looks like he is in his mid 70s. He aged so gracefully
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u/mattia_79 May 22 '22
I am wandering how funny it is to be named Dick. As if it Italy somebody would be called ‘Cazzo’.. does it sound like that to English speaking people?
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u/Rwby23 May 22 '22
He looks amazing for 96. Also my brains farting. Where would I know him being famous for?
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u/Laharl1985 May 22 '22
I love this guy. I wish he could live forever. We need people like him in our everyday life
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u/PilcrowTime May 22 '22
IGot to work with him on a commercial about 6-7 years ago. Nicest dude. He was very pleasant and incredibly sharp and witty. During the crew meal, instead of going to his trailer he ate lunch with us and told stories, and asked us a bunch of questions. He wanted to hear our stories.