What about Arlene and the Vantastix? Who could they possibly be? The name contains a hint. The term Vantastix is a play on the surname of the late actor and entertainer Dick Van Dyke. For the past 65 years, Van Dyke has been a fixture on radio, stage, television, and the big screen. Outside of the United States, he is most known for his films. Van Dyke’s wife is Arlene Silver.
The pair met in 2006 while Silver was working as a cosmetics artist at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Van Dyke eventually employed her as a makeup artist, but romance bloomed until after the death of Van Dyke’s second wife. Silver and Van Dyke both like singing and dancing, and it is clear in this amusing and endearing film.
Doris Day initially recorded Everybody Loves a Lover (lyrics by Richard Adler, music by Robert Allen). The song was significantly altered for the Shirelles’ 1962 album, and this version served as the pattern for many subsequent renditions. Nevertheless, Arlene & The Vantastix adhere to Doris Day’s original, which is not surprising given that Van Dyke founded the Vantastix as a barbershop quartet in 2000. Arlene seems sassy and sparkly as the song begins with a finger-poppin’ beat.
As amazing as Alene Silver is, the song takes a step forward around 36 seconds when a familiar, sonorous male voice begins scatting in the background. Of course, this is Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke, who is amazingly in fine voice for a 96-year-old, quickly takes a verse before the rest of the Vantastix begin harmonizing and trumpeter Tony Guerrero steps on. Van Dyke’s voice and phrasing recall memories, making the song a delectable delicacy. So, how does it compare to the classic Doris Day film?
It’s easy to understand why Alene Silver and Dick Van Dyke enjoy the song. Doris Day is amazing in the video, and the music is fantastic as well. One might see Alene and Dick performing the song in their kitchen together. “My wife is a good singer and dancer, so there’s a lot of singing and dancing going on around here,” Van Dyke told PEOPLE magazine in 2015. When I woke up the other morning, she was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes with her tap shoes on, tap dancing while she did the dishes.”
Arlene Silver is 46 years younger than her spouse, which is no secret. In this regard, Van Dyke quipped soon after their 2012 marriage that Arlene is very mature for her age, while he is immature for his, “so it is just about right” and one of the smartest moves he ever made.
Arlene Silver created the video for Arlene & The Vantastix’s Everybody Loves a Lover at the SUPERSHOW LA art installation by David Allen Burns and Austin Young (aka Fallen Fruit). The video is full of allusions and winks to Dick Van Dyke performances, but two stand out. Van Dyke trips over an ottoman in the opening credits of the Dick Van Dyke program (CBS, 1961–1967). Van Dyke avoids an ottoman with a side-stepping dancing maneuver at the conclusion of the Arlene & The Vantastix film. Another interesting feature is that everyone is dressed in sweaters from Van Dyke’s 1960s sweater collection (The Dick Van Dyke Collection). The video release was timed for Valentine’s Day 2022, with the bonus that Silver and Van Dyke’s wedding anniversary falls on February 29. (They married in a leap year; in other years, they celebrate on the 28th.)
The Vantastix also includes Eric Bradley, Bryan Chadima, and Mike Mendyke, in addition to Dick van Dyke. Arlene Silver frequently joins them.
Dick Van Dyke’s many movies include Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), The Comic (1969), Night at the Museum (2006), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018).