Mary Poppins (1964)

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Bill Walsh (screenplay) &
Don DaGradi (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 September 1964 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

See It Again and Again with that Supercalifragilistic Music! [re-release Australia 1976]

Plot:

A magic nanny comes to work for a cold banker's unhappy family.

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Banker | Bank | Nanny | Umbrella

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Julie Andrews	...	Mary Poppins
Dick Van Dyke	...	Bert / Mr. Dawes Senior (also as Navckid Keyd)
David Tomlinson	...	Mr. Banks
Glynis Johns	...	Mrs. Banks
Hermione Baddeley	...	The Domestic
Reta Shaw	...	The Domestic
Karen Dotrice	...	Jane Banks
Matthew Garber	...	Michael Banks
Elsa Lanchester	...	Katie Nanna
Arthur Treacher	...	The Constable
Reginald Owen	...	Admiral Boom
Ed Wynn	...	Uncle Albert
Jane Darwell	...	The Bird Woman
Arthur Malet	...	Mr. Dawes Junior
James Logan	...	Bank Doorman
Don Barclay	...	Mr. Binnacle - Admiral's Servant
Alma Lawton	...	Mrs. Corry - Old Woman in Park
Marjorie Eaton	...	Miss Persimmon - Old Woman in Park
Marjorie Bennett	...	Miss Lark - Old Woman in Park
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrew	...	Dog (uncredited)
Robert Banas	...	Chimney Sweep (uncredited)
Marc Breaux	...	Cow (voice) (uncredited)
Art Bucaro	...	Chimney Sweep (uncredited)
Daws Butler	...	Turtle / Penguin (voice) (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti	...	Mr. Grubbs (uncredited)
Harvey Evans	...	Chimney Sweep Dancer (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Barnyard Horse (voice) (uncredited)
Betty Lou Gerson	...	Old Crone (uncredited)
Clive Halliday	...	Mr. Mousley (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Bill Lee	...	Ram (voice) (uncredited)
Queenie Leonard	...	Lady in the Bank (uncredited)
Doris Lloyd	...	Depositor (uncredited)
Lester Matthews	...	Mr. Tomes (uncredited)
Sean McClory	...	Hound / Reporter #4 (voice) (uncredited)
Dal McKennon	...	Fox / Hunting Horse / Reporter #1 / Carousel Guard / Penguin / Hound (voice) (uncredited)
Alan Napier	...	Huntsman / Reporter #3 / Hound (voice) (uncredited)
Marni Nixon	...	Geese (voice) (uncredited)
J. Pat O'Malley	...	Pearly Drummer / Master of Hounds / Huntsman / Hound / Horse / Penguin / Reporter #2 / Photographer (voice) (uncredited)
George Pelling	...	Hound / Reporter #5 (voice) (uncredited)
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Hog / Andrew's Whimper (voice) (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Bank Clerk Near Safe (uncredited)
Larri Thomas	...	Woman in Carriage (uncredited)
Ginny Tyler	...	Lambs (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Stevenson

Writing credits
Bill Walsh		(screenplay) &
Don DaGradi		(screenplay) (as Don Da Gradi)
P.L. Travers		("Mary Poppins" books)

Produced by
Bill Walsh	....	co-producer
Walt Disney	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Irwin Kostal		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Edward Colman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Cotton Warburton

Art Direction by
Carroll Clark
William H. Tuntke

Set Decoration by
Hal Gausman
Emile Kuri

Makeup Department
La Rue Matheron	....	hair stylist
Pat McNalley	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Feiner	....	assistant director
Joseph L. McEveety	....	assistant director
Arthur J. Vitarelli	....	live action second unit director (as Arthur J.Vitarelli)
Tom Leetch	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
McLaren Stewart	....	animation art director
Tony Walton	....	design consultant
Al Gaynor	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Robert O. Cook	....	sound supervisor
Dean Thomas	....	sound mixer
Franco Bassi	....	sound engineer: Italian post-synchronization (uncredited)
Chris Pinkston	....	dialogue editor (restored version) (uncredited)
Kevin Porter	....	mix tech: restoration (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Peter Ellenshaw	....	special effects
Eustace Lycett	....	special effects
Robert A. Mattey	....	special effects
George Brown	....	special effects (uncredited)
Marcel Delgado	....	special effects props (uncredited)
Danny Lee	....	special mechanical effects (uncredited)
Walter Stones	....	special mechanical effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bob Broughton	....	optical cinematography (uncredited)
Art Cruickshank	....	optical cinematography (uncredited)
Lee Dyer	....	effects animator (uncredited)
Jim Fetherolf	....	matte artist (uncredited)
Constantine Ganakes	....	matte artist (uncredited)
Ub Iwerks	....	special processes (uncredited)
Dan MacManus	....	effects animator (uncredited)

Stunts
May Boss	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Travers Hill	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Calvin A. Maehl	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Animation Department
Hal Ambro	....	animator
Jack Boyd	....	animator
Al Dempster	....	background artist
Don Griffith	....	background artist
Ollie Johnston	....	animator
Milt Kahl	....	animator
Ward Kimball	....	animator
Eric Larson	....	animator
Bill Layne	....	background artist
John Lounsbery	....	animator
Hamilton Luske	....	animation director (as Hamilton S. Luske)
Cliff Nordberg	....	animator
Art Riley	....	background artist
Frank Thomas	....	animator
Joe Hale	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Fred Hellmich	....	animator (uncredited)
Art Stevens	....	animator (uncredited)
Julius Svendsen	....	animator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gertrude Casey	....	costumer
Chuck Keehne	....	costumer
Bill Thomas	....	costumes executed by
Tony Walton	....	consultant: costumes

Music Department
Nat Farber	....	dance accompanist
Evelyn Kennedy	....	music editor
Irwin Kostal	....	conductor
Irwin Kostal	....	music arranger
Irwin Kostal	....	music supervisor
James MacDonald	....	assistant to the conductor (as James Macdonald)
Richard M. Sherman	....	music and lyrics by
Robert B. Sherman	....	music and lyrics by
Edmundo Santos	....	lyrics: Spanish version (uncredited)

Other crew
Xavier Atencio	....	nursery sequence designer
Marc Breaux	....	choreographer
Walt Disney	....	presenter
Bill Justice	....	nursery sequence designer
P.L. Travers	....	consultant
Dee Dee Wood	....	choreographer
Robert E. Blair	....	dog trainer (uncredited)
Larri Thomas	....	stand-in: Julie Andrews (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Walt Disney Productions (as A Walt Disney Production)

Distributors

• Buena Vista Distribution Company (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (as Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1981) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Walt Disney Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Buena Vista International Italia (19??) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (1965) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Suomi-Filmi (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Walt Disney Company (1964) (UK) (theatrical)
• ABC Family (2006) (USA) (TV)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Home Box Office (HBO) (1980) (USA) (TV)
• Walt Disney Home Records (2010) (France) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Video (1999) (France) (DVD)
• Walt Disney Home Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Walt Disney Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• C.D.C.  Italian post-synchronized version made by (uncredited)
• Fono Roma  Italian post-synchronization faciliities (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Peru:PT | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | France:U | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | USA:Approved (PCA #20653) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1972) | Germany:o.Al. | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:G | Japan:G

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Original author P.L. Travers was adamant that in the film there should be no suggestions of any kind of romance between Mary Poppins and Bert. This is explicitly referenced in the song "Jolly Holiday".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening credits, Mary is shown in a close up powdering her nose while sitting on a cloud. Her carpet bag is on her right and her umbrella is on her left. In a long shot, immediately after (which is animated) the carpet bag and umbrella are not present.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bert:All right, ladies an' gents! Comical poem! Suitable for the occasion, extemporized and thought up before your very eyes! All right, 'ere we go!
[sings]
Bert:Room 'ere for everyone. Gather around.
[speaks]
Bert:The constable - responstable! Now 'ow does that sound?
[no response]
Bert:Hm.
[dashes over to Miss Lark, sings]
Bert:'Ello, Miss Lark, I've got one for you.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Eric Idle/Neil Innes (#2.21)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Sister Suffragette

One for the ages

How good is Mary Poppins? I remember singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite" with my then four year old son when we first got it on a now-lost video. He is now a young man, and little brother is a teenager. I am going to buy the DVD for their children, who may not be born for ten more years. I'll watch it myself until then. It's that good. We all have opinions, and mine is that, in the long list of Disney classics and masterpieces, this one is at the top. It is the perfect combination of story, song, characters, actors, whimsy – you name it. I believe it is one of the best movies ever made in any genre.

Need proof? How many songs can you hum in the car or sing in the shower? Chim Chim Cher-ee; Spoonful of Sugar; Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (thank God for copy and paste); Let's Go Fly a Kite. What about songs that put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye? Feed the Birds. Great composing, great fit to the story. And Julie Andrews is as good a singer as you will find.

More proof? What about delightful scenes? A tea party on the ceiling. The fox hunt on merry-go-round horses. Dancing on the rooftops of London.

Memorable characters? Bert, even with his horrible accent, is a blast. Old Mr. Dawes. Uncle Albert. Mrs. Banks, that independent woman (as long as it did not annoy Mr. Banks). Jane and Michael having the experience of a lifetime. And poor Mr. Banks, so concerned with being the lord of his castle but learning the important lessons in the nick of time. His illusion of control begins to unravel the moment that Poppins woman walked in the door, and he never figures out who she is and how she did it to him.

Neither do we, really. She is both the cause of much madness but the stability within it as the story moves along. It is one of Disney's greatest talents to craft movies and stories that operate on multiple levels. Children love dancing penguins and fireworks. Adults may as well but they can register the message here of what is truly important in life. Poppins has the answers. It is better we don't analyze who she is – and or course she never explains anything. The Banks family is just glad she was there for a while, and we should be glad that Walt Disney left us with this masterpiece.