DANVILLE — A longtime fan turned historian is debuting his book, “From Fandom to Friendships,” an interactive digital book featuring decades of memories, interviews, recordings, and more, timed to the 65th anniversary of “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
Author David Van Deusen may not have watched the “Dick Van Dyke Show” in its first run, but he became the go-to historical record of all things Van Dyke.
“I think I appreciated several things, although I didn’t realize at the time why it was,” he said, recalling Van Dyke’s physical comedy and “the way that he could bend and move his body.”
Van Deusen was only a year old when “The Dick Van Dyke Show” first aired, but he became a fan as a child watching the show’s daytime reruns, then rewatched it with his children, before binge-watching became a thing.
“They really held up, and they were really good,” he said.
And when Van Deusen went looking for a Dick Van Dyke Show fan club — there wasn’t one, so he started his own — which is how he created his new digital read. But everything got its start decades ago with “The Walnut Times,” a newsletter he launched in 1995 that ran for 20 years.
“I sort of feel as though now I’m sort of a historian, an archivist for the show,” he said. “I’m just doing all that I can to preserve the legacy of the show and keep it going.”
The “Walnut Times” became more than a place to share show history. It helped Van Deusen build friendships with cast members, including Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Rose Marie and Larry Mathews. Reiner called him “the other DVD,” while Van Dyke gave him the nickname “the head walnut,” a nod to his role as the newsletter’s publisher and editor.
Readers can follow links from the book to recordings and videos on his YouTube channel, including interviews with cast members and more. However, the hyperlinks do not work on the Kindle device — so Van Deusen says he included QR codes to create easy access to the tidbits of history.
“As you’re reading, you click on a link, and it takes you to my YouTube channel,” he said, where readers can hear people such as Van Dyke, Marie and Reiner. Van Deusen believes the archive offers fans a chance to see the cast in a different way. “I think fans get a very different look at the cast — as people.”
Van Deusen’s connection to Danville grew through Greg Williams, a Walnut Times subscriber who later became his editor. In 2006, Williams arranged a library event for Van Deusen’s first book in 2006 at the Danville Public Library. At that time he also threw out the first pitch at a Danville Dans game.
To purchase Van Deusen’s book, ‘From Fandom to Friendships,’ go to this website: https://payhip.com/theotherDVD.
There is also a live Zoom event happening this Saturday to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the “Dick Van Dyke Show.” It will take place at 7 p.m. (Eastern), for a fee of $5. If you are interested in securing your spot, Van Deusen says to follow the instructions on this website:https://tinyurl.com/65thDVDSRegistration
He added there will be an extended podcast and a documentary with updated information soon.
“I had some very unique experiences with the cast from the show,” he said.
“Do you think people are really going to be interested in this?” he recalled asking people around him as he wrote.
The response from fans reassured him: “They feel my writing style is such that they feel like they’re sort of on the journey with me.
He says he sees the work as a way to keep the show’s history alive — and to help fans experience it through the voices and memories of the people who made it.