Jim —
Are you ever going to finish that “Mary Poppins” series that you started back in December? Or am I going to have to come to your house and hurt you?
A fan
Not to worry, “A fan.” There’s no need for you to come up to New Hampshire and do me bodily harm. I’ve actually been hard at work on “Mary Poppins: From Page to Stage” for a couple of weeks now. And I think that the final product (which should start poppin’ up on JHM sometime next week) will be well worth the wait.
“But why has there been such a long delay between new installments in this series?,” you ask. Well, basically what happened is that — back in early January — I suddenly got a ton of brand new “Mary Poppins” – related research material dropped in my lap. Absolutely killer stuff about Walt’s dogged pursuit of P.L. Travers back in the 1940s & 1950s, all the work that was done on that proposed “Mary Poppins” sequel back in the 1980s, as well as Cameron Mackintosh’s 17-year-long effort to secure the stage rights to the “Poppins” books. Some stories that have never before been told in public before … ’til now.
Copyright The Walt Disney Company
Of course, the problem with material like this is that it’s an absolute bear to fact-check. So I’ve been sending e-mails, writing letters, making phone calls. Doing whatever I can to get ahold of people who can help me verify this stuff.
So a lot of this delay is just me, sitting around, waiting for folks who are in the know to get back to me. Which (I know) is a real drag. But it can’t be helped.
Still, most of you folks have been so nice about waiting that I thought that the very least I can do is use today’s “Monday Mélange” to share a few “Mary Poppins” related stories that — while they don’t quite fit in my “From Page to Stage” series — still make pretty interesting reading.
Take — for example — this bizarre moment from a radio interview that *** Tufeld did with Julie Andrews & *** Van ***. Back in the summer of 1964, several weeks prior to the world premiere of “Mary Poppins.”
As the host of the “Hollywood Microphone Spotlight” radio show throws out what he thinks will be a pretty innocuous question, Mr. Van *** suddenly reveals that he has the power to see into the future.
ANNOUNCER: Many of our top Broadway musicals are eventually adapted for the screen. Here in “Mary Poppins” we have a great screen musical written especially for the screen. Do any of you feel that there’s a chance that the process could be reversed? That “Mary Poppins” might eventually be adapted for presentation on the Broadway stage?
*** VAN ***: Without a doubt.
JULIE ANDREWS: But I don’t see how it can. Because that Mr. Disney did so many incredible things in the picture which would be impossible on stage.
*** VAN ***: Oh, yes. But I’m almost sure that it’s going to become a classic story.
JULIE ANDREWS: Oh, I agree there.
*** VAN ***: And someday it’ll be done in the theater. I’m just sure of it.
JULIE ANDREWS: It’s as classic as “Alice in Wonderland.”
*** VAN ***: Or “Peter Pan.”
JULIE ANDREWS: Or “Wizard of Oz” or any of them.
*** VAN ***: I think it will be done on the stage. This is going to make “Mary Poppins” as famous as “The Wizard of Oz.”
As you all well know, 40 years later, “Mary Poppins” was successfully adapted to the stage. This highly acclaimed show is currently being performed in London and is expected to open on Broadway in late 2006.
So — me personally — I find it kind of eerie that *** was able to predict (even before the movie version of “Mary Poppins” had opened!) that this Walt Disney film would eventually be successfully adapted to the stage. (Though — truth be told — this story also makes me wonder how I could persuade Mr. Van *** to pick out my Lotto numbers. Anyway …)
Copyright The Walt Disney Company
If you’d like to hear this interview for yourself, I suggest you pick up a copy of the new 2-disc “Mary Poppins” soundtrack that Walt Disney Records put out late last year. You’ll find Mr. Tufeld’s talk with Julie & *** among the extra features on Disc 2.
And — speaking of Broadway musicals — almost everyone already knows that Julie Andrews was passed over for the role of Eliza Doolittle when Warner Brothers made the movie version of “My Fair Lady” in 1964. But how many of you out there know that Ms. Andrews wasn’t the only member of the original cast of that Lerner & Loewe musical that Walt Disney recruited to be in “Mary Poppins”?
Strange but true, folks. But — if you throw the 40th anniversary edition of “Mary Poppins” into your DVD player and play this film in “Poppins Pop-up Fun Facts” viewing mode — you’ll learn that Stanley Holloway (I.E. The actor who played Eliza’s ne’er-do-well dad) had not only been recruited, he had actually been cast as Admiral Boom in this Disney film. And that the Sherman Brothers had even gone so far as to write a comic number for Holloway to perform in the picture!
So why did veteran character actor Reginald Owen wind laying this role in the finished film? Well, Stanley (just like Julie) had a clause in his contract that said that — if Warner Brothers contacted Holloway and asked him to recreate his Tony Award winning role in the movie version of “MyFair Lady” — that Disney had to agree to let Stanley bow out of “Mary Poppins.”
Of course, when Holloway accepted this part in “Poppins,” he only did so because Stanley believed that he wasn’t going to be cast in the “My Fair Lady” movie. After all, Hollywood was rife with rumors about how Jack Warner only wanted stars to appear in the movie version of this Lerner & Loewe musical. With the head of Warners supposedly contacting Cary Grant to see if he’d be interested in playing Professor Henry Higgins as well as trying recruit screen legend Jimmy Cagney to play Alfred P. Doolittle.
Copyright The Walt Disney Company
So — since the chance to recreate his role in “My Fair Lady” seemed to have eluded Holloway — Stanley was happy to accept the consolation prize. Which was to accept a nice check from Walt Disney Productions to appear beside Julie again in “Mary Poppins.” As well as perform the comic number that Richard M. & Robert B. Sherman had written expressly for this British musical hall vet to perform in the picture. Which featured lyrics like:
Who in the royal navy established that rigid time,
That firm, inflexible interval known as tea?
Admiral Boom!
Time has been my watchword: Punctuality
Though the world takes its time from Greenwich
Greenwich takes its time from me
Admiral Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!
The name for punctuality, you can safely assume …
Okay. Admittedly, it’s not “With a Little Bit of Luck” and/or “Get Me to the Church on Time.” But I’m sure that — given Stanley’s gift for stealing scenes — he could have turned this mild musical hall number into something truly memorable in the finished motion picture.
Anyway … As the story goes, Holloway was just about to fly out to Burbank to begin rehearsals for “Mary Poppins” when Stanley received a frantic call from his agent. It seemed that Jack Warner had changed his mind about casting him (Reportedly because Cagney had turned the role down). So, if Holloway still wanted to play Alfred P. Doolittle in the movie version of “My Fair Lady,” the part was his.
Obviously, Holloway did. So — per their previous arrangment — Walt gracefully agreed to allow Stanley to bow out of “Mary Poppins” so that he could then go appear in “My Fair Lady.” Following Holloway’s exit, Disney quickly replaced him with Reginald Owen.
“So why didn’t that ‘Admiral Boom’ song wind up in the movie?,” you query. Two reasons. 1) Owen wasn’t a song-and-dance man. So there was reportedly some concern at the studio that Reginald really wouldn’t be able to pull the number off. 2) More to the point, “Mary Poppins” already had an awful lot of musical numbers. 14 total in the finished film. So — in order to pick up the picture’s pace — Walt personally cut that number out of the score just prior to the start of production.
That said — if you listen very closely — you can actually hear the music that the Sherman Bros. wrote for that “Admiral Boom” comedy song played as part of the film’s underscore whenever this blusterly character appears on the screen.
Speaking of appearances by Admiral Boom … You can see an image of Boom and his good wife (as drawn by Mary Shepard) in the upper right hand corner of this illustration from “Mary Poppins Comes Back,” the second book in the “Mary Poppins” series.
Copyright Harcourt Brace Young Classics
Now all good Disneyana fans know about “Hidden Mickeys,” right? Those trios of circular shapes that animators & Imagineers delight in stashing in movies and attractions. As sort of a tribute to the Mouse that started it all. Well, the above illustration actually reveals a precusor to the “Hidden Mickey”: A “Hidden Mary.” As in: A cameo appearance by the author & illustrator of “Mary Poppins” within the pages of their very own book!
To explain: In the “Balloons and Balloons” chapter of “Mary Poppins Comes Back,” the practically perfect nanny and her young charges encounter a strange old woman at the entrance to the park who’s selling balloons. Mary agrees to buy balloons for Jane & Michael (As well as their younger brother & sister, John & Barbara Banks). But only if they follow the old woman’s advice. Which is:
“Go carefully, my deary-ducks!” she warned them. “Remember, there’s balloons and balloons, and one for everybody! Take your choice and take your time. There’s many a child got the wrong balloon and his life was never the same after.”
Well, Jane and Michael do choose carefully. Which is why the Banks children are rewarded with balloons that magically have their names emblazoned on them once the balloons are inflated. What’s more, these same balloons then pull Jane, Michael, Barbara, John and Mary Poppins up into the air for a fanciful float across the park.
And soon the sky over Cherry Tree Lane is filled with other folks who have chosen wisely. Who chose balloons that had their names written on them, which then pulled these people up into the air.
Which brings us to that cameo appearance by “Mary Poppins” ‘ author and illustrator. Have you spotted them yet? If not, check out the two attractive ladies in the bottom left hand corner of the illustration.
Copyright Harcourt Brace Young Classics
One woman is cluthing a balloon that reads “L Avers.” That’s because this drawing is supposed to be a caricature of “Mary Poppins” author, P.L. Travers. While — right next to her — is a woman clutching a balloon which reads”Ma Shepa.” That’s because this one’s supposed to be the book’s illustrator, Mary Shepard.
Speaking of Ms. Shepard … P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins” books & A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” stories are linked in a rather interesting way. And — no — not just because both of these books are beloved pieces of English literature that were eventually turned into memorable motion pictures by Walt Disney. NOR because both of these films featured songs that were written by the Sherman Brothers.
No, the link that I’m talking about is more direct, but — at the same time — a lot more subtle than that. Do you think you know what the answer is? If so, send me an e-mail at jim@jimhillmedia.com before midnight EST this coming Thursday. I’ll then award a pound of “Just Plain Joe” Coffee to the three randomly selected JHM readers who get this week’s trivia question right.
Anyway … Consider the above article to be sort of a teaser for next week’s “Mary Poppins: From Page to Stage” series. Which again (I hope) will really be worth the wait.
Your thoughts?