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Traditional musical “Mary Poppins” drops into Detroit Opera Home – The Information Herald

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 15:22:22 +0000

Nicolas Dromard is having high-flying fun as Bert, the chimney sweep in the musical “Mary Poppins,” on stage at the Detroit Opera House through January 2nd. Photo by Joan Marcus

TV's “Supernanny” may correct bad behavior, but only a nanny adds magical powers and flying with an umbrella to her repertoire.

The musical “Mary Poppins” opened yesterday at the Detroit Opera House and promises to delight children and adults alike through January 2nd.

Directed by producer Cameron Mackintosh, the Disney musical is based on the fantasy book series by PL Travers and the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.

The popular childhood story follows a magical nanny who works for the hapless family of a cold banker and features popular songs such as “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Step in Time” and “Supercalifraglisticexpialidocious.”

New songs by Olivier Award winners George Stiles and Anthony Drewe also grace the stage production.

The show premiered in London's West End in 2004, with a Broadway counterpart premiering two years later.

It received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical and Best Scenic Design.

A national tour began in Chicago in March 2009.

Nicolas Dromard takes on the role of chimney sweep Bert after spending the last 1 1/2 years as Fiyero in the San Francisco production of “Wicked.”

His enthusiasm for the plum part was evident during a recent telephone interview at a tour stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

“It’s such an incredible show,” Dromard said. “Of all the shows I have done, this is my favorite. I love performing it every night.”

He believes the timeless message speaks to everyone and still resonates today.

“Kids connect with the Disney magic and adults connect because they remember the movie,” he said.

“The story about the father trying to reconnect with his children and the mother feeling like she's lost her purpose – that's very timely, even though it's set in the early 20th century.”

The national tour is not Dromard's first foray into the role.

He was part of the original Broadway cast and understudy Bert before taking over the role of Gavin Lee.

While he realizes his performance will inevitably draw comparisons to Van Dyke's iconic performance, he's not worried about whether he can keep up.

“How great to have such a role model,” he said of the star. “I don’t try to copy anything he does, but rather put my own spin on it while staying true to the character.”

Born in Ottawa, Dromard began dancing at the age of six after being inspired by a film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

He studied music at De La Salle High School, a performing arts school in Ottawa, and participated in community theater and dance competitions in Canada and the United States.

After high school, he planned to study music in college, but while in New York City to compete in a dance competition finals, he auditioned for and booked “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” in Branson, Missouri.

From there, his theater opportunities grew – “West Side Story” at the Stratford Festival in Canada, the North American premiere of “Mamma Mia,” “Oklahoma!” and “The Boy From Oz” on Broadway, “Hairspray” in Toronto, the first national Tour of “Wicked” and “Mary Poppins” on Broadway.

Dromard puts his talents to work in the role of the lovable Cockney Bert, taking the lead role in several songs, acting as narrator and dancing up a storm in the peppy number “Step in Time.”

“That’s my favorite number,” he said. “I get to knock upside down – how could you not like that?”

According to Dromard, new melodies, including Mary's introductory piece “Practically Perfect”, fit perfectly with the original numbers and flesh out the stories of the main characters.

“It's a perfect mix of favorite songs from the film and Travers' book and new songs that fit together so perfectly you'd think the entire score was written at the same time,” he said.

Bob Crowley's bizarre stage design provides a much-vaunted backdrop for the stage action.

“The tour set is incredible,” Dromard said. “We have a house that is more like a dollhouse or a pop-up book.

“It starts closed, then at the end of the show I come out and do a little intro and it comes to life.

“It is visually beautiful and amazes the mind.”

The magical world of “Mary Poppins” unfolds at the Detroit Opera House through January 2nd.

Tickets, starting at $25, are available at the Fisher Box Office, Ticketmaster locations, www.broadwayindetroit.com and by calling 1-800-982-2787.

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Shockers Fall to San Francisco in HOF Traditional Closing

Sun, 25 Dec 2022 14:50:11 +0000

Recap from Wichita State Athletics:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KWCH) – Wichita State’s furious comeback and its bid for the Hall of Fame Classic title both fell a basket short in a 67-63 loss to San Francisco, Tuesday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center.

After cutting a 13-point deficit to two over the last five minutes of the second half, WSU (3-2) came up empty on three different opportunities to tie or take the lead. Jaykwon Walton hit 8-of-11 shots and set new career highs with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Craig Porter Jr. scored 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting and stuffed the box score with nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and a pair of blocks in 38 minutes. Gus Okafor added 10 points and seven boards. San Francisco (6-0) shot 39.3% from the field but knocked down 12-of-34 threes. Josh Kunen was a perfect 5-for-5 from deep on his way to a team-high 15 points. Tyrell Roberts handed out seven assists in 37 turnover-free minutes.

WSU trailed 27-14 with less than 4:00 to play in the opening half after missing 21 of its first 26 shots but finished the half on a 9-0 run. Porter rebounded his own miss and hit a twisting corner three ahead of the halftime buzzer to send the Shockers into the locker room down just 27-23. USF bridged halftime with an eight-minute scoring drought before sinking five shots in a row to build its lead back to double-digits. Hawthorne hit a three for a 60-47 USF advantage with 6:22 to play in the game. WSU ramped up its rebounding and full-court pressure down the stretch and finally made some shots.

Walton and Okafor hit back-to-back threes to key a 10-0 run over a span of less than two minutes. After driving for a layup, Porter stole a pass near midcourt and fed Walton for a dunk to cut the deficit to 60-57 with still 3:20 to go. The Shockers twice missed three-pointers that would have tied the game. USF’s Kunen sank his fifth triple of the day with 1:27 to go to push the Don lead back to 63-57. Again WSU responded. Okafor put back a missed free throw with just a under a minute left to make it a two-point game, 63-61.

Following a defensive stop, the Shockers took possession with 32 seconds remaining but turned it over when a driving Walton lost his footing and the ball. USF iced the game at the free throw line.

The Shockers return to action Saturday, Nov. 26, against Tarleton State.

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Castro Theatre to Mark one centesimal Birthday with Week of Traditional Movies June 3–12 Curated by Decade – San Francisco Bay Occasions

Mon, 30 May 2022 11:49:56 +0000

100 years ago next month, San Francisco’s Nasser family opened the Castro Theatre: an event that came to define an era and a neighborhood. A century on, it is the longest continually family-owned movie palace in the US To mark the occasion, the Nasser Family in partnership with Another Planet Entertainment is scheduling a week of film screenings featuring iconic movies from each decade of the Castro’s history, June 3–12, some family and children’s programming, and a “Happy Birthday” special event on June 22—the actual date of the Castro’s opening day in 1922—with movies filmed in San Francisco. Concurrent with the centennial celebrations, the LGBTQ Frameline Film Festival will return after a two-year hiatus.

“It continues to be my family’s honor and privilege to own the Castro Theatre,” said Steve Nasser, of Bay Properties, Inc. “After two years of COVID-forced closures, it is such a joy and a pleasure to reopen and to work with the very best, and most sensitive local producers around, Another Planet Entertainment.” Steve and Elaine Nasser Padian are the third generation of this family to lead the company, founded by their grandfather Abraham and his sons having designed and constructed the Castro Theater in 1922.

“The Castro is much more than a theatre,” said Mary Conde, Senior Vice President for Another Planet who oversees the overall Castro Theater Project. “An LGBTQ touchstone, a film-lovers icon, a community landmark and an architectural gem, the Castro is unique. Another Planet is honored to restore, renovate, and revitalize the Castro as a home to everything we’ve come to love about the Castro, and expand its audience.”

Tickets for the special week of screenings are $16 weekdays and $18 weekend with the morning youth programming at $10/adult $6/youth up to age 12 and may be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/3denv6uv

While there are no vaccine or masking requirements for entry, all attendees are encouraged to have been fully vaccinated and boosted. Masking and adherence to social distancing and proper hygiene protocols are strongly encouraged.

Another Planet Entertainment is partnering with Bay Properties, Inc., owners of the Castro Theater, on an evolution and preservation of San Francisco’s world-renowned entertainment and LGBTQ community landmark. With a long-standing history of working to preserve and improve historic buildings such as the Fox Theater in Oakland, the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Another Planet seeks to enhance the Castro Theater by implementing significant improvements to the sound, lighting, production, HVAC, ADA access, and the theatre’s trademark marquee, among other facets of the building.

The Nasser brothers got their start with a nickelodeon in 1908 in the Castro neighborhood. The Castro was designed by then-unknown architect Timothy Pflueger, who later designed the Paramount Theatre, the Pacific Cost Stock Exchange, the Pacific Telephone Building, and the Top of the Mark on Nob Hill. Pflueger chose an exterior design reminiscent of a Mexican cathedral. The large windows, the shape of the roof line of the front wall of the building, and the plaster wall decorations all combine to convey a look of grandeur in keeping with the large scale of many theaters built in the 1920s. Sound was installed in 1928. The marquee and the vertical neon sign are additions from the late 1930s, but the glazed tile street foyer, ornate tent-like box office, and the wooden doors are all from the early 1922.

The Castro’s interior is very diverse. One can sense Spanish, Asian, and Italian influences. The auditorium seats over 1400 in a fantasy setting that is both lavish and intimate. Both side walls of the auditorium are covered with classic motif murals that were created in a wet plaster process called scrafitto. This type of wall decoration is rare. On either side of the stage and screen (the small original screen has long ago been replaced with a large screen) are large organ grills. The Art Deco chandelier dates from 1937 when a small electrical fire destroyed the original parchment fixture. It is one of the few remaining movie palaces from the 1920s that has been in continuous operation under same family ownership.

Below is the schedule of Castro Theater 100th Special Film Screenings

Friday, June 3: Decade of the 1920s

• Oh Doctor (2:45 pm) Reginald Denny & Mary Astor

• The Mark of Zoro (4:30 pm) Douglas Fairbanks, Noah Beery, Marguerite De La Motte, Robert McKim

• Across to Singapore (6 pm) Joan Crawford, Ramon Navarro, Ernst Torrence

• The Lodger (7:45 pm) Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp, Malcolm Keen, Ivor Novello

• Sunrise (9:45 pm) Janet Gaynor, George O’Brian, Margaret Livingston, Harold Schuster, Bodil Rosing

Saturday, June 4: Decade of the 1930s

• Bright Eyes (10:30 am) Shirley Temple

• Pardon Us (1 pm) Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy

• Thin Man (2:45 pm) William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton

• The Adventures of Robinhood (4:45 pm) Errol Flynn; Olivia de Havilland; Basil Rathbone; Claude Rains; Una O’Connor

• The Women (7pm) Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard

• Night at the Opera (9:30 pm) Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Kitty Carlisle

Sunday, June 5: Decade of the 1940s & Special Family Feature

• Lion King (10:30 am) The Disney children’s classic, not 1940s

• Philadelphia Story (2:30 pm) Cary Grant; Catherine Hepburn; James Stewart; Ruth Husey

• The Lady from Shanghai (5 pm) Orson Wells, Rita Hayworth, Everette Sloan, Glen Anders, Erskine Sanford

• Mildred Pierce (7pm) Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Zachary Scott, Ann Blyth

• Casablanca (9:30 pm) Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Peter Lorrie, Paul Henreid, Madeleine LeBeau

Monday, June 6: Decade of the 1950s

• From Here to Eternity (4 pm) Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra

• Some Like it Hot (6:30 pm) Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

• All About Eve (9:15 pm) Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Marilyn Monroe, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Hugh Marlow

Tuesday, June 7: Decade of the 1960s

• Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid (2 pm) Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross

• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (4:30 pm) John Wayne, James Stewart, Lee Marvin, Andy Devine, Vera Miles

• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (7 pm) Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, Mickey Rooney

• The Magnificent 7 (9:30 pm) Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson

Wednesday, June 8: Decade of the 1970s

• Star Wars: A New Hope (4 pm) Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness

• Chinatown (6:30 pm) Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Diane Ladd

• The Godfather (9:20 pm) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton

Thursday, June 9: Decade of the 1980s

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (4 pm) Harrison Ford; Karen Allen; Paul Freeman; Ronald Lacey; John Rhys Davies; Denholm Elliot

• Amadeus (6:30 pm) F. Murray Abraham, Tom Huice, Elizabeth Berridge, Simon Callow, Ry Dotrice, Christine Ebersole, Jeffrey Jones, Charles Kay

• Blade Runner (9:20 pm) Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos

Friday, June 10: Decade of the 1990s

• Casino (1pm) Robert De Niro; Sharon Stone; Joe Pesci; Don Rickles; Kevin Pollak; James Woods

• Rush Hour (4:30 pm) Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Julia Hsu, Elizabeth Pena, Ken Leung, Clifton Powell

• American Beauty (6:45 pm) Kevin Spacey; Annette Benning; Thora Birch; Mena Suvari; Wes Bentley; Allison Janney; Peter Gallagher; Chris Cooper

• The Bird Cage (9:30 pm) Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Nathan Lane, Dianne Wiest

Saturday, June 11: Decade of the 2000s

• Ironman (1 pm) Robert Downey Jr. Terrence Howard; Jeff Bridges; Shaun Toub; Gwyneth Paltrow

• The Royal Tenenbaums (4 pm) Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelica Huston

• No Country for Old Men (7pm) Tommy Lee Jones; Javier Bardem; Josh Brolin

Sunday, June 12: Decade of 2010s

• Black Panther (1 pm) Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman

• A Star is Born (3:50 pm) Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Anthony Ramos

• Bohemian Rhapsody (6:30 pm) Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers

• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (9:15 pm) Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley

Wednesday June 22: Actual Opening Date in 1922, Movies Filmed in San Francisco

San Francisco (10:30 am) Clark Gable, Janette McDonald, Spencer Tracy
Mrs. Doubtfire (1 pm) Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein
Dirty Harry (3:30pm), Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino
Sudden Fear (6pm) Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Graham
Bullitt (8:15 pm) Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn

Castro Theatre

Published on May 19, 2022

The post Castro Theatre to Mark one centesimal Birthday with Week of Traditional Movies June 3–12 Curated by Decade – San Francisco Bay Occasions appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

49ers Followers Get Set for Traditional North-South Face-Off – CBS San Francisco

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 10:46:19 +0000

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John Deere Traditional House ‘A Good, Straight-Ahead Golf Course’ – CBS San Francisco

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 00:21:14 +0000

(CBS Chicago) – The TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois is one of the daily courses on the Tournament Players Club network, which debuted to great acclaim in 2000 as host of the John Deere Classic. And it remains one of the favorite spots among PGA Tour players, even if their name is not Steve Stricker.

“I rate the course a nine (out of 10), and it’s worth telling you about it,” said Champions Tour player and sports broadcaster Peter Jacobsen when he saw the course shortly after it opened in 1999.

CONTINUE READING: John Deere Classic Preview: TPC Deere is running “a course that lends itself to a lot of birdies,” says Andrew Catalon of CBS Sports

The par-71 layout, measuring up to 7,268 yards, was designed by former PGA Tour player DA Weibring and Chris Gray of PGA Tour Design Services. They turned a stunning property that was once a 386-acre horse and cattle farm into strategically beautiful parkland on the wooded cliffs above the Rock River, without destroying much of what glacier ice had left behind.

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

Weibring, who won the Quad Cities Open (predecessor to the John Deere Classic) three times, and Gray used just over half of the available land – about 170 acres – to run the course through pristine hardwood trees. Of these 170 hectares, only 60 were changed during the construction phase, with more than 80 percent of the hardwoods remaining untouched. Despite the generous fairways, the layout is protected by natural water hazards, clever bunkers and creative hills. There are no sharp doglegs to reward players who can shape the ball especially off the tee. The green spaces are framed by chipping areas, which requires creativity.

The Rock River compliments small ponds and deep canyons.

(An interesting side note: about 70 miles upriver from course, a gentleman named John Deere started his plowing business.)

“The course rewards a player who shapes the ball well into the greens and makes lots of good shots,” said Weibring, an Illinois native, after overseeing a 2006 renovation that included pinching some fairways and resetting some tea boxes for Larger Variety . “It’s not a place to fool anyone. It’s a good, uncomplicated golf course, no tricks. “

“It’s a shot-maker course,” he summarized.

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Stricker would agree. The former University of Illinois star, who will lead the US Ryder Cup team in 2020, won there three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, the longest run in the tournament’s history. He opened with a 60 in the 2010 edition on the way to the tournament record of 258 (Michael Kim shot a 257 to set a new record in 2018).

On the same day, Paul Goydos shot the fourth 59 in Tour history when the course was softened by rain and there was hardly any wind. It was the first time a 59 and a 60 were shot on the same range.

“Boys love to come and play,” said Stricker, winner of 12 PGA TOUR titles. “It’s ahead of you. It’s not tricked. It’s fair Good scores are scored when the conditions are favorable. “

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

The easiest hole is usually the second par-5 hole. Measuring 561 yards, it plays downhill and leans slightly to the right as it flanks the Rock River. The small, two tier green can be reached in two strokes, with accuracy being a must with wetlands on the left and a bunker and trees on the right. The toughest hole is usually # 9, a long par 4 of 485 yards that climbs up through the trees to a raised green that is guarded by bunkers on either side.

All holes have names and the par 3 16, called “Mother Earth”, is the signature hole. It plays up to 158 yards and is located on the Rock River and is guarded by a large bunker in front and another on the right. It’s a tough and picturesque hole, just what the TPC Deere Run is about.

“It has everything that, in my opinion, one would want on a golf course,” said Weibring shortly after the renovation in ’06. “There are height differences, great views and landscapes, hardwood trees. They added small ponds, deep canyons … and there is no real estate to the Rock River. I always want our projects to involve you, showcase playability, variability and balance, and I think TPC Deere Run does. “

Watch the John Deere Classic on Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

MORE NEWS: Baseball Report: The Cubs’ losing streak continues

Originally published on July 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm ET.

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John Deere Basic Dwelling ‘A Good, Straight-Ahead Golf Course’ – CBS San Francisco

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 06:07:20 +0000

CONTINUE READING: Álvarez beats 2 hours, drives in 5 runs as Astros Beat A, 9-6 9

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

The Rock River compliments small ponds and deep canyons.

(An interesting side note: about 70 miles upriver from course, a gentleman named John Deere started his plowing business.)

“It’s a shot-maker course,” he summarized.

CONTINUE READING: All-Star Home Run Derby adds Oakland’s Matt Olson

On the same day, Paul Goydos shot the fourth 59 in Tour history when the course was softened by rain and there was hardly any wind. It was the first time a 59 and a 60 were shot on the same range.

“Boys love to come and play,” said Stricker, winner of 12 PGA TOUR titles. “It’s ahead of you. It’s not tricked. It’s fair Good scores are scored when the conditions are favorable. “

Credit: Michael Cohen / Getty Images

Watch the John Deere Classic on Saturday July 10th and Sunday July 11th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

MORE NEWS: Baseball Report: Cubs Losing Streak Reaches 10 Games

Originally published on July 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm ET.

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The key darkish aspect to the basic ‘Mary Poppins’

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 14:29:08 +0000

Far from being practically perfect in every way, Julie Andrews once put a bumper sticker on her car that said, “Mary Poppins is a junkie.”

It was a joking, failed attempt to banish the sugary reputation she had for the role – but if she’d actually told the truth behind the classic movie, she might have made it.

The actress shocked the kids in the film with her cursing and smoking on set – while co-star Dick Van Dyke was an alcoholic who struggled with suicidal thoughts while dancing around singing “Chim Chim Cher-ee.”

Meanwhile, the writer of the original Poppins novels was at war with the film’s producer, Walt Disney, obsessed with the occult, pursued by allegations of racism, and accused of ruining her adopted son’s life.

Matthew Garber, who played the cheerful young Michael Banks in the 1964 box office hit, later tragically died at the age of 21 after contracting hepatitis in India.

Despite all of this, the film remains a popular family favorite – and a sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns,” which began on December 21st with Emily Blunt as the bag-carrying nanny in the lead role.

Karen Dotrice, now 63, who played the young Jane Banks in the first film, is not surprised at his esteemed status. She says that despite what was going on backstage, the entire cast realized they were involved in something special.

(Clockwise from top left) Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Matthew Garber and Karen Dotrice in “Mary Poppins”Walt Disney Studios

She said, “We felt like one big family and we all had some fun together that felt really magical.”

But she still remembers her shock as an eight-year-old when she saw Andrews, then 28, in full Edwardian nanny outfit – having a cigarette and exchanging blue language with the crew.

Dotrice added, “There was a curse. Julie Andrews smoked on the set. It was a very real 1960s set, I can tell you that. At first they were polite to minors, but that was soon over. “

Van Dyke has admitted that by the time he played chimney sweep Bert, he was an alcoholic and would show up for shootings the night before.

The actor said, “I would go to work with a terrible hangover, which is really tough when I dance.”

Van Dyke, 37 at the time of filming and now 92, also revealed that alcohol led him into deep depression, revealing, “I’ve been in big trouble, you are becoming suicidal and you think you just can’t move on.”

For the most notorious part of his performance, the Cockney voice, which is still cited as the worst accent in the history of cinema, he does not blame the alcohol.

He blames Andrews for this.

He once stated, “I was working with a cast of almost all of the British and neither Julie nor anyone else said, ‘You know, you should be working on that accent.'”

Van Dyke’s accent is widely considered to be one of the worst in film history.Walt Disney Studios

In the meantime, he was aware that PL Travers – the author of the Poppins books – was not happy with the cast of himself or his co-star.

He said, “She hated Julie and she hated me.”

In fact, as described in the 2013 film about the making of Saving Mr. Banks, Travers hated pretty much anything to do with the five-Academy Award-winning adaptation.

For 20 years she’d sent Walt Disney to packing every time he tried to buy the rights to her stories – and when she finally gave in, she bitterly regretted it.

Her own Poppins character, who first appeared in a novel in 1934, was cold, intimidating, and prone to utterances with “a superior sniff.”

And yet the nanny was here, cute, smiling, in love and dancing with animated penguins. She took it as an insult.

After the premiere, Travers told Walt Disney, “All the animation has to go,” without realizing it was too late. The Mughal corrected her and said, “Pamela, the boat has sailed.”

Travers retaliated by refusing permission to do a sequel – allegedly even in her will that “no Americans should ever be allowed to work on a Poppins project again.”

PL Travers apparently hated the scene in which Van Dyke danced with animated penguins.Walt Disney Studios

She died in 1996 – and Disney is now behind the new film with the approval of her estate.

Ironically, the movie was a passion for Disney and the books a passion for Travers for the same reason – troubled childhood.

Dotrice told The Sun, “PL Travers’ father was angry with her. Walt Disney had a terrible relationship with his father. ”The Mughal saw the story as a fantasy of children turning a cruel father – like his own – into a loving one.

As a result, he changed the character of Mr. Banks from the kind in the books to cold and aloof.

And his painful memories of being an unhappy kid – forced to get up at 4:30 am to deliver newspapers in the snow – also made him determined to treat the kid stars on Poppins well.

Dotrice recalled, “I learned why Uncle Walt was so nice to me and my family because he didn’t want another 8-year-old to have the s-y experiences that he had.”

Travers had seen the character of Mr. Banks as an opportunity to bring back the bank manager father she idolized, but who had died of alcoholism at the age of 7.

She was horrified that he was now being made the villain.

Travers was born Helen Goff in the wilds of Queensland, Australia in 1899 and moved to England at the age of 25.

Walt Disney Studios

And although she created the thoroughly right character of Mary Poppins, her life was very unconventional by the standards of the time.

She enjoyed romantic relationships with both men and women.

For 10 years she lived with Madge Burnand, the daughter of the editor of Punch – who once took a picture of Travers frolicking topless on an Italian beach.

Travers later fell in love with the poet Francis McNamara, an Irish man who once told the author: “Mary Poppins with her cool, green core of sex has captivated me forever.”

Single again at the age of 40, Travers adopted a young boy named Camillus from a large, troubled family in Ireland.

What Camillus didn’t find out until he was 17 was that he had a twin brother, Anthony, whom Travers didn’t want to care for, even though his parents begged them to take them both with him.

When he learned the truth, he drank with his siblings, a habit that would develop into debilitating alcoholism for both of them.

Camillus died in 2011 as a result of his addiction.

The boys’ eldest brother, Joseph Hone, said, “I don’t think Travers was fit to raise children.”

She had reportedly chosen Camillus as her twin on the advice of her astrologer – and later became increasingly obsessed with the stars, the occult, and mysticism.

Walt Disney Studios

The popularity of Travers’ books faded over the years as racism in them became unacceptable – especially the shocking descriptions of black Americans.

In contrast, those involved in the film continue to thrive on their association with the smash hit.

Andrews, 83 – a stage star when she won the role – caused a sensation and landed an Academy Award for Best Actress and her role in The Sound Of Music. She is a lady now.

Van Dyke overcame his demons and became one of the most recognizable faces on US television.

Dotrice continued playing until the age of 24, then decided, “I’d rather just get married and become a mother and that’s it.”

Tragically, Garber, who played her brother Michael, only lived to be 21 years old.

Despite rumors that drugs played a role in contracting the hepatitis that killed him after a trip to India, his family insisted it was caused by eating bad meat.

He and Dotrice made a perfect team and worked on other films together as kids.

She said, “We had a great childhood. We shot three films together. “

“I wish he were here to make those comments too.”

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With traditional lookouts closed, listed here are the most effective Bay Space spots to catch migrating grey whales

Thu, 20 May 2021 08:56:50 +0000

Gray whales have begun their winter migration along the California coast and offer Bay Area residents numerous opportunities to observe the majestic marine mammals for the next several months.

There’s just one catch: perhaps the best onshore location to see the migrating whales is closed for construction.

The historic lighthouse and observation deck at the westernmost tip of Point Reyes National Seashore – known among whale enthusiasts and amateurs as the best vantage point for spotting whales rounding the Bay Area waters – are banned because Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is one Major is going through overhaul.

Despite the closure, there are plenty of other places to spot the whales on their southern streak from the arctic waters of Alaska to the shallow lagoons of Baja California, said Carlo Arreglo, a park ranger at Point Reyes.

“This is the time of year to see these charismatic superstar mammals,” he said.

From Bodega Head to Muir Beach Overlook and Point Bonita in the Marin Headlands, the north coast offers numerous elevated vantage points. Within the city limits, Fort Funston and the Lands End Lookout have good ocean views to spot spouts.

To the south, the parking lots on either side of the Devil’s Slide Trail provide accessible whale watching. The beaches at Point Reyes have less visibility, but visitors can peek at some spills – and see giant elephant seals in their winter mating season.

Hundreds of gray whales pass through the Bay Area every day at the height of the south migration in January. Pregnant whales, due to give birth in the warm waters of the Baja, are the first to migrate, followed by thousands more in pods of two to five individuals. In spring, the whales begin their journey back to Alaska with their newborn calves.

Elevated lookouts offer the best chance of spotting whales in the water. Bodega Head and Point Reyes are good bets as the whales use the protruding geography to navigate the coast, but the whales are visible from other coastal areas as well.

First, said Arreglo, scan the ocean for clouds of steam – these are the whales that exhale when they emerge for breath. The blowhole is the first part of the body to rise out of the water, followed by the back and tail as the whale dives beneath the surface in one graceful motion.

“Bring binoculars, it’ll help,” said Bill Keener, a whale researcher at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.

While whale runs can be spotted at any time of the day, Keener prefers to set off in the morning hours when the sun is angled off the water. Direct sunlight can make the whales difficult to spot.

The fact that gray whales can still be seen on the California coast – let alone in their thousands – is a small miracle, according to experts. The 40-ton marine mammals were near endangered by the 1930s, but their numbers began to recover with the decline in commercial whaling. Gray whales are now protected by international protection measures.

“California is one of the few places in the world where you can see multiple species of whales,” said Keener. “It’s an amazing wildlife opportunity right off our coast.”

Some local families have turned to whale watching, said Nancy Black, a marine biologist who runs the Monterey Bay Whale Watch. The company has done tours at half capacity, wiped surfaces, and practiced social distancing.

“It’s great – people usually get bored at home,” said Black.

Black noted that whale migration began a few weeks later that year, a trend she believes was due to climate change. Scientists studying gray whales say the warming of the arctic waters could change the whales’ feeding and migration habits. Climate change has also been cited as a possible culprit for the mass extinction, which resulted in an unusually high number of whale victims last year when more than a dozen carcasses washed up on the shores of the Bay Area.

Boats pass each other near Bodega Head in Bodega Bay, California on Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Bodega Head is a popular place for whale watching.Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Changed marine ecosystems worry Keener and his colleagues at the Marine Mammal Center. The harmful algae that thrive in warmer waters could pose problems for all marine life, he said, not just gray whales. Therefore, he feels compelled to raise awareness about the whales in order to protect them from future damage.

“These are some of the largest animals that have ever lived on the planet,” he said. “They live a different life than land mammals. They give birth underwater. They have big brains. They have these amazing migrations, ”said Keener.

Arreglo is also impressed by the mysterious mammals that live mostly invisible under the sea surface and pass giants that endure even though humans have hunted them almost to extinction.

“These massive creatures have a sense of mystery,” he said. “There is something to be said to have a secret in our life.”

Nora Mishanec is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NMishanec

If the Point Reyes lighthouse and observation deck are closed, here are 10 alternative locations in the Bay Area where you may be able to catch gray whales that are migrating this season:

Muir Beach overlooks the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Point Bonita in the Marin Headlands

Mori Point in Pacifica

Fort Funston in San Francisco

Devil’s Slide Trail off Highway 1 between Pacifica and Montara

Bodega Depart from Bodega Bay on the Sonoma County coast

Limantour Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

Drakes Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

North Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore

Lands End Lookout in San Francisco

See morecollapse

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