Syfy’s new “Hollywood Treasure” show bags on Disney’s “Mary Poppins”

Jim Hill

14 years ago

The Walt Disney Archives has lots of props & costume
pieces from “Mary Poppins” currently on file …

… among them that cherries-and-daisies hat which Julie
Andrews wore in this 1964 Academy Award-winning film …

… as well as that snowglobe version of St. Paul’s Cathedral which Ms. Andrews held as she sang “Feed the Birds.”

But what about the carpet bag that Mary Poppins was carrying
with her when she arrived at Jane & Michael’s house. Is that also in the
Disney Archives?

Um … no.

Believe it or not – as tonight’s premiere episode of SyFy‘s
new reality series, “Hollywood Treasure,” reveals – this highly prized
collectible was actually given away by the Studio back in 1965. Which is how it
wound up in the hands of the Rosens, this nice family that live in the suburbs right outside of Chicago.

But wait. This story gets better. The Rosens didn’t treat this
Mary Poppins prop like it was some
priceless family heirloom. They actually used this carpet bag for luggage when
they went on vacation. And the Rosen girls … They used it whenever they played
dress up. And after Nancy and her sisters grew up … Well, Mary Poppins’ magical
carpet wound up packed away in a cardboard box in the family basement.

Joe Maddalena and Nancy Rosen
inspect the Mary Poppins carpet bag in the
Rosen family’s basement. Copyright 2010
Syfy. All rights reserved

This is at least the story that Eric Rosen told Joe
Maddalena — the owner of Profiles in History, the world’s largest auctioneer of original movie,
television and pop culture relics. Which genuinely intrigues Joe. Whereas Brian
Chanes (who’s Head of Acquisition at Profiles in History) … he has trouble
substantiating the Rosen family’s story.

But Mr. Maddalena really wanted this piece for his June 2010
auction. So he flew all the way to Chicago to check this carpet bag out. And though
the item that he saw was clearly a little aged & worn, there was enough right
about the bag (i.e. it was definitely studio construction, very simply finished. By
that I mean, if this carpet bag had been commercially made, it would have had a
different lining. Which is why it
appeared to be the close-up bag from the film) that Joe agreed to list this item for the Rosen family in the next Profiles in History auction.

Joe Maddalena & Brian Chanes
compare the Rosens’ carpet bag to the one that
was used in “Mary Poppins.” Copyright
2010 Syfy. All rights reserved

But as far as Maddalena and Chanes were concerned, just thinking
that a prop might be the real thing wasn’t good enough. Which is why – once they got
this carpet bag back to the company ‘s corporate headquarters in Calabasas
Hills, CA – Joe and Brian began minutely examine this alleged Mary Poppins prop. Even
going so far as to grab high resolution digital stills from this Walt Disney
Productions film so that they could then compare the flower pattern on the bag that had been used in
the movie to the one that they had in their office.

Joe Maddalena use a digital still to examine the flower
pattern on the carpet bag
that was used in production of “Mary Poppins.” Copyright
2010 Syfy.
All rights reserved

And the final verdict was that this carpet bag was actually legit.
Which is why Joe placed this highly prized collectible in Profiles in History’s
June 2010 auction with the hope that this “Mary Poppins” prop might bring in a
bid of $10,000 – $15,000.

“So what did this prop actually wind up going for?,” you
ask. Sorry, but I’m not going to let the cat out of that particular carpet bag.
To find that out, you’re going to have to watch tonight’s premiere episode of “Hollywood
Treasure.” Which airs on Syfy at 10 p.m. / 9 p.m. Central.

I’ll say this much. The Rosen family was very, very happy
with the outcome of this particular Profiles in History auction. As for film
fans, I’d imagine that they too are going to be happy with this new SyFy reality
series. Given that upcoming episodes of “Hollywood Treasure” will be showcasing
the Wicked Witch’s hat from 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” …

… as well as that vintage roadster which was used in
production of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” in 1968.

So if you’re a film
fan, you should probably make a point of regularly poppin’ in on “Hollywood
Treasure.” Which is a genuinely entertaining
& well-produced program that showcases only the rarest , most-sought-after pieces of Hollywood
memorabilia.

Your thoughts?