Original subtitles

♪ IT'S SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪

YOU SAY "MARY POPPINS" TO

ANYBODY, AND THEY KNOW WHAT IT

IS.

NOW, NOW, NOW GENTLEMEN,

PLEASE.

I LOVE SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS.

IS THERE A SONG THAT I DON'T

LOVE?

OH, LET'S GO FLY A KITE,

BRING IT UP, BRING IT UP.

TONIGHT, A MOTION PICTURE

MASTERPIECE, THE MOVIE'S 60th

ANNIVERSARY.

♪ A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR HELPS THE

MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

♪ THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

"MARY POPPINS," LIKE YOU'VE

NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

WE'RE TAKING YOU BEHIND THE

SCENES.

THE RARE FOOTAGE FROM DEEP

INSIDE THE DISNEY VAULT.

THE FIRST OF ITS KIND MOVIE

MAGIC.

I ALWAYS SAY THE PLACE TO

HANG A HAT --

WHOA!

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME!

PENCIL DRAWINGS MORPHING INTO

MOVIES.

HELLO, ART LOVERS!

THE EVERLASTING APPEAL OF

MARY POPPINS AND HOW HER LEGACY

LIVES ON IN POP CULTURE TODAY.

HELLO, I'M SHARY BOBBINS.

DID YOU SAY MARY POPPINS?

NO, I DEFINITELY DID NOT!

YOU LOOK LIKE MARY POPPINS.

IS HE COOL?

YEAH, HE'S COOL.

NOT LIKE WALT DISNEY.

♪ FOR A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR HELPS

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

BUT NOW, THE UNTOLD STORY,

HOW ONE OF THE GREATEST FAMILY

CLASSICS EVER ALMOST DIDN'T GET

MADE.

P.L. TRAVERS, HE WOOED HER

FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS.

SHE DIDN'T LIKE MOVIES, SHE

DIDN'T LIKE CARTOONS, SHE DID

NOT LIKE WALT DISNEY.

AND HOW DIFFERENT THE CAST

ALMOST WAS.

YOU COULD HAVE HAD A

"MARY POPPINS" WITH BETTE DAVIS,

FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS.

-- OPPOSITE CARY GRANT.

THE FILM'S LIVING LEGENDS

SPILLING LONG-KEPT SECRETS.

SO, IT'S A ROBIN ON YOUR

HAND?

THERE WAS A WIRE THAT WENT UP

MY SHOULDER AND DOWN MY BACK.

♪ STEP IN TIME ♪

I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DANCE,

SO I JUST FAKED IT.

I FAKED IT PRETTY GOOD.

MARY POPPINS, IS THAT YOUR

NAME?

TONIGHT, THE "PRACTICALLY

PERFECT" NANNY WHO CAPTURED OUR

HEARTS --

YOU WON'T GO, MARY POPPINS,

WILL YOU?

IT WENT LIKE THIS -- STRAIGHT

TO THE HEART.

THAT'S AS IT SHOULD BE.

-- AND NEVER LET GO.

HAPPY 60th, "MARY POPPINS!"

DO YOU THINK IT'S FAIR TO

TALK ABOUT "MARY POPPINS" LIKE

THIS AND NOT LET THE FOLKS SEE

SOME OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING

ABOUT?

SHALL WE BEGIN?

♪♪

DICK VAN DYKE, IT'S GREAT TO

TALK TO YOU.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

SO, YOU'RE A DISNEY LEGEND.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU TO BE

A DISNEY LEGEND?

IT MEANS EVERYTHING BECAUSE I

JUST ADMIRED HIM FROM THE TIME I

WAS A KID.

I'M SO PROUD OF THAT.

THERE ARE AWARDS HERE THAT,

LIKE, I WOULD SEE IN THE

SMITHSONIAN OR SOMETHING.

BUT THEY'RE ALL FOR YOU!

YES.

THAT'S THE COMEDY AWARD.

THE TONY AWARD IS RIGHT

THERE, AND YOU GOT THE TONY

AWARD FOR "BYE BYE BIRDIE," FOR

SINGING "PUT ON A HAPPY FACE."

YEAH.

THIS IS THE KENNEDY CENTER

HONORS.

THAT'S THE KENNEDY CENTER,

YEAH.

THAT'S A BIG ONE FOR ME.

NOW, I CAN'T HELP BUT

NOTICING THERE'S A

"MARY POPPINS" BOOK HERE.

IT'S THE SCRIPT.

OH, MY GOSH.

LOOK, AND THERE ARE PICTURES.

THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT. YEAH.

LOOK, THERE'S ONE OF YOUR

SPEECHES.

LOOK AT THAT.

YEAH, I'LL BE DARNED.

THIS IS REMARKABLE.

YOU'RE NOT SHORT ON LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENTS OF ANY KIND, SO HOW

DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED,

DICK VAN DYKE?

FOR "MARY POPPINS."

♪ CHIM CHIMINEY

CHIM CHIMINEY

CHIM CHIM CHER-EE ♪

♪ A SWEEP IS AS LUCKY

AS LUCKY CAN BE ♪

THE INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES,

FROM THOSE INCREDIBLE CHILDREN,

TO JULIE ANDREWS AND

DICK VAN DYKE, I MEAN, IT'S

JUST, ACROSS THE BOARD,

WONDERFUL.

MY FAVORITE SCENE FROM THE

MOVIE IS WITHOUT A DOUBT, "STEP

IN TIME."

♪♪

THAT GOT MY HEART RACING AS AN

8-YEAR-OLD KID.

I THINK ONE OF THE MOST

ICONIC SCENES WAS THOSE DANCING

PENGUINS.

HOW DID THEY GET PENGUINS TO DO

THAT?

♪ IT'S A JOLLY HOLIDAY WITH

MARY ♪

WE WERE ALL JUST COMPLETELY

SWEPT AWAY BY IT.

IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.

WALT DISNEY'S "MARY POPPINS"

WAS A ONE OF A KIND, PULL OUT

ALL THE STOPS, MOTION PICTURE

EVENT.

THIS IS WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL A

FORTUITOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.

MAGIC HAPPENS WITH THAT

MOVIE.

WE ALL KNEW WE HAD SOMETHING

SPECIAL.

OH, HOW NICE.

EVERYBODY WAS WORKING AS HARD

AS THEY COULD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

EVERYBODY HAD FUN.

EVERYBODY GOT ALONG.

IT WAS JUST WONDERFUL.

I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE A GOOD

MOVIE, BUT IT REALLY BECAME A

CLASSIC.

WATCH "MARY POPPINS" TOMORROW

NIGHT.

IT WAS DISNEY'S GREATEST

CINEMATIC EFFORTS SINCE "SNOW

WHITE."

THAT WAS NEARLY 27 YEARS

EARLIER, AND IT WAS PURE

SPECTACLE.

WHEN YOU'RE WITH

MARY POPPINS, SUDDENLY YOU'RE IN

PLACES YOU NEVER DREAMED OF.

IT WAS ALL VERY CUTTING EDGE

FOR THE TIME.

IT'S ENTERTAINING ON SO MANY

LEVELS.

AND I THINK ADULTS CAN ENJOY IT

AS MUCH AS CHILDREN.

I THINK OF WHAT -- BECAUSE OF

WHAT THE CHARACTER MEANS TO

PEOPLE --

MARY POPPINS, PRACTICALLY

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.

-- YOU FEEL IN SAFE HANDS.

CHILDREN WHO ARE GOING ON AN

OUTING WITH THEIR FATHER MUST

GET SOME SLEEP.

THE MOTHER AND THE FATHER

NEED TO BE TAUGHT BY

MARY POPPINS HOW TO SORT OF BE

MORE PRESENT FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

WANTED.

A NANNY FOR TWO ADORABLE

CHILDREN.

ADORABLE.

WELL, THAT'S DEBATABLE, I MUST

SAY.

AND JUST WATCH A FAMILY

RECONNECT AND FIND WHAT'S REALLY

IMPORTANT.

AND EACH OF US WISHES THAT A

MAGICAL NANNY WOULD FLY INTO OUR

HOMES AND FIX ALL OF THE THINGS

THAT MAYBE NEED FIXING.

AND OFF WE GO.

FOR A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR ♪♪

WHEN I WAS 4 YEARS OLD, I

MADE EVERY ADULT THAT I KNEW

TAKE ME TO THIS MOVIE.

I COULD NOT SEE IT ENOUGH.

THE FILM, EVEN WHEN YOU WATCH

IT NOW, IT STILL HOLDS UP.

IT FEELS LIKE THIS IS A FILM

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN MADE THIS

YEAR.

WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE WHEN

WALT WOULD COME ONTO THE SET?

I'D ALWAYS LOVE IT FOR HIM --

AND HE CAME DOWN A LOT.

HE WAS ON THE SET A LOT.

HE WAS UNCLE WALT TO EVERYONE.

EVERYTHING WAS EXCITING.

EVEN BEFORE THE FILM DEBUTS

IN 1964, WALT DISNEY IS REGARDED

AS A CREATIVE VISIONARY.

HE'S ABLE TO IMAGINE AND ACHIEVE

THINGS THAT OTHERS CANNOT.

PLUTO, YOU DON'T WANT TO GET

THROWN OFF, DO YOU?

BE QUIET AND I'LL LET YOU OUT.

IT WAS A REAL CULMINATION OF

A LOT OF HIS CREATIVE ENERGY.

YOU KNOW, THE COMBINATION OF

ANIMATION, MUSIC, GREAT LIVE

ACTION PERFORMANCES.

THE ITEMS ON THE SHELF ARE

GOING TO START MOVING.

MARY PONS', YOU KNOW, UMBRELLA

STARTS SINGING.

THAT WILL BE QUITE ENOUGH OF

THAT, THANK YOU.

YOU'RE JUST LIKE, WOAH,

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

AND PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF

WHAT'S POSSIBLE, WELL, THAT'S

WHERE WALT'S STORY ALWAYS SEEMS

TO BEGIN, REALLY FROM THE MOMENT

HE AND HIS OLDER BROTHER, ROY,

FOUNDED THE DISNEY BROTHERS

CARTOON STUDIO IN 1923.

HIS BROTHER, ROY, WAS THE

BUSINESS GUY.

HE COUNTED ON ROY, TO -- "I'M

GOING TO DREAM IT, YOU'RE GOING

TO FIGURE OUT HOW IT GETS PAID.

IN MANY WAYS, I WONDER IF

ROY DISNEY INSPIRED

JIMINY CRICKET.

THERE'S THIS SORT OF LOVELY

QUALITY OF JIMINY ALWAYS GUIDING

PINOCCHIO AWAY FROM ADVENTURES

THAT COULD GET HIM INTO TROUBLE.

THIS WAY PINOCC -- IT'S THE

ONLY WAY OUT!

AND IS THERE ANY BETTER

DESCRIPTION OF ROY AND WALT'S

RELATIONSHIP?

IT'S A TRUE TEST OF THIS

PARTNERSHIP AND OF THE YOUNG

STUDIO WHEN WALT CREATES THE

FIRST EVER FEATURE-LENGTH

ANIMATED MOVIE, "SNOW WHITE AND

THE SEVEN DWARFS."

THERE HAD NEVER BEEN ANYTHING

LIKE IT IN THE HISTORY OF

ANIMATION.

WE TAKE YOU BEHIND THE CLOSED

DOORS OF THE FAMED WALT DISNEY

STUDIO IN HOLLYWOOD.

THEY WORKED IN SHIFTS, NIGHT AND

DAY, TO COMPLETE THIS UNIQUE

EXPERIMENT IN ENTERTAINMENT.

WE HAD THE FAMILY FORTUNE, WE

HAD EVERYTHING WRAPPED UP IN

"SNOW WHITE."

MANY IN HOLLYWOOD LAUGHED AT

DISNEY, SAYING THIS WAS THE FILM

THAT WAS GOING TO BANKRUPT THE

WALT DISNEY STUDIO.

EVERYONE ELSE WAS CALLING IT

"DISNEY'S FOLLY."

WALT HAD GAMBLED THAT HE

COULD DO THIS.

HE COULD MAKE THIS EXTRAORDINARY

THING.

AND HE WON THE GAMBLE.

♪♪

WHAT WAS DISNEY'S FOLLY IS

NOW DISNEY'S TRIUMPH, BECOMING

THE HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIE OF

THE SOUND ERA TO THAT POINT.

THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A

GOLDEN AGE AT DISNEY.

AFTER A WHILE, PEOPLE

BELIEVED THAT WALT COULD DO JUST

ABOUT ANYTHING.

BUT WHAT WALT HAD NOT DONE

YET WAS TO ACHIEVE A LIVE ACTION

FEATURE FILM, YOU KNOW, LIKE HIS

HOLLYWOOD COUNTERPARTS HAD.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE

FACED AND, FRANKLY, ANIMATION

STILL FACES TODAY, IS PEOPLE NOT

NECESSARILY TAKING THEM

SERIOUSLY AS MOVIES.

CARTOONS WERE JUST FILLER.

THEY WERE NOT TREATED WITH ANY

REGARD OR ANY RESPECT.

HE HADN'T EARNED HIS PLACE IN

THE PANTHEON OF THESE MOGULS OF

THEIR DAY, WHETHER IT WAS MGM OR

UNIVERSAL OR PARAMOUNT OR WARNER

BROTHERS.

I THINK MY GRANDPA WAS ALWAYS

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT THING.

THE NEXT THING WALT FOUND

WOULD BE A SERIES OF STORIES

ABOUT AN ENGLISH NANNY WITH

MAGICAL POWERS.

WALT FIRST BECAME INTERESTED

IN THE STORIES OF MARY POPPINS

THROUGH HIS TWO DAUGHTERS, DIANE

AND SHARON, WHO LOVED THEM AND

READ THEM IN THEIR OWN NURSERY.

WALT'S DAUGHTERS ARE

COMPLETELY ENTHRALLED BY THE

"MARY POPPINS" BOOKS, AND SEEING

THIS STIRS SOMETHING IN WALT.

HE SAID, "THIS NEEDS TO BE

BROUGHT OUT OF THOSE PAGES AND

INTO SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE CAN

ENJOY."

BUT THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY

LINEAR STORIES WITH A BEGINNING,

A MIDDLE, AND AN END.

THERE WAS REALLY NO

THROUGH-LINE TO THOSE STORIES.

THIS WAS LIKE A CHANCE TO DO

SOMETHING KIND OF SPECTACULAR

AND DIFFERENT.

SO, IN 1938, WALT DISNEY

PRODUCTIONS MAKES ITS INITIAL

INQUIRY INTO THE FILM RIGHTS

FROM "MARY POPPINS," WRITING TO

THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

BOOK'S AUTHOR, P.L. TRAVERS.

BUT THINGS DON'T GO AS EXPECTED.

TRYING TO WOO MRS. TRAVERS

WAS NOT EASY.

IT WAS VERY HARD TO GET THE

RIGHTS FROM P.L. TRAVERS.

THERE'S A MOVIE ABOUT THAT IF

PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THAT.

I WAS PERFECTLY CLEAR WHEN

YOU APPROACHED ME 20 YEARS AGO

THAT SHE WASN'T FOR SALE.

SHE DIDN'T LIKE MOVIES, SHE

DIDN'T LIKE CARTOONS, SHE DID

SETTING THE STAGE FOR AN EPIC

CLASH THAT WOULD SPAN DECADES.

♪♪

WALT WAS A HANDS-ON FATHER.

HE ENJOYED BEING A DAD, AND HE

LIKED SPENDING TIME WITH HIS TWO

DAUGHTERS.

HE READ TO THEM AT NIGHT AND

TOOK NOTE OF THE BOOKS HE WAS

READING.

IN THE 1930s, CHILDREN WERE

BECOMING VERY INTERESTED IN SOME

OF THESE BRITISH STORIES.

"WINNIE THE POOH" WAS VERY

POPULAR, OF COURSE.

AND THESE BRITISH STORIES THAT

WERE SO POPULAR OVERSEAS IN

EUROPE WERE COMING INTO THE

UNITED STATES.

AND CHILDREN, OF COURSE, WERE

FINDING THEM JUST AS WONDERFUL

HERE IN THE U.S.

"MARY POPPINS" IS ALL ABOUT

FAMILY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT THIS FAMILY

THAT NEEDS TO COME BACK

TOGETHER.

AT THE CORE, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE

HEART AND RECONNECTION.

WALT'S DOGGED PURSUIT OF THIS

MOVIE HAD A LOT TO DO WITH HOW

HE FELT ABOUT FAMILY, WHICH

OBVIOUSLY INCLUDED HIS BEAUTIFUL

DAUGHTERS.

WALT DISNEY CLEARLY WAS A

VISIONARY, AND HE KNEW THAT

THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL

ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF A

"MARY POPPINS" FILM.

THE "MARY POPPINS" BOOKS TELL

THE STORY OF A MAGICAL NANNY WHO

MEETS THE BANKS FAMILY, AND, OF

COURSE, MAGICAL ADVENTURES

ENSUE.

THIS FELT VERY MUCH LIKE DISNEY

MATERIAL AND THE TYPE OF

MATERIAL THAT ONLY WALT DISNEY

COULD TRULY BRING TO LIFE IN THE

MOTION PICTURE MEDIUM.

WHAT A GIFT TO GIVE YOUR OWN

DAUGHTERS, TO SAY, "HEY, LOOK AT

THIS MAGIC.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO CREATE

FOR YOU."

I SEE SOME OF THAT IN MYSELF

WHEN I'M -- AS A FATHER OF TWO

GIRLS, YEAH, I DO OLAF FOR A

LIVING, BUT I DO IT FOR THEM.

"THIS IS A STORY I HAVE TO

TELL," IS WHAT DRIVES MOST

ARTISTS TO DO ANYTHING.

AND WALT DISNEY WOULDN'T REST

UNTIL HE COULD TELL IT.

HE WAS NOT GOING TO TAKE NO FOR

AN ANSWER, EVEN FROM P.L.

TRAVERS.

SO, IN 1944, AT THE HEIGHT OF

WORLD WAR II, WALT SENDS HIS

BROTHER, ROY, TO NEW YORK CITY

TO MEET WITH THE BRISTLY

TRAVERS, WHO'D MOVED THERE TO

AVOID THE LONDON BOMBINGS AND

WAS WORKING FOR THE BRITISH

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION.

RIGHT FROM THE JUMP, THEY'RE AT

LOGGERHEADS.

WALT DISNEY WANTED TO PUT

ANIMATION INTO "MARY POPPINS,"

AND MRS. TRAVERS WAS NOT UP FOR

THAT.

SHE THOUGHT THAT IT NEEDED TO BE

A MUCH MORE SERIOUS WORK, AND

SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT THERE WAS

ANY ROOM IN HER "MARY POPPINS"

FOR ANIMATION.

LIKE, WHEN SHE SAYS, "I WON'T

HAVE HER TURNED INTO ONE OF YOUR

SILLY CARTOONS."

I WON'T HAVE HER TURNED INTO

ONE OF YOUR SILLY CARTOONS.

AND THAT'S LIKE A LITTLE

ARROW JUST GOING STRAIGHT INTO

HIS SOUL.

SHE WANTED NOTHING DO TO WITH

IT.

SHE HATED JOY.

CAN WE SAY THAT?

HATED JOY.

SHE DIDN'T REALLY HIT IT OFF

WITH CHILDREN, ODDLY ENOUGH, FOR

SOMEBODY WHO WAS SO FAMOUS IN

THE WORLD OF CHILDREN'S

LITERATURE.

MUCH LIKE THE BOOK'S AUTHOR,

THE CHARACTER, MARY POPPINS,

ISN'T EXACTLY WARM EITHER.

WHEN WE ALL THINK OF A NANNY,

WE THINK OF NURTURING, MOTHERLY

SWEETNESS.

MARY POPPINS OF P.L. TRAVERS'

CREATION IS FIRM, BRUSQUE, NO

NONSENSE.

I THINK SHE'S MORE SEVERE IN

THE BOOKS, NOT AS NICE.

TRANSLATING THAT CHARACTER TO

FILM, I THINK, WAS THE POTENTIAL

THAT WALT SAW.

SO, ALREADY REBUFFED ONCE,

WALT DISNEY CALLS P.L TRAVERS IN

1944 TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY

OF MAKING "MARY POPPINS" INTO A

LIVE ACTION FILM, SEEKING THE

RIGHTS FOR A REPORTED $10,000.

BUT THE DEAL FALLS APART WHEN

TRAVERS INSISTS ON SCRIPT

APPROVAL.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT

SOMEONE LIKE WALT DISNEY JUST

DOESN'T DO.

HE WANTED TO GET THE BOOK,

AND MRS. TRAVERS WAS BEING

IMPOSSIBLE.

I THINK WALT WAS CONFUSED BY

IT, YOU KNOW?

HE WAS CONFOUNDED BY WHY WOULD

ANYBODY WANT TO LIVE THEIR LIFE

THE WAY SHE DOES.

IMAGINE THE INVESTMENT, THE

TIME, THE ENERGY THAT WOULD GO

INTO PREPARING A SCREENPLAY FOR

A FILM LIKE "MARY POPPINS,"

ONLY, FOR SOME REASON, TO HAVE

THAT AUTHOR, FOR WHATEVER

REASON, BACK OUT.

THERE'S ANOTHER SOURCE OF

PRESSURE HERE AS WELL.

WALT IS AWARE OTHER HOLLYWOOD

HEAVYWEIGHTS MIGHT BE WILLING TO

CONCEDE THE CONTROL HE IS NOT.

HE'S NOT THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN.

WALT WAS IN COMPETITION.

THERE WERE OTHER PRODUCERS WHO

WERE VERY INTERESTED AT THE

TIME ACQUIRING THE RIGHTS.

AND A SHOCKING FACT IS, IT

MIGHT, NOW, SEEM A DEAL WAS MADE

TO BRING THE "PRACTICALLY

PERFECT" NANNY TO THE BIG

SCREEN, A DEAL NOT MADE WITH

DISNEY.

IT'S ACTUALLY SAM GOLDWYN WHO

ACQUIRES THE MOTION PICTURE

RIGHTS IN 1950.

FRESH FROM MAKING THE ACADEMY

AWARD-WINNING BEST PICTURE, "THE

BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES,"

PRODUCER, SAM GOLDWYN, AIMS TO

LURE P.L. TRAVERS TO HOLLYWOOD

TO COLLABORATE ON A SCREENPLAY.

THERE'S A VARIETY OF ACTORS

WHO BEGIN TO SHOW INTEREST IN

PLAYING THE LEAD ROLE, BEA

LILLIE, KATHRINE HEPBURN.

I HAD SPENT A LOT OF TIME TO

GET THAT OPTION.

AND I DESPERATELY WANTED MY

FATHER TO HAVE MADE IT.

THIS OPTION LAPSED, BUT OUT OF

IT, I GOT TO KNOW PAMELA TRAVERS

A BIT, AND HER WHOLE PSYCHE

ABOUT "MARY POPPINS," WHICH SHE

DESPERATELY WANTED DONE, NOT AS

A MUSICAL, BUT AS A STRAIGHT

PLAY.

"MARY POPPINS" WOULD DEBUT,

ALBEIT ON THE SMALL SCREEN, IN

CBS' DRAMATIC ANTHOLOGY SERIES,

"STUDIO ONE," FEATURING A YOUNG

AMERICAN ACTRESS NAMED

MARY WICKES.

MARY WICKES IS ONE OF THE

GREAT CHARACTER ACTRESSES OF

HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE, FAMILIAR

TO ALMOST ANYBODY WHO WATCHED

TELEVISION OR WENT TO THE MOVIES

IN THE '40, '50S, AND '60S, AND

BEYOND.

I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO.

AMONG HER NOTABLE ROLES,

SHE'S THE WICKEDLY-STRICT BALLET

TEACHER ON "I LOVE LUCY."

HIPS UNDER, STOMACH IN, CHEST

OUT.

IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TV VERSION

WAS PROBABLY MORE LIKE THE

BOOKS, AND I'M WONDERING IF SHE

WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE

SCARY POPPINS THAN MARY POPPINS,

YOU KNOW?

P.L. TRAVERS MAY HAVE CRUSHED

WALT'S HOPES OF OBTAINING THE

RIGHTS TO "MARY POPPINS," BUT

THAT WON'T SLOW HIS AMBITIONS IN

THE YEARS AHEAD.

OBVIOUSLY HE CHANGES THE

RECREATION.

DISNEYLAND IS YOUR LAND.

ULTIMATELY HE'S BUILDING A

FULL-SCALE AMUSEMENT PARK.

THERE'S SNOW WHITE, AND SHE'S

SITTING THERE WITH THE SEVEN

DWARVES.

BUT IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR

WALT DISNEY.

IT'S JUST THAT YOU'RE A --

A STRANGER?

AND WHEN ANOTHER ONE OF HIS

EPIC-SIZED CINEMATIC

UNDERTAKINGS FLOPS AT THE BOX

OFFICE, WALT IS GOING TO NEED

MARY POPPINS MORE THAN EVER.

WITH MAKING MARY POPPINS

SEEMINGLY NOT IN THE CARDS, WALT

DISNEY REACHES NEW HEIGHTS IN

1955 WITH THE SUCCESSFUL OPENING

OF DISNEYLAND.

TO ALL WHO COME TO THIS HAPPY

PLACE, WELCOME.

YOU WOULD GO THROUGH THOSE

DOORS AT DISNEYLAND, THROUGH THE

GATES, AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

JUST WENT AWAY.

BUT EVEN THE HAPPY RETURNS

FROM THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

WOULD NOT SATISFY WALT'S

AMBITIONS.

EVEN WHEN HE WAS AT THE

HEIGHT OF HIS ACHIEVEMENTS, HE

COULD STILL PROBABLY FEEL LIKE

HE WAS BEING SAT AT THE KID'S

TABLE.

HE STARTED MAKING LIVE-ACTION

FILMS.

THERE WILL BE NO KILLING

UNTIL I GIVE THE WORD.

TREASURE ISLAND, TWENTY

THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA,

OLD YELLER.

BUT HE WASN'T MAKING THESE

SERIOUS DRAMAS, THINGS THAT WAS

EXPECTED OF A FILM PRODUCER OF

THAT ERA.

I DON'T THINK THE REST OF

HOLLYWOOD EVER QUITE KNEW WHAT

TO MAKE OF WALT.

INTO THE 1950'S, THE DISNEY

STUDIO WAS BACK TO TELLING

FEATURE-LENGTH ANIMATED STORIES

AGAIN STARTING WITH CINDERELLA,

DO YOU LIKE IT.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND, PETER

PAN, LADY AND THE TRAMP, AND BY

1959, SLEEPING BEAUTY.

YOU SAID SO YOURSELF, ONCE

UPON A DREAM.

BY FAR, THIS WAS THE MOST

EXPENSIVE ANIMATED FILM THAT THE

DISNEY STUDIO HAD PRODUCED.

IT COST $6 MILLION, WHICH WAS

A GIGANTIC SUM.

AND WHEN IT CAME OUT IT WAS NOT

WELL RECEIVED.

IT LOST MONEY.

I'VE HEARD A STORY THAT THEY

SCREENED IT ALL, AND WHEN IT

FINISHED, WALT TURNED TO THEM

AND SAID, WHAT THE HELL

HAPPENED?

DIDN'T HAVE THE WARMTH THAT I

THINK THE DISNEY FILMS ARE KNOWN

FOR.

ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT A

BOX OFFICE SUCCESS, WALT DISNEY

IS DRIVEN TO CONTINUE PUSHING

THE BAR ON HIS FILMMAKING.

THE FAILURES HELP MAKE THE

SUCCESSES.

IT'S THAT SIMPLE.

WELL, PERFECTIONISM ALWAYS

COSTS MONEY.

WELL, I WAS ALWAYS KNOWN AS A

PERFECTIONIST.

I THINK THAT REALLY JUST

FUELED HIS ENGINE EVEN MORE.

AND HE WAS READY TO TAKE ON THE

BIG STUDIOS AND DO A LIVE-ACTION

MASTERPIECE.

IN WALT'S MIND, "MARY

POPPINS" IS DESTINED TO BECOME

PART OF THE DISNEY LEGACY, AND

HE'S MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER

TO OBTAIN THE FILM RIGHTS.

HE KNEW THAT HE SHOULDN'T

GIVE UP ON THIS.

HE WAS REBUFFED AND REBUFFED

AGAIN AND REBUFFED AGAIN.

WALT WAS NEGOTIATING TO GET

THE BOOK AND MRS. TRAVERS WAS

BEING REALLY TOUGH.

WALT WAS THE MOST WONDERFULLY

CHARMING, WARM PERSONALITY, AND

SHE WAS UTTERLY RESISTANT TO HER

CHARM.

TO UNDERSTAND WHY P.L.

TRAVERS CLUNG SO TIGHTLY TO HER

CREATION, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO

UNDERSTAND WHO SHE IS, PAMELA

LYNDON TRAVERS.

SHE'D BEEN AN ACTRESS IN HER

NATIVE AUSTRALIA BEFORE MOVING

TO ENGLAND IN 1924.

SHE WAS RATHER EXTRAORDINARY,

BUT SHE WAS ALWAYS UNHAPPY AND

ALWAYS SUFFERING FROM VARIOUS

AILMENTS.

SHE WAS PAINTED AS AN OLD

DRAGON, AND SHE COULD BE AN OLD

DRAGON, VERY INTIMIDATING, AND

QUITE SCARY AT TIMES.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THERE WAS THIS

CONFLICT WITHIN HER, IN THAT SHE

WAS HERSELF QUITE STEELY IN HER

MANNER.

THAT HARD SHELL AND THAT

FIERCE COMMITMENT TO HER

STORYTELLING MAY HAVE ITS ROOTS

IN HER UPBRINGING IN THE

AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK.

THIS CHILDHOOD WAS LIGHTENED

BY THE DISCOVERY OF BOOKS,

FAIRYTALES, MYTHS, LEGENDS.

BUT THE DARKER STORY, THE FACT

THAT HER FATHER WAS AN

ALCOHOLIC, A DEEPLY TROUBLED

MAN.

BACK THEN, SHE WAS HELEN

LYNDON GOFF, AND THESE ARE SOME

RARELY SEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER

AS A CHILD.

THE DEATH OF HER FATHER, A

FAILED BANKER, BY THE WAY, WHEN

SHE WAS SEVEN, THAT AFFECTED HER

DEEPLY.

AND A FEW YEARS LATER, HER

MOTHER ATTEMPTED TO TAKE HER OWN

LIFE.

INSIDE THE COLD HEART IS THE

WOUNDED CHILD.

SHE WAS VERY BADLY DAMAGED WHEN

SHE WAS LITTLE.

THE TRAUMA OF HER MOTHER'S

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE IS, I THINK, A

KIND OF CRUCIAL TURNING POINT IN

TRAVERS'S LIFE.

SHE CONSOLED HER SISTERS BY

TELLING THEM STORIES ABOUT A

MAGIC HORSE.

AND I THINK TRAVERS GAINED

SOMETHING FROM THAT HARROWING

EXPERIENCE THAT EQUIPPED HER TO

BE SOMEBODY WHO CREATED STORIES.

SO WHERE DOES "MARY POPPINS"

COME FROM?

TRAVERS HERSELF NEVER SEEMED TO

GIVE THE ANSWER, EVEN WHEN SHE

WAS ASKED BY A GROUP OF

CHILDREN.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO

WRITE "MARY POPPINS?"

THAT IS A QUESTION THAT IS

ALWAYS BEING ASKED OF ME.

I DON'T KNOW.

YOU WOULDN'T ASK THAT OF A POET.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT COMES

FROM.

THAT'S WHY IT'S SO MAGIC.

THAT'S WHY IT'S SO MYSTERIOUS.

WHEN P.L. TRAVERS SAID SHE

NEVER KNEW ANYBODY LIKE MARY

POPPINS, WELL, ACTUALLY THAT'S

NOT TRUE.

WHEN HER MOTHER BECAME ILL, AN

AUNT CAME INTO THEIR LIVES, AND

SHE WAS, IN MANY WAYS, VERY MUCH

A MARY POPPINS CHARACTER.

TRAVERS' GREAT, AUNT ELLIE,

WOULD BE DEPICTED IN THE

2013 FILM, "SAVING MR. BANKS."

UNDOUBTEDLY, AUNT ELLIE WAS

THE KIND OF ROCK THAT SHE'D NOT

HAD AT ALL.

OH, DEAR.

I AM HERE NOW AND I WILL FIX

EVERYTHING.

AND AUNT ELLIE WOULD SERVE AS

AN INSPIRATION FOR A FUTURE

MYSTICAL NANNY.

SO IN 1959, WALT LEARNS THAT

THE FILM RIGHTS TO MARY POPPINS

ARE ONCE AGAIN AVAILABLE.

THIS WAS HER BIG

MONEY-PRODUCING THING, THE "MARY

POPPINS" BOOKS.

AND SHE WAS FINALLY CONVINCED

THAT YOU JUST CANNOT AFFORD TO

TURN WALT DISNEY DOWN.

DISNEY WENT TO SEE HER.

HE WENT TO HER HOUSE FOR TEA.

THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL

DISCUSSION.

IN FACT, THINGS GO SO WELL THAT

THEY LEAVE THE MEETING WITH A

FEW IDEAS ON HOW TO MOVE

FORWARD.

BUT TRAVERS' LAWYER HAS OTHER

IDEAS, AND HE TELLS HER TO ASK

FOR THE MOON.

NOW, PAMELA TRAVERS WANTED

$750,000.

FOR $10,000, WALT COULD'VE MADE

THIS HAPPEN IN 1946.

SO, IT WAS A DIFFERENT BALL

GAME.

WALT'S ALL IN.

HE AGREES TO THE MONEY.

TRAVERS WOULD ALSO SERVE AS A

CONSULTANT, GET A PIECE OF THE

FILM'S PROFITS, AND SCRIPT

APPROVAL, SOMETHING WALT TO THIS

POINT HAD NEVER CONSIDERED.

THAT'S A GUY THAT'S

DETERMINED TO MAKE A MOVIE.

BUT EVEN WITH ALL OF THESE

CONCESSIONS, TRAVERS STILL DRAGS

HER FEET AND STILL DOESN'T GIVE

WALT THE ONE THING HE NEEDS TO

MAKE THE FILM, THE RIGHTS,

BECAUSE SHE HASN'T SEEN A

SCRIPT.

HER APPROVAL OF THE

SCREENPLAY WOULD GIVE DISNEY ITS

FINAL GREEN LIGHT TO BEGIN

PRODUCTION ON "MARY POPPINS."

HERE WAS THIS THING THAT HE

JUST WANTED TO GET OVER SO HE

COULD GO OFF AND MAKE THE MOVIE

THE WAY HE HAD MADE SO MANY

OTHER MOVIES.

BUT P.L. TRAVERS TOOK EXTREME

UMBRAGE WITH ANYTHING THAT WOULD

CHANGE HER VISION FOR WHAT MARY

POPPINS WOULD BE.

SHE JUST DIDN'T WANT TO LET GO

OF WHAT SHE FELT WAS HER OWN

CREATION, HER OWN CHILD.

LITTLE DOES SHE KNOW, WALT

HAS TWO SECRET WEAPONS ON HIS

BURBANK LOT WHO ARE READY TO

ENCHANT THE NOTORIOUSLY STUBBORN

AUTHOR.

WILL A GIFTED PAIR OF COMPOSERS

SOOTHE TRAVERS' WOUNDED HEART?

WELL THEY WOULD PLAY A SONG

AND SHE-- WOULD SAY, "NO. I HATE

IT --

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS.

NO.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

LIKE, WHAT?

♪♪

WITH A LARGE BAG IN HER HAND

SHE SLIPPED GRACEFULLY UP THE

BANISTERS.

WALT DISNEY'S BEEN COMMITTED

TO BRINGING "MARY POPPINS" TO

THEATERS EVERYWHERE.

BUT MEANWHILE, HIS STUDIO IS

DOING TELEVISION AS WELL.

AND IN 1955, WALT'S LOOKING FOR

A FRESH FACE FOR HIS NEW KIDS'

SHOW.

WALT DISNEY AND MICKEY MOUSE

PRESENT, "THE MICKEY MOUSE

CLUB."

WALT DISNEY WAS NOT WHAT WE

CALL, IN THE TRADE, A SUIT.

HE WAS NOT JUST AN EXECUTIVE.

HE WANTED TO BE A PART OF

EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING,

HANDS ON.

WALT GOES TO A LOCAL

AMPHITHEATER TO WATCH A RECITAL

OF "SWAN LAKE" AND DISCOVERS

12-YEAR-OLD ANNETTE FUNICELLO.

MOUSE KE ROLL CALL!

COUNT OFF NOW.

ANNETTE!

A RECORDING CONTRACT WITH

DISNEY WOULD SOON FOLLOW FOR

ANNETTE, AS WOULD THE ARRIVAL OF

TWO BROTHERS ASSIGNED TO WRITE

SONGS FOR HER.

OUR SONGWRITERS, DICK AND

BOB SHERMAN.

THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A SONG

FOR ANNETTE FUNICIELLO, WHO WAS

A BIG STAR FOR THE MOUSEKETEERS.

ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING DOWN

SANTA MONICA BOULEVARD, AND

THERE WAS A SIGN, AND IT SAID,

"THE TALL GIRLS SHOP."

TALL?

OH, THAT'S A GOOD WORD, TALL.

AND WITH ONE WORD, A SONG IS

BORN.

LUCKILY, BROTHER ROBERT SHERMAN

HAD A FEW WORDS OF HIS OWN TO

ADD.

THE RESULT?

A TOP TEN SINGLE FOR ANNETTE

CALLED "TALL PAUL."

♪ TALL PAUL ♪

♪ TALL PAUL ♪

♪ TALL PAUL ♪

I THINK IF ANNETTE FUNICELLO

HAD NOT HAD A HIT WITH THAT

SONG, AND THEY HAD NOT BEEN

DISCOVERED ON THAT, I DON'T KNOW

THAT WE'D BE SITTING HERE.

SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT BE.

WE ALWAYS CALLED HER OUR

LUCKY STAR BECAUSE SHE STARTED

IT.

FOR THE SHERMANS, IT WOULD BE

THE BEGINNING OF A PROLIFIC

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BROTHERS AND

DISNEY.

SO, THE BOYS, AS WALT LIKED

TO CALL THEM, ARE ON THE DISNEY

LOT IN BURBANK IN 1960 WHEN FATE

INTERVENES.

ONE PROPITIOUS DAY, WALT TOOK

HIS LITTLE REDBOOK OFF HIS SHELF

AND HE HANDED IT TO US.

HE SAID, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT A

NANNY IS?"

AND MY DAD SAID, "A GOAT?"

HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT.

AND HE GOES, "NO, NO, NO, IT'S

AN ENGLISH NURSEMAID."

AND HE EXPLAINED WHAT

"MARY POPPINS" WAS.

HE JUST SAID, "TELL ME WHAT

YOU THINK."

WE KNEW HE WAS INTERESTED IN US

AS WRITERS, AS THINKERS.

TWO WEEKS LATER, WE BRAZENLY

ASKED COULD WE HAVE A HALF HOUR

OF WALT'S VERY, VERY, VERY

VALUABLE TIME.

AND WE STAYED THERE FOR ABOUT

2.5 HOURS.

AND HE WAS AS ENTHUSIASTIC AS WE

WERE WITH WHAT WE WERE DOING.

THEY SHOWED WALT THE CHAPTERS

FROM THE BOOKS THAT THEY LIKED

THE BEST FOR A FILM AND FOR

MUSIC.

WALT HANDED THEM HIS COPY, AND

HE HAD NOTED THE SAME HALF DOZEN

CHAPTERS IN HIS COPY.

THEY WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE

STORY LINE AS THEY HAD FASHIONED

IT.

THEY HAD TAKEN IT FROM THE DRAB,

1930s PRE-WAR LONDON, AND MOVED

IT BACK, BOTH LITERARILY AND

MUSICALLY TO 1910.

IT WAS MORE EXCITING FOR MUSIC.

MORE COLORFUL, A GOOD TIME TO

SET THIS STORY.

THEY ACTUALLY WROTE A SCREEN

TREATMENT AND BROUGHT IT BACK IN

WITH FOUR OF THE SONGS.

THEY WEREN'T COMPLETED SONGS.

THEY WERE JUST 16 BARS.

AND THE FOUR SONGS WERE "STAY

AWAKE," "SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS," "JOLLY

HOLIDAY," AND "FEED THE BIRDS."

AND WALT LISTENED TO "FEED

THE BIRDS."

IT CHANGED SOMETHING IN HIM.

HE WALKED OVER TO THE WINDOW AND

LOOKED OUT AT THE STUDIO AND

SAID, "PLAY THAT BIRD LADY SONG

AGAIN."

♪ THE YOUNG ONES ARE HUNGRY

THEIR NESTS ARE SO BARE ♪

♪ ALL IT TAKES

IS TUPPENCE FROM YOU ♪

"FEED THE BIRDS" WAS ALWAYS A

SIGNATURE TUNE FOR WALT BECAUSE

IT SPOKE TO SMALL KINDNESSES CAN

ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS.

HE LOOKED AT US AND HE SAID,

"THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT,

ISN'T IT?"

AND THEN HE WENT AND GOT

CONTRACTS IN THE NEXT OFFICE AND

SAID, "HOW WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE

TO COME HERE AND WORK FOR ME?"

WE SAID, "WE'D LOVE TO WRITE

FOR THE STUDIO."

AND THAT WAS THE DAY.

THAT WAS THE DAY.

IT CHANGED EVERYBODY'S LIFE.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY

VALIDATED THEM.

AND THEY GOT TO WORK WITH, YOU

KNOW, THE GENIUS OF THEIR TIME.

SORRY.

THE SHERMAN BROTHERS WERE THE

FIRST AND LAST SONGWRITERS TO BE

UNDER CONTRACT, SPECIFICALLY TO

WRITE SONGS, NOT BACKGROUND

MUSIC, SONGS.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DID.

WALT DISNEY GAVE THEM A HOME.

THAT WAS VERY UNUSUAL FOR

SONGWRITERS.

♪ WHEN MARY HOLDS YOUR HAND YOU

FEEL SO GRAND ♪

♪ YOUR HEART STARTS BEATING LIKE

A BIG GLASS BAND ♪

NOW WE'RE IN THE SEAT.

IT WASN'T A SCRIPT THAT BEGAN

THE DEVELOPMENT OF

"MARY POPPINS," IT WAS MUSIC.

IT BEGINS WITH THE SONG BY

THE SHERMAN BROTHERS.

THERE'S A SECRET LANGUAGE

EMBEDDED IN THOSE SONGS.

THOSE SONGS HAVE A HOLD ON US.

BUT IF WALT DISNEY'S PASSION

PROJECT IS EVER GOING TO GET OFF

THE GROUND, THE MARY POPPINS

CHARACTER WILL NEED TO DO THE

SAME.

ARTIST PETER ELLENSHAW WILL BE

COMMISSIONED TO MAKE MARY WANDER

ABOVE THE LONDON CITYSCAPE.

I MEAN, PETER ELLENSHAW, HIS

BACKGROUNDS.

I MEAN, WE NEVER LEFT BURBANK,

BUT THE WHOLE THING FELT LIKE

YOU WERE IN ENGLAND.

AND, UH, IT LOOKED LIKE IT.

IT WAS -- IT WAS ALL HIS

INCREDIBLE MATTES, THOSE

PAINTINGS, THIS MAN CREATED.

SO EARLY PRODUCTION FOR

STORYBOARDS AND MUSIC ARE ALL

RAMPING UP.

NOBODY IS WORKING FASTER THAN

THE SHERMAN BROTHERS, WHO WRITE

AS MANY AS 38 SONGS FOR THE

FILM.

SOME ARE NEVER EVEN RECORDED BY

THE CAST.

THE RARELY HEARD DEMOS WITH

RICHARD SHERMAN'S VOICE SERVE AS

AN AMAZING REMINDER FOR WHAT

MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

♪ IF YOU'RE BOISTEROUS

AND BUMPTIOUS ♪

♪ YOU'RE GRIST

FOR THE CHIMPANZOO ♪

SO, TO MAKE THE FILM THAT

WALT DISNEY CRAVES, THERE'S JUST

ONE THING STILL MISSING, A

SIGNED CONTRACT WITH P.L.

TRAVERS' NAME ON IT.

HE HAD ALREADY COMMISSIONED

MY DAD AND UNCLE TO START

WORKING ON IT, AND START WRITING

SONGS FOR IT.

AND HE STILL DIDN'T OWN THE

RIGHTS TO HAVE IT MADE.

THIS WAS VERY UNIQUE BECAUSE

VERY RARELY DID WE, AS A

COMPANY, POUR A LOT OF CREATIVE

EFFORT INTO A PROJECT THAT WE

DIDN'T OWN THE MOTION PICTURE

RIGHTS TO.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE

BEGINNING OUR DESCENT INTO LOS

ANGELES.

SO, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO

THIS, P.L. TRAVERS AGREES TO FLY

TO HOLLYWOOD TO MEET WITH

WALT DISNEY SO SHE CAN FINALLY

SEE AND HEAR ALL THE WORK HE'S

BEEN DOING, HIS VISION.

UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE 20th

CENTURY.

IT DOES NOT GO WELL.

I THINK WE SHOULD WORK THIS

OUT ON TAPE??

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

GOODNESS ME, NO.

NO, NO, DON'T MAKE IT LIKE THAT

---

♪♪

MORE THAN 20-YEARS AFTER

WALT DISNEY FIRST BEGAN HIS

PURSUIT OF THE "MARY POPPINS"

STORIES, THERE IS HOPE AT LAST.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED WAS WALT

DECIDED THAT HE WOULD FLY

MRS. TRAVERS INTO LOS ANGELES.

THE AUTHOR TRAVELS FROM

LONDON FIRST CLASS ON A TICKET

PAID FOR BY DISNEY, WHO WILL

MAKE HIS BIGGEST PUSH YET FOR

THE MOVIE RIGHTS.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, TRAVERS

APPEARS TO BE A MOTIVATED

SELLER.

THE REASON SHE EVEN FLEW OUT

TO MEET WITH WALT DISNEY WAS

THAT HER BOOKS WERE NOT SELLING

IN THE LATE '50S AND EARLY '60S

THE WAY THEY HAD IN THE LATE

'30S, EARLY '40S.

SHE NEEDED THE MONEY.

AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY

HONORABLE REASON TO GIVE

SOMETHING UP THAT YOU DON'T WANT

TO GIVE UP, OF COURSE.

FINANCES ASIDE, MRS. TRAVERS

IS NOT COMING FOR AFTERNOON TEA.

THE AUTHOR STILL WANTS WHAT SHE

WANTS, AND THAT IS CONTROL.

THEY DID NOT SHARE THE SAME

CREATIVE VISION AT ALL, AND THEY

WERE VERY DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH

VERY DIFFERENT AGENDAS.

TRAVERS WAS DIFFICULT AND SO WAS

WALT DISNEY.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT

WALT DISNEY WASN'T USED TO

DEALING WITH LIVING AUTHORS.

"SNOW WHITE," "PINOCCHIO,"

"CINDERELLA," THESE WERE ALL

ANCIENT FAIRY TALES WHOSE

AUTHORS WEREN'T AROUND TO MAKE

DEMANDS.

YOU'VE GOT THIS POWERFUL

MOGUL WHO IS ALSO NOT USED TO

HAVING PEOPLE SAY NO TO HIM.

AND SHE'S NOT USED TO ANYBODY

SAYING NO TO HER.

BUT WALT DISNEY IS ABOUT TO

MAKE MAYBE HIS MOST CREATIVE

MOVE YET.

WHILE P.L. TRAVERS IS COMING TO

TOWN, WALT IS ABOUT TO SLIP OUT

OF TOWN.

WALT WAS QUITE CANNY,

ACTUALLY, BECAUSE HE DECIDED TO

OPT OUT OF THE SCENE AT THIS

POINT AND GO TO PALM SPRINGS.

SHE WAS GOING TO MEET WITH

WALT DISNEY, ONLY WALT KNEW

BETTER.

HE KNEW HIS EGO AND HER EGO IN

THE SAME ROOM WOULD NOT YIELD

THE RESULTS.

HE KICKED IT OFF TO THE

SHERMAN BROTHERS AND A COUPLE OF

OTHER PEOPLE AND SAID, "FIX IT."

HE LEFT MY DAD, MY UNCLE, DON

DaGRADI, WHO HAD BEEN WORKING

WITH THEM ON DEVELOPING THE

STORY, AND BILL DOVER, WHO WAS

THE STORY EDITOR, ALONE WITH

MRS. TRAVERS IN THAT ROOM THAT

YOU'VE SEEN IN THE MOVIE.

THE MOVIE IS "SAVING

MR. BANKS," A DRAMATIZED ACCOUNT

OF THE MAKING OF "MARY POPPINS"

AND THE UPHILL BATTLE THE DISNEY

COMPANY FACED WITH THE STRONG

MINDED AUTHOR, PLAYED IN THE

FILM BY EMMA THOMPSON.

GOOD MORNING, PAMELA!

IT IS SO DISCOMFORTING TO

HEAR A PERFECT STRANGER USE MY

FIRST NAME.

MRS. TRAVERS, PLEASE.

THE FOUR OF THEM HAD TO TRY

AND CONVINCE THIS VERY, VERY

CHALLENGING WOMAN TO ALLOW

WALT DISNEY TO MAKE THIS MOVIE.

FOR POSTERITY'S SAKE, IT IS

WONDERFUL TO BE ABLE TO LISTEN

TO THE AUDIO TAPES THAT -- THAT

THE SHERMANS MADE WHERE HER

STUBBORNNESS IS ON DISPLAY FOR

ALL THE WORLD TO HEAR.

NOW, WHO'S READING?

AND GO SLOWLY!

THERE WERE HOURS OF RECORDED

CONVERSATIONS, MUCH OF WHICH HAS

NEVER BEEN HEARD, UNTIL NOW.

A ROYAL RUMBLE OF SORTS, WHERE

THE AUTHOR TAKES ON THE BOYS.

BUT NOW I'M GOING TO ASK YOU

NOT TO USE THE WORD NIGHTIE.

NIGHTIE.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO --

A NIGHTGOWN IS A NIGHTGOWN.

ALL RIGHT, FINE, FINE.

A NIGHT DRESS, A NIGHTGOWN?

NIGHTGOWN IS WHAT WE USE.

FINE, GOWN, FINE.

YOU CAN TELL THAT THERE'S A

LITTLE BIT OF TENSION THERE.

NOW STOP.

I SEE THAT YOU'VE GOT, "ANOTHER

NANNY BLOWS AWAY ENTIRELY."

NOW WE'RE PUTTING THAT NANNY ON

THE SAME LEVEL AS MARY POPPINS

IF WE ALLOW HER TO BLOW AWAY.

DO YOU NOT SEE THAT?

IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR HER TO

UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

THE FILM WAS ALREADY VERY

DEVELOPED.

WHOLE SCENES WERE SET OUT IN

STORYBOARD.

MR. BANKS IS COMING HOME, AND

HE ENTERS THE HOUSE, BRIEFCASE

AND NEWSPAPER AND HAT, AND

REMOVES HIS OVERSHOES.

STOP.

WE DON'T WEAR OVERSHOES.

SO HERE YOU HAVE GREAT STORY

ARTIST DON DaGRADI, WHO, AT ONE

MINUTE, IS CREATING BRILLIANT

SKETCHES FOR "MARY POPPINS," AND

THE OTHER, CREATES A SERIES OF

CARICATURES THAT ILLUSTRATE THE

EMOTION AND THE ACTION THAT'S

TAKING PLACE IN THESE STORY

MEETINGS.

ONE OF THESE HE TITLES "THE

TRIAL," WHICH PRETTY MUCH SUMS

UP THE ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT?

COULD WE STOP THERE A MINUTE?

NOW, "ALL THE WORLD'S IN HAPPY

RHYME."

LET'S TRY IT DIFFERENTLY.

GET SOMETHING REALLY BETTER.

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG

WITH THAT LINE.

I LIKE THAT LINE.

ALL THE WORLD'S IN HAPPY

RHYME?

HOW CAN A WORLD BE IN A RHYME?

BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING LITERAL,

AND THIS IS -- THIS IS A

POETIC LICENSE WE'RE TAKING.

TO AN EXTENT, THE SHERMAN

BROTHERS ARE DEFENDING THEIR

WORK.

THEY'RE DEFENDING THEIR SONGS.

HE WOULD JUST COME HOME, AND

HE SAID TO US, "HAD TO SIT WITH

THAT WITCH AGAIN ALL DAY."

SO, I THOUGHT MY DAD WAS WORKING

WITH WIZARDS, MAGICIANS, AND

WITCHES.

I REALLY DID.

AND HE WAS JUST MISERABLE ABOUT

IT.

OUR DADS ARE TRYING SO HARD

TO PLACATE THIS EXTRAORDINARILY

DIFFICULT WOMAN WHO INSISTED THE

COLOR RED NOT BE ANYWHERE.

SHE SAID, "THERE'S NO RED IN

ENGLAND."

AND HE SAID, "HOW ABOUT BUSES

AND PHONE BOOTHS?"

SHE GOES -- SHE WAS JUST

DISMISSIVE.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, DON'T

MAKE IT LIKE THAT.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, THAT'S NOT

RIGHT AT ALL.

YOU CAN'T DO THAT.

NO, NO. NO, IT SHOULD BE LIKE

THIS.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, SHE'S

NOT TO TELL HIM.

NO WELL-BROUGHT-UP NANNY WOULD

LET A CHILD JUMP IN A PUDDLE.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO,

RESPONSTABLE IS NOT A WORD.

WE MADE IT UP!

WELL, UN-MAKE IT UP.

I THINK IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT

FOR MRS. TRAVERS TO SEE HER

CHARACTER REINTERPRETED BY THE

DISNEY STUDIO IN THESE STORY

MEETINGS.

BUT THERE'S A WONDERFUL

MOMENT THAT I HOPE YOU GUYS FIND

IN THIS.

IT'S LATER ON IN THE -- IN THE

DISCUSSIONS, AND THEY'VE GOTTEN

TO "FEED THE BIRDS."

♪♪

SHE STARTED TO SING ALONG

WITH "FEED THE BIRDS."

AND SHE KIND OF UNDERSTOOD THAT

THEY WERE ONTO SOMETHING

SPECIAL.

♪ THOUGH HER WORDS

ARE SIMPLE AND FEW ♪

♪ LISTEN LISTEN

SHE'S CALLING TO YOU ♪

♪ FEED THE BIRDS

TUPPENCE A BAG ♪

WALT GAVE HER SOMETHING THAT

HE NEVER DID WHEN HE ACQUIRED AN

OUTSIDE PROPERTY.

HE GAVE HER A CERTAIN DEGREE OF

CONSULTATION AND APPROVAL.

AT THE POINT AT WHICH SHE

CAME OUT AND HAD TO BE WON OVER,

IT WAS FOUR MEN AGAINST HER, AND

SHE MORE THAN HELD HER OWN.

AFTER A LONG MONTH OF

WAITING, P.L. TRAVERS FINALLY

SIGNS HER DEAL, AND PRODUCTION

BEGINS.

AND THE NEXT HURDLE, WHO WILL

PLAY MARY POPPINS?

AND HOW EXACTLY DOES SOMEONE

TELL WALT DISNEY THEY'VE FOUND

THE PERFECT CHOICE?

BECAUSE NO ONE TELLS WALT WHO

TO CAST IN WALT'S MOVIE.

AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NOT

EVERYONE QUITE GRASPS WALT'S

UNIQUE VISION?

THEY WERE RUNNING AROUND

WITH, LIKE, CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF

PENGUINS, AND A HORSE, AND

THINGS.

BUT IT WAS REALLY QUITE BIZARRE

I WAS THINKING "I DON'T KNOW IF

THIS MOVIE IS GOING

TO DO VERY WELL

♪♪

THIS IS WHERE "MARY POPPINS"

WAS SHOT.

THE HISTORY IN THIS SPACE IS --

YOU CAN FEEL IT.

TONIGHT WE'RE TAKING YOU BACK

TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.

MARY POPPINS.

THE STORIES YOU'VE NEVER

HEARD.

FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WERE

THERE.

THE CREW, THEY WERE RUNNING

AROUND LIKE CARDBOARD CUTOUTS OF

PENGUINS.

THE MEMORIES.

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST

EXCHANGE?

ALL I HAD TO DO WAS WALK

ACROSS CAMERA AND SAY, DO YOU

REALLY THINK SO?

THE MUSIC --

♪ A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR HELPS

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

♪ THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

AND THE MAGIC AS WE CELEBRATE

THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF "MARY

POPPINS."

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN NAME

ANOTHER MUSICAL OR ANYTHING THAT

HAS THIS LEGACY.

THANK YOU.

NOW COMING ALIVE FOR AN

ALL-NEW AUDIENCE.

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS.

ON ALL NEW STAGES.

♪♪

AND A BONUS SURPRISE, THE

BROADCAST PREMIERE OF ANOTHER

DISNEY CLASSIC REIMAGINED.

TONIGHT AND FOREVER, THE NANNY

NEVER GONE AWAY.

"MARY POPPINS" IS WALT

DISNEY'S MIC DROP.

♪ SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪

AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE FAMOUS

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS IN

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

THE YEAR IS 1961.

WALT DISNEY IS FINALLY BEGINNING

PREPRODUCTION ON MARY POPPINS,

BUT PROGRESS IS SLOW.

THEY BARELY HAVE A SCRIPT.

IN FACT, FUNDAMENTALLY MISSING

FROM THOSE EARLY PAGES, THE

ESSENCE OF WHO MARY POPPINS IS.

THE MARY POPPINS CHARACTER IN

THE BOOKS IS FIRM, BRUSQUE, NO

NONSENSE.

BUT SHE WILL BE TRANSFORMED

THROUGH THE MIND OF WALT DISNEY.

WALT'S MARY POPPINS, SHE'S A

WOMAN OF CONTRADICTIONS, STERN

BUT FUN, VAIN BUT LOVING.

IT'S REALLY ABOUT A FAMILY

COMING TOGETHER THROUGH THE

MAGIC OF THIS WOMAN.

BUT WHERE WILL WALT FIND A

PRACTICALLY PERFECT PERFORMER TO

BRING HIS MARY POPPINS TO LIFE?

ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE THAT

WALT WANTED TO LOOK AT WAS

BETTE DAVIS.

BETTE DAVIS OF COURSE, FAMOUS

FOR ROLES LIKE THE ACID-TONGUED,

AGING ACTRESS IN "ALL ABOUT

EVE."

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS.

IT'S GOING TO BE A BUMPY NIGHT.

HE ALSO DISCUSSED

ANGELA LANSBURY.

ANGELA LANSBURY.

ALREADY AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTRESS.

SHE WILL LATER HAVE THE

DISTINCTION OF BEING THE ICONIC

VOICE OF MRS. POTTS IN DISNEY'S

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST."

♪♪

BUT IT'S AN EPISODE OF "THE

ED SULLIVAN SHOW" THAT'S ABOUT

TO REWRITE MARY POPPINS' HISTORY

FOREVER.

TELEVISION, THE WORLD'S

BIGGEST THEATER.

IN THE 1960s, VARIETY SHOWS

WERE FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT.

SO ON A SUNDAY NIGHT, EVERYBODY

WOULD SIT AROUND THE TV AND

WATCH "THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW."

ED SULLIVAN WAS THE SHOW.

HE HAD THIS INCREDIBLE PLATFORM.

AND WHETHER YOU WERE THE

BEATLES.

THE ROLLING STONES OR ELLA

FITZGERALD.

BEING ON THE THE ED SULLIVAN

SHOW REALLY MATTERED.

PEOPLE WERE WATCHING.

CAREERS WERE MADE, AND UNMADE.

DISNEY SONGWRITERS RICHARD

AND ROBERT SHERMAN ARE WATCHING

ONE NIGHT.

---

ED SULLIVAN HAD AN EXCERPT

FROM "CAMELOT" ON THE SHOW, AND

A YOUNG WOMAN NAMED

JULIE ANDREWS AND RICHARD BURTON

SANG "WHAT DO THE SIMPLE FOLK

DO."

♪ WHAT DO THE SIMPLE FOLK DO ♪

♪ TO HELP THEM ESCAPE ♪

♪ THE SHEPHERD WHO IS AILING,

THE MILK MAID WHO IS GLUM ♪

AND I JUST KNEW IT IN MY

HEAD.

THIS IS MARY POPPINS.

AND I CALLED MY BROTHER.

I SAID BOB, BOB, LISTEN AND HE

SAID ARE YOU WATCHING "THE ED

SULLIVAN SHOW" AND I SAID YES I

AM.

ISN'T SHE PERFECT?

I SAID "OH MY GOD SHE'S

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT."

SO THEY GET BACK ON THE LOT

THE NEXT DAY.

WE WANTED TO SEE WALT.

HE WASN'T IN BUT HIS SECRETARY

WAS THERE.

TOMMIE WILCK, WHO WAS HIS

ASSISTANT, STOPPED AND SAID, "IF

YOU TELL WALT SHE'S PERFECT,

HE'LL NEVER LIKE HER."

BECAUSE NO ONE TELLS WALT WHO

TO CAST IN WALT'S MOVIE.

SHE SAID WALT'S GOING TO GO

TO NEW YORK NEXT WEEK.

I'M GOING TO GET TICKETS FOR HIM

TO SEE "CAMELOT."

LET HIM DISCOVER HER FOR

HIMSELF.

AND SOMEONE COMES TO SEE YOU

WHO HAS A LIFE-CHANGING IDEA.

I HEARD THAT WALT DISNEY WAS

OUT FRONT AND HAD REQUESTED,

PLEASE, TO COME AND SAY HELLO

AFTER THE SHOW.

HE WENT BACKSTAGE AND MET

JULIE.

AND HE LATER CONFESSED, SOMEWHAT

FELL ALL OVER HIMSELF TALKING

ABOUT HOW PERFECT SHE WOULD BE

TO PLAY MARY POPPINS.

AND I SAID, "OH, MR. DISNEY,

I WOULD -- I'D BE THRILLED."

I'D NEVER MADE A MOVIE.

AND HE WAS SO SWEET AND CHARMING

AND TWINKLY AND LOVELY.

I SAID, "BUT I CAN'T.

I'M PREGNANT."

AND HE SAID, "OH, THAT'S OKAY.

WE'LL WAIT."

HE SEEMED TO HAVE THIS AMAZING

INSTINCT FOR SPOTTING TALENT.

AND, FOR JULIE ANDREWS, HER

TALENT IS EVIDENT AT AN EARLY

AGE, DEMONSTRATING HER HALLMARK

PERFECT PITCH IN "STARLIGHT

ROOF" ON LONDON'S WEST END.

JULIE ANDREWS.

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

I'M 12.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SING

FOR US?

I'D LIKE TO SING "THE

POLONAISE" FROM MIGNON.

JULIE SINGING "LA POLONAISE."

I HAD A FREAK VOICE.

DOGS FOR MILES AROUND WOULD HOWL

WHEN I WENT WAY -- WAY UP INTO

THE STRATOSPHERE.

♪♪

BUT YOU'D NEVER GUESS FROM

THE TWINKLE IN HER EYES THE

SADNESS THAT PLAGUED HER AS A

CHILD.

IN HER MEMOIR, "HOME," SHE

WRITES ABOUT HER MOTHER AND

STEPFATHER'S ALCOHOLISM AND

THEIR STRUGGLE TO PAY THE BILLS.

SHE TOLD OUR DIANE SAWYER

ABOUT SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES.

YOU TOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO

YOU -- YOU TALKED ABOUT THE

NIGHTMARES AND THE ENORMOUS

SADNESS THAT CAME ON YOU AND YOU

TOOK IT AND TURNED IT INTO

SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

BUT I WAS LUCKY.

I TELL YOU WHY, BECAUSE I DID

HAVE IS AN IDENTITY.

AND THAT WAS MY SINGING VOICE.

I THINK IF I HADN'T HAD THAT

GIFT, I'D HAVE BEEN A VERY LOST

AND EXTREMELY CONFUSED OR LONELY

LITTLE GIRL.

AT LEAST I HAD THAT.

AND IT GAVE ME A STRENGTH THAT I

THINK I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD

OTHERWISE.

AT 13, RELYING ON THAT

CRYSTALLINE VOICE, SHE IS THE

YOUNGEST PERSON AT THE TIME TO

PERFORM FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL

FAMILY.

♪ OF THEE I SING ♪

SHE LEAVES ENGLAND AT 18 FOR

BROADWAY AND GOES ON TO

ORIGINATE THE ROLE OF ELIZA

DOLITTLE IN "MY FAIR LADY."

BUT WHEN WARNER BROTHERS

WANTS TO TURN THE SHOW INTO A

MOVIE, THEY DON'T WANT HER.

A WOMAN THAT IS UNFAMILIAR TO

MOST OF THE AUDIENCE.

THE PART GOES TO

AUDREY HEPBURN WHO HAD JUST

STARRED IN "BREAKFAST AT

TIFFANYS."

I NEVER COULD DO THAT.

IT'S EASY.

I UNDERSTOOD IT AT THAT TIME.

I'D NEVER MADE A MOVIE.

I UNDERSTOOD WHY THEY'D WANT A

BIG STAR.

IT MUST HAVE SMARTED.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

IT'S VERY HARD TO HAVE ANYTHING

SMART WHEN WALT DISNEY IS

OFFERING "MARY POPPINS" INSTEAD.

BUT REMEMBER, BEFORE THAT

MOVIE CAN START, SHE HAS TO HAVE

HER BABY.

AND WHEN P.L. TRAVERS LEARNS

ABOUT WALT'S DECISION TO CAST

HER, TRAVERS DOESN'T HESITATE TO

CALL HER LEADING LADY IN THE

HOSPITAL, WHERE SHE'S JUST GIVEN

BIRTH.

SHE SAID "WELL TALK TO ME, I

GATHER YOU'RE GOING TO BE DOING

MARY POPPINS."

A BABY AND I'M FEELING A BIT

GROGGY RIGHT NOW MRS. TRAVERS.

AND SHE SAID, "WELL, YOU'RE FAR

TOO PRETTY, OF COURSE, BUT

YOU'VE GOT THE NOSE FOR IT."

EARLY IN 1963, JULIE ANDREWS

AND BABY EMMA IN TOW FLY TO

LOS ANGELES TO START PRODUCTION

ON "MARY POPPINS."

JULIE'S THEN HUSBAND,

TONY WALTON, WHO WALT HAD HIRED

TO DESIGN THE COSTUMES, HELPS

HER FLESH OUT THE CHARACTER.

HE SAID, "I FANCY THAT MARY

POPPINS HAS A SECRET LIFE BEING

A LITTLE WICKED."

HE SAID, "I'M GOING TO GIVE HER

BRIGHT ORANGE UNDERNEATH ALL THE

SKIRTS SO WHEN I KICKED UP MY

HEELS YOU JUST CAUGHT A FLASH."

SHE'S LEARNING ON HER FEET

AND ON THE FLY, SO TO SPEAK.

THE FLYING SORT OF EVOLVED,

BECAUSE WHEN I DID SEE MYSELF ON

CAMERA, I JUST THOUGHT THE FEET

NEED TO BE TURNED OUT.

YOU DON'T WANT DROOPY FEET AT

THE END OF THE IMAGE OF THE

UMBRELLA AND THE CARPET BAG

SOMEHOW.

JULIE ANDREWS VIVIDLY RECALLS

THE VERY FIRST TAKE OF THE VERY

FIRST MOVIE SHE EVER MADE.

DICK VAN DYKE SAID, "YOU LOOK

VERY PETTY TODAY, MARY POPPINS."

AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS WALK

ACROSS CAMERA AND SAY, "DO YOU

REALLY THINK SO?"

AND I THOUGHT, "AH, WHAT-- HOW

DO I SAY THAT?

WHAT DO I DO?"

AND SPEAKING OF DICK

VAN DYKE.

WALT TOLD ME HE WANTED ME TO

PLAY BERT.

AND I SAID, "HAVE YOU EVER HEARD

MY BRITISH ACCENT?"

THE CONSTABLE'S RESPONSTABLE.

NOW HOW DOES THAT SOUND!

AND 60 YEARS LATER, DICK VAN

DYKE GETS A LITTLE REMINDER WHY

WALT DISNEY CHOSE HIM TO PLAY

BERT.

WHAT MADE HIM THINK OF ME FOR

THAT MOVIE I'LL NEVER KNOW.

I KNOW!

[LAUGHING]

---

♪♪

MARY POPPINS.

IS THAT YOUR NAME?

IT'S LOVELY.

THANK YOU.

I'VE ALWAYS LIKED IT.

NOW, SHALL WE GET ON WITH IT?

IT IS EVER SO RARE TO SEE A

TOP-TO-BOTTOM CAST THAT IS SO

PERFECT FOR THESE ROLES.

YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY IMAGINE

ANYONE ELSE.

THE CHARACTER OF BERT WAS

ACTUALLY NOT A MAJOR CHARACTER

IN THE STORIES THAT MRS. TRAVERS

HAD WRITTEN.

REFERRED TO AS "THE MATCH

MAN" IN THE BOOKS, THE CHARACTER

OF BERT EVOLVED THROUGH THE

SCRIPT WRITING PROCESS, THE

SHERMAN BROTHERS WORKING WITH

WRITER AND SKETCH ARTIST

DON DaGRADI.

ONE DAY THERE WAS A SKETCH ON

HIS BOARD THERE OF A -- OF A

CHIMNEY SWEEP.

WE HAD NEVER DISCUSSED THIS

CHIMNEY SWEEP IN OUR STORY

DEVELOPMENT.

YOU'RE FILTHY.

PERHAPS A SMUDGE OR TWO.

SO HAPPENS TODAY I'M A CHIMNEY

SWEEP.

WOW.

I MEAN, IT JUST HIT US LIKE A

TON OF BRICKS.

WHAT AN IDEA FOR A SONG.

AND MY BROTHER SAID, "ONE

CHIMNEY, TWO CHIMNEY, THREE

CHIMNEY SWEEP."

♪ CHIM CHIMINEE

CHIM CHIMINEE

CHIM CHIM CHEREE ♪♪

WHEN WALT HEARD THAT SONG, HE

SAID, YOU KNOW, "WHAT IF BERT

BECAME A JACK OF ALL TRADES?

HE COULD BE A ONE-MAN BAND."

THAT WAS WALT DISNEY'S IDEA.

DICK VAN DYKE WAS A

SURPRISING CHOICE, ESPECIALLY

FOR MRS. TRAVERS, WHO FELT THE

ENTIRE CAST SHOULD BE ENGLISH.

ROAST CHICKEN, HUH?

DICK VAN DYKE, WHO WILL TURN

99 IN DECEMBER, REMINISCED ABOUT

HIS TIME MAKING THE MOVIE.

WALT KNEW OF ME ONLY THROUGH

"THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW."

WHAT MADE HIM THINK OF ME FOR

THAT MOVIE, I'LL NEVER KNOW.

I KNOW!

IT WAS THE FALL OF 1962, AND YOU

WERE AT THE ALGONQUIN HOTEL WITH

A COLUMNIST NAMED EARL WILSON.

OH, MY GOD.

YOU GAVE AN INTERVIEW WITH

HIM.

GOT IT RIGHT HERE.

OH, THAT'S AMAZING.

YOU SAID, "I WANT TO DO

PICTURES I CAN TAKE MY KIDS TO

SEE."

AND "MR. DISNEY," YOU SAID,

"DOES PRETTY GOOD."

I'LL BE DARNED.

WHEN I MET WALT, WE HIT IT RIGHT

OFF.

WE BOTH ADMITTED THAT WE JUST

PRETENDED TO BE GROWN UP AND

THAT WE WERE STILL KIDS.

I WENT INTO HIS OFFICE AND HE

HAD WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS OF ALL

THE SCENES FROM THE MOVIE.

BY THE TIME HE GOT THROUGH WITH

THAT, I WAS JUST SO EXCITED.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HEAR THE

SHERMAN BROTHERS PLAY THE SCORE

FOR "MARY POPPINS" FOR THE FIRST

TIME?

OH, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT,

ONE TUNE AFTER ANOTHER.

AND I JUST I WEPT.

IT WAS JUST THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

THING I EVER HEARD.

♪ OH IT'S A JOLLY HOLIDAY WITH

YOU BERT ♪

THE SONGS HAD A KIND OF

RUMPTY-TUM VAUDEVILLE QUALITY TO

THEM.

♪ OH SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪

AND VAUDEVILLE WAS MY

BACKGROUND.

SO I GRASPED THAT I PROBABLY

COULD EMBRACE WHAT WALT WAS

OFFERING.

♪♪

WELL, SHE DIDN'T ALWAYS

EMBRACE EVERYTHING.

WE HAD WRITTEN THIS SONG

CALLED "THROUGH THE EYES OF

LOVE."

WE LOVED IT, AND WE PLAYED THE

SCORE FOR JULIE.

♪ BUT THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE

YOU CAN START ♪

SHE LOVED EVERYTHING, BUT SHE

FELT SHE WANTED HER KEYNOTE

NUMBER TO BE MUCH MORE UP TEMPO,

BRIGHTER, AND WITTIER.

AND WE WERE DRIVING OURSELVES

MAD TRYING TO COME UP WITH

SOMETHING.

AND MY BROTHER'S SON CAME HOME

FROM SCHOOL ONE DAY.

I WAS, LIKE, IN FIRST OR

SECOND GRADE.

IN THAT DAY, POLIO WAS AROUND.

AND WE GOT CALLED OUT OF CLASS

DOWN TO THE CAFETERIA, AND WE

ALL LINED UP AND GOT THE POLIO

VACCINE.

MY DAD SAID, "YOU LET SOMEBODY

GIVE YOU A SHOT AT SCHOOL?"

AND I SAID, "NO, NO, DAD, THEY

HAD A LITTLE PLASTIC SPOON.

THEY PUT A SUGAR CUBE IN IT.

THEY PUT THE MEDICINE IN.

AND YOU JUST ATE IT."

MY DAD LOOKED AT ME LIKE

SOMETHING WAS GOING ON.

THE WHEELS WERE TURNING.

HE SAID, "OH, OKAY."

AND IT WAS WEIRD.

HE WALKED AWAY AND WENT AND

CALLED MY UNCLE.

HE SAID, "UH, I'VE GOT AN

IDEA," AND I SAID, "YEAH."

HE SAYS, "A SPOON FULL OF SUGAR

HELPS THE MEDICINE GO DOWN."

I SAID, "THAT'S THE WORST IDEA

I'VE EVER HEARD."

"NO, NO, NO.

IT'S BRILLIANT."

IN EVERY JOB THERE MUST BE

DONE, THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF

FUN.

THERE'S A COUPLE OF GIMMICKS

WE DID IN THAT.

FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S SUBTLE, BUT

WHEN YOU HIT THE WORD DOWN, WE

GO UP WITH THE MELODY.

♪

JUST A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR MAKES

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

I SAID, "OH, MY GOD, THAT'S

MARY POPPINS."

♪ THAT A SPOONFUL

OF SUGAR HELPS

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪♪

EVERY TIME THEY SAY, "GO

DOWN," THE INTERVAL JUMPS UP.

♪ THE MEDICINE GO DOWN

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

♪ THE MEDICINE GOES DOWN

JUST A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

HELPS THE MEDICINE

GO DOWN ♪♪

IT'S SUCH A CRAZY TRICK, BUT

IT WORKS.

AND WALT SAID, "YUP, THAT'LL

WORK."

NOW, THAT WAS A BIG COMPLIMENT.

THE INSPIRATIONS FOR THE

SHERMAN'S MUSIC CAME FROM

EVERYWHERE.

MY GRANDFATHER, AL SHERMAN,

WAS A BIG TIN PAN ALLEY

SONGWRITER.

HE WAS ALSO AN AMAZING KITE

MAKER.

AND HE WOULD, ON A SUNDAY,

MAKE KITES AND THEN WE'D GO FLY

THEM.

AND THAT, FOR MY DAD AND UNCLE,

WAS THE IDEA OF A FAMILY COMING

TOGETHER.

AND THEY WROTE THIS SONG,

"STICKS, PAPER, AND STRINGS."

IT WAS DONE IN A KIND OF A

PULSATING WITH SOME --

♪ STICKS AND PAPER AND STRINGS ♪

♪ YOU CAN HAVE YOUR OWN SET OF

WINGS ♪

THAT'S THE WAY IT WENT.

AND WALT LISTENED TO IT VERY

CAREFULLY, AND HE SAID, "I LIKE

THE IDEA, AND I DON'T LIKE THE

WAY YOU'RE PLAYING IT.

THAT'S THE CONCLUSION OF A

BROADWAY SHOW."

♪ LET'S GO FLY A KITE ♪

BUT MY MUSICAL HAS TO SOUND

LIKE A LILTING ENGLISH MUSICAL.

HE SAYS, "LILTING WALTZ TIME.

♪ LET'S GO FLY A KITE ♪

RIGHT AWAY WE WERE OFF AND

RUNNING.

AND SO OUR DAD'S INSPIRATION WAS

THERE, AND WALT'S INSPIRATION.

WALT HAD A KNACK FOR CHILD

PERFORMERS.

AND HE HAD USED KAREN DOTRICE IN

A FILM CALLED "THE THREE LIVES

OF THOMASINA."

HELLO, JORDY.

SHE SHARED THE SCREEN WITH A

YOUNG ACTOR YOU MIGHT

RECOGNIZE, MATTHEW GARBER, AND

HE WENT ON TO JOIN HER ONCE

AGAIN.

BEING IN THE ORIGINAL

"MARY POPPINS" WAS SO FUN.

THE VERY FIRST DAY I CAME TO THE

STUDIO, THE PROPS GUY CAME OVER

TO ME AND SAID, "OKAY, CAN YOU

COME WITH ME?

BECAUSE I'VE GOTTA TAKE A

PLASTER CAST OF YOUR BOTTOM."

MY CHAPERONE WAS WITH ME.

SO I KNEW IT WAS ON THE UP AND

UP.

BUT I HAD TO BEND OVER AND HAVE

A CAST MADE OF MY BUTT.

AND THAT, OF COURSE, WAS THEN

GOING TO BE THE SEAT THAT I'D

SIT ON FOR THE TEA PARTY UP ON

THE CEILING AND THE BANISTER.

IT MADE SENSE.

BUT IT WAS A STRANGE

INTRODUCTION.

AND WITH VETERAN ENGLISH

ACTORS GLYNIS JOHNS AND

DAVID TOMLINSON BROUGHT IN AS

WINIFRED AND GEORGE BANKS --

GEORGE, THEY'RE MISSING.

SPLENDID.

SPLENDID.

-- THE BANKS FAMILY IS CAST.

BUT THE WORK TO MAKE

"MARY POPPINS" A CLASSIC WAS

ONLY BEGINNING.

WALT USED EVERYTHING HE HAD

TO POUR INTO THIS MOVIE.

EVERYBODY IS LEFT WITH THEIR

JAWS ON THE FLOOR GOING, "HOW

DID YOU DO THIS?"

TO THIS DAY ON MY LIFE, I

DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT STUFF WAS

COMING FROM.

ARE YOU QUITE FINISHED?

THANK YOU.

---

"MARY POPPINS" IS A LIVE

MUSICAL FANTASY.

THE WHOLE STORY IS CARRIED OUT

BY LIVE ACTORS.

♪♪

A LOT OF YEARS HAVE GONE BY

SINCE I WAS ON THIS STAGE.

I REMEMBER SEEING A FAIRLY LARGE

CREW WORKING WITH JULIE ANDREWS

AND DICK VAN DYKE AS THEY WENT

THROUGH THEIR PACES.

PEOPLE ARE SO SURPRISED TO

FIND THAT THAT WAS ALL DONE

INSIDE STUDIOS.

PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WENT ON TO

LONDON ON LOCATION.

THE BANKS HOME WAS HERE ON

CHERRY TREE LANE.

AND I REMEMBER THE NANNIES WHEN

THEY ALL CAME APPLYING FOR

EMPLOYMENT AND MARY POPPINS

DOING HER MAGIC MADE ALL THE

NANNIES BLOW AWAY.

YOU REHEARSED FOR SIX WEEKS

FOR STEP IN TIME.

YES.

ALL THOSE GUYS WHO WERE HALF MY

AGE, ALL THOSE CHIMNEY SWEEPS.

I WAS 40 , AND THEY WERE 20.

♪ KICK YOUR KNEES UP

STEP IN TIME

KICK YOUR KNEES UP

STEP IN TIME ♪

♪ NEVER NEED A REASON

NEVER NEED A RHYME

KICK YOUR KNEES UP

STEP IN TIME ♪

WATCHING "MARY POPPINS,"

THERE IS THIS SENSE THAT

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, LIKE, YOU

NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

THE ITEMS ON THE SHELF ARE GOING

START MOVING.

THE FACT THAT MARY POPPINS', YOU

KNOW, UMBRELLA STARTS SINGING,

YOU'RE JUST LIKE, "WHOA."

ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN AT ANY

TIME.

AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING

THAT JUST WOKE UP MY IMAGINATION

AS A KID.

REMEMBER THIS IS THE

EARLY 1960S, SO MOVIE MAGIC IS

MADE WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF CGI.

INSTEAD, THEY USED STOP

MOTION, TRICK PHOTOGRAPHY,

AND SOMETHING REVOLUTIONARY

CALLED AUDIO ANIMATRONICS.

WHICH WAS A BRAND NEW SCIENCE

THAT WALT DISNEY AND HIS ARTISTS

HAD DEVELOPED.

WALT WAS FASCINATED WITH THE

IDEA OF BRINGING HIS ANIMATED

CHARACTERS INTO THREE DIMENSION.

THERE WAS A WIRE THAT WENT UP

MY SHOULDER AND DOWN MY BACK,

AND THE LITTLE ROBIN WAS PERCHED

THERE.

AND I HID A LOT OF THE WIRES

STROKING HIM WITH MY OTHER HAND.

THIS IS A LITTLE ROBIN THAT

WE HAD IN "MARY POPPINS."

THIS LITTLE BIRD SANG A DUET

WITH JULIE ANDREWS.

MAYBE WE CAN GET A LITTLE

RESPONSE FROM IT.

HELLO THERE KID.

WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR US, HUH?

[ WHISTLING ]

MARVELOUS.

SO THERE'S THIS SENSE

THROUGHOUT PRODUCTION THAT THIS

FANTASY FILM ABOUT A MAGICAL

NANNY HAS TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES

OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE.

IT'S A HALLMARK OF WALT DISNEY'S

CAREER.

A STORY THAT IS FANTASTICAL

AS "MARY POPPINS" LENDS ITSELF

TO HAVE ANIMATION IN IT, TO HAVE

A SENSE OF SHOWMANSHIP.

WE HAVE A SEQUENCE IN

"MARY POPPINS" WHERE WE HAVE THE

LIVE CHARACTERS IN WITH THE

ANIMATED DRAWINGS.

LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATION.

WALT HAD BEEN TOYING WITH THIS

IDEA EVER SINCE THE EARLIEST

DAYS WITH HIS "ALICE" COMEDIES

FILMS.

♪♪

WALT MADE A GREAT LEAP

FORWARD IN THE '40S IN "THE

THREE CABALLEROS" IN

TECHNICOLOR.

BUT "MARY POPPINS" BRINGS THE

LIVE ACTION/ANIMATION COMBO TO A

WHOLE NEW LEVEL WITH AN

INNOVATION BY THE WALT DISNEY

STUDIO.

UB IWERKS, WHO WAS ONE OF

WALT'S OLDEST COLLABORATORS, WAS

A BRILLIANT TECHNICIAN, AND CAME

UP WITH THIS PROCESS WHICH

ALLOWED THE ANIMATORS TO COMBINE

THE DRAWINGS WITH THE FILMED

IMAGES.

IT'S CALLED THE SODIUM VAPOR

PROCESS.

ALL OF THE ANIMATION REALLY

WAS SHOT IN FRONT OF A GIANT

SCREEN ON A SOUND STAGE WITH

NONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE

ANIMATION IN FRONT OF US.

SO, WE HAD TO PRETEND.

IT PUT GREAT DEMANDS UPON YOU

AS THE ACTORS TO WORK WITH AN

IMAGINARY SET OF PEOPLE AROUND

YOU.

THAT SCENE, THAT ANIMATED

SCENE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S

GONNA BE TAKING PLACE AROUND

YOU.

RIGHT?

NO.

BUT THEY HAD TO GIVE US EYE

LINES TO REACT TO STUFF AND THE

CREW BEHIND WERE ALWAYS IN,

LIKE, BLACK THING AND ROLLED UP

SLEEVES.

AND THEY WERE ALL RATHER

OVERWEIGHT AND SWEATY AND WITH

CIGARS CHOMPED OUT OF THE SIDE

OF THE MOUTH.

AND THEY WERE WEARING RUNNING

AROUND WITH, LIKE, CARDBOARD

CUTOUTS OF PENGUINS AND A HORSE

AND THINGS.

SO YOU'VE GOT ALL THESE VERY

UNFIT MEN RUNNING BACKWARDS AND

FORWARDS.

BUT IT WAS REALLY QUITE BIZARRE

TO -- I WAS THINKING I DON'T

KNOW IF THIS MOVIE'S GONNA DO

VERY WELL.

ARE THEY SHOOTING THEM AS WELL?

THIS IS NOT -- THIS ISN'T

PRETTY.

BUT ANYWAY, IT SEEMED TO WORK

OUT.

BUT HERE'S SOMETHING FEW

PEOPLE KNOW.

IN THE ORIGINAL STORYBOARDS FOR

THE JOLLY HOLIDAY TEA PARTY

SEQUENCE, THE WAITERS ARE HUMAN,

NOT PENGUINS.

AND WALT SAID, "YOU KNOW,

WAITERS IN THOSE TUXEDOS, THEY

ALWAYS LOOK LIKE PENGUINS TO

ME."

SO THAT'S WHERE THE PENGUINS

CAME FROM.

DICK VAN DYKE DANCING WITH

THE PENGUINS.

INCREDIBLE SCENE, ANIMATED FOR

THE MOST PART BY FRANK THOMAS.

LEGENDARY DISNEY ANIMATOR

FRANK THOMAS BEGAN AT THE DISNEY

STUDIOS IN THE 1930S AND WORKED

ON ANIMATING THE DWARVES IN

"SNOW WHITE."

ONCE I GOT THE FILM OF DICK

ACTUALLY DOING THE DANCE,

HERE'S HIS FEET FLYING ALL

AROUND AND STEPPING ON MY

PENGUINS.

I HAD THEM DUCK AND JUMP AND I

HAD THEM GET OUT OF THE WAY ANY

WAY THEY COULD.

THAT WAS SUCH A THRILL TO ME

WHEN I FINALLY SAW IT COME

TOGETHER WITH THE PENGUINS.

'CAUSE I'D DONE ALL THOSE MOVES

BY MYSELF.

IT CAME OUT SO GOOD.

THE RESULT IS A DAZZLING

SEVENTEEN MINUTE SONG AND DANCE

NUMBER TO THE SHERMAN BROTHERS'

"JOLLY HOLIDAY."

RICHARD'S THE ONE PLAYING THE

KAZOO BY THE WAY.

IT TOOK A LOT OF IMAGINATION

IN EVERY DEPARTMENT.

BUT THAT'S THE THING.

IT WAS A TEAM.

THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN

WATCHING YOUR PENCIL DRAWINGS

LITERALLY COME TO LIFE.

IT WAS INCREDIBLE.

MY DAD HAD THIS IDEA.

MY DAD WAS A PAINTER AS WELL.

AND HE SAID, "WOULDN'T IT BE

REALLY COOL IF WHEN BERT PICKS

UP A BUNCH OF FLOWERS THEY TURN

INTO BUTTERFLIES?"

♪♪

ONCE THE ANIMATION IS ADDED

AND THE POST PRODUCTION IS

COMPLETE, NOW IT'S TIME FOR A

GRAND STAR-STUDDED PREMIERE.

EVERYONE'S THERE.

EVERYONE EXCITED AND READY TO

EMBRACE IT, EXCEPT ONE PERSON.

---

♪♪

1964 IS A PIVOTAL YEAR FOR

WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS.

THE NEW YORK EXPOSITION OF

1964 IS THE GREATEST WORLD'S

FAIR OF ALL TIME.

THESE BABY BRONTOSAURUSES ARE

JUST A FEW OF THE HUNDRED THREE

DIMENSIONAL ANIMATED FIGURES

DEVELOPED FOR THE WORLD'S FAIR.

ONE OF THE ATTRACTIONS HE

UNVEILS THERE IS THE NOW ICONIC

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD."

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL ♪

THAT EAR WORM, BELIEVED TO BE

THE MOST PLAYED SONG EVER

WRITTEN, WAS PENNED BY WALT'S

FAVORITE SONGWRITERS, THE

SHERMAN BROTHERS.

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AND ONE GOLDEN SUN

AND A SMILE MEANS FRIENDSHIP

TO EVERYONE ♪

PEOPLE THINK IT'S A LITTLE

NOVELTY.

IT'S A PRAYER FOR PEACE.

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

AS IF HE WASN'T BUSY ENOUGH,

WHILE WALT IS AT THE WORLDS

FAIR, HE IS ALSO PLANNING THIS

OTHER LITTLE PROJECT NEAR

ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

SO 1964 IS ALREADY A BANNER YEAR

FOR DISNEY.

AND THEN, IN AUGUST,

"MARY POPPINS" HAS ITS PREMIERE

IN HOLLYWOOD.

HERE IN THE FORE COURT OF THE

RENOWNED GRAUMAN'S CHINESE

THEATRE, THERE IS A SURGE OF

EXCITEMENT FAMOUS STARS ARE

CHEERED BY THE CROWDS.

MARY TYLER MOORE!

ENCHANTING ANGIE DICKINSON!

NOW HERE COMES DICK VAN DYKE,

ONE OF THE BRIGHT STARS OF

"MARY POPPINS."

IT'S JULIE ANDREWS,

INCOMPARABLE BROADWAY STAR OF

"MY FAIR LADY" AND "CAMELOT,"

NOW STARRING IN HER FIRST MOTION

PICTURE AS MARY POPPINS.

HE'S MAKING HIS WAY THROUGH

THE ADMIRING CROWDS.

WALT'S LAST PREMIERE WAS IN

1937 FOR "SNOW WHITE AND THE

SEVEN DWARVES."

WELL, TRAVERS IS ALSO THERE

AT THE PREMIERE.

AND AFTER SEEING THE FILM, SHE

TURNS TO WALT AND SHE'S STILL

GIVING NOTES.

MRS. TRAVERS MADE A BEELINE

TO WALT AND SAID, "WELL, WE NEED

TO ROLL UP OUR SLEEVES.

WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO."

AND WALT, I THINK PROBABLY WITH

A TWINKLE IN HIS EYE SAID,

"PAMELA, THE SHIP HAS SAILED."

THE REVIEWS WERE FANTASTIC.

I NEVER READ REVIEWS LIKE THAT.

IT WAS A REMARKABLE SUCCESS.

THE WINNER IS JULIE ANDREWS,

"MARY POPPINS."

AWARD SEASON STARTS WITH A

GOLDEN GLOBE FOR JULIE ANDREWS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS

LOVELY HONOR.

AND THE CALVALCADE OF AWARDS

CONTINUES.

THE 13 ACADEMY AWARD

NOMINATIONS THAT "MARY POPPINS"

RECEIVED WAS UNPARALLELED AT

DISNEY.

IT NEVER HAS BEFORE AND NEVER

HAS SINCE HAS ONE PRODUCTION

RECEIVED 13 NOMINATIONS AT

DISNEY.

THIS WAS THE ONLY WALT DISNEY

FILM EVER NOMINATED FOR THE BEST

PICTURE ACADEMY AWARD DURING HIS

LIFETIME.

GOT NOMINATED FOR 13 ACADEMY

AWARDS AND WON FIVE.

JULIE ANDREWS!

JULIE ANDREWS WON FOR BEST

ACTRESS.

I ONLY KNOW WHERE TO START

AND THAT'S WITH MR. WALT DISNEY.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS, BEST

EDITING, AND --

IT WON FOR THE BEST ORIGINAL

SCORE.

RICHARD M. SHERMAN AND

ROBERT B. SHERMAN FOR

"MARY POPPINS!"

THE SHERMAN BROTHERS NOT ONLY

WIN FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCORE --

THE WINNERS ARE

RICHARD M. SHERMAN AND

ROBERT B. SHERMAN.

-- THEY ALSO WON FOR BEST

SONG FOR "CHIM CHIM CHER-EE."

WHEN THERE ARE NO WORDS TO

SUPERCALIFRAGALISTIC --

EXPEALIDOCIOUS!

I SANG "EXPEALIDOCIOUS" AND I

HELD UP THE THING, AND WE GOT

OFF.

IT WAS A GREAT MOMENT.

I'LL NEVER FORGET, AS LONG AS I

LIVE.

ONE OF THE GREAT SONGS IN

MOVIE HISTORY REALLY, YOUR

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING "CHIM CHIM

CHER-EE," RIGHT?

GOD THAT WAS A GREAT TUNE.

IRWIN KOSTAL WAS THE CONDUCTOR.

THE ARRANGEMENTS THEY DID.

THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT

MUSIC THAT MADE IT SO EASY TO

MOVE TO.

I MEAN, I SAT IN RECORDING

SESSIONS WITH IRWIN KOSTAL.

AND I WOULD SIT NEAR THE

VIOLINS.

AND IT WAS LIKE -- IT WAS

LIKE JUST BEING ON A CLOUD.

IT -- IT FELT LIKE YOU WERE

LIFTING UP.

THE ALBUM ITSELF WAS SO

POPULAR.

I WAS HAPPY BECAUSE WE HAD A

BEST-SELLING ALBUM.

IT WAS, UH, LIKE NUMBER ONE

ALBUM.

FOURTEEN WEEKS AT NUMBER ONE

IN FACT.

EVEN OUTSELLING THE BEATLES!

NOT SURPRINGLY,

"MARY POPPINS" SENDS ITS STARS

SOARING.

JULIE ANDREWS WOULD GO ON TO THE

SOUND OF MUSIC THE NEXT YEAR.

♪ WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC ♪

♪ CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG ♪

DIG VAN DYKE WOULD DO "CHITTY

CHITTY BANG BANG" WITH THE

SHERMAN BROTHERS.

BUT YOU CAN'T UNDERESTIMATE

WHAT "MARY POPPINS" DOES FOR

WALT DISNEY'S LEGACY.

AFTER SOME FITS AND STARTS, HERE

FINALLY WAS HIS CROWNING MOTION

PICTURE ACHIEVEMENT.

THE CRITICAL AND PERSONAL

SUCCESS OF "MARY POPPINS" WAS SO

HUGE FOR WALT DISNEY.

I MEAN, IT PUT HIM AMONGST THE

PANTHEON OF ALL OF THESE

PRODUCERS AND FILMMAKERS THAT

HAD FOR SO LONG THOUGHT OF HIM

AS A CARTOONIST.

I BELIEVE, "MARY POPPINS"

TOOK A BOUTIQUE CARTOON STUDIO

AND BUILT AN EMPIRE.

STILL AHEAD --

WHAT DO A FLYING NANNY AND A

WHIP-CRACKING ARCHEOLOGIST

HAVE IN COMMON?

♪♪

♪ AROUND THE HOUSE

I NEVER LIFT A FINGER ♪

♪ AS A HUSBAND AND FATHER

I'M SUBPAR ♪

♪ DON'T THINK

IT'S SOUR GRAPES ♪

♪ BUT YOU'RE ALL

A BUNCH OF APES ♪

♪ AND SO I

MUST BE LEAVING YOU ♪♪

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN NAME

ANOTHER MOVIE, A MUSICAL, OR

ANYTHING THAT HAS THIS TYPE OF

LEGACY, THAT HAS THIS TYPE OF

LONGEVITY.

DO YOU THINK WE'LL EVER SEE

HER AGAIN?

I'M SURE WE WILL, HONEY.

WHY DOES ANYTHING STAND THE

TEST OF TIME?

I THINK WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO

IS, DOES IT HAVE AN ELEMENT OF

TIMELESSNESS THAT NOT ONLY SPOKE

TO THE CULTURE IT WAS INTENDED

TO SPEAK TO, BUT ENOUGH

FORESIGHT TO ALSO KNOW HOW TO

CONTINUE TO SPEAK TO GENERATIONS

AFTER.

EVEN TODAY, 60 YEARS AFTER

ITS PREMIERE, "MARY POPPINS"

REMAINS AS RELEVANT AS EVER,

POP CULTURE ZEITGEIST.

WHETHER IT'S AT THE MOVIES --

WHAT?

YOU LOOK LIKE MARY POPPINS.

I'M MARY POPPINS, Y'ALL.

ON TV --

♪ FOR A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR HELPS

THE MEDICINE GO DOWN ♪

IN GAME SHOWS --

WHAT IS "MARY POPPINS"?

YOU'RE CORRECT.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA --

♪ SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪

OR IF YOU GO TO ONE OF THE

12 DISNEY PARKS AROUND THE

WORLD.

IN FACT, YOU CAN TRACE BACK A

LOT OF WHAT WE SEE THERE

DIRECTLY TO THE SUCCESS OF

"MARY POPPINS," FUNDING THE

CREATION OF A MANUFACTURING

GROUP WITHIN WALT DISNEY

IMAGINEERING, THE BRAINS BEHIND

SOME LANDMARK ATTRACTIONS.

THE GROUP WAS CALLED

M.A.P.O., WHICH STANDS FOR

MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION

ORGANIZATION.

WELL, IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS.

MAPO IS "MARY POPPINS."

ATTRACTIONS LIKE PIRATES OF

THE CARIBBEAN AND THE HAUNTED

MANSION.

MAPO BECAME A PLACE THAT

NOT ONLY WOULD DEVELOP AUDIO

ANIMATRONICS, BUT, "I WANT A

MONORAIL FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD."

"OKAY, WE'LL BUILD THAT."

WHEN WE DID INDIANA JONES, A

VEHICLE THAT CAN RUN AN OFF-ROAD

ADVENTURE FROM 8:00 IN THE

MORNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT WITHOUT

FALLING APART, VEHICLES THAT

COULD DO THAT.

"OKAY, WE'LL DEVELOP THAT."

ANOTHER PLACE "MARY POPPINS"

WOULD LIVE ON?

BROADWAY.

THE DISNEY THEATRICAL

PRODUCTION, "MARY POPPINS: THE

MUSICAL," WOULD OPEN ON BROADWAY

IN 2006.

♪♪

I'M ASHLEY BROWN.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO ORIGINATE

THE ROLE OF MARY POPPINS ON

BROADWAY.

♪♪

IT WAS A NO-BRAINER.

YOU HAVE THESE SONGS THAT

EVERYBODY KNOWS, WHETHER THEY'VE

SEEN THE MOVIE OR NOT.

IT'S JUST A PART OF OUR WORLD.

AND SO I FEEL LIKE IT WAS JUST

MEANT TO BE.

IT'S SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪

♪ EVEN THOUGH THE SOUND OF IT IS

SOMETHING QUITE ATROCIOUS ♪

♪ IF YOU SAY IT LOUD ENOUGH

YOU'LL ALWAYS

SOUND PRECOCIOUS ♪

♪ SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC-

EXPIALIDOCIOUS ♪♪

BUT WHAT COULD BE MORE BOLD

AND DARING THAN BRINGING

"MARY POPPINS" BACK TO THE BIG

SCREEN?

YOU NEVER THINK THERE WILL BE

ANOTHER "MARY POPPINS."

THE SEQUEL, "MARY POPPINS

RETURNS," AN ORIGINAL STORY WITH

ORIGINAL SONGS, WOULD OPEN IN

THEATERS IN DECEMBER 2018.

NICE TO SEE YOU, JACK.

GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO,

MARY POPPINS.

WE'RE STANDING ON THE

SHOULDERS OF GIANTS, AND WE ARE

THE INHERITORS OF THIS

INCREDIBLE LEGACY.

♪ TRIP A LITTLE

TRIP A LITTLE ♪

♪ TRIP A LITTLE

LIGHT FANTASTIC ♪♪

A WEEK DOESN'T GO BY WHERE

SOMEONE DOESN'T SEND ME A PARODY

OR SOME KIND OF SATIRICAL

VERSION OF SOMETHING TO DO WITH

"MARY POPPINS."

IF YOU MUST KNOW,

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIO

IS A DISEASE OF THE LIVER.

OH!

AND IT -- IT WARMS MY HEART

TO SEE IT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S --

THERE'S A CHARM TO THAT MOVIE

THAT WILL NEVER GO AWAY.

IT'S A PERFECT STORY.

WHEN YOU TELL A GOOD STORY,

THAT STORY WILL LAST.

THAT STORY WILL CONNECT.

NO MATTER HOW THE SOCIETY

CHANGES, NO MATTER HOW FAMILY

UNITS SEEM TO CHANGE, THERE ARE

CERTAIN STORIES THAT ALWAYS

RESONATE, THAT ALWAYS CONNECT.

WE OWE ALL THAT TO WALT.

HE MADE IT HAPPEN.

HE BELIEVED IN IT.

HE LIVED IT.

AND HE HANDED IT OFF TO US TO

KEEP IT ALIVE, TO KEEP IT GOING.

THOSE THEMES ARE AS UNIVERSAL

TODAY AS THEY WERE BACK THEN.

AND IT'S JUST AS POPULAR AS

IT HAS EVER BEEN.

GOODBYE, MARY POPPINS.

DON'T STAY AWAY TOO LONG.

IT'S ONE OF THE ULTIMATE

FAMILY FILMS.

PARENTS CAN SHOW THEIR KIDS WITH

GREAT SAFETY.

WHATEVER WE HAD ON THAT

MOVIE, WHATEVER WE FORGED,

THERE'S A KIND OF INNATE

KNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S ALWAYS

THERE.

WE WERE TOGETHER.

WE WERE SIDE BY SIDE, MAKING IT

WORK, AND THERE'S A NICE

SATISFACTION TO THAT.

AND SPEAKING OF LASTING

LEGACIES, ONE FINAL MAGICAL

CONTRIBUTION TO THE WALT DISNEY

COMPANY FROM THE SHERMAN

BROTHERS, PREMIERING HERE

PUBLICLY FOR THE VERY FIRST

TIME, NEXT.

---

LET'S GIVE IT OVER TO DICK

AND BOB SHERMAN.

I HAVE TO SAY, IT'S A PERFECT

COLLECTION OF SONGS.

THE CREDO THAT I HAVE LIVED BY

EVER SINCE I MADE MY FIRST TRIP

TO DISNEYLAND, WHICH IS THE

THEME TO THE CAROUSEL OF

PROGRESS.

IT'S A GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL

TOMORROW.

IT'S A GREAT BIG, BEAUTIFUL

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW IS JUST A

DREAM AWAY.

SADLY, THE WORLD LOST

ROBERT SHERMAN IN 2012.

HE SAW THE DARKNESS OF THE

WORLD AND JUST DEVOTED HIS LIFE

TO ONLY BRINGING HAPPINESS TO

PEOPLE.

AND THEN JUST THIS PAST YEAR,

RICHARD SHERMAN ALSO PASSED

AWAY.

WHEN PEOPLE FIND OUT THAT MY

DAD WAS ONE OF THE SHERMAN

BROTHERS, THEY'RE

EXTRAORDINARILY GRATEFUL, AND

THEY SAY, "THANK YOUR FATHER FOR

WRITING THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR

CHILDHOOD."

BUT JUST BEFORE HIS DEATH,

RICHARD SHERMAN WOULD MAKE ONE

LAST MUSICAL CONTRIBUTION TO HIS

DISNEY FAMILY AND TO THE WORLD.

THIS BEING THE

60th ANNIVERSARY OF

"MARY POPPINS" AND "IT'S A SMALL

WORLD," HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A

NICE PARTING GIFT AS HIS PARTING

GIFT FOR THE STUDIO, TO WRITE A

NEW VERSE THAT REITERATES THAT

PRAYER FOR PEACE.

AND HE HANDED IT PERSONALLY TO

BOB IGER.

YOU'RE LIKE FAMILY --

RICHARD CAME TO TELL ME THAT

HE HAD WRITTEN A NEW VERSE TO

"IT'S A SMALL WORLD," AND I

STILL GET THE CHILLS THINKING

ABOUT THOSE LINES THAT HE SHARED

WITH ME.

MOTHER EARTH UNITES US IN

HEART AND MIND, AND THE LOVE WE

GIVE MAKES US HUMAN KIND THROUGH

OUR VAST WONDROUS LAND WHEN WE

STAND HAND IN HAND IT'S A SMALL

WORLD AFTER ALL.

FANTASTIC, YOU ARE A

TREASURE, A TRUE TREASURE.

THANK YOU.

AND THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

CHOOSING TO COMMEMORATE THIS NEW

VERSE WITH A SHORT FILM BEING

BROADCAST HERE FOR THE FIRST

TIME.

♪♪

WELL SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD.

IN FACT, THAT'S JUST THE RIGHT

SPRIT.

OUR SONG WRITERS DICK AND

BOB SHERMAN OF THE WALT DISNEY

♪♪

♪ IT'S A WORLD OF LAUGHTER

A WORLD OF TEARS

IT'S A WORLD OF HOPE

AND A WORLD OF FEARS ♪

♪ THERE'S SO MUCH THAT

WE SHARE THAT IT'S TIME

WE'RE AWARE ♪

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL

IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

♪♪

♪ THERE IS JUST ONE MOON

AND ONE GOLDEN SUN

AND A SMILE MEANS

FRIENDSHIP TO EVERYONE ♪

♪ THOUGH THE MOUNTAINS

DIVIDE AND THE OCEANS ARE

WIDE ♪

♪♪

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

NO, NO.

ANYTHING BUT THAT.

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL ♪

♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪ MOTHER EARTH UNITES US

IN HEART AND MIND

AND THE LOVE WE GIVE MAKES

US HUMAN KIND ♪

♪ THROUGH OUR VAST WONDROUS

LAND WHEN WE STAND

HAND IN HAND ♪

♪ IT'S A SMALL WORLD

AFTER ALL ♪

♪♪