60 years, Walt Disney released his greatest film, with Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson,Glynis Johns(RIP) and JULIE ANDREWS (later in PRINCESS DIARIES!!) as Mary Poppins,with kids Karen Dotrice & Matt Garber),plus appearances along the way by Ed Wynn and others! With classic songs by (two brothers already coming into their own in 50s) Richard M.Sherman and Robert B.Sherman, based on (the unwilling) P.L.Travers, story by Bill DaGradi,itself the subject of the Tom Hanks (Walt) and Emma Thompson (P.L.Travers) 2013 Disney/BBC flick SAVING MISTER BANKS, and finally with the Emily Blunt/Lin Manuel-Miranda(and adult and kid costars) in MARY POPPINS RETURNS (below), MARY POPPINS very earsily swept the box office AND Oscars with The Shermans's CHIM CHIMINY CHIM CHIM CHERIE (though, frankly, if you want MY Poppins tuppence, I stand firmly with Walt Disney himself with TUPPENCE A BAG sung so movingly by Mary/Julie to Jane and Michael.)
Historically, the history of this Disney musical masterpiece followed this narrative:
Walt was reading stories to his younger daughters Sharon (ignored by many biographies) and Diane of the nanny,with the girls themselves suggesting it.So Walt tried to get Aussie/Brit author Pamela L.Travers to agree, but we know how all that turned out..a) rejecting him, b)him trying to get her to agree, and then finally in 1961 (so says SAVING MR BANKS), PLT (VERY reluctantly) agreeing, but making a LOT of conditions (you can go to Internet Movie Database to MARY POPPINS and SAVING MR.BANKS) and,of course, stream SMB on YT, Disney+, or Amazon or whatever.)
For additional cast,esp.in the JOLLY HOLIDAY and SUPERX, voices included Dal McKennon(The Fox), Dave Tomlinson, Paul Frees,and even Daws Butler (all of them various animals). Even Julie Andrews, the Shermans, choreographer Marc Breaux, and vocal director Mike Sammes were heard..as the laambs Ginny Tyler sings for them. Additional live cast members would be Reta Shaw & Hermione Baddely as Mr.Banks other domestic help, Don Barclay as Admiral Boom, and actor/fish and chips master extroadinare playing the constable(?) Arthur Treacher!!
As for the kids Karen Dotrice (Jane Banks, reappearing as an "Elegant Woman"in MPR) and Matt Garber (Michael Banks), had already appeared in 1963's Disney film, THE THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA (talk about forgotten Disney live films of the era!) and also as far as Disney's concerned, did one other, 1967's THE GNOME MOBILE (I'm from the same era, and harbored a little crush,by 1967 on Karen..:))
With Disney getting his ONE Oscar nomination for a movie itself in his lifetime, many awards, a big legacy for his choreography,music songs,setting (DISNEY's own American studio!!) and of course,,the performers,Karen and Mike included, MARY POPPINS remains a classic.One last thing, Dave Tomlinson contributed one other thing: the cameo of Mary's talking parrot head umbrella.
And always remember, she doesn't have to explain anything.
"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all"-Yondo, GUARDIANS OF THE
GALAXY 2,2017
