Jan 11, 2014

Amy Henderson Talks Walt Disney and PL Travers: Making Mary Poppins and Fighting

banks and travers
Emma Thompson captures the flinty Mrs. Travers brilliantly, from her tightly-curled hair to the “No No No” mantra she barks endlessly at the Disney creative team. ((Courtesy of Disney))

How Did P.L. Travers, the Prickly Author of Mary Poppins, Really Fare Against Walt Disney?

Historian Amy Henderson searches for the spoonfuls of sugar-coated truth in the new film, "Saving Mr. Banks"

The story of how Mary Poppins was made is generating much critical and popular buzz in the new film Saving Mr. BanksThe release comes on the eve of the movie's 50th anniversary next year and the Library of Congress has just announced that Mary Poppins is one of 25 legendary films being added this year to theNational Film Registry, a pantheon of films that have cultural, historic, and aesthetic significance and “help define a national patrimony.”
The new movie proclaims it is “based on a true story,” a cheery phrase that cleverly balances truth-telling and let’s-pretend. Saving Mr. Banks is not a documentary, but a highly-entertaining feature film loosely based on the deeply antagonistic collaboration between two very strong-willed artists.
The cast is formidable, starring Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins’ fictional creator P.L. Travers, and Tom Hanks as media mogul Walt Disney. Much of the movie takes place in the rehearsal hall at Disney Studios, and historical documentation for the screenplay was abundant: Mrs. Travers (as she always insisted on being called) demanded that all meetings with the creative team be taped; the Disney Archives also provided Mr. Hanks with a treasure trove of primary material to study as he created his concept of the Disney persona.
But the core of Saving Mr. Banks, and one that relies less strictly on the historical record, is the backstory of how art, ownership, and commerce somehow combine to produce box office success. This is an essentially Disney story, and as such, it’s all about the Mouse.
In the early 1940s, when Walt Disney’s daughters fell in love with the book Mary Poppins, Disney promised them he would adapt the enchanting story into a movie. And of course Walt Disney expected that, because he was Walt Disney, the project would happen in a spit-spot snap. It didn’t. For the next 20 years, Disney tried unsuccessfully to persuade the book’s prickly author, P.L. Travers, to sell him screen rights. Finally in 1961 he managed to lure the intransigent author to Hollywood.
By then, Travers’ Mary Poppins royalties had dwindled and she needed money, so she agreed to spend two weeks working with Disney’s creative team. She fully intended to sabotage the film, though, because she was aghast at the idea of her Mary Poppins being sentimentalized by the "Disney treatment.”
Saving Mr. Banks unfolds in scenes that alternate between Mrs. Travers in storyboard meetings and flashbacks of her hard-scrabble childhood in Australia. As the movie develops, Travers’ traumatic childhood becomes central. Born as Helen Goff, she adored her banker father Travers Goff, a charmer who filled her life with love and story-telling even as he fell into an alcoholic abyss. After her despondent mother attempts suicide, her aunt arrives to take charge of the fractured household. The aunt becomes a physical model for Mary Poppins, replete with a giant carpetbag filled with amazing stuff and an umbrella with a parrot-head handle. Her purpose is to make everything better, and she does except for one impossible hurdle. She cannot save the father.
Emma Thompson captures the flinty Mrs. Travers brilliantly, from her tightly-curled hair to the “No No No” mantra she barks endlessly at the Disney creative team. In a recent interview in More, Thompson talked about how “it was wonderful to play this relationship between two people who’ve been very damaged as children and yet responded to that damage differently. Walt expressed it with a kind of huge, sometimes misplaced optimism and faith in human nature. (Travers believed) that there is great darkness in life and if you want to really serve children, you include the darkness.” Helen Goff never married, and took her father’s name Travers as she invented herself as a children’s books author.
Tom Hanks’ Disney is folksy but shrewd, and clearly baffled by his inability to win over Mrs. Travers. (Courtesy of Disney)
Tom Hanks is a thoroughly likable Walt Disney, portraying the studio head at his media height. In 1961, Disneyland is such a success that Disney World is being planned, and the studio is in full-flight with mega-popular movies and television programs. Walt Disney was part of America’s family: when I was growing up, my family gathered around the television every Sunday night to watch "Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color." I felt like I knew Uncle Walt.
Hanks’ Disney is folksy but shrewd, and clearly baffled by his inability to win over Mrs. Travers.In addition to ensconcing her at the Beverly Hills Hotel and providing her with a chauffeured limousine (driven by the engaging Paul Giamatti), he tops the sundae with a personal tour of Disneyland, and gets her to ride his wife’s favorite horse “Jingles” on the carousel. What more could anyone ask of life?!
But Mrs. Travers is adamant, refusing even to call him “Walt.” The backstage scenes in the rehearsal room at Disney Studios are terrifically revealing, showcasing how the songwriting Sherman brothers—Richard and Robert—chisel away Mrs. Travers’ objections to the movie being a musical. The Shermans snag phrases from the book to create such songs as “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Feed the Birds,” but “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is a tougher sell. In a recent interview with the New York Timessurviving brother Richard said “She didn’t care about our feelings, how she chopped us apart.” He also noted how strongly Disney disliked negativity: “If you can’t think of something to improve it, then keep your mouth shut.”
Walt Disney in 1940 by an unidentified artist. (Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)
The film logically ends with a heart-warming finish as we see what finally convinces Travers to sign the movie rights to Disney, but its a scenario schemed out of the blue by screenwriters Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. There is no hint among the volatile tapes or Disney Archives material, nor in any of Mrs. Travers interviews, that the scene has a single grain of sugar-coated truth. What is true is that Mrs. Travers’ artful Mary translated into commercial success for her: she was paid $100,000 ($750,000 in 2013 money) and received five percent of the movie’s gross earnings. She never embraced the depiction of her Mary on the big screen, however, andrefused to work for Disney ever again.
At the end of the movie after the final credits, an excerpt from the original rehearsal hall tapes rolls, allowing audiences to hear the real Mrs. Travers vociferously bleating “No No No.” It’s a purely Hollywood attempt to give this bio-pic a boffo factual finish, but P.L. Travers’ voice makes one ask how this sourpuss could have created the joyful movie musical Mary Poppins. The answer is that she didn’t—Disney did.
Mary Poppins would be the greatest live action success of Walt Disney’s career. It won five Oscars, including two—Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”) and Best Music, Original Score—for the Sherman brothers, whose music makes the entire production soar. It looks like Saving Mr. Banks will be an award favorite as well. Emma Thompson has just been nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe, and the season is just beginning.
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About Amy Henderson
Amy Henderson
Amy Henderson is National Portrait Gallery historian. She holds a B.A and M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
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Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-did-pl-travers-the-prickly-author-of-mary-poppins-really-fare-against-walt-disney-180949052/#ixzz2q7JyqgP7 
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copied from smithsonianmag.com***

What do you think about Saving Mr. Banks.......

Love the comments--for me the movie was wonderful but too painful of a reminder of the tragedy of alcohol on a family.  

That was the life of my mother, I am sure, a little girl that idolized a very funny, loved and talented father, but often turned into torture and embarrassment like the scene at the fair when Mr. Travers fell off the stage.  

It was just too much for me--I am still heartbroken for that little girl and even heartbroken for my mother and my grandmother.  I have heard all of those kind of embarrassing stories for so many years.  

Well, not only can we all enjoy this movie but we can also learn something about the human condition.

Just wondering what other people think after seeing the movie.......

Jan 10, 2014

The Important News Item of the Day

Saving Peanut--Dog Found Frozen to Ground in Sub-Zero Temperatures

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Dog Found Frozen to Ground in Sub-Zero Temperatures

A dog named Peanut in Jasper, Indiana, is expected to make a full recovery after sheriff's deputies found him frozen to the ground in sub-zero temperatures.
"He has some sores on his feet where he was pulled from the frozen snow," said Mary Saalman, executive director of the Dubois County Humane Society, which has been caring for the dog. "Other than being underweight, he seems very happy."
Dubois County Sheriff's Department responded to an anonymous call of animal neglect on Monday night when the temperatures dipped to 6 below zero with wind chills as low as 25 below.
According to Stuart Wilson, a sergeant and spokesperson for the sheriff's department, a deputy found two dogs, one chained to a pole out of reach of a barrel used for shelter and another dog, Peanut, described as a Shetland/Jack Russell mix, in a small pen with no food and frozen water.
The dog had been there, with only an unlined barrel for shelter, long enough to become frozen to the ground. It took about ½ hour for the deputy to use warm water to help release Peanut.
Wilson told Pet360 that Peanut was immediately taken into custody, pursuant to Indiana law, which allows the department to confiscate animals deemed to be in immediate danger. As well as being left in sub-zero temperatures, Peanut was emaciated, weighing only about 50 percent of a healthy weight for a dog his size.
The other dog, which was a larger breed dog, did not appear neglected and was taken inside by the owners. "They have since checked and the dog has remained inside," Saalman explained.
Wilson said there were six other small breed dogs inside the house, but those dogs could not be confiscated because they did not appear neglected and weren't in immediate danger.
Saalman plans on contacting the owners to inquire about relinquishing custody of the other dogs, including some puppies that were spotted running on the property, but she is unsure if the people will agree. "At this point, the sheriff's department can't make them," Saalman shared.
"I did receive word this morning that they had relinquished Peanut, so he now belongs to us," Saalman explained. "We have a pretty rigorous adoption process and we've had such interest, we'll probably try to keep him local."
The sheriff's department has filed papers with the district attorney's office seeking charges for animal neglect, which is a Class A misdemeanor, carrying a possible 1-year jail sentence and a $5,000 fine.
"We've recommended charges, but that isn't our call to make," Wilson explained. There is a felony animal abuse statute in Indiana, but to file felony charges, the incident has to involve an animal's death.
"A lot of people are really angry about a dog being left to freeze to the ground and I don't blame them," Wilson shared. "We're following the law, I don't necessarily agree with it, I'm a dog lover myself, but if people want to change the law, they need to contact their state legislators."
Dubois County is a small jurisdiction with about 40,000 residents and only 18 full-time sheriff's deputies, but his department handles all animal control calls. Wilson urges anyone who suspects animal abuse or neglect to call their local law enforcement. "There's no doubt in my mind that if we hadn't gotten there, that dog would have died," according to Wilson.
Update: 50-year-old George Kimmel and 55-year-old Dorothy Kimmel have been charged with animal neglect.
copied from yahoo from pet360.com

Angry granny or big politicians--everyone is chatting with Geraldo

Watching Geraldo Rivera on the Radio--The Callers Love Geraldo


The people love Geraldo........

Listening to the radio all day....most of the day or watching the news.

Right, one must have distraction to do the dishes.

Never heard anything like it....is this just Geraldo or is it New York?

San Diego girl forever--we do not have this on our talk radio in SD.

The callers tell Geraldo what is on their mind....with gusto.

They have an enthusiasm....well, it is not on any other channel or radio station.

Geraldo can take it..........

Somehow, Geraldo can let the people get it off their chest....they're happy, he's happy and that's it!

There is no anger or resentment carried over.  Geraldo is not a mad man.....I guess he can take a disagreement without feeling personally offended.

Everyone talks to Geraldo.......

Some are very frustrated about the bridge--not hearing that degree of annoyance from the actual citizens who drive the thing every day on other outlets.  Geraldo says he spends 26 dollars a day just to cross it twice.  Our Coronado Bridge is free.  It must be very expensive to live in New York.

It was Howard Kurtz.....he said he really likes Fox and CNN, but Fox is smaller and he gets to do what he wants.

We got to hear the take of Alan Dershowitz on bridge-o-rama--another shoe may drop.

Ari Fleischer gave his input on the Robert Gates revs--no, he would not have talked.

Haley Barbour in full support of Chris Christie......

And the streaming was perfect on my chromebook--the streaming has improved every day.

Angry granny or big politicians--everyone is chatting with Geraldo.



So just click on Geraldo at the top of the page and then video streaming.......WABC New York

chromebook--just put in W and the whole thing comes up---if you go there everyday.




Bridge-O-Rama: A Good Day for Hillary Clinton and Anthony Weiner

You cannot say anything abut Hillary or Anthony in comparison to this bridge thing--this is bigger than everyone.

Well, what do you think........
Dismiss

chloelouiselangendorflouis
Piers Morgan calls it–Ailes and O'Reilly snuggling with Christie
Hillary Wins–Christie Loses
Well, Piers Morgan called it correctly last night on his CNN talk show–obviously Chris Christie is the Fox News man for the White House.
Oh, right, the no spin zone–apparently they forgot to mention the giant news story that headlined every other news channel out there–the traffic on the bridge possibly caused by Republican front runner Chris Christie.
Right, no spin–O'Reilly did not mention it. In the "No Spin Zone"–who is this guy kidding. Why does he bother to make that statement. Perhaps, he did not see the giant story–the story that could affect who lands in the White House. Apparently, now, by ignoring it, Fox News Channel's hopeful.
How can this omission not be spin, the truth as O'Reilly likes to remind us. The truth as opposed to the lies on all the other stations. We can only hear the truth on Fox and O'Reilly.
The giant ego of these people is the truth.
It was suspected on this blog when Bill o'Reilly did not go ballistic over Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty like all of the other ultra right wing types out there. No, in a moment of fresh air Bill
said Phil Robertson was being far too judgemental in bashing gays and he should take a clue from Jesus.
Does that mean Jesus is for Chris Christie, too......
Hillary will prevail. This is Christie's Benghazi. He may win this round but my girl, Hillary Clinton will win in the end.
There is no other Republican that can win at this time. The other whackadoodles out there can never win a big election.
The question remains..........
Will this be the signal for Jon Huntsman or Jeb Bush to jump in the race.
It's been said the big backing money is behind Chris Christie. Now the issue–will this change or stay the same. Will the Republican big boys stays behind Christie or look for someone else to do their bidding.
Will we learn the truth by the signals from Mr. O'Reilly?
Does Mr. Bill know what is going on out there from the bolder and fresher gig around the country. Will he talk to the regular "folks" out there. The regulars who pay 500 bucks a pop to chat on the meet and greet edge of the tour.,
Remember what Bill says–he is the only one looking out for the regular folks out there.
Chloe Louise–Hillary girl forever.

Thanks, Jane Pauley, I love my blog--News Watcher forever



Thanks, Jane....I do not have any money but I do have a blog....and loving it. News person forever.

Fox News-Chris Christie Banging the Headboard in the No-Spin Zone

Fox News Host Admits Chris Christie Bridge Story Is A 'Scandal,' Not A 'Distraction'

Huffington Post  |  By  Posted:   |  Updated: 01/09/2014 9:42 pm EST
Fox News has devoted less coverage than several of its cable news rivals to the scandal swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who has had to confront the fact that one of his top aides was directly involved in a nasty political payback scheme. While the revelations were all over CNN, MSNBC and the front pages of the nation's newspapers, Fox News paid relatively little attention to the story — on Wednesday, it spent just 15 minutes on the topic, according to Media Matters.
But Thursday afternoon, Greg Gutfeld, one of the hosts of "The Five," admitted the story is a "scandal."
"We cannot sit here and dismiss this as a distraction," he said. "That makes us look like complete hypocrites, because we would explode. ... We have exploded here at this table when somebody says Benghazi is a distraction or...is a phony scandal."
"This is not a distraction. This is a scandal," he added.
Gutfeld then argued that the media is softer on Democratic scandals than Republican ones but said, "[Y]ou cannot use it as an excuse to say this isn't real."
Not everyone in the Fox News family agrees with Gutfield. Earlier on Thursday, Fox News Radio anchor and reporter Todd Starnes asked, "the mainstream media is hyperventilating over a traffic jam?"
Christie and his administration had maintained that the September closure of Fort Lee, N.J. access lanes to the George Washington Bridge -- a move that created massive traffic jams for local residents -- was not at all political but instead was part of a traffic study. They scoffed at accusations that the closure was related to the fact that Fort Lee's Democratic mayor did not appear to be backing Christie's reelection bid in November.
But emails released Wednesday between Christie's Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Kelly, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority, David Wildstein, blew apart that reasoning and showed clear political motivations.
Christie offered a public apologyThursday in a press conference and said he had fired Kelly.




copied from huff post

Jan 9, 2014

really cute solitaire



a Solitaire card game

Snoop Dogg Shows Bill O'Reilly the Way to The White House



Choppn it up wit Barack Obama about #reincarnatedlive from tha White House !!!!

copied from the facebook page of Snoop Dogg

Snoop is so gracious--his voice is like a musical instrument.



Piers Morgan Calls It: Ailes and O'Reilly Snuggling with Chrisite

Hillary Wins--Christie Loses

Well, Piers Morgan called it correctly last night on his CNN talk show--obviously Chris Christie is the Fox News man for the White House.

Oh, right, the no spin zone--apparently they forgot to mention the giant news story that headlined every other news channel out there--the traffic on the bridge possibly caused by Republican front runner Chris Christie.

Right, no spin--O'Reilly did not mention it.  In the "No Spin Zone"--who is this guy kidding.  Why does he bother to make that statement.  Perhaps, he did not see the giant story--the story that could affect who lands in the White House.  Apparently, now, by ignoring it, Fox News Channel's hopeful.

How can this omission not be spin, the truth as O'Reilly likes to remind us.  The truth as opposed to the lies on all the other stations.  We can only hear the truth on Fox and O'Reilly.

The giant ego of these people is the truth.

It was suspected on this blog when Bill o'Reilly did not go ballistic over Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty like all of the other ultra right wing types out there.  No, in a moment of fresh air Bill
said Phil Robertson was being far too judgemental in bashing gays and he should take a clue from Jesus.

Does that mean Jesus is for Chris Christie, too......

Hillary will prevail.  This is Christie's Benghazi.  He may win this round but my girl, Hillary Clinton will win in the end.

There is no other Republican that can win at this time.  The other whackadoodles out there can never win a big election.

The question remains..........

Will this be the signal for Jon Huntsman or Jeb Bush to jump  in the race.

It's been said the big backing money is behind Chris Christie.  Now the issue--will this change or stay the same.  Will the Republican big boys stays behind Christie or look for someone else to do their bidding.

Will we learn the truth by the signals from Mr. O'Reilly?

Does Mr. Bill know what is going on out there from the bolder and fresher gig around the country.  Will he talk to the regular "folks" out there.  The regulars who pay 500 bucks a pop to chat on the meet and greet edge of the tour.,

Remember what Bill says--he is the only one looking out for the regular folks out there.

Chloe Louise--Hillary girl forever.




Coulter Confronts Pope on Key Christian Tenet

  Coulter Confronts Pope on Key Christian Tenet
Ann Coulter’s often confused (and confusing) Christian theological expressions were detailed in The Gospel According to Ann Coulter. But just last week, Coulter spoke with clarity and conviction, challenging the Pope on a key tenet of the faith. Surprisingly, she’s right. When she’s right, she’s right.
The Pope’s words were peculiar regarding entrance into heaven: Per Coulter, “the statement by the Pope that I find most surprising was his statement that you don't have to be a Christian to go to heaven.” Though there is debate over whether the Pope actually said that atheists can go to heaven, it is worth examining the matter.
Coulter explained her point in political terms to a largely political audience, saying, “Look you may think that, maybe there are lot of people who think that. But if you’re head of the RNC, you're not supposed to be saying, ‘Oh, don't bother, voting Republican.’ That isn't supposed to be your position. That's the most surprising. I mean I guess except for the anti-papist crowd.”
The PC Police don’t like declarative statements. They eschew absolutism. Thus they neglect the truth. As a consequence, they decry such clear statements of faith as those which Christians believe: Jesus Christ is the one and only way to heaven. For some, that truth seems very exclusive, but believers see it as profoundly inclusive. Jesus is the Door; He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; He is the Bread of Life; He is our Salvation; He is our Mediator and our Advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
Christianity is like an exclusive club which has one requirement: accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But that Club’s doors are open to anyone and everyone – open invitations to all people. That’s pretty inclusive. Jesus urges His people to come to Him and He will give them rest. That’s an all-encompassing offer.
Those who criticize the church for being a church which preserves the eternal truths of God are missing the point: what the church can accomplish for God, for His people, and even for His critics. It is the preservation of the Word of Truth which enlightens people and draws them to Jesus for salvation and a place in heaven.
In the end, everyone gets a place at the table and greeted by Jesus Himself.
Let’s remember that this Christmas.


by Daniel Borchers

here is a link to Dan's website:


Thank you, Dan, for taking time to share your thoughts with the ronnie republic.