Mary Poppins (1964)
Julie Andrews famously joked at the podium, “I’ve heard of American hospitality, but this is ridiculous!” when she received an Academy Award for Mary Poppins. When she won her Golden Globe, she seemed to sincerely thank Jack Warner for “making all this possible” – but she had the last laugh. Warner vetoed her involvement in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady, giving her the opportunity to win an Oscar for a different movie in the same year; and Audrey Hepburn wasn’t even nominated.
While most of us can agree that Julie’s Oscar win for playing the stern, magical nanny was ridiculous, this iconic movie is very cute. She looks absolutely beautiful and certainly lives up to the children’s request of “practically perfect in every way”. The costumes, special effects, and charming scenery are all top-notch, and the Sherman brothers’ songs have never been better. As a member of the board of the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, I very happily cast my vote for Miss Andrews in The Sound of Music instead. Hopefully she won’t have hurt feelings that we “righted the wrong”; Mary Poppins did win Best Picture at the Rags.
Ironically, I’ve probably watched Saving Mr. Banks more times than Mary Poppins, but seeing the struggles of how Disney created the film has given me a new appreciation for the 1964 classic. I didn’t realize, until Tom Hanks spelled it out in the “pseudo-prequel”, that David Tomlinson (why wasn’t his part played by David Niven?) was the one who received the most help. I also didn’t notice, until revisiting the movie as a grown-up, that Mary Poppins hardly does any work at all – it’s Bert who has the great influence on the father!
At two-and-a-half hours, the long running time makes it a perfect babysitter for your kids. You can wash the dishes, do the laundry, phone your mother, make dinner, clean all the bathrooms, and still make it back in time for “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. Don’t count on all that productivity, though. You’ll have to stay to hear the opening music, and while you’re still tapping your toe, Dick Van Dyke will charm you with his magnetic energy and sweet Cockney accent (why does he continue to apologize for it?). You’ll figure you might as well stick around just until Julie Andrews shows up. “A Spoonful of Sugar” will remind you that the bathrooms do need cleaning, but it’ll be more tempting to stick around for the chalk painting adventures instead. Oh, who are you kidding? The only times you’ll leave the room are to make more popcorn.
More Julie Andrews movies here!
More Dick Van Dyke movies here!
While most of us can agree that Julie’s Oscar win for playing the stern, magical nanny was ridiculous, this iconic movie is very cute. She looks absolutely beautiful and certainly lives up to the children’s request of “practically perfect in every way”. The costumes, special effects, and charming scenery are all top-notch, and the Sherman brothers’ songs have never been better. As a member of the board of the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, I very happily cast my vote for Miss Andrews in The Sound of Music instead. Hopefully she won’t have hurt feelings that we “righted the wrong”; Mary Poppins did win Best Picture at the Rags.
Ironically, I’ve probably watched Saving Mr. Banks more times than Mary Poppins, but seeing the struggles of how Disney created the film has given me a new appreciation for the 1964 classic. I didn’t realize, until Tom Hanks spelled it out in the “pseudo-prequel”, that David Tomlinson (why wasn’t his part played by David Niven?) was the one who received the most help. I also didn’t notice, until revisiting the movie as a grown-up, that Mary Poppins hardly does any work at all – it’s Bert who has the great influence on the father!
At two-and-a-half hours, the long running time makes it a perfect babysitter for your kids. You can wash the dishes, do the laundry, phone your mother, make dinner, clean all the bathrooms, and still make it back in time for “Let’s Go Fly a Kite”. Don’t count on all that productivity, though. You’ll have to stay to hear the opening music, and while you’re still tapping your toe, Dick Van Dyke will charm you with his magnetic energy and sweet Cockney accent (why does he continue to apologize for it?). You’ll figure you might as well stick around just until Julie Andrews shows up. “A Spoonful of Sugar” will remind you that the bathrooms do need cleaning, but it’ll be more tempting to stick around for the chalk painting adventures instead. Oh, who are you kidding? The only times you’ll leave the room are to make more popcorn.
More Julie Andrews movies here!
More Dick Van Dyke movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Picture of 1964
Best Director: Robert Stevenson
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Actor: Dick Van Dyke
Best Comedic Screenplay
Best Musical Score: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Best Original Song: "Feed the Birds"