1.) The first Mary Poppins story, "Mary Poppins and the Match Man" was published in a New Zealand newspaper in 1926.
2.) The first Mary Poppins book by Australian author Pamela (P.L.) Travers, published in 1934, included a similar story to "Match Man."
4.) Walt Disney gave the book to his daughters, so Diane became the first Disney to discover Mary Poppins.
5.) The Studio began negotiations with P.L. Travers in 1938, shortly after Walt read the book himself.
6.) Author P.L. Travers was concerned that Mary Poppins should not be a cartoon character.
7.) Though Walt Disney hadn't yet produced a fully live-action film, his brother Roy assured "Mrs. Travers" they could work in both mediums.
8.) In the late 1950's, with book sales declining, P.L. Travers finally accepted the Disney Studio's latest offer.
9.) The author P.L. Travers has two conditions: the film would be live action, and she still wanted to approve the script.
10.) The agreement was completed in June 1960. Two months later, artist Don DaGradi began storyboarding the film.
11.) Don DaGradi also researched the book's original pen-and-ink illustrations by Mary Shepard.
12.) Mary Shepard was the daughter of the E. H. Shepard who illustrated the Winnie the Pooh books.
13.) The filmmakers expanded the books' roll of Bert so that he could appear throughout the film.
14.) In the book, Miss Lark and her dog Andrew live next door to the Banks family.
15.) In the book, Mrs. Corry and her VERY TALL daughters sell gingerbread.
16.) In the Mary Poppins books, Miss Persimmon is Uncle Albert's housekeeper.
17.) P.L. Travers wanted the cast to be all English in keeping with her books.
18.) Walt Disney and co-creator Bill Walsh chose a blend of English and American actors to have a wide appeal.
19.) Mary Poppins was filmed entirely indoors on all four sound stages on the Disney Studios lot in California.
20.) Cherry Tree Lane, the park, and the exterior of St. Paul's Cathedral filled the entire Stage Four of the Disney Studios.
21.) The Cherry Tree Lane set included four nearly full scale Georgian houses, authentic in every detail.
22.) The cherry tree blossoms were made of a plastic material imported from France and Portugal. Each leaf and blossom was hand mounted.
23.) A massive cyclorama painting surrounded the back of the entire set.
24.) Long time actor Reginald Owen played the part of Admiral Boom.
25.) Walt originally cast British actor Stanley Holloway as Admiral Boom, but Holloway dropped out because of other commitments.
26.) Disney favorite Reta Shaw was warm hearted cook from Disney's Pollyanna, plays a similar role as Mrs. Brill.
27.) Veteran British actress Elsa Lancaster plays the children's resigning nanny, Katie Nanna. One of Elsa Lancaster's best-known early roles was The Bride of Frankenstein.
28.) Elsa Lancaster had been married to famed actor Charles Laughton. She had stopped working when he passed away.
29.) When Karen Dotrice was cast as Jane Banks, her mother suggested casting Elsa Lancaster as the beleaguered nanny.
30.) In the early script, Mrs. Brill calls Katie Nanna "an old sow." Mrs. Travers didn't think that sounded "Irish" enough, so she suggested changing the line to "with a face that would stop a coal barge."
31.) Glynis Johns plays the loving but distracted Mrs. Banks. She had previously starred in Disney's "The Sword and the Rose," and "Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue."
Don't forget to join us again at the end of February to find out some more fascinating facts about the movie Mary Poppins!!
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