On an episode of National Public Radio's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" (broadcast October 25, 2010) Dick Van Dyke was asked by host Peter Sagal about his notorious accent in this film. Van Dyke stated that his vocal coach was Irish-born J. Pat O'Malley, who had an even worse British accent.
One of Julie Andrews' favorite songs was "Stay Awake". When she heard that there were plans to delete it, she wrote a letter of concern to P.L. Travers who instantly insisted that the song remain in the film.
Ordinarily a stickler for keeping to the script, director Robert Stevenson allowed Ed Wynn free rein to improvise.
Original author P.L. Travers was adamant that in the film there should be no suggestions of any kind of romance between Mary Poppins and Bert. This is explicitly referenced in the song "Jolly Holiday".
Originally Walt Disney had considered Mary Martin, Bette Davis and Angela Lansbury for the part of Mary Poppins based on the cold characterization portrayed in the P.L. Travers books. The Walt Disney Studio (with the Shermans and co-writer Don DaGradi acting as the studio's sort-of 'advance' team) first considered 'Julie Andrews' after seeing her on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town in January 1961 do excerpts from 'Camelot', the show she was appearing in on Broadway. About a month later, Walt Disney himself went to New York, caught the show, and sounded out Julie backstage after the show. (The show was of double interest to Disney because his The Sword in the Stone animated feature was based on the first book of T.H. White's "The Once and Future King." "Camelot" was based on the 4th book of the same novel.) It was at that February 1961 backstage meeting that Disney first sounded Andrews out, including inviting Julie's husband at the
Originally in the movie, there was a scene when all of the toys in the nursery come alive. Since it proved to be too scary for children, it was cut out. However, in the Broadway musical of Mary Poppins, the toys coming alive idea is used.
Over 100 glass and matte paintings were used to recreate the London skyline of 1910.
Premiered at the Graumann Chinese Theatre in 1964.
Re-Premiered at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1966.
Prior to the 1964 premiere, Walt Disney had not personally attended a studio premiere since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.
Quotes John Keats' "Endymion" when she comments "A thing of beauty is a joy forever," as she pulls a potted plant out of her carpet bag. Incidentally, the same quote is used by Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Set in April 1910, shortly before the death of King Edward VII.
The "Step in Time" sequence had to be filmed twice because of a scratch on the film from the first take. The entire sequence took a week to film.
The author of the "Poppins" books, P.L. Travers, approved heartily of the casting of Julie Andrews after hearing her only on the telephone. Andrews granted the interview from her bed after the delivery of her daughter, Emma Walton.
The character of Bert is actually an amalgamation of several of Mary Poppins' friends from the books. Among them, the minor character of a chimney sweep. It was a drawing of that sweep by one of the animators that inspired the song "Chim Chim Cheree."
The cherry tree blossoms in Cherry Tree Lane were made of plastic, imported from France and Portugal. Each leaf and bloom was hand-mounted.
The chorus performing as the animated Pearly Band during "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was comprised of songwriter Richard M. Sherman, vocal coach J. Pat O'Malley and Julie Andrews.
The Disney studios' first DVD release.
The film makers didn't inform Karen Dotrice or Matthew Garber about some "surprises" that were going to show up in the movie. Karen's dumbfounded look when Mary Poppins takes out item after item from the carpet bag and her little scream when Mary Poppins gave them medicines of different colors were genuine. They also didn't tell the children who was acting as Mr. Dawes Sr., and were worried that the horrible old man was going to fall down and die at any moment.
The financial success of Mary Poppins brought Walt Disney the money needed to expand WED Enterprises (now Imagineering), and he titled the new branch MAPO (short for MAry POppins).
The houses on Cherry Tree Lane were built on a diminishing scale, getting smaller as the lane progressed.