BrianRxm Coins in Movies 206/377
Mary Poppins (1964)
British Edward VII pennies appear as "Tuppence"
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The 1964 film "Mary Poppins" features two British large penny coins, known as "tuppence", which are part of the story and appear in a song sung by the main character.
 
The film is set in 1910, and was based on the "Mary Poppins" books were written by P. L. Travers and illustrated by Mary Shepard.
 
The film stars Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, a nanny who is hired by the parents of two children to take care of them, and Dick Van Dyke as her friend Bert.
 
The song "Feed the Birds" ("Tuppence a Bag") was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman who wrote most of the songs for the film.
 
The British pennies displayed in the film are from the reign of King Edward VII (1901-1910).
 
Mary Poppins
1. Title
The film starts with an aerial view of London in 1910.
 
Mary Poppins
2. London
Mary Poppins, the magical nanny, gets ready for her next assignment.
 
Mary Poppins
3. Mary Poppins gets ready
She receives a letter from the children of Mr. and Mrs. Banks requesting a nanny and goes to meet the parents.
 
Mary Poppins
4. The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Banks
Mr. Banks is a stiff conservative banker and Mrs. Banks is a suffragette, working for women's rights, including the right to vote.
 
Mary Poppins
5. Mary Poppins arrives with the letter
She has the letter the children wrote, which the father thought he had destroyed.
 
Mary Poppins
6. Mary Poppins meets the children Jane and Michael
She finds that the children are "naughty" sometimes.
 
Mary Poppins likes birds and sings to them.
 
Mary Poppins
7. Mary Poppins and a bird
Birds will figure more importantly in the story later.
 
Egyptian Magic Coin Cleopatra Bird
8. Egyptian Magic Coin Cleopatra-Bird Variety with a similar pose
Just a coincidence, of course. Mary Poppins couldn't be that old.
 
She has a friend Bert who is a street artist, and later a chimney sweep.
 
Mary Poppins
9. Bert the street artist
Bert has his cap out for "coppers", or British copper coins.
 
Mary Poppins
10. Bert's coppers in the hat
The coins appear to be Edward VII pennies.
 
The father thinks that Mary Poppins is not preparing the children for life, and she agrees and works him around to taking the children to his bank, sort of a 1910 version of "take your kids to work day."
 
Mary Poppins sings the song "Feed the Birds" to the children, the song is about giving.
 
Mary Poppins
11. Mary Poppins sings "Feed the Birds"
During the song, the "Bird Woman" appears, she sits on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral selling bags of bird food for tuppence (two pence) a bag.
 
The British pound was worth then US five dollars, there were 240 pence (pennies) to the pound. Therefore "tuppence" would have been worth around four US cents.
 
Mary Poppins
12. The Bird Woman
The song and it's message put the children in the correct frame of mind for their visit to the bank.
 
Next morning Mr. Banks takes the kids to his bank. The bank is the "Dawes, Tomes, Mousely, Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank."
 
Mary Poppins
13. Father takes the children to his bank
Michael has two pence, and as they pass the Bird Woman, Michael wants to "feed the birds." His father ridicules the idea and they continue to the bank. They arrive at the bank and are met by the board of directors. Mr. Banks asks Michael to show them what is in his hand.
 
Mary Poppins
14. Michael holding tuppence
The board members, especially the senior member Mr. Dawes, greedily eye Michael's tuppence.
 
Mary Poppins
15. The bankers make a strong suggestion
The bankers advise Michael to "invest" his tuppence in the bank.
 
Mary Poppins
16. Michael has his tuppence in hand
The banker is able to grab the coins.
 
Mary Poppins
17. The banker gets the goods
Micheal screams for his money, the customers outside hear the noise, and they start withdrawing their money, causing a panic and a "run on the bank."
 
Mary Poppins
18. The "run on the bank"
Michael and Jane escape the confusion and head home.
 
They are met by Bert, Mary Poppins, and Bert's chimney sweep friends for a long musical number set on the rooftops of London.
 
Bert explains to the children about how hard their father works for them.
 
Back at home, they meet their father, and Michael, unhappy with the trouble he has caused, gives his tuppence to his father.
 
Mary Poppins
19. Michael hands the tuppence to father
Mr. Banks receives a telephone call from the bank board requesting his presence. He knows that he will be "sacked" or discharged.
 
Mary Poppins
20. Mr. Banks heads to the bank
Mr. Banks enters the chamber which is set up almost like a military court-martial.
 
Mary Poppins
21. In the chamber
The senior banker explains that the bank has not such a disgrace since they financed a shipment of tea to America in 1773 (destroyed during the "Boston Tea Party").
 
The board cashiers (dishonorably discharges) Mr. Banks; one banker punches a hole in his bowler hat, the symbol of a banker.
 
Mary Poppins
22. Mr. Banks is cashiered
Mr. Banks, having lost his position, makes sarcastic jokes to the bankers, quotes Mary Poppins' favorite word, and shows them the tuppence.
 
The tuppence are finally ready for their close-up:
 
Mary Poppins
23. The tuppence
The coins are two large worn British pennies, one showing King Edward VII (1901-1910)
 
A British Penny of King Edward VII:
 
Britain Penny 1902
24. A British Edward VII Penny from 1902
Bronze, 30.8 mm, 9.45 gm
 
Back to the film:
 
Mr. Banks angrily waves the tuppence around frightening the bankers.
 
Mary Poppins
25. Mr. Banks waving tuppence
Things end happily for Mr. Banks the next morning, he takes his wife and children out to fly kites, and meets the bankers who have taken his advice, they inform him that the senior Mr. Dawes "died happy" and offer him his position back and a promotion.
 
Mary Poppins
26. The Banks family flying kites
Mary Poppins had told the children that she would stay only until the wind changes. The wind changes and she gets ready to leave.
 
Mary Poppins
27. Mary Poppins' goodbye
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins
Dick Van Dyke as Bert and Mr. Dawes Senior (the old banker)
David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks
Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks
Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks
Matthew Garber as Michael Banks
Jane Darwell as The Bird Woman
 
Director: Robert Stevenson
Writers: Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi
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