"The Life I Lead" | |
---|---|
Song by David Tomlinson | |
from the album Mary Poppins (Original Soundtrack) | |
Released | 1964 |
Label | Walt Disney |
Songwriter(s) | Richard M. Sherman Robert B. Sherman |
"The Life I Lead" is a song from the 1964 Walt Disney film Mary Poppins , composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. Music arranger Irwin Kostal used the theme from this song as the leitmotif of George Banks, as it most expresses the way he "marches" through life.
The song is first sung as George Banks (played by David Tomlinson) marches through the front door of his home, on "[his] return from daily strife to hearth and wife". [1] The song is reprised several times throughout the film, with Julie Andrews also singing a verse. The final reprise is sung when Banks thinks he has lost everything. The music is now more somber and is retitled, "A Man Has Dreams".
At 6:01, I march through my door, My slippers, sherry and pipe are due at 6:02, Consistent is the life I lead...
Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, using painted London background scenes.
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of brothers Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. Together they received various accolades including two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards. They received nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2008.
David Cecil MacAlister Tomlinson was an English stage, film, and television actor, singer and comedian. Having been described as both a leading man and a character actor, he is primarily remembered for his roles as authority figure George Banks in Mary Poppins, fraudulent magician Professor Emelius Browne in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and as hapless antagonist Peter Thorndyke in The Love Bug. Tomlinson was posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend in 2002.
Richard Morton Sherman was an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "The Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history."
Robert Bernard Sherman was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Some of their songs were incorporated into live action and animation musical films including Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web. Their best-known work is "It's a Small World " possibly the most-performed song in history.
"Sister Suffragette" is a pro-suffrage protest song pastiche written and composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. It was sung by actress Glynis Johns in the role of Mrs. Winifred Banks in the 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins. The song's melody was originally from a scrapped piece called "Practically Perfect", also written and composed by the Sherman Brothers.
On the Record is a jukebox musical revue featuring many classic songs from a variety of live action and animated films and television series produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Broadway musical plays produced by Walt Disney Theatrical, and even Disneyland attractions. This theatrical celebration of 75 years of Disney music tells the story of four singers recording a greatest hits album in a magical recording studio. After opening in Cleveland in 2004, the production toured for nine months, visiting 24 cities in the United States before closing in Denver in mid-2005.
"Feed the Birds" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers and featured in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins. The song speaks of an old beggar woman who sits on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, selling bags of breadcrumbs to passers-by for two pence a bag so that they can feed the many pigeons which surround her. The scene is reminiscent of the real-life seed vendors of Trafalgar Square who began selling birdseed to passers-by shortly after its public opening in 1844.
"A Man Has Dreams" is a song from the 1964 Walt Disney film Mary Poppins, written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. In both the motion picture and the 2004 stage musical, the song is performed as a conversational duet between Bert the chimney sweep and George Banks. It is operatic in nature, sung dialogue, and was highly unusual for a musical film of that era. The song melody is a slowed-down version of "The Life I Lead", which serves as Banks's leitmotif. It incorporates a reprise of "A Spoonful of Sugar" which is Mary Poppins's leitmotif.
"Let's Go Fly a Kite" is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins, composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. This song is performed at the end of the film when George Banks, realizes that his family is much more important than his job. He mends his son's kite and takes his family on a kite-flying outing. The song is sung by Tomlinson, Dick Van Dyke and eventually the entire chorus.
"The Perfect Nanny" is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins, and it is composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. This song is heard at the beginning of the film, and its theme is heard through the film as a leitmotif for the children. It is sung by the characters of Jane Banks and Michael Banks. It is a lyrical musicalization of a would-be newspaper advertisement, describing in the kids' words what they feel the qualifications are for a good caregiver, as opposed to the strict type of caregiver their father wants.
"A Spoonful of Sugar" is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film and 2004 musical version of Mary Poppins, composed by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman. The song has characteristics of the fast-paced one-step, a popular dance in the 1910s.
"Step in Time" is a song and dance number from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins which was composed by the Sherman Brothers. The choreography for this song was provided by Marc Breaux and Dee Dee Wood. It is sung by Bert, the chimney sweep and the other chimney sweeps on the rooftops of London. It is similar to the old British music hall song "Knees Up Mother Brown".
"I Love to Laugh", also called "We Love to Laugh", is a song from Walt Disney's 1964 film Mary Poppins which was composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The song is sung in the film by "Uncle Albert", and "Bert" as they levitate uncontrollably toward the ceiling, eventually joined by Mary Poppins herself. The premise of the scene, that laughter and happiness cause Uncle Albert to float into the air, can be seen as a metaphor for the way laughter can "lighten" a mood. Conversely, thinking of something sad literally brings Albert and his visitors "down to earth" again. The song states a case strongly in favor of laughter, even if Mary Poppins appears to disapprove of Uncle Albert's behavior, especially since it not only complicates the task of getting Albert down, but the infectious mood sends Bert and the Banks children into the air as well.
Karen Dotrice is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, the feature film adaptation of the Mary Poppins book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey in the Channel Islands to two stage actors. Her career began on stage, and expanded into film and television, including starring roles as a young girl whose beloved cat magically reappears in Disney's The Three Lives of Thomasina and with Thomasina co-star Matthew Garber as one of two children pining for their parents' attentions in Poppins. She appeared in five television programmes between 1972 and 1978, when she made her only feature film as an adult. Her life as an actress concluded with a short run as Desdemona in the 1981 pre-Broadway production of Othello.
Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded in 1964 and released on the Reprise label in 1965. The album features recordings of tunes from the 1964 musical film Mary Poppins arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
Saving Mr. Banks is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Centered on the development of the 1964 film Mary Poppins, the film stars Emma Thompson as author P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as film producer Walt Disney, with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, and B. J. Novak. Deriving its title from the father in Travers's story, Saving Mr. Banks depicts the author's tragic childhood in rural Queensland in 1906 and the two weeks of meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles, during which Disney attempts to obtain the film rights to her novels.
Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of the 1964 film Mary Poppins, with music and lyrics written by songwriters Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, and adapted and conducted by Irwin Kostal.
Moose: Chapters From My Life is the 459-page autobiography by the Academy Award-winning songwriter, Robert B. Sherman. "Moose is a collection of fifty-four autobiographical short stories, arranged in such a way as to express a larger narrative." The book was edited by Sherman's younger son, Robert J. Sherman, who also provided the general layout, cover art and graphic design for the book. Other than certain pages in the "My Time" photographic sections of Moose, the majority of the book, including its innovative arrangement of chapters, was created during the author's lifetime and under his personal supervision. Moose was published by AuthorHouse Publishers of Bloomington, Indiana in association with AuthorSolutions, Penguin Random House Company affiliates. First publication of the work occurred posthumously, on November 26, 2013. The majority of short stories which comprise the book, were written between 1993-2004 with one or two stories having been known to exist as early as 1945. Although early "mock-up" versions of the book were circulated among Sherman's close friends and members of his family in 2004, according to the editor's introductory chapter, "About Moose", mass publication had to be delayed "for reasons too cumbersome to delve into here." Both the book and its author were credited in the 2013 Walt Disney film release, Saving Mr. Banks which starred Academy Award-winning actors Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. Actor B. J. Novak portrayed a young Robert Sherman in the film. Several scenes from the film drew direct inspiration from Moose. This was done with the author's consent.
The Life I Lead is a one-man comedy play by James Kettle about the life of English actor David Tomlinson.