A magical nanny enters the lives of the Banks family.  Mr. Banks is a stout banker, who never deviates from what he feels is best for himself and his family.  Through his children, Mary Poppins teaches him where his priorities should lay and how to relax and love his family.

Availability:
    VHS:  Pan and Scan
    DVD

Cast/Crew:
Julie Andrews                        Mary Poppins
        The Sound of Music
        Victor/Victoria

Dick Van Dyke                     Bert
        Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
        Lt. Robinson Crusoe USN
        The Dick Van Dyke Show (television)
        Diagnosis Murder (television)

David Tomlinson                   George Banks
        The Love Bug
        Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Miscellaneous:
    This was Julie Andrews first feature film.  Had she gotten the part of Liza Dolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady, rather than Audrey Hepburn, things may have been different (the reason she lost the part [she played it either on broadway or in London] was the directors didn't think she had what it took to be a screen actress -- she won best actress for Mary Poppins!).
    All of the departments at the Disney Studios were put into use for the film.  There were some days where everything going on was exclusively for use in the film.
    There have been rumors of a sequel -- no information has really come out.

MPAA Rating:
    G

My Rating:
    This was one of the first movies I saw, and it remains one of my favorites.  Perhaps it's the whimsy of Disney magic (not the current, corporate created "magic," mind you) that keeps it just a fresh today.  It has many themes, but I think the family theme is the most important.  Plus I sometimes sing Jolly Holliday on my trips up to the campus.
*****
J-R                        Night at the Movies