Mary Poppins (600th post!)

Happy 600th post!  To celebrate, let's keep with the tradition of reviewing a musical made before I was born: 100 ... 200 ... 300 ... 400 ... 500

"Kindly do not attempt to cloud the issue with facts."

The Banks family of Cherry Tree Lane do not communicate.  Mr. Banks (Tomlinson) works in a bank and desires a strict schedule for his life.  His wife, Mrs. Banks (Johns), is a leader of the suffragette movement and spends her days at rallies.  Their children, Jane (Dotrice) and Michael (Garber), continually escape the care of their nanny, who quits without notice.  The children write an ad for the qualities they want in a new nanny, which their father dismisses as childish nonsense.

The following day the ad is answered by Mary Poppins (Andrews), who meets all of their qualifications and impresses their father.   Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way and with the help of her friend Bert (Van Dyke) takes the children on a series of adventures.  Can she shake up the Banks family before the wind changes?

I have a deep love for this film.  I grew up watching it and have watched it countless times in my 20+ years (I know all the songs and can quote portions of the film).  Within the last year or so, the film has gained a new place in my heart since it my 2 year old niece's favorite film (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a close second favorite).  She sings the songs and likes to quote Admiral Boom, talking about "hottentots" and "cheeky devils," it is adorable.

The film is a well-loved Disney classic, but making the film was not easy.  The story is based on P.L. Travers "Mary Poppins" books.  Travers published “Mary Poppins” in 1934.  For over 20 years Walt Disney tried to convince Travers to allow him to make the film.  She finally agreed in the 1960s, but often disagreed with Disney over the tone and other details of the film.  The relationship / discussions between Travers and Disney have produced a book (Travers’ biography Mary Poppins She Wrote), 2 documentaries (The Real Mary Poppins and The Shadow of Mary Poppins), and the upcoming film Saving Mr. Banks (starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson).


Ultimately, Disney made a musical, with original songs by Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman.  The film won 5 Academy Awards (out of 13 nominations), including wins for the Sherman Brothers and Julie Andrews.  The film endures as a family favorite and was turned into a West End and Broadway musical.

Julie Andrews is incredible as Mary Poppins.  Prior to making the film, she was a star of Broadway, wowing crowds in The Boyfriend, originating the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady, Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, and Camelot.  She has an incredible voice and owns every scene of the film... and somehow she was overlooked for the film version My Fair Lady, but at the end of the day, she got the last laugh when she won the Oscar over Audrey Hepburn (who played Eliza in MFL).  Dick Van Dyke is funny as Bert, and gets to lead the great "Step In Time" song and dance, and he completely disappears into the role of Mr. Dawes Senior.  The kids are Disney regulars and are cute in their roles.  David Tomlinson is great as Mr. Banks.

I still love this film after all these years, and I look forward to seeing the Broadway musical in a few weeks!

Mary Poppins (1964) 139 minutes
Director: Robert Stevenson
Starring: Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins
Dick Van Dyke as Bert / Mr. Dawes Senior
David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks
Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks
Hermione Baddeley as Ellen
Reta Shaw as Mrs. Brill
Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks
Matthew Garber as Michael Banks
Arthur Treacher as The Constable
Reginald Owen as Admiral Boom
Ed Wynn as Uncle Albert
Jane Darwell as The Bird Woman
Arthur Malet as Mr. Dawes Junior