Dick Van Dyke cried when he first heard Mary Poppins music (Exclusive)

On By Littum

Dick Van Dyke had an emotional reaction when he heard the music Mary Poppins for the first time.

The actor, now 98, sat down for an interview as part of the ABC News Studios special The Untold Story of Mary Poppins: A Special Edition of 20/20timed for the 60th anniversary of the iconic Disney film.

In a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Van Dyke recalls crying when the Sherman Brothers first played him the now-iconic songs.

“I couldn’t believe it, one tune after another,” he says. “I cried. It was just the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.”

Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins” (1964).

Moviestore/Shutterstock


Van Dyke famously starred as a chimney sweep named Bert in the 1964 film opposite Julie Andrews as the magical nanny. Mary Poppins won five Oscars, including best actress for Andrews, now 89, plus best original score and best original song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”) for the Sherman Brothers, Richard and Robert.

Some of the memorable songs from the movie musical include “A Spoonful of Sugar”, “Jolly Holiday”, “Step in Time” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”.

Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in “Mary Poppins” (1964).

Donaldson Collection/Getty


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During the interview, Van Dyke recalled working with Walt Disney, who died in 1966. “When I met Walt, we hit it off right away. We both admitted that we were just pretending to be adults and that we were still kids,” he said.

“I went into his office and he had watercolors of all the scenes in the movie. When we got through with it, I was just so excited.”

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and Walt Disney in 1965.

AP photo


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The two hours The untold story of Mary Poppins special features rare footage, photos and stories from the living legends and is part of a two-night event.

The Untold Story of Mary Poppins: A Special Edition of 20/20 broadcast on Wednesday 27 November at 9 PM ET and then stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+. So on Thursday, November 28, The Wonderful World of Disney presents a broadcast of Mary Poppins.