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Mary Poppins is the central character in a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and illustrated by Mary Shepard, which were subsequently adapted for film and for the stage. The first book, Mary Poppins, published in 1934, introduced the mysterious anti-heroine, a vain, acerbic magical English nanny blown by a windstorm to Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for the Banks' children; Jane (the eldest), Michael, and twin babies John and Barbara. Encounters with chimney sweeps, pavement artists, shopkeepers, and various adventures follow until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves. Her sudden return in Mary Poppins Comes Back heralds more of the same, as does Mary Poppins Opens the Door. The other books in the sequence, P.L. Travers explains in her introduction to Mary Poppins in the Park, describe incidents which happened during any of these three visits, for 'Mary could not forever arrive and depart.' Some of the themes in the novels may have been influenced by the author's relationship with G. I. Gurdjieff, the Greek Armenian mystic and "teacher of dancing", whom she met in 1938.
Mary Poppins Books by P.L Travers 1964 film According to the 40th anniversary DVD release of the film in 2004, Walt Disney first attempted to purchase the film rights to Mary Poppins from P.L. Travers as early as 1931 but was rebuffed because Travers did not believe a film version of her books would do justice to her creation. Also, at the time Disney was known primarily as a producer of cartoons and had yet to produce a major live action work. For more than 20 years, Disney periodically made efforts to convince Travers to allow him to make a Poppins movie. He finally succeeded in 1961, although Travers demanded and got script approval rights. The process of planning the film and composing the songs took about two years. Mary Poppins is played by Julie Andrews. Travers objected to a number of elements that actually made it into the movie. Rather than original songs, she wanted the soundtrack to feature known standards of the Edwardian period in which the movie was set. She also objected to the animated sequence. However, Disney overruled her, citing contract stipulations that he had final say on the finished print. Much of their correspondence is part of the Travers collection of papers in the Mitchell Library of New South Wales, Australia. The relationship between Travers and Disney is detailed in Mary Poppins She Wrote, a biography of Travers, by Valerie Lawson, published by Aurum Press in the United Kingdom. The biography is the basis for two documentaries on Travers, The Real Mary Poppins and The Shadow of Mary Poppins. Musical In December 2004, Mary Poppins: The Musical opened at the Prince Edward Theatre, London, after previewing in Bristol. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for nine 2005 Olivier Awards. It won two awards, Best Actress in a Musical, for Laura Michelle Kelly, and Best Theatre Choreography, for Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear. The musical has original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, book by Julian Fellowes, and a few new songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The musical is set to open on Broadway on October 16, 2006. Mary Poppins Mary Poppins enters the book when Mrs. Banks calls for a nanny after Mr. Banks fired Katie Nanna abruptly. Mary Poppins comes from the easterly wind with an umbrella and a carpet bag. Although she tends the Banks children much better than Katie Nanna, she is abrasive at times. In the books, Mary Popins is very vain and tends to argue with the main children, Jane and Michael. She is especially proud of her umbrella. The Mary Poppins in the book is much more sarcastic and strict than the Mary Poppins in the 1964 Disney film (Julie Andrews). The most important line in the book is when Mary Popins says she will "leave when the wind changes". Later, she does leave when the westerly wind comes. Mrs. Banks Mrs. Banks is the wife of George Banks and mother of Jane and Michael. She is more fully developed in the film than in the books, appearing as a valiant and fervent suffragette and feminist. She also appears in the stage musical. Mr. Banks George Banks is Mary Poppins' employer. He works at the Bank in the City of London, and lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane with his wife and their children. He is a very cross man who hates the women's suffrage movement but later on in the movie his attitude changes. Melodies that occur in the score punctuate the children's need for their father's attention, possibly reflecting Disney's desire to have spent more time with his own children. According to the Special Edition Soundtrack Bonus Disc, Mary Poppins was George's own nanny when he was a child. Travers intended to have the script hint this strongly in a few places, but it was largely left out of the movie, except for the following words in Bert's opening song, "Can't put me finger on what lies in store... But I feel what's to 'appen, all 'appened before...!". In Mary Poppins comes back, however, George's governess (and possibly nanny) Ms. Andrew comes and visits him. The Banks children Jane, Michael, John and Barbara. The last two are baby twins, who only appear in the books. Annabel is a younger child, born in a later book, who also does not make a movie appearance. Herbert Alfred He is Herbert Alfred for Sundays only. Normally, he is Bert. He loves to draw pictures on the sidewalk with chalk, but when it rains and washes his pictures away, he is known as the 'Matchman'. Bert knows about Mary Poppins and her great abilities in keeping children in line. Brief characters Parodies The Simpsons parodied Mary Poppins in Episode 3G03, "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious"; it is found on Disc 2 of the Season 8 DVD. The Fairly Odd Parents parodied Mary Poppins briefly in episode 53 in "Remy Rides Again" as Timmy's new baby-sitter. She is not named Mary Poppins, however, but is named Susie Califragilistic. Terry Pratchett parodied Mary Poppins in his book "Hogfather," using the character Susan Sto Helit to show a dark side to the traditional Mary Poppins character. Songs | ||||||||
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