Mary Poppins (film)

Mary Poppins
Directed by	Robert Stevenson
Written by	Screenplay: Bill Walsh Don DaGradi Books: P. L. Travers
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Julie Andrews Dick Van Dyke
Cinematography	Edward Colman
Edited by	Cotton Warburton
Music by	Songs: Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman Score: Irwin Kostal
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates	August 27, Template:Fy
Running time	139 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6,000,000

For the 2004 stage musical, see Mary Poppins (musical).

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and produced by Walt Disney, based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.

                                                                                                STORY
                                                                                                -----
                        Larry Clemmons                                      Vance Gerry                                  Ken Anderson
                        Frank Thomas                                          Eric Cleworth                                Julius Svendsen
                                                                                           Ralph Wright

                             LAYOUT                                                ANIMATION                                 BACKGROUND
                             ------                                                 ---------                                 -----------
                      Artists Frank Thomas                 Art Directors  John B. Mansbridge    Styling John Hench                       
                                   Wolfgang Reitherman                            Peter Ellenshaw                        Art Riley
                      Styling Al Dempster       Production Designer Ken Anderson
                                   McLaren Stewart                Film Editor Lloyd Richardson
                                   Tom Codrick    Production Managers Edward Hansen
                                                                                                     Don A. Duckwall
                                        

                                                                                              CAST
                                                                                              ----
          Mary Poppins Julie Andrews                    The Thomas Family                    The Disney Family
                          Bert Dick Van Dyke             William Thomas Dean Thomas     Patty Disney Edna Disney
           Uncle Albert Ed Wynn                             Dick Thomas Oliver Thomas  Roy E. Disney Roy O. Disney
                                                                                      Frank Thomas

        Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse                         Peter Pan Bobby Driscoll                 Alice Kathryn Beaumont
          Donald Duck Clarence Nash                Captain Hook Hans Conried       Mad Hatter Ed Wynn
                       Goofy Pinto Colvig                                                                          White Rabbit Bill Thompson

                          Doc Roy Atwell                        Adult Flower Sterling Holloway Cleo/Figaro
             Snow White Adriana Caselotti                                           Cideon/Additional Voices Mel Blanc
                      Dopey Eddie Collins                                                                              Pinocchio Dickie Jones
      Sleepy/Grumpy Pinto Colvig
                     Sneezy Billy Gilbert                                                                           Big Bad Wolf Billy Bletcher
                      Happy Otis Harlan                                                                            Practical Pig Pinto Colvig
                    Bashful Scotty Mattraw                                                                             Fifer Pig Dorothy Compton
                                                                                                                                     Fiddler Pig Mary Moder
                                                                                       SECOND UNIT
                                                                                       ----------
                                                          Director of Photography Edward Colman, A.S.C.

                                                                             CAMERA and ELECTRIAL
                                                                             ------------------
                                                                   Camera Operators Travers Hill
                                                                                                     Alec Mills
                                                                                       Gaffers Jim Rose
                                                                                                    Nobby Cross
                                                                                                    Carl Boles

                                                                             Art Directors Carroll Clark
                                                                                                     William H. Tuntke
                                                                                 Film Editor Cotton Warburton, A.C.E.
                                                                          Set Decorators Emile Kuri
                                                                                                     Hal Gausman
                                                            Costumes Executed by Bill Thomas
                                                                                 Consultant P.L. Travers

                                                                     Sound Supervsior Robert O. Cook
                                                                              Sound Mixer Dean Thomas
                                                                                 Costumers Chuck Keehne
                                                                                                     Gertrude Casey
                                                                        Make-Up Artist Pat McNalley
                                                                                 Hair Stylist La Rue Matheron
                                                                  Assistant Directors Joseph L. McEveety
                                                                                                    Paul Feiner
                                                                             Music Editor Evelyn Kennedy
                                                                Dance Accompanist Nat Farber
                                                   Assistant to the Conductor James Macdonald

                                         Live Action Second Unit Director Arthur J. Vitarelli
                                                     Nursery Sequence Design Justice
                                                                                                   X Atencio
                                                                Animation Director Hamilton S. Luske
                                                         Animation Art Director McLaren Stewart

                                                                                            MUSIC
                                                                                            -----
                                                                          Music Director Freeman High
                                                                          Music & Lyrics Richard M. Sherman
                                                                                                    Leigh Harline
                                                                                                    Ned Washington
                                                                                                    Robert B. Sherman
                                                                                                    Paul J. Smith
                                                                                        Songs Oliver Wallace
                                                                                                    Frank Churchill
                                                                           Orchestration Edward Plumb
                                                                                                    Sidnby Fine
                                                             Choral Arrangements John Rarig
                                                                                                    Charles Henderson
                                                              Music Arrangements Freeman High
                                                              Vocal Arrangements Jud Conlon

                                                                     Choreographers Marc Breaux
                                                                                                   Dee Dee Wood
                                       Costumes and Design Consultant Tony Walton

                                                                                     Special Effects
                                                                      Peter Ellenshaw Eustace Lycett
                                                                   Robert A. Mattey Les Clark
                                                                              Danny Lee Alan Maley
                                                                              Ken Speed Ub Iwerks
                                                                                    Art Cruickshank

                                                                           Produced by Bill Walsh

                                                                              Written by Don DaGradi

                                                                            Directed by Robert Stevenson
                                                                              Animators Frank Thomas
                                                                                                 Les Clark
                                                                                                 Dick Lundy
                                                                                                 Fred Spencer
                                                                                                 Arthur Babbitt
                                                                                                 Bill Roberts
                                                                                                 Eric Larson
                                                                                                 Bernard Garbutt
                                                                                                 Milton Kahl
                                                                                                 Grim Natwick
                                                                                                 Robert Stokes
                                                                                                 Jack Campbell
                                                                                                 James Algar
                                                                                                Marvin Woodward
                                                                                                Al Eugster
                                                                                                James Culhame
                                                                                                Cy Young
                                                                                                Stan Quackenbush
                                                                                                Joshua Meador
                                                                                                Ward Kimball
                                                                                               Ugo D'Orsi
                                                                                               Woolie Reitherman
                                                                                               George Rowley
                                                                                               Robert Martsch
                                                               Effects Animators Josh Meador
                                                                                               George Rowley
                                                                                               Jack Boyd
                                                                                               Dan MacManus
                                                                                    Score Buddy Baker
                                                                                               George Bruns
                                                                                               Franklyn Marks
                                                                     Layout Artists Don Da Gradi
                                                                                              Al Zinnen
                                                                                              Ken O'Connor
                                                                                              Hugh Hennesy
                                                                                              John Hench
                                                                                              Glenn Scott
                                                          Background Artists Ed Starr
                                                                                             Claude Coats
                                                                                             Art Riley
                                                                                             Brice Mack
                                                                                             Rau Huffine
                                                                                             Ralph Hulett

                                                                       Title Design Walt Disney Home Entertainment
                                                                       Color Timer Mo Henry

                                                                  Soundtrack on Walt Disney Records

                                                                                     SONGS

                  "Spoonful of Sugar"                                                                                    "Jolly Holiday"
            Written by Julie Andrews                                                      Written by Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews
                                                                                                              Produced by Paul Frees, Marni Nixon, J. Pat
    "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"                                                          O'Malley and Thurl Ravenscroft
         Written by Richard Sherman
  Produced by Julie Andrews, Dick Van                                                                      "Stay Awake"
         Dyke and the Pearlie Chorus                                                                   Written by Julie Andrews

                    "I Love to Laugh"                                                                   "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)"
             Written by Julie Andrews                                                                      Written by Julie Andrews
      Produced by Dick Van Dyke and
                           Ed Wynn                                                                                         "Let's Go Fly A Kite"                                                           
                                                                                                                            Written by David Tomlinson
              "Chim-Chim Cher-Ee"                                                                      Produced by Dick Van Dyke
            Written by Julie Andrews
   Produced by Dick Van Dyke, Karen
        Dotrice and Matthew Garber

                                COPYRIGHT MILII ♦ WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS ♦ ALL RIGHTS REVERSED

                                                                                   ৳          ៛              Sound
                                                                            NO.51235                     -------
                                                                                                                   Recording

                                                                         PREMIERE OF WALT DISNEY'S MARY POPPINS

Production history

The first book was the main basis for the Walt Disney film Mary Poppins, a musical with mixed live action and animation which premiered on August 27, 1964. It was the Sherman Brothers, who composed the music and song score, and who were also involved in the picture's development, who suggested that the setting be changed from the 1930s to the Edwardian era. Julie Andrews, who was making her movie acting debut after a successful stage career, got the prime role of Mary Poppins soon after being passed over by Jack Warner and replaced with Audrey Hepburn for the role of Eliza Doolittle in his screen version of My Fair Lady, even though Andrews had originated the role on Broadway. Ironically, Andrews beat Hepburn for the coveted Best Actress Awards in both the Golden Globes and Academy Awards for their respective roles.

Disney cast Dick Van Dyke in the key supporting role of Bert, thanks to his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Van Dyke also played the senior Mr. Dawes in the film. Although he is fondly remembered for this film, Van Dyke's attempt at a Cockney accent (lapsing out of it at times) was nonetheless widely ridiculed and is still frequently parodied. It is still often cited as one of the worst attempts at a British accent by an American actor, a fact acknowledged with good humour by Van Dyke himself on the 2004 DVD release of the film.

According to the 40th Anniversary DVD release of the film in 2004, Walt Disney first attempted to purchase the film rights to Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers as early as 1938 but was rebuffed because Travers did not believe a film version of her books would do justice to her creation. In addition, Disney was known at the time primarily as a producer of cartoons and had yet to produce any major live action work. For more than 20 years, Disney periodically made efforts to convince Travers to allow him to make a Poppins movie. He finally succeeded in 1961, although Travers demanded and got script approval rights. The process of planning the film and composing the songs took about two years. Travers objected to a number of elements that actually made it into the movie. Rather than original songs, she wanted the soundtrack to feature known standards of the Edwardian period in which the movie was set. She also objected to the animated sequence. Disney overruled her, citing contract stipulations that he had final say on the finished print. Much of their correspondence is part of the Travers collection of papers in the Mitchell Library of New South Wales, Australia. The relationship between Travers and Disney is detailed in Mary Poppins She Wrote, a biography of Travers, by Valerie Lawson, The biography is the basis for two documentaries on Travers, The Real Mary Poppins and Lisa Matthews'The Shadow of Mary Poppins.

A number of other changes were necessary to condense the story into feature length. In the movie, there are only two Banks children, Jane and Michael. The satirical and mysterious aspects of the original book gave way to a cheerful and "Disneyfied" tone. Mary Poppins' character as portrayed by Andrews in the film is somewhat less vain and more sympathetic toward the children than the rather cold and intimidating nanny of the original book. Bert, as played by Van Dyke, was a composite of several characters from Travers' stories. Travers demanded that any suggestions of romance between Mary and Bert be eliminated, so lyrics were written for "Jolly Holiday" that clearly indicated that their friendship was purely platonic (some subtle hints of romance remain, however).

As mentioned above, Van Dyke played two roles in the film. Andrews did at least three: she provided the robin's whistling harmony during "A Spoonful of Sugar", and was also one of the Pearly singers during "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". David Tomlinson, besides playing Mr. Banks, also provided the voice of Mary's talking umbrella as well as numerous other voice-over parts (including that of Admiral Boom's first mate). During the "Jolly Holiday" sequence, the three singing Cockney geese were voiced by Marni Nixon. Nixon would later play one of Julie Andrews' fellow nuns in The Sound of Music; she also provided the singing voice for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

Cast and characters

File:Poppins.JPG

Audio-animatronic versions of Mary Poppins and Bert in The Great Movie Ride.

Mary Poppins

Main article: Mary Poppins (character)

"Practically perfect in every way". She comes down from the clouds in response to the Banks children's advertisement for a Nanny. She is not only firm in her use of authority, but kind and gentle as well (a major departure from the original books).

She was played by Julie Andrews. The film was very popular with the public, and Andrews won a Best Actress Oscar award for her role.

Bert

Bert, portrayed by Dick Van Dyke, is a jack-of-all-trades and Mary's closest normal friend who is notable in that he is completely accustomed to her magic. Their interaction, such as in the song "Jolly Holiday", makes it clear they have known each other for a long time, and that this kind of story has repeated itself many times. When she sails away at the end of the film, he asks her not to stay away too long.

Bert has at least four jobs during the movie: a one-man band, a sidewalk chalk artist (or "screever"), a chimney sweep, and a kite seller. Bert also hints at selling hot chestnuts. His various street-vending jobs meet with mixed financial success, but he retains his cheery disposition.

Bert also indirectly assists Mary Poppins in her mission to save the Banks family, as he plays a key role in helping the Banks children and Mr. Banks to understand each other better.

Mr. Banks

George Banks, played by David Tomlinson, is Mary Poppins' employer. He works at the Dawes Tomes Mousley Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank in the City of London, and lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane with his wife, Winifred, and their children. He is a driven and disciplined man (he could be called a "Type A personality" by modern standards) who hates the women's suffrage movement and tends to treat his children, wife, and servants as assets rather than persons — a fact clearly evidenced in his song "The Life I Lead". By the end of the movie, Mr. Banks' attitude towards his family, his job, and Mary Poppins herself has changed dramatically.

Melodies in the score punctuate the children's need for their father's attention and love, and most of the dramatic tension in the film involves his journey from disconnected family autocrat to fully engaged family man.

According to the Special Edition Soundtrack Bonus Disc, Mary Poppins was George's own nanny when he was a child. Travers intended to have the script hint this strongly in a few places, but it was largely left out of the movie, except for the following words in Bert's opening song, "Can't put me finger on what lies in store. .. But I feel what's to 'appen, all 'appened before. ..!" and George's own statement to the elder Mr. Dawes that "Poppins" was "my nanny". However, in Banks' initial interview with Mary Poppins, there is little or no indication that the two have ever met before, and his description of her as "my nanny" could easily be meant in the same way as "my maid" or "my cook".

Mrs. Banks

Mrs. Winifred Banks, played by Glynis Johns, wife of George Banks and the mother of Jane and Michael. She is more fully developed in the movie than in the books. She is depicted as a member of Emmeline Pankhurst's suffragette movement and appears to neglect her children for her duties as a suffragette. Her main outfit is a blue and orange Edwardian-style dress with a white and blue sash that reads "Votes for Women" in black letters. She wears white gloves in the film (as did most Edwardian English women). Her song in the movie is "Sister Suffragette", which she sings with the other two women of the household staff.

She is more sensitive to the needs of the children than her husband is, but also finds herself starved for his attention. As with the children, it is clear she loves George very much, but he is too wrapped up in his view of the way things "ought to be" to return her love satisfactorily. She only refers to him by his name and "dear", which was common among Edwardian wives. (George only addresses his wife by her name only, common among Edwardian husbands.) Mrs Banks was originally named "Cynthia", but this was quickly changed to the more "English-sounding" Winifred.

Mrs. Banks' four "Votes for Women" sashes from the movie have all survived. One can be seen being "pulled out" of Richard M. Sherman's "special musicians' trunk" on the Musical Journey seen on the 2004 DVD release.

As an interesting side-bar, Mrs. Banks and Mary Poppins never speak to each other, at least in the movie. In the book, they do speak to one another.

The Banks children

While the Banks family in the original novel had several children, only Jane and Michael appear in the movie. They were played by Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber. Despite Katie Nanna's stormy departure, suggesting that the children are impossibly undisciplined, the children themselves come across as mostly sweet and innocent.

All they want is for their father to love them, and they have falsely interpreted his indifference to their needs as disliking them. They have tried to live up to his demands on them, which has only left them with shaky self-esteem. Those elements come together in a bit of dialogue early in the film, in which they explain that they did not run away from Katie Nanna, their kite took them away from her. They say that the kite is not very good, because they made it themselves. They suggest to their father that if he could help them with it, it would turn out better. At that point, Banks is too wrapped up in his philosophy, that a British household should be run like a British bank, to take this strongest of hints.

After inadvertently causing a run on the bank, the children give their father their tuppence, expressing the hope that it will make things right. At that moment, Mr. Banks finally understands, and his priorities take a 180-degree turn, leading to the film's happy resolution.

Minor characters

• Ellen, the maid (Hermione Baddeley)
• Mrs. Brill, the cook (Reta Shaw)
• Admiral Boom, the Banks's neighbor and a naval capain. He fires a cannon from his roof every day. He is known for his punctuality. (Reginald Owen)
• Mr. Binnacle, Admiral Boom's first mate (Don Barclay)
• Constable Jones (Arthur Treacher)
• Katie Nanna, the disgruntled nanny who quits the Banks family. (Elsa Lanchester)
• Mr. Dawes Sr., the elderly director of the bank where Mr. Banks works (Dick Van Dyke); he literally dies laughing toward the end of the film
• Mr. Dawes Jr., the director's son and member of the board (Arthur Malet)
• Uncle Albert, a jolly, portly gentleman who loves to laugh uncontrollably and floats up every time he does so (Ed Wynn); it also happens to other characters in the movie
• The bird woman (Jane Darwell in her final film appearance)

Songs

• Overture — Orchestral medley of several of the songs from the film, including "Feed the Birds", "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
• "Jolly Holiday" — A few bars of the song, played by Dick Van Dyke with his "one man band" gear.
• "Sister Suffragette" — Dick Van Dyke, Glynis Johns, Hermione Baddeley and Reta Shaw, with non-singing interruptions by Elsa Lanchester. Initially heard in an a cappella rendition by Johns, just prior to singing the full, orchestra-accompanied song with the house staff; and a music-only version in the "Step in Time" sequence.
• "The Life I Lead" — David Tomlinson(later reprised with Julie Andrews)
• "The Perfect Nanny" — Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber
• "A Spoonful of Sugar" — Julie Andrews (the 2004 DVD release reveals that Andrews also performed the bird's whistling during this number)
• "Jolly Holiday" — Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, with Thurl Ravenscroft, Marni Nixon, Paul Frees and others
• "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" — Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke with J. Pat O'Malley and others
• "Stay Awake" — Julie Andrews
• "I Love to Laugh" — David Tomlinson, Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews and Ed Wynn
• "Feed the Birds" — Julie Andrews (Walt Disney's favorite song from the score, and the leadoff melody in the overture)
• "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank" — Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson and others
• "Chim Chim Cher-ee" — Performed several times with different lyrics by Dick Van Dyke; also performed by Van Dyke with Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber (won the Academy Award for Best Original Song)
• "Step in Time" — Dick Van Dyke
• "A Man Has Dreams" — David Tomlinson and Dick Van Dyke. This is a slower-paced rendition of "The Life I Lead" which incorporates a modified version of "A Spoonful of Sugar".
• "Feed the Birds" — Orchestral and choral reprise, played over Mr. Banks's solitary walk to the bank at night.
• "Let's Go Fly a Kite" — Glynis Johns, David Tomlinson, Dick Van Dyke and others.
• Closing credits theme — Includes an instrumental reprise of "Spoonful of Sugar" followed by a choral reprise of "Let's Go Fly a Kite".

In 2004, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was ranked #36 in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest Songs in Movie History.

Deleted songs

A number of other songs were written for the film by the Sherman Brothers and either rejected or cut for time. Richard Sherman, on the 2004 DVD release, indicated that more than 30 songs were written at various stages of the film's development. No cast recordings of any of these songs have been released to the public, only demos or later performances done by the songwriters — with the exception of the rooftop reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" and the "smoke staircase yodel" mentioned below.

• "The Chimpanzoo", was originally to follow "I Love to Laugh" during the Uncle Albert "ceiling tea party" sequence, but it was dropped from the soundtrack just before Julie Andrews and company were to record it. The fast-paced number was not unveiled to the public until Richard Sherman, aided by recently uncovered storyboards, performed it on the 2004 DVD edition. The recreation suggests it was to have been another sequence combining animation and live action.
• "Practically Perfect" was intended to introduce Mary but instead the melody of the piece was used for "Sister Suffragette" (used to introduce Winifred (Mrs. Banks)). A different song with the same name was written for the stage musical.
• "The Eyes of Love", a romantic ballad, was intended for Bert and Mary, but according to the Shermans this song was vetoed by Julie Andrews herself.
• "Mary Poppins Melody" was to be performed when Mary introduces herself to the children. Elements of the song later became part of "Stay Awake". The melody was the basis for a couple of other songs that were ultimately cut from the film.
• "A Name's a Name". Heard on a recording taken of a meeting between the Sherman Brothers and P.L. Travers, this song was originally intended for the nursery scene that later became "A Spoonful of Sugar." The melody was reused for "Mary Poppins Melody".
• "You Think, You Blink" was a short piece that Bert was to sing just before entering the chalk painting (and starting the "Jolly Holiday" sequence). In the film, Dick Van Dyke simply recites the lyric instead of singing it.
• "West Wind" was a short ballad to be sung by Mary. The song was later retitled "Mon Amour Perdu" and used in the later Disney film, Big Red.
• "The Right Side" was to be sung by Mary to Michael Banks after he gets out of bed cranky. It was recycled for the Disney Channel television series, Welcome to Pooh Corner as Winnie the Pooh's personal theme song.
• "Measure Up" was to accompany the scene in which Mary takes the tape measure to Jane and Michael.
• "Admiral Boom" was to be the theme song for the cannon-firing neighbor of the Banks Residence, but it was cut by Walt Disney as being unnecessary. The melody of the song remains in the film, and the bombastic theme is heard whenever Boom appears onscreen. One line from this song ("The whole world takes its time from Greenwich, but Greenwich, they say, takes its time from Admiral Boom!") is spoken by Bert early in the film.
• "Sticks, Paper and Strings" was an early version of "Let's Go Fly a Kite."
• "Lead the Righteous Life", an intentionally poorly-written hymn, was to have been sung by Katie Nanna (Elsa Lanchester) along with Jane and Michael prior to Mary Poppins' arrival. The melody was later reused for a similar song in The Happiest Millionaire
• "The Pearly Song" was not deleted per se but was instead incorporated into "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".

The Compass Sequence, a precursor to "Jolly Holiday", was to be a multiple-song sequence. A number of possible musical components have been identified:

• "South Sea Island Symphony"
• "Chinese Festival Song"
• "Tim-buc-too" — elements of this were reused for "The Chimpanzoo" which was also cut
• "Tiki Town" — the melody was reused for "The Chimpanzoo"
• "North Pole Polka"
• "Land of Sand" — later rewritten as "Trust in Me" for the animated version of The Jungle Book
• "The Beautiful Briny" — later used in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• "East is East" — another variation on the unused "Mary Poppins Melody".

Deleted Scores and Music

• The "Step in Time" sequence ends with the chimney sweeps being scattered by an onslaught of fireworks fired from Admiral Boom's house. In the final film, the scene plays out with sound effects and no music. The DVD release included the original version of the scene which was accompanied by a complex instrumental musical arrangement that combined "Step in Time", the "Admiral Boom" melody (see above), and "A Spoonful of Sugar". This musical arrangement can be heard on the film's original soundtrack.
• Andrews recorded a brief reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" which was to have accompanied Mary, Bert, and the children as they marched across the rooftops of London (an instrumental reprise of "A Spoonful of Sugar" was used as a march instead; however, Andrews and Dick Van Dyke can still be seen and heard singing a reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" in that sequence, just before the other chimney sweeps appear for the "Step in Time" number).
• The robin Mary Poppins whistles with in "A Spoonful of Sugar" originally sang a lyric as well.
• Andrews also recorded a brief yodel which breaks into the first line of "A Spoonful of Sugar" which was to have been used to "activate" the smoke staircase prior to the "Step in Time" number. Although cut from the film, footage of Andrews performing this exists and was included on the 2004 DVD. The DVD also indicates that an alternate version of the yodel performed by Dick Van Dyke may also exist.

Awards and honors

Academy Awards

The film received 13 Academy Awards nominations and won 5 awards:

• Best Actress -- Julie Andrews
• Best Film Editing
• Original Music Score
• Best Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee"
• Special Visual Effects

Nominated

• Best Art Direction (Color) (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Cinematography (Color) (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Costume Design (Color) (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Director -- Robert Stevenson (My Fair Lady won)
• Music (Scoring of Music--adaptation or treatment) (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Picture (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Sound (My Fair Lady won)
• Best Adapted Screenplay (Becket won)

American Film Institute recognition

• 2004 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs:
  • "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" #36
• 2006 AFI's 100 Years of Musicals #6

Home video releases

Mary Poppins was first released in the Early 1980s on VHS and laserdisc. In 1994, it was re-released as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. In 1998, this movie became Disney's first DVD. Two years later, it was released on VHS and DVD as part of the Gold Classic Collection. In 2004, it had its 2-Disc DVD Release in a Digitally Restored 40th Anniversary Edition.

The Cat That Looked at a King

In 2004, Julie Andrews appeared in an animated/live action short that was produced by DisneyToon Studios for the 40th Anniversary DVD release of the 1964 film. Entitled The Cat That Looked at a King, the film was based upon part of the P.L. Travers book Mary Poppins Opens the Door and could be seen as something of a sequel or followup to the movie.

The film opens in the modern day with two British children looking at chalk drawings at the same location where Bert did his artwork in the original movie (the set was recreated, down to the last detail using the originals, according to Julie Andrews). Andrews, dressed in modern clothes, greets the children and takes them into the chalk drawing where they watch the tale unfold. The King and the Prime Minister are both voiced by David Ogden Stiers, while the king's wife is voiced by Sarah Ferguson and the cat by Tracey Ullman.

Whether Andrews is playing a modern-day Mary Poppins or not is left to the viewer's imagination, although some sources identify Andrews' character as Mary Poppins. You can also see the shadow of Mary Poppins when she looks down at the live action cat towards the end. [1]

Miscellany

• The Penguins from Mary Poppins can regularly be seen on the TV Show Disney's House of Mouse. They reappear in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, serving patrons at the Ink & Paint Club (one of the many character-related anachronisms in the film, which was set in 1947, seventeen years before the release of Mary Poppins) .
• In a poll conducted by Channel 4 (UK TV channel) in 2003, Mary Poppins was voted the 5^th best musical of all time .
• Mary Poppins, Bert, and the penguins appear at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as meetable characters.
• At the world premiere of the film, a fundraiser was held for the opening of the new school, CalArts.

In popular culture

• The Simpsons episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" heavily parodies the movie. Plus, a Special Feature on the Simpsons Movie DVD includes a reference; When American Idol's Simon Cowell is being judged on his vocal performance by the Simpsons, Homer heavily criticises him: "Lose the accent, Mary Poppins! This is American Idol!"
• In the The Fairly OddParents episode "Remy Rides Again", after Remy sends Vicky into space, Timmy's new babysitter is Susie Califragilistic, and her personality (and name) is an obvious parody of Mary Poppins (and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious). Also, in the episode "No Substitute For Crazy", the substitute teacher Ms. Sunshine is a parody of Mary Poppins herself, along with all the variations of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious used in the episode by Ms. Sunshine and Cosmo.
• In an episode of That '70s Show, Red asks his son whether he is "ill-tempered", and Eric carefully says that he acts just like Mary Poppins.
• The Penguin waiters appear in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
• The film Run Ronnie Run has a short segment parodying the rooftop chimneysweep dance.
• The show MADtv (in Season 6) parodied the movie with Julie Andrews (played by Mo Collins) showing a cut scene where Mary Poppins hires illegal aliens to do the house work. Here are the parodies of the songs from that skit:
  • "Just a Few Illegal Aliens (Helps the Housework Get Done)" is a parody of "A Spoonful of Sugar."
  • "Chimichanga" is a parody of "Chim Chim Cher-ee."
  • "Immigration and Naturalization Service" is a parody of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."
• In The Odd Couple, Oscar, complaining about his neat-freak roommate Felix, says, "I'm stuck here with Mary Poppins 24 hours a day."
• At the Frontierland Train Station in Walt Disney World, according to "The Imagineering Field Guide to the Magic Kingdom," there is a wooden leg with the name "Smith" written on it, a reference to a joke made by Bert and Uncle Albert at the floating tea party.
• In the opening scene of the VeggieTales episode The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's (parody of the Wizard of Oz), a scallion (she doesn't look anything like Petunia Rhubarb) sporting Mary's hairdo and carrying an umbrella and carpet bag is whizzed into the scene, saying with a Valley-Girl accent "This isn't London. Is it? Sorry!...." before being blown away again.
• In one strip of Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin has the hiccups and he can’t find a way to get rid of them. Hobbes suggests that maybe eating a spoonful of sugar is supposed to help. Calvin tries it and Hobbes asks if he's cured. Calvin replies no, he better eat some more.
• In Cobra Starship's song "Hollaback Boy" (a parody of Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"), Gabe Saporta goes to sing "This shit is... Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and continues on to spell it, but stops when the music fades.
• One episode of Doctor Who, the popular science fiction BBC television show, "The Fires of Pompeii", incorporates a running gag from the film. A Roman family living in Pompeii protect their valuable objects from breakage due to earthquakes caused by Mount Vesuvius, similar to the Banks family protecting their valuables from the cannon fire of Admiral Boom.
• In the Family Guy episode, Padre de Familia, Peter Griffin mentions that he used to have a job as a nanny, which is then followed by a cutaway scene showing two children, highly resembling Jane and Michael Banks, discussing what their new nanny will be like, before Peter falls through the ceiling dressed as Mary Poppins and holding an umbrella, flattening the children.

See also

• Mary Poppins (musical) by Disney Theatrical
• Films considered the greatest ever

External links

• Mary Poppins at IMDb
• Mary Poppins at the TCM Movie Database
• Template:Amg movie
• Template:Mpdb movie