The annual Mother’s Day show benefiting local high school choirs took place Sunday afternoon at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The show is sponsored by the Harmony Oaks Chorus.

This year’s theme choice, “Songs of the Silver Screen,” was mystifying since many of the songs performed had nothing to do with motion pictures.

The benefit’s usual host, Dick Van Dyke, was unable to participate in this year’s show due to an injury that would have prevented him from performing. In addition he had a commitment to a book tour, which required him to be on the East Coast.

Van Dyke has been the biggest draw for the annual showcase as well as its champion. His tireless efforts and true passion for the high school choral programs have been invaluable over the years; he often made appearances at school rehearsals and enjoyed participating in the show itself.

Van Dyke’s replacement was former radio and game show host Wink Martindale. To his credit, Martindale, a seasoned emcee, did what he could to pick up the slack, but he was underprepared and disengaged from the proceedings, reading a series of jokes (mostly aimed at senior citizens) from note cards, introducing acts out of order and not involving himself with any of the performers, as Van Dyke does.

It’s apparent that Van Dyke is the spark plug that makes this engine run, and the audience’s disappointment at his absence was palpable in the half-filled theater, a noticeable difference from the usual capacity crowd.

Regardless, the five schools that participated in the concert soldiered on, with many superb performances staged.

The all-male Harmony Oaks Chorus opened the proceedings, with its members dressed as characters from “The Wizard of Oz.” (Yes, there was even one gentleman dressed as Dorothy.) The whimsical medley that ensued got the show off to a fun and tuneful start.

Newbury Park High School’s choir program, led by John Sargent, continues to be the class act of the region. Two quartets reprised songs from the school’s spring concert, an all-female rendition of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” and a male quartet version of the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four.” The school’s disciplined choir presented a dazzling medley of songs from the Broadway musical “Fame,” highlighted by the propulsive drumming of Scott Mundy.

Santa Susana High School’s choir performed a medley titled “Let’s Go to the Movies,” which featured show choir renditions of film songs, including “9 to 5,” “I Will Always Love You” (from “The Bodyguard”), and “Let the River Run” (from “Working Girl”).

Two smaller ensembles also performed. The school’s Abbey Road Jazz Choir sang an unusual boppish arrangement of “My Favorite Things” and a medley of songs made famous by Michael Jackson; the group Big Trouble sang Johnny Mercer’s “Jeepers Creepers.”

Oak Park High School has one of the up-and-coming choral programs in the area, with Heidi Cissell providing the leadership and spark. Noteworthy was the ensemble’s moving performance of “You’ll Be in My Heart” from “Tarzan.” The Dream Girls, a female quintet, presented a lovely version of the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

El Camino Real’s excellently performed segment was highlighted by a medley of songs from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” and the Andrews Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”

Camarillo High School’s choir focused on an ambitious show choir set that included “Lullaby of Broadway” and Gershwin’s “Somebody Loves Me.”

Sound Check and Harmony Connection, two splinter groups from the Harmony Oaks Chorus, were both entertaining, but their respective sets were too long, taking time away from the high school groups.