Disney’s Mary Poppins was released August 29, 1964. I don’t think
I saw it in the theater until much later, but I had a vinyl record of the sound
track that I played until it wouldn’t play anymore. It might surprise you to
learn Julie Andrews wasn’t Walt’s first choice to play the magical nanny. Both
he and P. L. Travers were hoping to snag Bette Davis. They even considered
Angela Lansbury for the role. The Sherman Brothers wrote thirty songs for Mary
Poppins, but fewer than half ended up in the movie. “The Beautiful Briny” was
repurposed for Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971, and “The Land of Sand” was
given new lyrics to become “Trust in Me” for The Jungle Book in 1967. Walt
Disney’s favorite song was “Feed the Birds.” He’d ask Dick Sherman to “Play that
bird lady song again,” because, “That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?”
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