Synopsis of Movie

“Practically perfect in every way.”

That was how übernanny Mary Poppins described herself, and the evaluation pretty well summed up reaction to Walt Disney’s musical adaptation of P.L. Travers’ books. One of Walt’s final films, Mary Poppins may also have been his finest.

The movie opens in Edwardian London, home of stuffy banker George Banks, his suffragette wife Winifred and precocious children Jane and Michael. The impossible tykes have frightened off the latest in a string of nannies, forcing George to take out an ad for a new one. Jane and Michael have a few criteria of their own (rosy cheeks, no warts, and so on…), but George rips up their childish list of qualifications and puts it in the fireplace.

A strong wind carries the torn-up list to the cloudy home of Mary Poppins, who blows away the competition (literally), and floats down to the Banks’ doorstep via her magical umbrella. The perfectly prim nanny charms her way into the Banks household, where the magical adventures really begin.

Among the memorable episodes are a trip into a chalk drawing with jack-of-all-trades Bert, a tea party on the ceiling with Uncle Albert, and a rooftop dance number featuring the assembled chimney sweeps of London. Through it all, George attempts to retain a reserved control, finally reaching his breaking point when Jane and Michael make a disastrous outing to the Dawes, Tomes, Mousely, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank...

Mary Poppins was magical across the board. The stellar cast included Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Ed Wynn, and in her screen debut, Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, a role that won her a Best Actress Academy Award. The film was nominated for a total of thirteen Oscars, also winning for its Original Musical Score, Editing, Visual Effects and for the song “Chim-Chim-Cher-ee."

Composer brothers Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman wrote the show’s unforgettable tunes—“A Spoonful of Sugar,” “I Love to Laugh,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “Step in Time,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and more. The songs, the performances, the seamless special effects... every meticulous detail combined to create a film as fantastically imaginative as Mary Poppins herself, a tremendous hit in its own time and a treasured classic today.

Movie Release History

1964 - Mary Poppins

Movie Sub Categories

animated
live-action
sci-fi/fantasy
musical
disney

Movie Studio

Disney

Cast

Mary Poppins Julie Andrews Bert/Mr. Dawes Sr. Dick Van Dyke Mr. Banks David Tomlinson Mrs. Banks Glynis Johns Ellen Hermione Baddeley Mrs. Brill Reta Shaw Jane Banks Karen Dotrice Michael Banks Matthew Garber Katie Nanna Elsa Lanchester Constable Jones Arthur Treacher Admiral Boom Reginald Owen Uncle Albert Ed Wynn Bird Woman Jane Darwell Mr. Dawes, Jr. Arthur Malet Mr. Binnacle Don Barclay Mrs. Corry Alma Lawton Miss Persimmon Marjorie Eaton Miss Lark Marjorie Bennett Mr. Grubbs Cyril Delevanti Mr. Mousley Clive Halliday Citizen Sam Harris Depositor Doris Lloyd Mr. Tomes Lester Matthews Fox (voice) Dal McKennon Horseman (voice) J. Pat O'Malley

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