"Making Mary Poppins" with Author Todd James Pierce

About this episode

This episode features an interview with Todd James Pierce discussing his book 'Making Mary Poppins' and the contributions of the Sherman Brothers to the classic Disney film.

Sixty years later it remains one of the most enduring and beloved Disney movies of all time. Mary Poppins, based on the PL Travers stories, has even inspired a making of film through 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks. In tandem, the late songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, responsible for the classic tunes, have received their fair share of coverage through projects like The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story from 2009. Thankfully, now we have a written compendium that illustrates how integral the Sherman Brothers were to the development of the 1964 Walt Disney feature. Making Mary Poppins, written by professor and author Todd James Pierce, is a deep dive into the production, along with giving further backstory to the famed songwriters. Todd previously joined host Brett Nachman back in 2020 as he discussed writing Three Years in Wonderland about the development of Disneyland through CV Wood’s influence. Now he returns to share details about Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of the Classic Film. Learn more about Todd's career and book by visiting his website. Pick up a copy of Making Mary Poppins and listen to the Disney History Institute podcast…

People in this episode

Hosts: Brett Nachman, Brett

Guest: Todd James Pierce

Topics covered

• Disney movies
• film production
• music
• biography
• history

Keywords

• Mary Poppins
• Sherman Brothers
• Walt Disney
• Saving Mr. Banks
• Disney History Institute

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Making Mary Poppins

Books & works: Making Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins, Saving Mr. Banks, The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story, Three Years in Wonderland

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