The Missus and I watched our first full Christmas film on the telly schedules today, Disney's Mary Poppins from 1964.
We enjoyed it immensely and I'm sure I haven't seen it in full since I was a nipper. Julia Andrews did a grand job as Miss. Poppins I must say. It must have been hard on her ankles being stood duck-footed throughout the film! She also sang beautifully but being the star of The Sound of Music I should have known that she would!
I was however aware of Dick Van Dyke's supposedly awful fake cockney accent. Amazingly I actually quite liked the mockney he came out with. Who can resist singing along with his famous Chim Chiminy tune and not be mesmerised by his stick-insect-like dancing.
Reading the end credits I was surprised to see a familiar name, a name I associate with monster movies and not Mary Poppins. one Elsa Lanchester no less. Yes, the Bride of Frankenstein herself! She played the Nanny who leaves at the start of the film. Oddly enough, Elsa was a real Cockney and also a singer. I have one her albums, Songs for a Smoke-Filled Room.
I was interested to see if there were any Mary Poppins collectables that came out with the film. The main toy appears to have been a doll by a company completely hew to me, Horsman. Looking it up online, the face of the Horsman Mary looks a lot like the big-headed Sindy and there's even a whisper of Pedigree Joe 90's inflated features.
I imagine that the Poppins parrot-headed Umbrella was marketed as a toy as well so I shall dig a little further on that one.
The only Mary merchandise that I have is the story written in 1934 by P.L Travers as a paperback movie tie-in featuring Julie Andrews on the cover hovering Penguin-like over London's chimneys. Maybe I should read it?
Have you seen Mary Poppins and have you any collectables?
Spit spot!
'MP' has remained one of my favorites since first seeing it in the theaters when it came out. I remember standing in the lobby with my sisters and niece when one of them asked if I could spell "Supercali...etc.' and I rattled it off. The people around us looked at me incredulously as my sister told me I was a smart aleck hahahahahaha that being said I don't think we were able to watch ANY movie from start to finish this year. Life with a toddler in the house leaves little time for self-indulgence.
ReplyDeleteHope you got to see something you wanted to watch over the holidays so far Ed. I'm currently de-cluttering everything a few feet up from the floor f the house as we have Grandson Moonbase coming for the New Year weekend tomorrow. He's crawling and grabs everything in sight! Now where did I put my Project SWORD collection! Yikes!
Delete