The cast of "Mary Poppins" wasn't practically perfect in any way.
Julie Andrews swore like a sailor on set, while Dick Van Dyke struggled with alcoholism.
Keep watching to learn the truth about their relationship!
Julie Andrews wasn't the celebrated Tinseltown star (and Dame of the British Empire) she is
today when she starred in "Mary Poppins." Born in England in 1935 to a family of performers,
the actor found her first big break on stage in the latter half of the 1940s, before traveling
across the pond and snagging the role of Eliza Doolittle in the musical "My Fair Lady" in 1956.
That earned her her first Tony nomination. In 1960, she snagged her second Tony nomination
for her lead role in the musical, "Camelot." But she still struggled to make the transition
to Hollywood, as studio executives viewed her as a stage actress only. As a result, she was passed
over for the lead in the film adaptation of "My Fair Lady," which instead went to Audrey Hepburn.
Walt Disney, though, believed in Andrews and offered her the lead in "Mary Poppins."
Andrews declined at first, as she was pregnant,
but Disney offered to wait for her — finding her the perfect partner in TV star Dick Van Dyke.
Because of Hollywood attitudes, when Andrews began filming "Mary Poppins" in 1963, it was
still her first film. In 2008, Andrews noted in her book, "Home: A Memoir of My Early Years,"
that she quickly learned how different acting in front of a camera was as opposed to on stage.
The first scene she shot was the "Jolly Holiday" song-and-dance sequence — with
her co-star Dick Van Dyke as Bert. As Andrews wrote, the beginning of the scene was simple:
"Mary Poppins, you look beautiful!" "Do you really think so?"
Preparing for the scene, though, was anything but simple.
"I was extremely nervous and fretted over how to say that one simple line.
In the end, I simply said the words and hoped for the best."
Van Dyke, at least, immediately knew that his co-star was destined for greatness. In 1974,
he told Dick Cavett that he was sure she was going to be a star.
"And nobody knew who she was. And I thought at that time, 'Just you wait.'"
Joining the cast of 1964's "Mary Poppins" must have been nerve-wracking for newcomer
Julie Andrews. After all, she was cast alongside Dick Van Dyke, who was already a TV
favorite thanks to "The Dick Van Dyke Show," which launched in 1961. If that's not all,
the flick was a Disney production, with an intimidating budget of $4.4 million.
As Andrews recalled in her book, "Home: A Memoir of My Early Years," she first met Van
Dyke during rehearsals for "Mary Poppins." When it came time to film their first scene together,
Andrews revealed how anxious she was — yet her budding friendship with Van Dyke didn't waver,
and one can only assume he most likely helped calm her nerves.
She wrote that he was always in high spirits, saying,
"We hit it off from day one."
While reflecting on that first scene the pair had together, Andrews wrote,
"I performed Mary Poppins's demure, ladylike version of the step — but
Dick flung his long legs up so high that I burst out laughing."
"Mary Poppins" was an instant success. The flick took home five Oscars, was praised by reviewers,
and was a huge box office smash. But though Julie Andrews was a darling amongst critics,
not everyone responded positively to Dick Van Dyke's performance as Bert.
Van Dyke, an American born in Missouri, took on the role of the chimney sweeper Bert and
suddenly found himself having to do a cockney accent. The verdict? Critics hated it. According
to The Irish Times, it was later revealed that actor David Tomlinson, who played Mr. Banks,
helped Dick Van Dyke with his accent. Tomlinson, who came from the more upper-class
Henley-on-Thames in England, apparently wasn't the best choice as a tutor for Van Dyke.
Andrews told The Irish Times that Van Dyke also asked her for help,
but she didn't think his bad accent really mattered.
"He was very aware that he was stumbling about. He was adorable,
so talented and charming anyway, so who cares, really!"
Andrews has stood by her friend in the years that followed, always one to offer up praise
when outlets touched upon Van Dykes attempt at the accent. As she told USA Today in 2013,
"It doesn't seem to have harmed the film that much, 50 years later.'"
When filming commenced for "Mary Poppins," Dick Van Dyke and Julie
Andrews were at two very different points in their careers. As Andrews notes in her book,
"Home: A Memoir of My Early Years," Van Dyke was an established star,
having been in movies and television as well as Broadway. Andrews, on the other hand,
was new to Tinseltown, though she had been singing professionally since she was a child.
According to her Academy of Achievement profile,
Andrews took singing lessons when she was still a young girl, and by the time she was 8, quote,
"she was taken to study with Lilian Styles-Allen, a noted concert singer."
Almost two decades before snagging the role of Mary Poppins, Andrews debuted on radio on the BBC,
and by the '50s, she was a regular on the radio before moving to stage productions.
All of that singing experience came in very handy for the Disney musical. In fact,
Andrews was such a talented crooner that Van Dyke said in his biography,
"My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir," that his co-star's voice actually, quote,
"scared me to death." Why? Because he wasn't sure he could keep up. He said that, quote,
"recording with her was a challenge," and added,
"Julie's voice could have been used to tune a piano. She was pitch perfect — and I never was."
It's no secret that some of Hollywood's most iconic children's flicks were
less than idyllic behind-the-scenes. "The Wizard of Oz" set was famously problematic,
with director Victor Fleming even known to slap Judy Garland. While nothing that
harrowing happened on the set of "Mary Poppins," its two leading stars were a far
cry from being "practically perfect in every way," like the main character Mary Poppins.
Karen Dotrice, who played youngster Jane Banks in the movie, told The Sun,
"There was swearing. Julie Andrews was smoking on set [...] It was a very real 1960s set.
They were polite around minors to begin with, but that soon ended."
While the concept of everyone's favorite cinematic nanny chain-smoking may come as a surprise,
Dick Van Dyke's antics while cameras weren't rolling weren't as happy-go-lucky as that of
his character, Bert, either. According to The Sun, he was struggling with
alcoholism. The actor has been upfront with his once-difficult battle, telling The Telegraph,
"I was an alcoholic for about 25 years [...] everybody had their martini, everybody smoked
incessantly. I would go to work with terrible hangovers which if you're dancing is really hard."
"I just couldn't talk to people. And I found if I had a drink,
that would loosen me up, you know, the barriers went down. And I became very social."
Thankfully, he was able to get sober in 1972 and has stayed sober ever since.
Anyone who's seen 2013's "Saving Mr. Banks" knows of the difficulties that
Walt Disney went through to acquire the rights to Pamela Travers' series
of "Mary Poppins" books to bring to the big screen. Dick Van Dyke told The Telegraph,
"It took Walt [Disney] 20 years to talk Travers into giving him the
rights for the picture and then she fought him tooth and nail all the way through it."
It turns out that Travers wasn't a fan of the jovial Disney adaptation after she saw it, either.
Per USA Today, she hated the musical aspect of the flick, and all the dancing. But that's not all:
The author also wasn't too keen on Julie Andrews or Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke told The Telegraph,
"She hated me, she hated Julie Andrews. She didn't think either one of us were right."
Ultimately, Travers tried to have the last laugh in the entire "Mary Poppins" debacle.
According to TMZ, it's believed that she loathed the flick to the point that, quote,
"she put it in her will that no Americans [would]
ever be granted permission to work on a 'Poppins' project ever again."
However, as Andrews herself wryly told USA Today,
"I'm sure she cried all the way [...] to the bank."
At the time of its release, critics loved watching Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in "Mary Poppins"
together. The New York Times praised the flick, seemingly unable to pick their favorite moment.
Two scenes that featured both Van Dyke and Andrews came up at the top of the list,
from their animated "Jolly Holiday" sequence,
to the rooftop dance sequence with all of Bert's chimney sweep pals.
The two co-stars got along famously, too, and immediately after meeting, they became
friends. In fact, considering how perfect the pair's on-screen chemistry was, it's
remarkable they didn't grace the silver screen together again (save for one 1974 TV special).
That being said, they came close to it, with Van Dyke's 1968 project, "Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang" — a movie he initially turned down. As the actor revealed in his book, "My Lucky Life In and
Out of Show Business: A Memoir," he thought the Roald Dahl-written movie had, quote, "too many
holes and unanswered questions." Yet, the flick's producer, Albert Broccoli, worked hard to get
Andrews and Van Dyke on board together again, especially after the success of "Mary Poppins."
Van Dyke eventually signed on for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," but his former co-star didn't budge.
According to "​​Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography," she didn't want to do anything similar
to her "Poppins" character, and the role of Truly Scrumptious was cutting it a bit too close.
Along with refusing another opportunity to work with Dick Van Dyke for 1968's "Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang," Julie Andrews also missed out on starring in 2018's "Mary Poppins Returns,"
yet her reason behind declining that Disney flick is much more endearing.
"Mary Poppins Returns" sees the Banks children all grown up with children of their own,
and getting a surprise visit from Mary Poppins herself (this time played by Emily Blunt).
And fans got a surprise as well: a guest appearance by Dick Van Dyke!
Besides playing Bert in the original "Poppins" flick, Van Dyke also played antagonist Mr.
Dawes Sr., George Banks' boss, with layers of makeup applied to appear very elderly.
In the 2018 sequel, Van Dyke took on the role of Dawes' son — and this time,
in his 90s, he needed no help to recreate the same look. According to Entertainment Weekly,
when the iconic actor heard a sequel was in production, his first thought was, quote, "Can I
be in it?" It turns out, director Rob Marshall was such a fan of Van Dyke's, he needed no convincing.
As for Andrews? Marshall also approached her to make an appearance in the film, but her immediate
answer was a resounding "no." As the director revealed at the movie's premiere (via Variety),
"She said, 'This is Emily's show and I want her to
run with this. [...] I don't want to be on top of that.'"
In his book, "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir," Van Dyke called Andrews a
"perfect partner" in the movie, praising her personality and talent. He wrote,
"She was a lady first and foremost, but she also had a great, whimsical sense of humor."
Van Dyke also praised how easy it was to work with Andrews and claimed she "never
once" complained. And they have remained close friends all through the decades.
In December 2013, for instance, the two longtime pals had their red
carpet reunion 50 years later during the premiere of "Saving Mr. Banks."
And in 2021, at the 43rd annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C.,
then-95-year-old Dick Van Dyke was celebrated for his lifetime in the entertainment industry.
Julie Andrews, at the age of 85, was the one who introduced her "Mary Poppins" co-star.
Andrews said Van Dyke was just as magical as Mary Poppins. She said,
"Dick seems to have found the secret to happiness. He's an artist, a one-man band,
a profound philosopher, a high-stepping showman and spreader of charm [...] good
luck does rub off when he shakes hands with you."
And Van Dyke has fond memories of his time on the 1964 children's flick, too.
He told "Today" that same year that "Mary Poppins" is the movie he's, quote, "most proud of."
As for any plans of quitting acting now that he's well into his 90s? Not a chance. He said,
"I don't think I'll ever retire, unless they make me."
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