Released in August/September 1964 and running 2 hours and 24 minutes (the longest Disney feature to this time), Mary Poppins was a smashing success at the box office and with critics. It cost about 6 million and made about 44 million worldwide. Those profits allowed Walt Disney to buy the land and begin construction of Disney World in Florida. It’s a true American musical in the tradition begun by Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma,” where the songs support the story rather than just being a chance to show off singing and dancing. The sixteen songs and overture by Richard and Robert Sherman are their best work, and I love them all. Despite that number, they’re integrated beautifully into the story and dialogue, never seeming forced. Walt Disney had been trying to buy film rights from author P. L. Travers for over twenty years, and she finally gave in in 1961, with her contract including instructions for no animation and script approval, and she hated the songs, but in the end Walt overruled her, something Travers was angry about the rest of her life. The film “Saving Mr. Banks” is about some of that.

It was filmed entirely on sets in the Disney Studios, and was the film debut of Julie Andrews, who had starred as Eliza Dolittle in “My Fair Lady” on Broadway, but was passed over for the film. Disney had liked Dick Van Dyke on his TV series and chose him for Bert. Though his accent is awful (I knew it even as a child), he’s wonderful in every other way and the perfect choice. Veteran actors David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns (The Sword and the Rose) were Mr. and Mrs. Banks, Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber from The Three Lives of Thomasina were the Banks children, Jane and Michael. Many other fine actors filled additional roles, including Elsa Lanchester as the departing nanny, Arthur Treacher as a policeman, Ed Wynn as Uncle Albert, Reginald Owen as Admiral Boom, Hermione Baddely as the maid Ellen, and Reta Shaw as the cook. Dick Van Dyke has a second role which is unnamed until the end of the film. Robert Stevenson directed, the script/adaptation was by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi.

In 2017 I wrote about the Travers books, the first film, and a musical version HERE. I’m reminded that I had read at least some of the books before seeing the Disney film, and didn’t like all of the changes, though now I embrace them. One thing I only realized in reading up on the film is that the time period is changed from the 1930s to 1910, something Travers approved of, but some of her book characters only get cameos at the beginning when Bert is being a one-man band. This was probably to appease Travers, only Andrew the dog reappears and has a larger part. While some of the film follows the book in general, the entire bank storyline is added, as are many of the elements of the jolly holiday in the chalk drawing. Julie Andrews is wonderful as Mary, but not so much like the book version, who was conceited and sometimes nasty to the children, and not beautiful, though she thought she was. But as a film, it all works, and is by far the most successful live-action film (mostly) in Walt’s lifetime. It was nominated for thirteen Oscars and won five, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Andrews, and Best Song. I had a great time watching it again on Disney Plus.