Fun Facts About The Original Mary Poppins

When Disney’s Mary Poppins first hit the big screen in 1964, it became an instant classic. Audiences loved Julie Andrews as the magical singing nanny Mary Poppins, and David Tomlinson as the father of the children, Mr. Banks. While the star-studded cast contributed to the success of the movie, there was a lot going on behind the scenes.

The Book

One of the reasons that Walt Disney wanted to bring Mary Poppins to life on the big screen, is because his daughter Diane adored the character. The author, P.L. Travers had written the first Mary Poppins book in 1934. Disney wanted to bring his daughter’s favorite character to life, but Travers was not convinced that Disney would do a good job. After 20 years of negotiation, she sold the rights to Disney, and production started on the film.

Casting

Julie Answers was in the running for the role of Mary Poppins early on. She had been performing on Broadway in a production of Camelot when Disney saw her onstage. Her performance was so inspiring, that Disney immediately offered her the part. Andrews took some convincing though. She wanted to star in My Fair Lady, but the part of Eliza Doolittle was given to Audrey Hepburn instead. After that, Andrews signed on to be Mary Poppins.

The Characters

If you’ve seen 1964’s Mary Poppins, then you know it is a combination of live-action and animation. As Mary Poppins and Mr. Banks were the two main characters, they were tasked with doing some voice work for some of the animated parts. Andrews used her whistling skills for the animatronic bird, which trills during the song, “A spoonful of sugar.” Actor David Tomlinson was tasked with voicing Poppin’s parrot, and a few other animated characters.

Oscar Season

Mary Poppins had a budget of around $6 million, which was the biggest budget for a Disney film at the time. It was worth the investment because it went on to make over $100 million at the box office. After it was released, the Academy took notice, and the film was nominated for a whopping 13 Academy Awards. When it came time for Julie Andrews to walk the red carpet, she was greeted by a fellow nominee — Audrey Hepburn. Both Andrews and Hepburn were nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Andrews would go on to win the Oscar for the role she had initially been unsure about. The film won an additional four Oscars, which brought the total to five. That’s the most Oscars a Disney film has ever won.

If you are looking for something to watch, and you haven’t seen the original Mary Poppins, then be sure to check it out. You will find yourself humming “A spoonful of sugar” to yourself.