Mary Poppins

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In 1964, when I was nine years old, our friend and neighbor Ruth Davenport called my mother to see if I would like to go to the movies with her son Johnny. I had never been to a movie theater before, and I was super excited to be invited to see Mary Poppins. As soon as the perfectly coiffed Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) dressed in a black coat and hat floated effortlessly on her umbrella from the sky into that darkened theater, I was drawn into a world where anything is possible if you suspend your disbelief. Mary Poppins and her chimney sweeping friend Bert (Dick Van Dyke) sang and danced their way through the streets of London and jumped through the sidewalk into pretend worlds I could not have even imagined. The Banks children, Michael and Jane, were swept along for the ride. The experience was “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”! (I learned that amazingly long made-up word and repeated it later to impress my parents.) 

Recently, when Mary Poppins Returns was advertised as “coming to theaters soon,” I knew I had to go see it. While I am not above going to the theater alone, I thought it would be much more enjoyable to take my nine-year-old granddaughter with me. I told her the story about seeing the original Mary Poppins when I was the same age as her. In the Jeep on our way there, I sang “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.” Since I am compulsively early, we were the first to arrive in the theater, so we had our choice of seats. We moved three times before finding the perfect spots - close, but not so close that we had to tilt back our heads to see the screen. Megan sat ready with her popcorn and soda on which to snack during the movie.

We sat impatiently through the commercials and previews before the actual movie came on. I think I was more excited than she was when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), clad in a bright blue coat and red hat and gloves, floated down through the clouds to land in front of the home of Michael Banks, now all grown up, in his time of need. I sat there by Megan and could not stop smiling, except for the touching scenes through which Megan and I both sniffled a little. One time was during the song "The Place Where Lost Things Go." More of my favorite songs from this movie were "A Cover Is Not the Book" and "Nowhere to Go But Up".

     After it was over, I said, "I hope they don't wait 54 years to make another one!"
     Megan replied, "Yes, because I will be old then!" She didn't think about the fact that in 54 years she will be my age...or maybe she did. After all, she is honest, like me.  It was a
“supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” day!