CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

On Dec. 18, 1968, many young moviegoers made a fine, four-fendered friend.

Dick Van Dyke

After playing inventor Caractacus Potts, Dick, who turns 93 on Dec. 13, constantly reinvented himself. He made the TV drama The Morning After, appeared on The Carol Burnett Show and starred on Diagnosis: Murder. His latest movie, Mary Poppins Returns, opens on Dec. 19.

Sally Ann Howes

Following her turn as Potts’ sweetie Truly Scrumptious, Sally, 88, had a delicious career on the stage — starring in tours of The King and I and My Fair Lady, performing operettas at NYC’s Lincoln Center and appearing on Broadway in the musical James Joyce’s The Dead.

Adrian Hall

Though Potts’ son Jeremy was known for being a bit of a truant, Adrian, who turns 60 on Jan. 1, couldn’t get enough of school. After some success doing West End theater, he became a teacher and is now the principal of London’s Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.

Heather Ripley

While Potts’ daughter Jemima loved her magical motor car, Heather, 59, wasn’t automatically taken with being a child star. In fact, she left showbiz after her one and only movie and eventually got into art, peace activism and website design as well as being a mother of two kids.