Look Closer Recap: Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

Ever since I began working for the Museum in September 2009 and learned that we’d be offering a Film of the Month for our guests, I anxiously awaited the showing of Mary Poppins. It had always been my favorite Disney feature-length film, and when it was finally scheduled to run this month, I was thrilled. Not only did I have the chance to watch it again in our intimate Fantasia-themed theater, I also had the pleasure of introducing it to visitors throughout the month, and then making the book behind the movie the focus of our March Look Closer presentation.

Displayed in a small case in Gallery 9, the book Mary Poppins, by Australian author P.L. Travers, is the actual copy sent hot off the presses to Walt by publisher Reynal and Hitchcock in 1934. Visitors to the Museum can see the signature of Eugene Reynal on the inside of the cover, along with the inscription that reads, “To Walt Disney—Not another ‘Mickey’ but I think you should like our Mary.”

Although Walt found the story of the beloved English nanny to be perfect material for a Disney film, Mrs. Travers didn’t agree. As early as 1944, Walt tried to secure the film rights to the book, but it took more than fifteen years before he succeeded. One of the early pieces of correspondence from Walt to the reluctant author shows the beginning of the campaign to persuade her: “It is our thought that these stories would be ideal material for a combination of flesh and blood characters with cartoon.”

Eventually Mrs. Travers was won over, but not without Walt first granting her final script approval. Even with that concession, however, the author was never satisfied with the final product. Fortunately, the public and critics felt otherwise. Mary Poppins went on to become one of the Studio’s greatest successes, grossing more than $75 million after its 1964 premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

In a letter to Walt dated September 11, 1964, the famous film producer, Samuel Goldwyn, wrote about Mary Poppins: “Once in a lifetime—and only once—a picture comes along which cannot be compared to any other and to which no other can be compared. A picture which [sic] writes a new page in motion picture history. A picture that has such universal appeal that it is a pure delight to fathers, mothers, children, grandparents and grandchildren—it makes no difference who.”

Mary Poppins earned 13 Academy Award® nominations, even more significant since this was the first time a Disney film was in contention in leading categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. While it didn’t receive Best Picture (that honor went to My Fair Lady), the film did score five Oscars®, including Best Actress for its star, Julie Andrews, and Best Musical Score, for the 18 songs composed by the famous duo of Richard and Robert Sherman.

(An interesting side note to this second award is that one of the songs, “Feed the Birds,” was reportedly not only Walt’s favorite song from the film, but also his favorite song in general. Apparently, Walt just needed to say, “Play it” for the Sherman Brothers to know that he wanted to hear the haunting melody.)

To see photographs of Walt with the Sherman Brothers and other crew and cast members of Mary Poppins, as well as letters from Walt to Julie Andrews concerning her role in the film, Museum visitors can make their way to the area devoted to this special production in the lower level of Gallery 9.

Mary Beth Culler

Museum Interpreter at The Walt Disney Family Museum



The Costume Design of 'Mary Poppins' with Tony Walton - Recap!

Throughout the month of March, The Walt Disney Family Museum is showing Walt Disney's classic film Mary Poppins. In celebration of this beloved movie, the Museum hosted an extraordinary afternoon with the film's costume and design consultant, Tony Walton. Brad Rosenstein, curator of the San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design, moderated the discussion on Tony's life and work. The conversation focused on Tony's designs for Mary Poppins, his firsthand experiences working with Walt, and a few behind-the-scenes secrets of the film.

As I sat in the audience before the program began, I could feel the excitement and eagerness of the other audience members around me. This was the designer of Bert's tangerine, cherry, and raspberry-striped “Jolly Holiday” jacket, as well as Mary's iconic black hat with the daisies and cherries. The designs in Mary Poppins are filled with magic and charm—and we couldn't wait to hear Tony's experiences!

Tony's involvement with the film began in the early 1960s while he was designing costumes and sets for numerous theater productions in New York and London. At that time, he was married to his childhood sweetheart, the actress and singer Julie Andrews. While visiting New York, Walt attended one of Julie's performances of Camelot, and decided he had found the actress to play Mary Poppins. He enthusiastically described the new film he was working on to Tony and Julie, and invited them out to California to see the storyboards for themselves.

Walt wanted an English designer on the staff for Mary Poppins, and offered Tony the job when he realized that he was an accomplished costume and set designer. Tony and Julie were expecting their first child, and according to Tony, Walt kept pointing out if he worked on the film he would be close to his newborn baby.

Tony explained to us that Walt owned the rights to P.L. Travers's book Mary Poppins—but not the rights to the illustrations. As a result, Tony was not allowed to use any details from the original 1934 book's contemporary illustrations in his designs. At the suggestion of the Sherman Brothers, the time of the story was changed from the 1930s to 1910, since the filmmakers saw more rich visual and musical opportunities there. Now Walt's team could use the styles of late Edwardian 1910 England—and Tony would avoid any accusations of copying the original illustrations from the book.

Walt allowed Tony to keep all of his original sketches and illustrations from the movie, and so Tony was able to bring numerous slides of his original work to the event. We watched the character sketches evolve while he described his designs. Tony wanted Bert's “jack of all trades” costume to look “worn to the bone.” He chose heavy fabrics and added leather patches over the elbows of the jacket to achieve this feeling. Tony also described Mary's nanny costume as “a mix of somber seriousness and playfulness.” He added her bright bow tie, and colored linings of her costume as a way to hint at her secret magical life.

The design of Cherry Tree Lane was another contribution by Tony. As a young boy, he had seen the film An American in Paris, and the film's perfect flat cobblestone streets aggravated him. Remembering this, Tony insisted to Walt that Cherry Tree Lane be more realistic. He designed a curved street that went slightly uphill. Not only did this make the street more realistic, but it added to the character and visual interest of Cherry Tree Lane.

One of the fun secrets that Tony revealed about the film was that most of the nannies being blown away in the beginning of the movie weren't women, but stunt men dressed as old English nannies. He also shared that Bert's “Jolly Holiday” jacket was created by sewing different widths of ribbon onto a white jacket. And that Tony's own daughter Bridget and son-in-law were married wearing Bert's and Mary's “Jolly Holiday” costumes!

Mary Poppins began Tony's film career, and earned him an Academy Award® nomination for his costume designs in 1964. Since then he has won an Oscar®, as well as multiple Tonys® and Emmys® for his design work. Tony is still designing costumes and sets today. Hiring Tony was just another example of Walt Disney's famed ability to recognize talent, and assemble the right team to create something remarkable. Whether you're revisiting the film or watching it for the first time, viewing Mary Poppins and Tony Walton's designs on the big screen of The Walt Disney Family Museum's Theater is an experience that shouldn't be missed.

 

Julie Stewart

Volunteer at The Walt Disney Family Museum

All photos courtesy The Walt Disney Family Museum.

"Growing Up with Mary" by Gregg Sherman

What makes Mary Poppins Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious? 

I was literally born at the epicenter of Mary Poppins’s cinematic inception, and I believe I know why the world’s favorite nanny can magically transcend from generation to generation. My father, Richard M. Sherman, and uncle, Robert B. Sherman, wrote the Oscar^®-winning score to Disney’s masterpiece. To me, Mary Poppins was Walt’s “practically perfect” storm. Like a sumptuous soufflé, every ingredient of his Studio’s spectacular genius – from animation to special effects to storytelling to music – was meticulously poured, mixed, and baked until it rose to delicious, motion picture perfection.  But few are aware that the movie almost never happened.

Walt Disney’s love affair with author P.L. Travers’s stories began in the 1930s.  My cousin, Jeff Sherman (Bob’s son) and I recently completed a documentary on our dads’ legacy, the boys: the sherman brothers’ story. We were privileged to interview Roy E. Disney, who discussed the making of Mary Poppins.  “Walt knew that book and made a trip to England before World War II to speak to Mrs. Travers. She wasn’t interested.” Roy flashed a sly smile, “I think my uncle started making the movie without her permission.”

In 1960, the Sherman Brothers were busily writing pop songs for teen sensation, Annette Funicello, when Walt handed “the boys” (how Walt affectionately referred to our dads) a copy of Mary Poppins, saying simply, “Tell me what you think.”  For two weeks, Bob and Dick Sherman immersed themselves in Mrs. Travers’s colorful characters, realizing her collection of delightful short stories had no beginning, middle, or end.  Along with writing several song sketches, Bob and Dick crafted their own story, moving the setting from what my dad called, “drab, depressing 1930s England,” back in time to turn-of-the-century, music hall London.  On a fateful September morning, the boys spent hours in Walt’s office demonstrating the songs and walking Walt through their original storyline.  When they were through, Walt said, “Play me that bird lady song again.”  As my dad sang what would later become, “Feed the Birds,” Walt looked out his north window, saying softly, “That’s what it’s all about…” That same day, as they left his office, Walt handed our dads a contract to become the first—and only—staff songwriters in the history of Walt Disney Studios.

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Mary Poppins-themed screenings, activities and fun in March!

Join us this March for Mary Poppins-themed screenings, activities and fun! A full schedule of events can be found below. Tickets are available at www.waltdisney.org. Hope to see you here!

SCREENINGS + DISCUSSIONS

FILM OF THE MONTH – March 2 – March 31

Mary Poppins (1964)

1:00pm and 4:00pm daily, Theater

(except Tuesdays and March 5, 13, and 20)

Mary Poppins is a magical nanny who brings joy, order, and happiness to the Banks family. It’s a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious film that will make you want to sing and dance all the way home.

March 5 – Designing a Video Game with Warren Spector

3:00pm, Theater

Learn how new technology helped create an immersive and connective gaming experience in this program about video game development.  Disney Interactive Studios’ Junction Point General Manager and Creative Director Warren Spector—who also serves as creator of the newly released video game Disney’s Epic Mickey—will discuss how to design the world of a video game and take you through the process from concept art to final product. The presentation will include a game-play demo and will be followed by audience Q&A.

March 20 – Fashioning a Family: The Costume Design of Mary Poppins with Tony Walton

In conjunction with the Museum of Performance and Design, moderated by their curator Brad Rosenstein.

3:00pm, Theater

Academy Award^®-winning designer Tony Walton, who served as costume designer and visual consultant for Mary Poppins (for which he received an Oscar^® nomination), joins us for a special conversation about the production design of one of Disney’s most magical films.

CLASSES

Saturday, March 26 – Moving Pictures: 2-D Hand Drawn Animation Workshop for Adults (18+) 

1:00—4:00pm, Learning Center Media Studio

Do you like to draw? Would you like to learn to animate? This class will teach you the basic principles of animation, as well as give you the ins and outs of the latest animation software so you can start animating anywhere—even from home!

Registration required. Email education@wdfmuseum.org or call 415.345.6814.

MARCH DISNEY DISCOVERIES! + LOOK CLOSER SERIES

DISNEY DISCOVERIES: Saturday, March 12, and Sunday, March 20

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Outdoors

Jump into your own sidewalk chalk drawing. Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey, chim chim cher-ee, come be as creative as you can be. Geared for children 7-12 years old, Museum Interpreters and our educational staff will be on hand to inspire you to draw whatever you please. (This activity will take place on the sidewalk behind the Museum, but will be moved indoors in the case of bad weather).

Imaginations and creativity will soar with our new Disney Discoveries! The second Saturday of each month, join us for family fun and activities in the Learning Center.  The activities planned by our education staff will inspire the hidden artist in young visitors while learning about the life and work of Walt Disney.

LOOK CLOSER:

March 25, 26, and 27 – Look Closer: A first edition Mary Poppins book by P.L. Travers

3:00 pm, Gallery 9

Would you like to know more about one of the artifacts in the galleries?  Our Look Closer series will give you that opportunity. Staff will reveal little known facts, and behind-the-scenes information during these 5- to 8-minute gallery talks.