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Dick Van Dyke Reveals How His 'Mary Poppins' Accent Came to Be

An older adult male in a studio setting with dark blue chair and nighttime cityscape background, wearing a dark blazer over a white shirt.

Conan O'Brien has interviewed amazing guests through the years. His unique brand of comedy and interview style often bring out the best in each guest. When Conan interviewed legend Dick Van Dyke, the two comics had a great time as well as the audience.

A talk show host in a dark suit jacket and patterned tie is interviewing an older adult guest wearing a black velvet blazer over a white collared shirt, set against a backdrop of a night sky with a full moon and city lights.

Conan starts off by telling Dick that he was a huge inspiration to him. Conan says he loved how Dick moved and admitted that he stole some of his moves!

Dick said, 'Oh, thank you very much. I'm a fan, you know, oh yeah, I like the way you move. You move pretty good.' Conan says, 'This is getting creepy,' and everyone laughs.

A male host and older adult guest are seated on stage during a late-night talk show interview; the host wears a dark suit with blue shirt and red tie, while the guest is in a black suit jacket over a white collared shirt. The setting includes a blue armchair for the guest and a wooden desk with a microphone, papers, and small object for the host against a backdrop of a large moon and night sky over water.

Conan recalls 'Mary Poppins' and says he discovered that Dick wasn't a trained dancer. Dick told Conan he never took lessons until he needed to. Dick took lessons from Gower Champion, who was the choreographer for 'Bye Birdie.'

Dick says, 'It was a discovery, like flying.' Conan brings up Dick's accent in the movie 'Mary Poppins,' and Dick says people are all over him in annoyance whenever he's in Britain. 'If someone from the U.K. sees me, they're on me like a pack of wolves. I mean, it was the worst Cockney accent ever!'

Talk show set in a studio, evening backdrop with hills and lights, blue armchairs, moon-like image in sky, professional setting with no personal items visible.

Dick says it was the worst accent he's ever done! Dick defends himself, saying, 'But the guy who taught me was an Irishmen!' The two men also talk about how Dick is great at physical comedy.

Dick says he loved falling in scenes and would work on it in his free time. He says he never got hurt from falling because he had great 'falling form.' Dick Van Dyke is a comedy legend that enjoys poking fun at himself!