All right, ladies and gentlemen...
Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday from Walt Disney World. How are you? Want to experience park food at home? Just take your favorite meal, add four cups of sugar, deep fry, and charge yourself 36 dollars! Disney is auctioning off some historic park artifacts! The first item is a vintage coin-operated fortune-telling machine WITH A HORRIBLE CURSE! Cast Member Monica, please hug everyone at the single ride line today and say, "You have so much love to give." Other Cast Members, DO NOT LET ON that Epcot was built in a swamp and is sinking one inch every hour. Due to a delivery error, today the only food in the park is Dippin' Dots. Oh, and the reports are true... for the first time, a one-day park ticket now costs $200,000,000,000,000. That's two hundred trillion dollars if you didn't know. I got into a boring conversation with a vulture. Man, they tend to carrion. This one wouldn't shut up about the deadly car cass he got into.
In case you missed it, Disney is already planning a live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale "Rapunzel." Although it is still unclear whether the new film will be a remake of the animated flick Tangled, one actor is already interested in playing the male lead. "The Punisher" star Ben Barnes has just admitted that he wants to portray the legendary Eugene Fitzherbert aka Flynn Rider. Barnes recently retweeted a fan's post which suggested that he should be cast in the Tangled remake.
Not surprisingly, Barnes' followers were thrilled with the idea and have started tweeting out more pleas to Disney to cast Barnes as the swashbuckling hero. For now, Disney hasn't confirmed the casting for the Rapunzel movie. However, we're waiting on some good news for Barnes. It was previously reported that Disney has called on Ashleigh Powell (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms) to work on the screenplay for the Rapunzel film. However, it was not confirmed whether the new movie will adapt the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale or if it will be a remake of Tangled. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
Have you been waiting for Disney to drop some official Baby Yoda merchandise? Disney has finally unveiled an awesome Baby Yoda plushie that looks almost exactly like the beloved character from "The Mandalorian." However, Star Wars fans will need to wait a little longer before they can get their hands on the Child. The retail outlet ShopDisney has finally added the Child plush to its listing and it's just as adorable as the real Baby Yoda. The plushie is 11 inches tall and comes with a faux suede coat with fuzzy trimmings. At $24.99, it's the perfect gift for any fan of "The Mandalorian." Here it is in case you're wondering...
Not surprisingly, the item is already sold out in pre-orders alone. For now, it is unclear when the plush toy will be available again. However, those who were lucky enough to pre-order can expect to get their Baby Yoda by April 20th.
Grab the tissues because you are about to sob your eyes out. A newly engaged couple decided to share their magical marriage proposal, because well, it was amazing. Beyond amazing, to the point where I had chills from beginning to end. This man invested so much time and effort in the name of love. Lee Loechler, a Boston based filmmaker, took his high school sweetheart, Sthuthia David, to see a screening of her favorite Disney movie, Sleeping Beauty. What she didn’t know was that the ending of the 1959 classic had a very different, but happy ending. Loechler posted the video on YouTube, noting, “For the past six months, I’ve been working with an illustrator to animate my girlfriend and myself into her favorite movie, Sleeping Beauty. On 12/30/19 I popped the question in a theater filled with our friends and family.” The scene from the classic film shows Loechler as Prince Phillip as he leans in for a true love kiss that awakens Princess Aurora. The princess just happens to be an animated Sthuthi. Here's a screen shot...
The thing I loved most about this video was the fact that she was absolutely clueless as to what was going on. Her face was hilarious, confused that the characters were different. She is really having a hard time processing what is happening. Also, the people in the back laughing is just incredible. That’s when she sees the prince’s face, which is identical to Loechler, and her eyes widen. In the movie, the soon to be groom faces them in the audience and opens a jewelry box with an engagement ring. The moviemaker animated the clip to toss the box to his real-life to himself. He then catches the box and gets down on one knee. David quickly realized that the audience was filled with her family and friends, anxiously waiting for the moment. He then stated, “I love you with all my heart. Including all of its ventricles, atriums, valves… she’s a cardiologist. Sthuthi David, MD, will you live happily ever after with me?” As she said yes, the movie then resumed and finished with the popular song “Once Upon a Dream.” Talk about a fairytale moment. Time to step it up, men. Snow White proposal, anyone? Loechler also shared an Instagram post thanking Kayla Coombs who helped with animating David’s favorite film. He stated, “The only thing better than seeing the smartest person I know completely dumbfounded was knowing we’d get to live happily ever after together. Enjoy!”
Epcot had a French perfume shop and I wonder if they sell a perfume like ones that Etat Libre d’Orange makes.
Do you want a perfume that is designed to smell like blood, sweat, sex, semen, and saliva all in one? Well, have I got the product for you. I’m serious, that is EXACTLY how the company is advertising their product. This perfume is called Secretions Magnifiques, and apparently, it’s a fan favorite, because who wouldn’t want to be intrigued by that description. BUT, according to the perfume reviews, the brands most popular scents are called Fat Electrician and I Am Trash, which you can buy on Amazon. I really have to give it to them for creating such extravagant names. The company was founded in 2006 and was created in Paris by Etienne de Swardt. They take their fame from the Orange Free State, which is an independent Boer republic in South Africa in the 19th Century. The company currently has a collection of forty-three different scents and describe themselves as a “gallery of avant-garde perfumes," and let me tell you, they are something, all right. Not that I would ever smell this perfume, because I find this absolutely disgusting, there are actually worse ones out there. The brand stated all their perfumes have an emphasis on audacity, originality, authenticity, and freedom of expression by proposing scenes without limitation in terms of raw material, creativity or expense. Where do they get their inspiration from? According to the company’s marketing director, the smells trace back to the 19th century when personal hygiene started. The need to smell good, or not smell bad, traces to scents that started to become something personal and more subjective. Other scents the company make are Belly Button, Hotel Slut, which is described to have a scent of “boudoir, fingers that tighten on a leatherette sofa and the palpable presence of raw desire," and Love Les Carottes, which has a scent of raw carrots, heart notes of sweet orange, bourbon vanilla and butter. I don’t know, this seems a bit too overwhelming for me. Can you imagine your grandmother asking you what kind of perfume you’re wearing? “Oh, it’s a new one I got yesterday grandma. It’s called Hotel Slut. Do you want some?” Yikes!
Yesterday on the Phile I mentioned Club 33 and I promised I would tell you what that was in case you didn't know. Club 33, to put it simply, is an elite, invitation-only club founded by Walt Disney himself. Sorry, you can’t get in, but here’s the inside scoop. There are a few theories concerning the name. The number 33 is a part of the address of the club in Disneyland: 33 Royal Street in New Orleans Square. Another theory is that the name came from the 33 sponsors of Disneyland in 1966-1967 when Walt Disney was seeking funding for the Disneyland park. The idea for a secret club was born in 1964. Walt Disney was at the World’s Fair in Queens, New York in 1964, showing his Progressland pavilion exhibit when he saw the VIP areas the fair had. This gave him the idea to include a VIP lounge into his Walt Disney World project so he and his wife could privately entertain the most elite park visitors and business associates. The lounges were planned into the New Orleans Square place and a Hollywood set director was asked to decorate the space. There is a Club 33 lounge at three of the Disneyland locations. The confirmed locales are Tokyo Disneyland at the World Bazaar Center Street, the Shanghai Disneyland resort atop Mickey Avenue, as well as the New Orleans Square at the Anaheim, California Disneyland. Four more lounges were recently built at the Orlando Walt Disney World. The Magic Kingdom location is near the Adventureland entrance, The Captain’s Quarters, the next, in Epcot, is in the America Adventures pavilion and is called the Constellation Lounge/Club, The Spotlight Lounge is in Hollywood Studios, and the one in the Animal Kingdom is still under construction but is rumored to be in the Africa section and may be called Harambee House. In order to get inside any Club 33, you must first find the secret door. Although the Club 33 is much less of a secret than it used to be, many of the doors for the lounges are hidden in plain sight! Only the people who need to know are in the know and have the corresponding keycard to get in. Once inside there is a reception desk, where members are greeted, and ascend a blue staircase. In the Disneyland Anaheim, members will pass a harpsichord that once belonged to Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian. This is just one of the many personal trinkets from the Disney estate as well as Disney film props. This is what the original Club 33 door looked like, before the recent remodel.
Recognize it at all? The perks offered to the rumored approximate 500 members of Club 33 are plentiful and envy-worthy. The private space involves a jazz lounge, Le Salon Nouveau, and a five-star fine dining experience. There are two dining rooms as well as a full bar. Club 33 is filled with antique furniture, photographs of Walt and things he found charming from his childhood in Missouri, film props, and replicas of architecture he saw during his travels. Rumor has it that in the Trophy Room Walt Disney had mics installed into the walls so he could overhear conversations and reply via this creepy looking animatronics vulture.
Yikes! Aside from the lounge itself, the membership club members may receive early park entry, private and exclusive events within Disneyland locations, a lounge in Disney California Adventure... a separate amusement part, and access to the 1901 Lounge at the California Adventure. Members are allowed to request park characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. to the club, they get free valet parking, multiple Fastpasses, as well as rare merchandise and these are just the things that non-members are aware of. I’m sure there’s more. Here’s the real kicker. As soon as you go up the blue staircase, the club’s dining experience includes a 5-6 course meal, alcohol included. That’s right, while your heads swimming from the summer heat and your kids are conflating the tunes and lyrics between Frozen and Moana and you’re downing that flat, overpriced soda at Goofy’s Kitchen for the sake of your sanity, the club members get a whole bar in the A/C. There are rules for the club members to follow. The Walt Disney Company is strict on the rules and does reserve the right to revoke membership, and they have done it before. Concerning entering the club, there is a strict dress code. There is no outside summer wear allowed inside. If you are dining for dinner, wear an evening dress or business suit or slacks and a sports jacket. Shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or anything showing midriff is not allowed. In short, you either go to the park dressed to be amused, or dine elegantly. Keep an eye out for any well-dressed people and (no, don’t follow them) but just see what you notice. Another rule concerning Club 33, in order to get into the restaurant and be guaranteed a seat, members must make reservations months in advance and be on time, or you will be canceled upon tardiness. Cell phone usage is not allowed during the meal. If a member must take a call, they are asked to step into the hall. There is also a minimum meal charge that is around the price of an adult day pass. The rules are strict for not only the club members but also the Cast Members. The on boarding training for new Cast Members who will work in Club 33 has to complete three months of training. Which sounds extreme!! But, I imagine if you want to get in good with the world’s most elite and their children, you gotta be prepared to outdo the best customer service that the rest of us will ever experience... those Chick-Fil-A drive-thru employees. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Club 33 recruited from there. But don’t quote me, they could be way outdoing the Christians in the Club. It’s truly unfair to tell you all the perks the club members get and then dash your hopes. But, alas, when Walt Disney said “elite," he meant it. To join the club you have to be invited or passed down your membership through a family member. And then there is the small hiccup of a 14 year long waiting list for new memberships. After closing membership application a few times since 2011, I can only assume the wait list is even longer now; it’s at least a thousand people deep. Once your name is up you have to pay the club initiation fee. This fee is an alleged $25,000, at minimum. And from what I understand, that does not guarantee you entry into/ participation at every Disneyland Club 33 location. In addition to the membership fee, there are the annual fees, I will spare you that price tag. I promise you don’t want it. Okay, fine, it’s allegedly capped at around 30k. This does, however, depend on your membership tier. The membership fee may vary depending on if your Club 33 membership is personal or a corporate one via Disney. These are allegedly around $40,000 at sign up. But, let’s just move on, no? There are many other fascinating things about the Wonderful World of Walt Disney’s Club 33. If you are feeling bad about never seeing Club 33, maybe this will cheer you up... Walt Disney never saw it either! His untimely death occurred a mere five months before it was completed. Oh well, Hakuna Matata, right?
Today is Presidents Day which is good timing as Disney upgraded the Trump audio-animatronic at the Hall of Presidents...
He looks better, right? Speaking of Presidents, did you know George Washington was a Disney fan? No? Check this out...
Told you. Ha! So, I used to collect those Funko Pops quite a bit. I haven't in a while but there's a new Disney one that I want...
That would be me if I rode the Mad Teacups ride. Have you seen that meme that is going around where people put up four pictures and four different social media sites. Well, Sarah, the mother from
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress has done one.
See? Haha. There's gonna be a new Star Wars TV show on Disney+ soon. Check it out...
I think it's gonna be a sitcom. If I had a TARDIS I would like to go and see them film Mary Poppins but knowing my luck they'll be too busy.
Did you know before The Little Mermaid came out the movie almost had another title?
Change For Your Man... ha. I like to all Ariel "Fishgirl." Hey, future kids, this is The Sound of Music.
Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, here is...
Top Phive Rejected Disney Villains
5. Mansplainer
4. Woman Who Sings to Herself in an Open-Plan Office
3. Annoying Patriots Fan
2. 10-Second Horn-Honker
And the number one rejected Disney villain is...
1. Senator Who Conveys "Concerns" But Then Just Votes with Her Party
If you spot the Mindphuck, and you should as it's an easy one, let me know. Okay, you know I live in Florida, right? Well, there are some things that happen in Florida that happen no where else in the universe.
Will you look at that, another Floridan going crazy for some fast food. Nineteen-year-old Maguire McLaughlin was arrested just before four in the morning at a McDonald’s in Vero Beach after she allegedly lost her mind over 25-cent containers of dipping sauce. I mean, I get it. McDonald’s buffalo sauce is delicious, but chill. They are definitely not worth getting arrested for. According to an arrest affidavit, McLaughlin ordered a “large amount of food’ and the restaurant’s drive-thru. After paying for her food (I wish the cops would have released the order but they didn’t) she asked for “one flavor of every dipping sauce they have.” The Indian River County Sheriff’s office then stated that when a McDonald’s employee told her that those cost an extra quarter each, she began yelling and swearing at the employee. McLaughlin then threatened to rob the restaurant if she didn’t get all the sauces she ordered. Because this woman thought she was entitled to all of the sauces for free. So, what does this employee do? Well, obviously fearing for her safety, manager Beverly Keever called the cops. When Deputy Christian Castano arrived at the McDonald’s, the hungry woman also started yelling and cursing at him too. Castano wrote in his police report, “As McLaughlin spoke, I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her mouth. Her eyes were glassy and her speech was slurred. McLaughlin would momentarily become cooperative and suddenly begin yelling profanities.” She then proceeded to tell the law enforcement officer that she will be getting the sauces “by any means necessary” but couldn’t explain exactly what she meant by that. But, apparently spending an extra dollar or two was out of the question. So, not having it one bit, the deputy arrested the Florida woman for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. But it didn’t end there, then Castano tried to guide her toward his patrol vehicle, the woman quickly locked her legs and refused to walk, when he got close enough to put her in the backseat she then placed her legs on the door jab, refusing to get inside. So, the deputy did what he needed to do. He quickly tackled her to the ground and put her in a mechanical leg restraint before being ultimately bundled into the car. McLaughlin was released on a $1,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment late January. Which is stupid, because well, it would have been cheaper to just pay for the freaking McDonald’s sauce, girl. That 2 dollars turned into $1,000. CEO of saving money. Who’s McLaughing now? Not her...
So, my son and I were talking how we used to watch "Sesame Street" together. Now that show is on HBO...
Yep. Just to let you know that sometime at the end of March there's gonna be three more Disney entries. Okay, so, dating someone with dietary restrictions can be rough... especially if they're really emotional about their diet. One woman emailed the Phile asking for advice after she allowed her "devout" vegetarian boyfriend to eat bacon, because she didn't want to deal with the temper tantrum he'd have if she told him. Yikes. The boyfriend has a history of flipping out when he accidentally eats meat.
"Background: my boyfriend has been a vegetarian since 12-years-old. The few times we have eaten together and he’s eaten meat by accident, he’s become enraged, induced vomiting, and implied that I should somehow know and recognize every possible instance where something may contain meat or have touched meat. There was the dim sum incident and the pot sticker incident. Big deals, lots of vomiting, lots of yelling." Recently, the two were out for a date and he ordered Brussels sprouts... not realizing they included bacon. "On this particular evening my boyfriend and I were out having a few drinks and decided to make a stop to fuel up. It was a nice restaurant and we both ordered some appetizers. He ordered Brussel sprouts. After they arrived and halfway through eating them he commented on how delicious they were. I agreed, looked down at the plate and noticed little shiny bits of bacon. He stabbed his fork back in the pile and I thought, “we’re having a lovely evening, let’s not ruin it” and continued to watch him devour the Brussel sprouts... and bacon. I felt a wee bit guilty but didn’t want to have a big scene in the restaurant.' Now she's wondering whether she did the right thing. "Summary: I let my devoutly vegetarian boyfriend eat bacon because I didn’t want to deal with his reaction. Peverett Phile, what should I have done?" Who doesn't notice bacon? I mean vegetarian or not, how the hell doesn’t he notice bacon? You’re not his parent or sponsor here, he’s a grown ass adult and can ask questions about food he’s unsure of. It's not your problem if he accidentally eats meat. Anyone with dietary restrictions should have (and want!) full responsibility for what they put into their body. How could he expect you to facilitate that for him? Plus... he didn’t already know that potstickers and dim sum are usually meat-filled, after being a “devout” vegetarian for so many years?? Super odd. And the boyfriend reacts this poorly, something else might be wrong... even religious food restrictions hold that if you ate the thing completely by accident then it doesn’t count. If the same thing has happened multiple times, I almost wonder if he does it intentionally as a way to control people or as a genuine eating disorder binge/purge thing. If his bad behavior is driving you to keep secrets, you probably need to discuss and/or think about that. You shouldn't need to walk on eggshells in fear of emotional abuse just because he can't monitor his own food. Talk about food for thought. Either way, hope he doesn't return to the restaurant and ask how they make those amazing Brussels sprouts!
Whenever John wanted to have sex he would say to Sarah, "Lets do some laundry, honey." Well, one day Sarah felt horny so she said to John, "Honey, how about doing some laundry?" John replied, "No thanks, honey, I only had a small load so I did it by hand."
This is so mazing and cool... today's guest is an English actress, singer and author. She made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the title role. Her book Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years is the 114th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club. Please welcome to the Phile the most amazing... Julie Andrews!
Me: Wow! Hello, Ms. Andrews, welcome to the Phile from Walt Disney World. I am so excited to have you here on the Phile.
Julie: Hello, nice to be talking to you. Call me Julie.
Me: Okay, I'll try, Ms. Julie. So, do you live in England still?
Julie: No, I do go back back but I live in East Hampton, Long Island.
Me: Really? I grew up in Port Jefferson, Long Island. Ever been there?
Julie: Yes, I like it there, nice harbour town.
Me: Wow! Julie Andrews has been to Port Jeff! So, I love your book Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years which is the 114th book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club. So, being at Disney I have to go straight into Mary Poppins. That film, that set and those wires was your introduction to Hollywood. It was the first step your Academy Award-winning career on the silver screen. Can you tell us the story what happened?
Julie: Well, this was very much towards the end of the film where I'll say the middle dangerous stuff was done in case of an accident, presumedly everything else was in the can. There I was, hanging around in the rafters and I felt something about this being the end of the shooting and the fact that I didn't feel very safe up there. I don't know what it was, so I asked and called down to the people way below. I kept saying, "When I come down can you let me down really easily please? Something I felt that I dropped a couple of inches and I just don't feel safe today." The word went allllllll the way back to the length of the studio to the guy that was working my counter balancing equipment which was big sand bags that help break me my fall and thank God they did because having said, "Let it down easy, Joe." I just suddenly plummeted to the stage. I'm grateful that that counter balancing equipment at least broke the impact of my fall. But on a Disney sound stage I must admit I probably said couple of words that Disney has not heard before since.
Me: Oh, I started working for Walt Disney World in '88, Julie, they heard it all now. Haha. So, how did you feel when this happened? Did you wanna quit?
Julie: Truthfully it was not as terrible as it might seem. But it was a scary moment and a voice from the other end of the studio from where I landed said, "Is she down yet?" Ha ha ha. It actually became very funny.
Me: I'm glad you made it out.
Julie: Yeah, me too.
Me: I love the songs in Mary Poppins, Ms. Julie. Can you say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" backwards? I can barely say to frontwards. Haha.
Julie: It's for ever printed in my brain. It's dociousaliexpilistic-fragilcalirupus. That's my email password. Ha ha ha. Actually it's not, it takes too long to spell out.
Me: So, I had no idea Mary Poppins was your first film. What was that like going from musical stage to Hollywood to make a film?
Julie: It was the first film I ever made and I knew nothing when I went to Hollywood to begin filming I knew nothing about film, I didn't know what was expected, it was very different from theatre. That was my experience to date. I was very keen and loving the learning about it.
Me: What was it like to be on a film set for the first time?
Julie: Nervous. It was very nerve racking. If I could describe the difference on stage, I'm obviously in "full-figure" for the audience all the time and I start at the beginning and go through to the end every evening or every afternoon whatever. But on film we shoot out of sequence because the costs. Let's say we're filming in a castle, we got to do all the scenes in the castle at one time because it would be too expensive to hold it and come back again later if that's the way it is in the script. We never shoot in sequence and one minute it's close up and the next it's an establishing shot or a waist shot or something like that. There's a lot to learn and particularly on Mary Poppins it's full of technical tricks and wonderful things that were part of the movie. It was part animation and in general it couldn't be a better film on which to learn about the craft of filmmaking but it was daunting and that very first day I asked myself is my voice normal? Is my voice too high pitched? Am I moving correctly? Until I get to see some results.
Me: That's a good point. And you also had to learn that you weren't going to get applause after every take, right?
Julie: Ha ha, Well, it is the doing that is the greatest pleasure. Applause, as you well know, is a lovely award if we're doing it well. But with stage every night is different. Tonight's audience doesn't know I did a great performance yesterday, they want a good performance too. That's the discipline of theatre. It's very, very different in film.
Me: You talk about Walt Disney in the book. What's one thing you can say about him?
Julie: He's one of the most recogised names in the world ever.
Me: But, Ms. Julie, you knew him as a person, What was he like as a person?
Julie: Oh, a lovely. He was very kindly, had a sort of twinkly personality, he knew when to leave people alone, he was extremely proud of course, of his Disney studio. Anybody who worked on the Disney lot was probably a very nice human being. If not they didn't last long I discovered, if they didn't get along or pitch in. So everybody at Disney was kind, gentle, supportive. In my case I loved him. I know for a fact that he would come in at six in the morning long before his animators would cone to work. He would wander through the offices and just peek at what work was being done. He knew everything about everything and obviously was extremely proud of it.
Me: Your next movie was The Sound of Music, Ms. Julie. Anything you did that was really fun before that?
Julie: I did a special with Carol Burnett that was taped at Carnegie Hall. The furthest thing from my mind was I would be doing the film of The Sound of Music one day and it was all the rage on Broadway at that time and Carol and I were spoofing it. We were the Swiss family Pratt. Ha ha ha. We thought we were being so funny and so clever and it was a funny sketch, it really was. Carol was there youngest of 12 children and everything about it was hilarious. Most oil it was written by Mike Nichols, believe it or not, who was a great friend.
Me: After doing that spoof on The Sound of Music were you surprised you got the role?
Julie: Ha ha. Well, I was somewhat embarrassed wondering if they knew about the havoc we had we had brought on the Carnegie Hall stage. But I think they understood where we were coming from. We were totally innocence in the attempt to be funny and entertaining. Of course the film was a very different sort of project all together.
Me: I have to admit I'm not big fan of The Sound of Music but never sat though the whole thing. What was it like filming that iconic scene in the Austrian mountains? There were some troubles, right?
Julie: Well, many stories really because the filming of that particular song was broken into many small pieces. Obviously the opening sequences was filmed by helicopter, which came at me from a long way away as I walked across the field. Their were many takes required before they got it right. Every time the helicopter lifted up to go to it's starting position the down draft from the jet engines would just flatten me in the grass and I consider understand why they didn't consider that I was being covered in hay, spitting mud and grass and God knows what. I kept saying, "Could you make a wider circle around me, please, before we film it again?" All I ever got was a thumbs up and, "Great! Let's do another take!" But there were so many other things. That song, the moment by the brook, the going through the trees, or whatever it was first of all, depending on the weather and secondly it rained a great a deal in Salzburg. Thirdly we had angry farmers who claimed we spoiled his cows milk and one farmer took a pitchfork, our man made little stream and drained it the night before we went to film it. There were lots of funny incidental things like that.
Me: Hahahaha. Do you think how easy actors have it now with CGI?
Julie: Well, yes, but the truth of the book is I hope people will know just how hard the work is. It's not all glamour and red carpets, and dressing up. It's not just that, it's far from it. It's the work that is very hard when I'm learning dance songs, and doing orchestrations and filming over and over and over again to get it right. It can be a long and exhausting process but it is so awarding as well.
Me: Do you think people forget that?
Julie: I think obviously they're meant to just enjoy the movie but behind it there's a great deal of collaboration and hard work.
Me: You're pretty glamorous, Ms. Julie, do you like doing a not so glamorous job sometimes?
Julie: Well, I get up very early in the morning and get into make-up and hair and have to be on set and be on time. There's an enormous amount of pre-publicity and post publicity that's required after the film is made. A lot of dubbing and looping that I describe in the book which is all making the sound better and perfect.
Me: So, what was it like for getting the Oscar for Best Actress in Mary Poppins?
Julie: It was lovely and what a great memory. How lucky can a girl get because in those days there were only five nominees in each category and to be one of five is an huge honour. Then miraculously to be the Best Actress in that year is not exactly true. Whose to say ones performance is better than another but it is a great thrill? Of course it was great for the movie.
Me: How did it change you personally?
Julie: I don't think it did, I hope it didn't. It doesn't make me say I guess I'm good, blah blah blah. I was somewhat shy that I was owning up to the fact that I won an Oscar, because I hadn't done My Fair Lady, and a great deal of use was made that I didn't make the movie of My Fair Lady, having done it for three and a half years in theatre. But I understood why, Audrey Hepburn was delicious in it and we were great friends and have remained so for many years. So I understood but its hard to be angry when someone like Walt Disney comes along and says, "Would you like to do Mary Poppins instead?" Then to win the Oscar that was absolutely thrilling. I thought perhaps it was given to me as a "welcome to Hollywood," a token gesture like that as a first attempt to being in film and it was hard to believe that it was for the actual, I know it sounds corny, but for the actual performance.
Me: Did you learn about anything about yourself while writing this book?
Julie: It was a revisiting. Somebody said to me that writing a memoir is like living your life all over again and it was, and it was and is writing a memoir. It is a very moving and disturbing times when I was awake with thoughts teaming and surprised what was emerging from old diaries and articles and letters and things like that. And thank God for my daughter Emma who is a far better writer than I am and who helped me so much for the foundation of the book and the help with the writing of it.
Me: Were their moments that were tricky for you and Emma to have to relive?
Julie: Yes, at times their were. Obviously things like the death of my mother or when she had to go live with her dad for a while. Yes, lots of tears and sweet hugs but we have enormous respect for each other and we got over it and got through it would be a better way to say it.
Me: I like how you talked about how much you swore in this book. I swear a lot myself, Ms. Julie. You really do swear?
Julie: Ha ha. Well, a lot of people made a lot of it but I guess I do have a very healthy vocabulary. Good ole Anglo-Saxon four letter words.
Me: Do you have a favorite?
Julie: Ummm... unprintable I suspect. Good try, Jason, good try.
Me: Damn it!!! It was worth a shot. In '97 you lost your singing voice after an operation. Has that effected your love of music?
Julie: No, it hasn't effected my love of it but it set me back into a really deep depression for a while. It was, and is, still very tough. My Emma said to me once, "Mum, you just found a different way of using your voice now." And after the initial set back I began writing with her and we've written over thirty children book together and collaborated on these two memoirs, the first about ten years ago. I do incorporate music in every way I can into the books in one way or another. I either think musically, I describe if it were musical, I package the books with CDs that have music behind them. Though I'm not without music and I still of course adore it. But I still do mourn the fact that I can't sing.
Me: So, what's your favorite song you ever sang?
Julie: "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. It's beautiful melody, it's very, very simple. It weaves back on itself and the orchestration is very lovely. And it actually is why I call the book Home Work.
Me: Why is that?
Julie: Because it does speak to everyone, "Edelweiss," it's not just about Austria. To me it's about anybody who loves home and is proud of home and who relishes in it and revels in it and I do.
Me: I see. Ms. Julie, thank you very much for being on the Phile. This is a big deal for me. Please come back soon.
Julie: Well, it was a pleasure, Jason. Thank you so much. Coe visit me on Long Island.
That about does to for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Julie Andrews for a great interview. The Phile will be back tomorrow with singer Rob Thomas. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.
I don't want you, cook my bread, I don't want you, make my bed, I don't want your money too, I just want to make love to you. - Willie Dixon
