Supercalifragilistic-Expialidocious: The tale of Mary Poppin's success

The beloved Walt Disney musical film “Mary Poppins,” starring Julie Andrews as a cheery, magical nanny who puts a positive spin on the family she adopts, their two children and practically everyone they meet, and Dick Van Dyke as her multitalented chimney sweep and sidewalk artist friend, was released on Aug. 27, 1964: 60 years ago next Tuesday.

A Reluctant Author, An Eager Filmmaker

Animation studio founder Walt Disney’s daughters fell in love with the Mary Poppins children’s novels by P.L. Travers — the first of which was published in 1934.

In the books, Mary Poppins is very stern, vain and, at times, downright cross with the children. But the children fall in love with the magical things she does, like having tea parties on the ceiling or using her umbrella to fly around London.

As early as 1938, Disney began offering to buy the film rights to Travers’ books, but she repeatedly refused, skeptical she would find a film version acceptable. Mostly, she feared Disney would soften her lead character — something that has come to be called “the Disney treatment.”

Disney kept at it for 23 years before Travers — realizing sales of her eight Poppins novels were tapering off — finally agreed. Travers insisted on script approval rights. She was invited to Hollywood and participated in the planning and scripting process.

Throughout the process, Travers found herself horrified by what Disney did with her material. It turned the story into a musical. It made Mary a perky, cheerful young lady. It made the children’s mother part of the women’s suffrage movement. Worst of all, it was proposed that Mary, Bert and the kids interact with animated characters.

Travers objected to what she could and pitched fits when she couldn’t get her way. Disney made a point of not inviting Travers to the movie’s premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but she managed to wrangle a ticket anyway. Afterward, she marched up to Disney and loudly demanded he delete the animated scenes.“Pamela,” he sighed. “That ship has sailed.”

The Making of 'Mary Poppins'

Disney considered Mary Martin, Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury for the role of Mary. After seeing Julie Andrews in the Broadway production of “Camelot,” Disney offered her the role. Andrews, however, wanted to play Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” — another role she had played on stage — but, to her disappointment, she was passed over.

Bert is an amalgamation of several of Mary’s friends in the books. One of Travers’ early demands was there be no hint of a romance between Mary and Bert. TV comedian Dick Van Dyke won the role, but Cary Grant, Danny Kaye and Fred Astaire were also considered. Travers wanted a British actor and suggested Laurence Olivier, Rex Harrison and Peter Sellers.

During costume test fitting, Disney happened to catch Van Dyke performing a comedy bit for crew members: Playing an old man having difficulty with one step down. Disney immediately signed him up to play bank director Mr. Dawes Sr., who sings about “tuppence,” and had his art director add a 6-inch riser to the bank boardroom set.

The nanny who quits at the start of the film — creating the need for the Banks family to hire a new nanny in the first place — was played by Elsa Lanchester. Twenty-nine years before, she had played the title character in “bride of Frankenstein.” She’d go on to also appear in other Disney films like “That Darn Cat!” and “Blackbeard’s Ghost.”

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was supposedly a made-up word the Sherman brothers had learned as kids at summer camp. However, there had been a song written in 1949 called “Supercalafajalistickespialadojus.” The songwriters sued but lost when lawyers found similar words used in 1931 in the student newspaper at Syracuse University.

The gorgeous little snow globe Mary holds as she sings “Feed the Birds,” was lost at some point. Decades later, Disney’s chief architect found it in a janitor’s office. The janitor said he had found it in a trash can but that it was too pretty to throw away. Feeding birds is no longer allowed at St. Paul’s cathedral: Too much pigeon poop.

“A Spoonful of Sugar” was inspired by Robert Sherman’s son, Jeff, who came home one day bragging that he had the polio vaccine on a sugar cube. The robin that helps Mary sing the song was animatronic, with several yards of control wires running down Andrews’ sleeve. Andrews herself supplied the robin’s whistling bits.

Originally, the “Jolly Holiday” segment was to feature all live actors. Only the background was to be animated. But when Disney saw the concept sketches, he joked that the four singing waiters in tuxedos reminded him of penguins. Travers wanted the chalk-drawing sequence and the musical numbers that followed it removed. Disney refused.

A Little Bit of Oscar Makes the Medicine Go Down

“Mary Poppins” was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and, on April 5, 1965, brought home five. It was Walt Disney’s most successful Oscar night.

Julle Andrews won Best Leading Actress.

Cotton Warburton won Best Film Editing.

Best Original Score was taken by Richard and Robert Sherman.

Robert and Richard Sherman both took best song, as well.

Best Special Visual Effects was won by Peter Ellenshaw, Estace Lycett, and Hamilton Luske.