Ep. 11 - Mary Poppins with Rachel West
Adam and Nate team up with ThatShelf.com senior critic Rachel West to unpack Mary Poppins (1964), and The Simpsons’ first full musical episode, “Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious” (S8E13). We explore what happens when the immovable dysfunction of the Simpson family meets a British nanny so perfect that her butt waxes the banister.
Also in this episode:
Rachel talks about her love for this film and her mixed feelings about the episode
Why Simpsons writer Mike Reiss questions whether magic belongs on the show
Are Simpsons parody songs better than the originals?
The fabtrabulous performance of Dick Van Dyke
Do the special effects hold up today?
Next time, Adam and Nate check out the infamous flop Paint Your Wagon (1969). Yes, it’s a real movie.
Every Reference to My Fair Lady on The Simpsons
By our count in The Simpsons Movie Reference Database, Mary Poppins has only been directly referenced in 2 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons in a full plot parody. The first reference appears in 1997, 33 years after the release of the movie.
Scene & Plot Parodies
Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious (S8E13): This episode is a front-to-back parody of Mary Poppins, beginning with the Simpsons’ search for a perfect nanny to prevent Marge’s stress-related hair loss. Though, of course, Shary Bobbins is an original creation, like Ricky Rouse or Monald Muck.
Countless little moments are cribbed from the movie, from Mary’s butt-waxing slide up the bannister to Groundskeeper Willie’s take on Bert’s one-man-band outfit. Even the expressions on Bart and Lisa’s faces throughout are perfect imitations of the cutesy child actors.
This may be the one time, however, where the original movie is more surreal than its cartoon counterpart. Mike Reiss, one of the writers of the episode, was worried that the magic of Mary Poppins would break the reality of The Simpsons.
Smaller References
NEW • The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace (S8E13): Professor Frink offers Homer a book on “microcalifragilistics.”
Extra Credit
Looking for more like this or an interesting double feature? Here are our recommendations.
From Adam: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) & Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
From Nate: Matilda (1996) & Paddington (2014)
From Rachel: The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story (2009) & Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Further Reading & Viewing
Video: “July Andrews on Why She Wasn’t Cast in My Fair Lady,” The Dick Cavett Show, December 10, 1971.
Video: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: The Making of Mary Poppins,“ Walt Disney Pictures, 2004.
Article: “The Enchanted Tiki Room,” Theatrecrafts.com.
Simpsons Deleted Scene: “We Love to Smoke,” On This Day in Simpsons History, Twitter.
Wiki Entry: “Sodium Vapor Process,” Wikipedia.
“Do you think we’ll ever see her again?“ “I’m sure we will, honey. I’m sure we will.” Bzzt.
