Sunday, April 05, 2009

The many foul moods of Mary Poppins

Wherein not exactly Julie Andrews


What's with all the sniffing?

  • "Oh, I make it a rule never to give references," said the other firmly. Mrs. Banks stared.

  • "A very old-fashioned idea, to my mind," Jane and Michael heard the stern voice say. "Very old-fashioned. Quite out of day, as you might say."

  • "Quite. As long as I'm satisfied."

  • "What do you mean -- nothing?" demanded Mary Poppins, drawing herself up and looking as though she had been insulted.

  • But Mary Poppins, her face as stern as before...

  • ...but with a warning, terrible glance...

  • "One more word from that direction," she said threateningly," and I'll call the Policeman."

  • Mary Poppins stared from him to Jane in silence. Then she sniffed.

  • But nobody ever knew what Mary Poppins felt about it, for Mary Poppins never told anybody anything....

  • Mary Poppins eyed her sternly.

  • Besides, Mary Poppins was very vain and liked to look her best.

  • nodded haughtily

  • said Mary Poppins, who was evidently very offended by the question.

  • And she sniffed her usual sniff of displeasure.

  • Mary Poppins sighed with pleasure, however when she saw three of herself....She thought it was such a lovely sight that she wished there had been a dozen of her or even thirty. The more Mary Poppins the better.

  • "Come along," she said sternly, as though they had kept her waiting.

  • giving him a terrible glance

  • said Mary Poppins primly

  • she said snappily

  • sniffed Mary Poppins

  • said Mary Poppins sharply, as though Michael had deliberately said something to offend her.

  • Mary Poppins's voice was high and angry

  • Mary Poppins gave an offended sniff

  • Mary Poppins sat between them, offended and silent

  • said Mary Poppins haughtily

  • said Mary Poppins sniffing

  • "ask him. He knows -- Mr. Know-All!" said Mary Poppins, nodding her head scornfully at Michael.

  • she said crossly

  • said Mary Poppins in that cold, clear voice that was always a Warning.

  • Mary Poppins sniffed

  • sniffed Mary Poppins

  • Mary Poppins's voice was at its most priggish

  • Mary Poppins sounded ferocious

  • she said conceitedly

  • said Mary Poppins with a sniff

  • flung a parting glance of fury at the pigeon

  • "No," said Mary Poppins, who always said "No."

  • He broke off suddenly, for he had caught sight of Mary Poppins's face. The expression on it was awful.

  • "There will be no next," said Mary Poppins, with a haughty sniff.

  • But she glanced at the window as she went so that she could see how her new shoes looked reflected in it.

  • "Speak for yourself," she said crossly, and flounced to the door

  • Mary Poppins turned and regarded him with something like disgust.

  • she said haughtily

  • Mary Poppins sniffed

  • said Mary Poppins with a scornful laugh

  • said Mary Poppins contemptuously

  • "I wish we were invisible," said Michael, when Mary Poppins had told him that the very sight of him was more than any self-respecting person could be expected to stand.

  • said Mary Poppins scornfully

  • and sniffing

  • she demanded, looking crossly

  • she snapped

  • said Mary Poppins, uppishly

  • "I don't mind," said Mary Poppins with surprising mildness. Not that Jand and Michael were really very surprised, for they knew that the thing Mary Poppinsliked doing best of all was looking in shop windows. They knew, too, that while they saw toys and books and holly-boughs and plum cakes, Mary Poppins saw nothing but herself reflected there.

  • So with a sigh she wrenched herself away from her glorious reflection.

  • she said haughtily

  • said Mary Poppins snappily

  • "None of your business," snapped Mary Poppins.

  • "You be quiet," she said to Jane in her snappiest voice.

  • said Mary Poppins, with such a ferocious snap

  • she said haughtily

2 Comments:

Blogger Tupps said...

I've never read the book thus I never knew that she could be so surly and distant. However I've watched the movie around 54058403948324 times, first on VHS then on DVD. I watch it at least 4 times a year.

yes.

4/07/2009 01:09:00 AM  
Blogger justkim said...

On the other hand, if you've ever heard the Original Off-Broadway cast of the Sondheim revue Putting It Together, you can hear the sublime Ms. Andrews be surly and drunken.

I once had the plesaure of telling her it was my favorite piece of her work. I think she was a bit surprised.

4/09/2009 07:16:00 PM  

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