USA: JULIE ANDREWS IS HONOURED BY WALT DISNEY STUDIO AS SOUNDSTAGE 2 IS NAMED AFTER HER

Record ID: 547316

  • Title: USA: JULIE ANDREWS IS HONOURED BY WALT DISNEY STUDIO AS SOUNDSTAGE 2 IS NAMED AFTER HER
  • Date: 2nd August 2001
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 2, 2001) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DICK VAN DYKE SINGING: "Ain't it a beautiful day, bright as a morning in May. I feel like I could fly." WIDE VAN DYKE SPEAKING TO CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (English) DICK VAN DYKE SAYING: "You know, there are very few performers who've ever lived in this century, who are known by their first names only. And there may be Frank, and Sammy, and a few names like that, but if you say Julie, everybody knows who you are talking about. You have to be a pretty big talent to be recognized by your first name only. And I'm one of the few guys who ever had the opportunity of working with her. She is not only talented, and graceful, and beautiful, but royalty in every sense of the word. And as I said at a dinner the other night, she is also one great broad."
  • Embargoed: 17th August 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: People
  • Reuters ID: LVA5S3B58XYTQD0HJF7RQ33HQ7R
  • Story Text: Julie Andrews was honoured on Thursday (August 2) by the Walt Disney Studios on the soundstage where both her 1964 film "Mary Poppins," and her latest picture, "The Princess Diaries," to be released this week in North America, were shot.
    It was 37 years ago that Julie Andrews first worked for Walt Disney, starring in his live action-animation hybrid classic "Mary Poppins." She won an Oscar for that movie, which, many people forget, was her first time in front of a film camera. By that time in her career, she had already established herself as a major presence on Broadway, starring in "The Boyfriend" and "My Fair Lady."
    Andrews only agreed to star in "Mary Poppins" after she was passed over for the film version of the role she created on stage in "My Fair Lady." Instead, it went to Audrey Hepburn, whom Andrews beat out for the Best Actress Oscar a year later.
    Capping Andrew's association with Disney was the ceremony Thursday (August 2) honouring the British-born actress by re-naming Walt Disney Studios' soundstage 2 the Julie Andrews Soundstage. Ironically, Andrews, who may just have gained her squeaky clean reputation through her portrayal of the cinematic nanny Mary Poppins, never made another film for Disney until this year's "Princess Diaries," which is scheduled for release on August 3 in North America. In the film she plays the queen of a fictional European nation who comes to America to help her granddaughter become a princess.
    Disney's honouring of Andrews allowed it to look back at its history while simultaneously promote its latest film.
    Following this, Andrew's co-star from Poppins, Dick Van Dyke, was on hand for the ceremony as was her "Princess Diaries"
    director, Garry Marshall. Paying tribute to Andrews, Van Dyke said
    "she is not only talented, and graceful, and beautiful, but royalty in every sense of the word. And as I said at a dinner the other night, she is also one great broad."
    For her part, Andrews retained her legendary modesty, opting to thank Walt Disney "and all the wonderful people that worked for him."
    Following up on her "Mary Poppins" success, Andrews segued into the lead role in the film version of "The Sound of Music," which went on to become another signature part for her. But between "Mary Poppins" and "The Sound of Music,"
    Andrews was now saddled with a squeaky-clean, good girl image which was nearly impossible to escape.
    It wasn't until her husband, filmmaker Blake Edwards cast her in his films "10," "S.O.B." and "Victor/Victoria" in the late 70's and early 80's that Andrews was able to graduate from family films. She was honoured with another Oscar nomination for her efforts in "Victor/Victoria," a role she would later reprise on Broadway in 1995.
    ----ENDS---
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