Regarding Travers' portrayal in the film, movie critic Margaret Lyons wrote, "What was presented as a joyless, loveless pedant finally giving herself over to the delight and imagination of the Wonderful World of Disney could just as easily been presented as a creative, passionate person, with dignity and real emotions, getting steamrolled by one of the most powerful companies in the world."[22] Taken from Wikipedia.
Tears of... we can let you decide “As chalk is to cheese, so is the film to the book. Tears ran down my cheeks because it was all so distorted. I was so shocked I felt that I would never write---let alone smile---again!" she said according to her biographer.
I'm so happy that we have Harlan Ellison...not only as an international treasure as one of the finest living authors...but also as a voice for writers and the rights of those creators.
@@LocalHolehead Yeah, in my head I was going "8 years later, it's _had._ We _had_ Harlan Ellison." And then I came to my senses and said to myself "You fool! We _have,_ *have* Harlan Ellison!"
I feel so despondent that I just barely found this channel yesterday. I've loved Harlan's works for years, never thought to search him on UA-cam. These stories are treasures.
"Saving Mister Banks" was a metaphor for itself. It's the Disnified story of how things get Disnified. I can applaud the sheer audacity of the Disney Corporation in making such a transparently, hilariously fictionalized film out of a compelling real-life story.
I don't think anyone thinks Disney would EVER make a film criticizing Walt in ANY way. It's like a Scientologist writing about what a drug addict L Ron Hubbard was. Ain't gonna happen.
Harlan, some of the most interesting times I have spent as part of my experience working for Dragon Con and World Horror Con was coming face to face with you. You are a giant in a small package, but your words are taller than any building. That is why I love you.
I remember listening to Mr. Ellison tell of a run in he had with a woman, who upon meeting him, tactlessly told him that he was much shorter than she thought he'd be. Without missing a beat, he responded with "Unfortunately, my height is something I can't control; unlike your bad manners."
@@williampetersen9915 That would be Harlan. He is greatly missed by some and the ones he had run-ins with probably thankfully gone to some dgeree. He did not mince words and had a very sharp mind in more ways than one.
Harlan and I (Mark) have known each other exists since 1975, after finding a dog eared copy of one of his books in the local Salvation Army. Following that life altering event, I started collecting his works, giving birth to my 'Little Ellison Wonderland" (more like one of my friend Harlan's closets I expect...ok, a very big closet then). What he says out loud and places on paper covers the entire spectrum of human feelings. They can make you laugh, scare you, make you think, excite you, piss you off and entertain you. Harlan has no limits. You have to love this guy.
Research, he is totally correct. She had sold the rights before hand and Walt brought her over to advise and to get her on board for the the film. She did not like most of the development, the actors chosen, the music, animation sequences, and the other Hollywoodisms Disney incorporated into the film. She was harassed to go to the premier even though she did not want to. Years later she would not sell any of the Rights of her works to Disney or any American company after the film. It is why no other adaptations of her works have made it to film. Just know that the film is a well made clever rewriting of history, a revisionist look back, and a lie. 90% of the film's story is Bullshit.
Kind of ironic when - years later - there's both a musical based on "Mary Poppins" and a film that functions as a sequel to the Disney film if not the P.L. Travers stories ("Mary Poppins Returns"), the latter of which was in off-and-on development since the 1980s! And yeah I agree it was a bit of Disney "playing it safe" when they changed that part of the story when Travers goes to the "Mary Poppins" theatrical premiere at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In the movie, she cries her eyes out (which _could_ be intrepreted as tears of joy); while in the real life event, she supposedly outright hated the movie.
I did look up that she did cry in real life at the premiere but it was because she realized her story was no longer hers so that scene was partially incorrect even though I still love the movie as a movie.
As a child, I loved the Mary Poppins books. I loved that the protagonist was NOT sugary. I loved that the tone of the stories was so different from the usual pap we were fed as children. When I saw the Disney version, I was appalled. I made it a point to tell my child that this was NOT the REAL Mary Poppins, and then introduced hm to the books. Disney has managed to chew up, digest, and regurgitate sanitized versions of everything from the already sanitized American legends of Pocahontas to the reality of Times Square. Thank you, Harlan Ellison, for outing this latest revisionist and self-aggrandizing Disney effort.
It's pretty much what Hollywood and media had done with all our folk heroes, "fairy" tales, and real life heroes. Creating the Liberty Vallance Effect (crediting a character with good deeds or strong feats never performed, or performed by another, and making them into marketable products. E.g. The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere) to where whoever does something worth note, their story is edited and shaped into a thrilling saga full of comedy, drama, romance, and plenty of action when all that occurred was someone crossing the road just to get to the other side. Kinda makes one ponder if a bio-pic should even an option anymore.
Harlan was fired from his first day of work at Disney Studios when he was overheard telling pornographic jokes about the seven dwarfs in the commissary.
i wish i knew him before. i was 11 years old when he died. at 11 years old, i did not read much. i don't care for many celebrities, but he's one of the few famous people i would consider meeting!
This is why I take historical films or films based on historic events with a grain of salt. Because 9 times out of 10, it is to show the producers or director's vision of what actually happened, and damn the facts. Reminds me of a line from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." I wasn't going to see this film because I sense it was all a bunch of bull. Now you have confirmed my suspicions, Harlan. Thank you. That was the most honest analysis I have seen. And I salute you, sir. Happy Holidays! Take care.
Well, in this story's case, the legend is that Travers hated the film so much that she tried to have the film changed after it premiered, which prompted Disney to say, "The ship has sailed." It sounds like they ignored that fact by the way Ellison is talking about the film.
Kamdan Yes, I've read that Travers actually cried at the premiere; she hated the film, and detested what they did to her Mary. And as I writer I have great sympathy for her views. However, I think Mary Poppins is a wonderful classic film, it still stands the test of time. I wasn't expecting Disney -- making a film about Disney -- to go into those important details of creative differences, they want a Feel-Good, commercial film. Is that a surprise? I haven't seen Banks yet, but I suspect I'll like it. Of course I'd like to see a deep, nuanced portrayal of these events, but that's unlikely. Unless someone makes an independent documentary. That's life right now.
StevenErnest This was not a pretty film, no matter what anyone tells you. And I'm a little tired of people forming such strong opinions about a movie they have not even seen.
elimacfly1 What do you mean by, "not a pretty film"...? I didn't know saying, "I suspect I'll like it," is a "strong opinion." I was merely speaking based on the trailer. I very well may not like it.
+Tungsten Kid A classic that was disemboweled & sewn back together again, but still award - winning material. Have you heard about " The Starlost " ? CBC production, completely FUBAR. It's on UA-cam.
Daniel Appleton - thanks, I'll check out The Starlost..:) PS- One of the best scifi film i've ever seen is McConaughey's "Interstellar" because it's deep on many levels.
Decades ago I wrote a review of an appearance by him at the University of Oklahoma. It appeared in some long forgotten fanzine. Mr. Ellison received a copy of it, somehow, and had the decency to reply with a letter. I've always treasured his honesty--as he pointed out, my spelling and grammar sucked--but he was incredibly encouraging and I've never forgotten it.
Thank you so very much, Harlan. I just spent an hour yesterday explaining to my very intelligent son the reason that I will not go see this film. A friend of mine fulfilled a lifelong dream of working for the Disney apparat (as you so perfectly put it) to have his creative soul sucked from him. This desecration of Pamela Travers memory is, while not surprising, horrific.
(Continued)...I presume that mist people understand that Walt was a gifted, but human and thus flawed character. I doubt if any amount of burnishing would blind people to the fact that he protected his own interests, as most of us do. Although he never visited Miss Travers at her London residence, they discussed the treatment of Mary Poppins at length, including the fact that Mr. Disney identified with a father figure that needed to be "saved". To conclude, the film does indeed airbrush P. L. Travers' reaction to the film, but perhaps not to the extent Mr. Ellison suggests; and the portrayal of the author is, in my opinion, far more sympathetic than Mr. Ellison seems to have found it. Rant over. Go see it for Emma Thompson - her performance is truly magnificent!
Always interesting, often brilliant, never boring, often shocking,...Harlan was *both a Realist and a dark and brooding fantasist.* Above all: a great, imaginative storyteller.
Per an "along-a-similar line" review in the L.A. Weekly, this would've made a much more compelling film: "In reality, Travers was a feisty, stereotype-breaking bisexual - a single mom who adopted a baby in her 40s, studied Zen meditation in Kyoto, and was publishing erotica about her silky underwear 10 years before Walt had sketched his mouse."
the scene you are talking about that you won't say is when Walt Disney goes to England to talk to PF Travers. According to IMDB.com that didn't happen but he spoke to her frequently by telephone. How interesting would a scene be if they showed the telephone calls? Mr. Ellison, you know Hollywood always makes changes to books that become movies.
All movies, even bio's, have a little bullshit in them so I don't know what this guys problem is. As for P.L. Travers, she sold the rights of Mary Poppins to Disney because she was broke, she needed the money. Once she did that it belonged to Disney, he could do what he wants.
I grew up in Burbank, near many studios, including Disney. I went to school with the kids in the mouse club, as well as stars in the Disney movies, lived next door to their parents who worked for Disney. I knew the kids who started working for Disney after school and almost all went on to make careers there, and NEVER a bad word did I ever hear about Walt Disney. I only heard good until Walt died and control went to money-grubbing corporate raiders making preschools take their images of the Disney characters off the walls. Walt is probably revolving in his grave. If Ms. Travers disliked it all so much, she should have maybe refused the wealth it brought her. As to her character, check out her adopted son's story. Then, you will see who was the bully.
None of those children were present for their own contract negotiations. He also never tried to get any of them Black-listed, so it's important to learn what happened outside of your own experience.
I am a bit surprised, but also pleased, to see this channel. Ellison remains one of four of my favorite writers, as he has been for the past 40+ years. I may not always agree with him; but I've always felt he is one of the best writers out there, and certainly one of the most eloquent and moving. He is a master craftsman with a body of work that even Balzac might well envy. A word to the wise -- as someone else here has said: pay attention!
I'd love to hear Harlan's thoughts on the passing of Robin Williams. I know thay were friendly on some level. It's been a while since Harlan's posted a new video. When Harlan gets reved up he is hysterical. I wonder if the scene he is referring to is when Disney follows Travers back to England. It is a pretty sappy scene that feels contrived and manipulative. I know that movies are not reality but when they totally distort it to serve their own syrupy ends that is distasteful. The words "Based on a true story" should immediately activate Harlan Ellison's BULLSHIT flag in everyone's subconscious. Movies are only edited and revised "reality" and really should be avoided. Find a good book on the subject, but movies want to whitewash all the negative---unless it serves the character and provide a convenient "villian" to the story. Disney movies (animated or live action) made no great impression in my youth. The only I enjoyed was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea but that was a sanitized version of the original Jules Verne novel.. I don't know, Mr. Ellison, I'd say you were more a cross between Jiminy Cricket and Robin Hood.
Here is the discussion in its entirety, better late than never - just in case you still haven't heard it; soundcloud.com/soundcloud-7/robin-williams-interviews-harlan-ellison
The book is P.L. Traver's "Mary Poppins". The movie is Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins". Two different mediums. The books are still there to be read. If you don't like the idea of a Disney film version, don't watch it.
Well I did read the book, and it is incredibly charming! It was the soundtrack that drew the audience in for that movie I think, and Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke's incredible dancing.
I like Mr Ellison's work, he is a unique man with a unique way of putting things and he is probably very correct in saying that Mrs Travers went to her grave despising the 'Mary Poppins' film. But there is another side this...she also went to her grave living very comfortably on the money Disney paid her to for the rights to make the film. Now the facts presented in the film may bullsh*t, and they probably are, but every single film made is fiction. And fiction is the art of making a lie palatable. Every single story or book written by Mr Ellison is by the standards he is espousing in this review, bullsh*t.. Also Mrs Travers may have despised the film Mary Poppins, but she is probably the only one to do so. Disney made a masterpiece.
I will add that Ellison in one interview says something to the effect of "when you sell your soul make sure you get the highest price" I like Ellison but he is not immune to BS himself
Hi Harlan. Long time no see. Anyway. I found out in my early teens that P.L. Travers disliked the movie. Having read all the Mary Poppins books I can understand how she would feel great dissatisfaction at the movie. To be truthful the movie bares only superficial resemblance to what she wrote. That is, the movie (in Hollywood speak) is based on the books and is not an adaptation. But, the movie has been a touchstone in my life. I, and my family, love it very much. Equally important is the case that I, and my family, also love the books, having read all of them aloud to my daughter, during our nightly story time, when she was little. In my opinion the movie does not make the books any less wonderful, nor do the books make the movie any less a joy than it is. That is I see the movie and the books as separate pieces of art, each having only passing similarities to each other. I do not see a contradiction here and hope you do not either.
Harlan thought for those who could not or would not. He spoke with a voice that carried weight for all those scared or shy to speak. He saw for those who were blind or willfully closed their eyes. He blessed this world with his creativity and mind. He may have been a bit full of himself, a bit touched of grandeur, but I ask you; of all those who have come before us and will since, if not anyone else, does he not deserve to do so? Did he not earn it? I think so. Bless you Mr. Ellison. Whether you've gone on somewhere after or returned to the void, whatever happens to us in this crazy world after we shuffle off from this mortal coil, I hope on your death bed you went peacefully and satisfied. You left an unforgettable mark on the course of human history.
Harlan was surely one of the most unique and ornery {AND HONEST} minds and characters of this or any century. rest in peace, weary warrior. Hope you made a soft landing.
Oh, and btw: *THE MAN HAD INTEGRITY. creative integrity.* and he hated and despised dishonesty and compromise and what can rightly be called "all the bullshit.*
fascinating note is that Harlan in his younger days once worked for the Disney company but that was short-lived as one of Walt's living relative his nephew Roy.E Disney was overhearing a joke which he took seriously of Ellison wanting to make an animated film involving every animated characters that Walt created to star in a pornographic film and as a result Ellison got fired. P.S. What was Ellison job at the Disney Studio? He was suppose to be writing scripts for live action Disney films.
"I've seen it once or twice, and I've learned to live with it. It's glamorous and it's a good film on its own level, but I don't think it is very like my books." P. L. Travers
I have seen the movie and was well aware that the majority of it was (more than likely) made up "bullshit" - but it works beautifully. I went in with a 'well, show me what you've got' attitude and, I admit, was moved to tears in places. It succeeds in telling a story by bastardising another story, granted, but it works and is well worth seeing. Just keep in mind that it's only a movie (albeit a very well made one that works remarkably well) and the 'truth' has nothing to do with this fictional representation. I understand what Harlan means, though - people will see 'based on a true story' and think that this is how it happened.
It's my understanding, Walt didn't much like black folks, either, and was adamant about never hiring any. So your observation that he was not who he went to great length to appear to be is not surprising to me.
>Walt didn't like black people and was adamant about never hiring any ...that couldn't be further from the truth if it tried. Song of the South was made under Disney's supervision and he personally campaigned for James Baskett to receive an Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, calling him "the finest actor, I believe, to be discovered in years".
@@AllardRT while I admit and accept your point, while hiring one man for one part in his entire enterprise, and heaping praise on his business deal, this is not the same thing as hiring a permanent artist or engineer, someone who would be aboutnthe place for 30 years. No, sir. My point is still valid.
My comments on the SAVING MR. BANKS Facebook page: "I loved the film, Thompson and Hanks are terrific, but there were some glaring errors that took me out of the story. The film takes place in 1961. When Travers arrives in Los Angeles, a driver is holding a sign with the Warner Bros logo. That is the present day WB shield which looks like it was taken from a DVD. A Winnie the Pooh bear is among the stuffed toys in the hotel room. Disney did not release their first Pooh feature until 1966. During the first writing session with Travers and team Disney, many trays of snacks are brought in, including a plate of foil wrapped Hostess Ding Dongs, which didn't hit the marketplace until 1967.
Saying she went to her grave despising the movie is not completely accurate. In an interview which can be seen in the video named "The secret life of Mary Poppins" her exact words were "I have learned to live with it. It's glamorous and a good film on it's own level but I don't think it's very much like my book." The video makes the point that even though the movie was not like her book which made her angry, could she have been conflicted and moved by the film and how it related to her difficult childhood and troubled attempts to be a mother? And true to her character Mary Poppins, if she was conflicted and some of the tears were because of past life events, she wouldn't ever admit it. "No sentimentality remember". The narrator points out. But again, if you can't look at a film below the surface you can miss the point.
Harlan! You look really good in this video. You've lost weight, I think! I wonder if you have a computer yet. This was a cool video, and thanks for the heads up, since I was planning to watch the Hanks film soon. I've noticed recently (okay I'm slow) that most people are unable to wrap their heads around the concept of an artist actually controlling and owning their creations. Maybe it's because folks are used to factory-made art, but time and again I've been seeing criticism of artists for choosing what they do with their own creations. Whether it's a film maker re-editing his own film years later or a comic artist re-drawing some pages of his own decades-old work, I'm seeing (or maybe just noticing) more criticism of artists for daring to control their own creations. It's weird. If I buy a house, and decide to paint it silver and install a pool, everyone agrees I have that right. If I want to redesign or change one of my old books, folks go mad!
Am I the only person to think that Harlan Ellison, in old age, looks exactly like David Hedison when he's caught in the spider's web at the end of the 1958 version of "The Fly"?
Disney is indeed an Empire. It even absorbed the "kingdoms" of Stan Lee (Marvel, minus movie rights to a few series like Xmen), George Lucas (Lucasfilm, including ILM and Star Wars), John Lasseter (Pixar), and Jim Henson (The Muppets, minus sesame Street, which has its own company.) It even had Haim Saban's (adapted from Japan) Power Rangers, but they sold it off.
I have enjoyed Mr. Ellison's books. I have even joyed some of his ramblings in the past but sadly today I do not. What I see today is the paranoid delusions of a bitter old man. I wish Mr. Ellison only the best and hope he can find some peace.
If you are curious about the "few hours" that Mr. Ellison mentioned he worked for The Disney corporation, it is told in WoNdErFuL detail in the essay "The 3 Most Important Things In Life", which first appeared in the adult magazine "Oui" in November 1978, and was reprinted in his collection of stories & essays called "Stalking The Nightmare", 1982 Phantasia Press. I urge you to find & read the essay. His 5 hours at Disney are in the 3rd part "Labor Relations". To summarize: he was hired to be a writer, he showed up in the morning, and at lunch he entertained others workers in the canteen by imitating the voices of Micky & other cartoons 'filming a porno'. Needless to say when he got back to his office after lunch, the door was locked, and he was informed he had been fired. Go figure. What he says in this video about "Uncle Walt", and the film "Saving Mr. Banks" is all TRUE, but take it with a grain of salt...... he does have an old ax to grind from getting fired after half a day back in 1968
Thanks Harlan! I knew this film would be a hagiography of Walt but was interested in seeing it anyway for the lead actors' performances. I had read the books long ago and was well aware that the film bears little resemblance to them. My favorite Disney films are 20,000 Leagues and Dr. Syn. Both tales were significantly revised from their origins, but can be said to be good yarns saved by their cast. Verne's story did need a dramatic narrative which the jailbreak plot provided, and to my mind, enough of the moral ambiguity and conflict survived to make 20K watchable, if not quite as nuanced as the novel (Walter Miller's Naval Institute Press translation does Verne the honor long denied him by Lewis Mercier's anti-science butchery). Thorndyke's Dr. Syn is better depicted by Peter Cushing (as Rev. Bliss) in Hammer's "Night Creatures", preserving the Rev. Dr. Syn's past as the pirate called Nathaniel Clegg. Though Disney only had the rights to the knock-off novel "Christopher Syn" by Buchanan, Patrick MacGoohan and Geoffrey Keene are well worth watching, and Disney shot the film on the Romney Marsh, making the film a visual treat.
Harlan is the greatest. He speaks his mind with no filter, a rare occurrence today. I saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks and know what scene you are talking about when she is crying at the premiere viewing. The movie was very good as it had a strong emotional element tied to the flashbacks of the young girl's father's demise.
I need help. I'm looking for an Ellison story that I read many years ago when I was a kid. It's about a woman who is about to slit her wrists (or does) in a bathtub, and when she does, all kinds of fantastic things appear to her (I'm pretty sure there were Disney characters or other cartoons), as if to entice her to stay in the world. Is there anyone who can tell me what story that is? I could be wrong, because all my books were stolen and I'm not sure if it's Ellison or someone else.
One of the things I've always admired about Mr. Ellison (aside from his skill as a writer,) is his consistent and enjoyable candor.
Yes. he was brutally honest. and pretty much fearless about it. a rare quality.
Regarding Travers' portrayal in the film, movie critic Margaret Lyons wrote, "What was presented as a joyless, loveless pedant finally giving herself over to the delight and imagination of the Wonderful World of Disney could just as easily been presented as a creative, passionate person, with dignity and real emotions, getting steamrolled by one of the most powerful companies in the world."[22] Taken from Wikipedia.
Tears of... we can let you decide
“As chalk is to cheese, so is the film to the book. Tears ran down my cheeks because it was all so distorted. I was so shocked I felt that I would never write---let alone smile---again!" she said according to her biographer.
This is why I love Harlan Ellison. Don't just PAY the writer, RESPECT the writer.
I'm so happy that we have Harlan Ellison...not only as an international treasure as one of the finest living authors...but also as a voice for writers and the rights of those creators.
James Smith, The Quiet Hiker uhhhh about that
@@retrorocker77 :(
@@retrorocker77 Well he was alive in 2014.
I don't think that changes retroactively.
@@LocalHolehead Yeah, in my head I was going "8 years later, it's _had._ We _had_ Harlan Ellison." And then I came to my senses and said to myself "You fool! We _have,_ *have* Harlan Ellison!"
I feel so despondent that I just barely found this channel yesterday. I've loved Harlan's works for years, never thought to search him on UA-cam. These stories are treasures.
"Saving Mister Banks" was a metaphor for itself. It's the Disnified story of how things get Disnified. I can applaud the sheer audacity of the Disney Corporation in making such a transparently, hilariously fictionalized film out of a compelling real-life story.
I don't think anyone thinks Disney would EVER make a film criticizing Walt in ANY way. It's like a Scientologist writing about what a drug addict L Ron Hubbard was. Ain't gonna happen.
Damn good writer though! Just ask, oh hey, Harlan Ellison!
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=harlan+ellison+robin+williams&view=detail&mid=2DCDB3ADE085BF4543692DCDB3ADE085BF454369&FORM=VIRE
Harlan Ellison continues to be the planet's most direct conduit to the truth. A legend.
Harlan, some of the most interesting times I have spent as part of my experience working for Dragon Con and World Horror Con was coming face to face with you. You are a giant in a small package, but your words are taller than any building. That is why I love you.
I truly love this man! Thank you Harlan, you are 1 of a kind.
I remember listening to Mr. Ellison tell of a run in he had with a woman, who upon meeting him, tactlessly told him that he was much shorter than she thought he'd be. Without missing a beat, he responded with "Unfortunately, my height is something I can't control; unlike your bad manners."
@@williampetersen9915 That would be Harlan. He is greatly missed by some and the ones he had run-ins with probably thankfully gone to some dgeree. He did not mince words and had a very sharp mind in more ways than one.
He just LOVES words, it's fascinating to listen to him speak
If you want mythology, watch Disney. If you want reality, watch Harlan Ellison.
True that.
Harlan and I (Mark) have known each other exists since 1975, after finding a dog eared copy of one of his books in the local Salvation Army. Following that life altering event, I started collecting his works, giving birth to my 'Little Ellison Wonderland" (more like one of my friend Harlan's closets I expect...ok, a very big closet then). What he says out loud and places on paper covers the entire spectrum of human feelings. They can make you laugh, scare you, make you think, excite you, piss you off and entertain you. Harlan has no limits. You have to love this guy.
Harlan Ellison is a goddamned hero.
Harlan Ellison: Telling truth to power since 1934.
Research, he is totally correct. She had sold the rights before hand and Walt brought her over to advise and to get her on board for the the film. She did not like most of the development, the actors chosen, the music, animation sequences, and the other Hollywoodisms Disney incorporated into the film. She was harassed to go to the premier even though she did not want to. Years later she would not sell any of the Rights of her works to Disney or any American company after the film. It is why no other adaptations of her works have made it to film. Just know that the film is a well made clever rewriting of history, a revisionist look back, and a lie. 90% of the film's story is Bullshit.
Kind of ironic when - years later - there's both a musical based on "Mary Poppins" and a film that functions as a sequel to the Disney film if not the P.L. Travers stories ("Mary Poppins Returns"), the latter of which was in off-and-on development since the 1980s!
And yeah I agree it was a bit of Disney "playing it safe" when they changed that part of the story when Travers goes to the "Mary Poppins" theatrical premiere at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In the movie, she cries her eyes out (which _could_ be intrepreted as tears of joy); while in the real life event, she supposedly outright hated the movie.
So agree.
I did look up that she did cry in real life at the premiere but it was because she realized her story was no longer hers so that scene was partially incorrect even though I still love the movie as a movie.
God I love you Harlan. The world is so much poorer without you. Thanks for everything.
Great video. RIP, Mr. Ellison.
Thank you Mr. Ellison for sll the great stories, I will continue to read and love every word. RIP
Oh boy! Do we miss you, Harlan. If we could raise you from the dead, it would be nice to hear you talk about America and Hollywood today. Disney to.
If Ellison saw what was happening with Disney these days his response would probably be "I'm not all surprised.:😂😂😂
As a child, I loved the Mary Poppins books. I loved that the protagonist was NOT sugary. I loved that the tone of the stories was so different from the usual pap we were fed as children.
When I saw the Disney version, I was appalled. I made it a point to tell my child that this was NOT the REAL Mary Poppins, and then introduced hm to the books.
Disney has managed to chew up, digest, and regurgitate sanitized versions of everything from the already sanitized American legends of Pocahontas to the reality of Times Square. Thank you, Harlan Ellison, for outing this latest revisionist and self-aggrandizing Disney effort.
It's pretty much what Hollywood and media had done with all our folk heroes, "fairy" tales, and real life heroes. Creating the Liberty Vallance Effect (crediting a character with good deeds or strong feats never performed, or performed by another, and making them into marketable products. E.g. The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere) to where whoever does something worth note, their story is edited and shaped into a thrilling saga full of comedy, drama, romance, and plenty of action when all that occurred was someone crossing the road just to get to the other side.
Kinda makes one ponder if a bio-pic should even an option anymore.
Harlan was fired from his first day of work at Disney Studios when he was overheard telling pornographic jokes about the seven dwarfs in the commissary.
Finally! Harlan getting the views he deserves. He's a man who needs to be seen and heard.
Only just now learning about him myself. Sad I didn't hear about him before his death
@@aarons720 Gotta love a post-mortum inspiration, am I right?
i wish i knew him before. i was 11 years old when he died. at 11 years old, i did not read much. i don't care for many celebrities, but he's one of the few famous people i would consider meeting!
Thank you Harlan for standing up for the rights of creators and for calling bullshit on Walt Disney’s image. Love the Jomo Kenyatta tee shirt.
This is why I take historical films or films based on historic events with a grain of salt. Because 9 times out of 10, it is to show the producers or director's vision of what actually happened, and damn the facts. Reminds me of a line from THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." I wasn't going to see this film because I sense it was all a bunch of bull. Now you have confirmed my suspicions, Harlan. Thank you. That was the most honest analysis I have seen. And I salute you, sir. Happy Holidays! Take care.
However, sometimes a more mythic story can have deeper truths. It depends.
Well, in this story's case, the legend is that Travers hated the film so much that she tried to have the film changed after it premiered, which prompted Disney to say, "The ship has sailed." It sounds like they ignored that fact by the way Ellison is talking about the film.
Kamdan Yes, I've read that Travers actually cried at the premiere; she hated the film, and detested what they did to her Mary. And as I writer I have great sympathy for her views.
However, I think Mary Poppins is a wonderful classic film, it still stands the test of time. I wasn't expecting Disney -- making a film about Disney -- to go into those important details of creative differences, they want a Feel-Good, commercial film. Is that a surprise?
I haven't seen Banks yet, but I suspect I'll like it. Of course I'd like to see a deep, nuanced portrayal of these events, but that's unlikely. Unless someone makes an independent documentary. That's life right now.
StevenErnest This was not a pretty film, no matter what anyone tells you. And I'm a little tired of people forming such strong opinions about a movie they have not even seen.
elimacfly1 What do you mean by, "not a pretty film"...?
I didn't know saying, "I suspect I'll like it," is a "strong opinion."
I was merely speaking based on the trailer. I very well may not like it.
Star Trek TOS "The City on the Edge of Forever" was on TV again the other day, based on an original story by Harlan, an absolute classic..:)
+Tungsten Kid A classic that was disemboweled & sewn back together again, but still award - winning material. Have you heard about " The Starlost " ? CBC production, completely FUBAR. It's on UA-cam.
Daniel Appleton - thanks, I'll check out The Starlost..:)
PS- One of the best scifi film i've ever seen is McConaughey's "Interstellar" because it's deep on many levels.
Decades ago I wrote a review of an appearance by him at the University of Oklahoma. It appeared in some long forgotten fanzine. Mr. Ellison received a copy of it, somehow, and had the decency to reply with a letter. I've always treasured his honesty--as he pointed out, my spelling and grammar sucked--but he was incredibly encouraging and I've never forgotten it.
+Sid Howard Objective yet opinionated, a seeming contradiction.
+Sid Howard That's a great story!
Thank you so very much, Harlan. I just spent an hour yesterday explaining to my very intelligent son the reason that I will not go see this film. A friend of mine fulfilled a lifelong dream of working for the Disney apparat (as you so perfectly put it) to have his creative soul sucked from him. This desecration of Pamela Travers memory is, while not surprising, horrific.
Harlan I love the decor of your home.
Go, Harlan, Go
I love that you've posted this! And I'm surprised at my ambiguous feelings about lots of what Harlan said.
He seems an ever lovable crank
I've been delighted by his Science Fiction writting for decades; often scary.
(Continued)...I presume that mist people understand that Walt was a gifted, but human and thus flawed character. I doubt if any amount of burnishing would blind people to the fact that he protected his own interests, as most of us do. Although he never visited Miss Travers at her London residence, they discussed the treatment of Mary Poppins at length, including the fact that Mr. Disney identified with a father figure that needed to be "saved". To conclude, the film does indeed airbrush P. L. Travers' reaction to the film, but perhaps not to the extent Mr. Ellison suggests; and the portrayal of the author is, in my opinion, far more sympathetic than Mr. Ellison seems to have found it. Rant over. Go see it for Emma Thompson - her performance is truly magnificent!
To just have come across this channel is a treat. Ellison was always ahead of the curve as an early adopter of new mediums.
Always interesting, often brilliant, never boring, often shocking,...Harlan was *both a Realist and a dark and brooding
fantasist.* Above all: a great, imaginative storyteller.
Per an "along-a-similar line" review in the L.A. Weekly, this would've made a much more compelling film:
"In reality, Travers was a feisty, stereotype-breaking bisexual - a single mom who adopted a baby in her 40s, studied Zen meditation in Kyoto, and was publishing erotica about her silky underwear 10 years before Walt had sketched his mouse."
Right. In short, she was a fruitcake. That came across very clearly in the film. What's the problem?
So?
Might have made a more compelling film if they had been more true to her nature.
So glad I can still watch and hear Mr. Ellison speak.
Hello from Oberlin, OH. Just discovered this channel. Thank you Mr. Ellison!
the scene you are talking about that you won't say is when Walt Disney goes to England to talk to PF Travers. According to IMDB.com that didn't happen but he spoke to her frequently by telephone. How interesting would a scene be if they showed the telephone calls? Mr. Ellison, you know Hollywood always makes changes to books that become movies.
The bitterness of the pill was sweetened, just a touch, by the big cheque for the movie rights for Mary Poppins ?? :-)
Mr. Ellison...halfway through his 80th year and as tack sharp as I've ever heard him...awesome.
Just like they said in "Liberty Valance"..."When the legend becomes fact...print the legend"
All movies, even bio's, have a little bullshit in them so I don't know what this guys problem is. As for P.L. Travers, she sold the rights of Mary Poppins to Disney because she was broke, she needed the money. Once she did that it belonged to Disney, he could do what he wants.
I still listen to Harlan Ellison and feel his absence in the realm of creativity and bluster!
I grew up in Burbank, near many studios, including Disney. I went to school with the kids in the mouse club, as well as stars in the Disney movies, lived next door to their parents who worked for Disney. I knew the kids who started working for Disney after school and almost all went on to make careers there, and NEVER a bad word did I ever hear about Walt Disney. I only heard good until Walt died and control went to money-grubbing corporate raiders making preschools take their images of the Disney characters off the walls. Walt is probably revolving in his grave. If Ms. Travers disliked it all so much, she should have maybe refused the wealth it brought her. As to her character, check out her adopted son's story. Then, you will see who was the bully.
None of those children were present for their own contract negotiations. He also never tried to get any of them Black-listed, so it's important to learn what happened outside of your own experience.
I am a bit surprised, but also pleased, to see this channel. Ellison remains one of four of my favorite writers, as he has been for the past 40+ years. I may not always agree with him; but I've always felt he is one of the best writers out there, and certainly one of the most eloquent and moving. He is a master craftsman with a body of work that even Balzac might well envy. A word to the wise -- as someone else here has said: pay attention!
I'd love to hear Harlan's thoughts on the passing of Robin Williams. I know thay were friendly on some level. It's been a while since Harlan's posted a new video. When Harlan gets reved up he is hysterical.
I wonder if the scene he is referring to is when Disney follows Travers back to England. It is a pretty sappy scene that feels contrived and manipulative. I know that movies are not reality but when they totally distort it to serve their own syrupy ends that is distasteful. The words "Based on a true story" should immediately activate Harlan Ellison's BULLSHIT flag in everyone's subconscious. Movies are only edited and revised "reality" and really should be avoided. Find a good book on the subject, but movies want to whitewash all the negative---unless it serves the character and provide a convenient "villian" to the story. Disney movies (animated or live action) made no great impression in my youth. The only I enjoyed was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea but that was a sanitized version of the original Jules Verne novel..
I don't know, Mr. Ellison, I'd say you were more a cross between Jiminy Cricket and Robin Hood.
Here is the discussion in its entirety, better late than never - just in case you still haven't heard it; soundcloud.com/soundcloud-7/robin-williams-interviews-harlan-ellison
Uncle Harlan was a wonderful storyteller.
What an epic rant...great energy and humor for a legendary artist who's almost 80.
I love seeing someone not afraid to tell it how it is... Im with you!
This is a perfect fucking lesson on why I love this man. Tell us what ya really think, Harlan. I mean, really, you keep so much inside...
Harlan is a treasure. Lots of truth there.
RIP, you magnificent bastard.
The book is P.L. Traver's "Mary Poppins". The movie is Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins". Two different mediums. The books are still there to be read. If you don't like the idea of a Disney film version, don't watch it.
Well I did read the book, and it is incredibly charming! It was the soundtrack that drew the audience in for that movie I think, and Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke's incredible dancing.
Harlan you are THE MAN! You need to visit us in #secondlife sometime!!!!
Who did Harlan despise more, Disney or Roddenberry?
I like Mr Ellison's work, he is a unique man with a unique way of putting things and he is probably very correct in saying that Mrs Travers went to her grave despising the 'Mary Poppins' film. But there is another side this...she also went to her grave living very comfortably on the money Disney paid her to for the rights to make the film.
Now the facts presented in the film may bullsh*t, and they probably are, but every single film made is fiction. And fiction is the art of making a lie palatable. Every single story or book written by Mr Ellison is by the standards he is espousing in this review, bullsh*t..
Also Mrs Travers may have despised the film Mary Poppins, but she is probably the only one to do so. Disney made a masterpiece.
I will add that Ellison in one interview says something to the effect of "when you sell your soul make sure you get the highest price" I like Ellison but he is not immune to BS himself
Hi Harlan. Long time no see.
Anyway. I found out in my early teens that P.L. Travers disliked the movie. Having read all the Mary Poppins books I can understand how she would feel great dissatisfaction at the movie. To be truthful the movie bares only superficial resemblance to what she wrote. That is, the movie (in Hollywood speak) is based on the books and is not an adaptation.
But, the movie has been a touchstone in my life. I, and my family, love it very much.
Equally important is the case that I, and my family, also love the books, having read all of them aloud to my daughter, during our nightly story time, when she was little.
In my opinion the movie does not make the books any less wonderful, nor do the books make the movie any less a joy than it is.
That is I see the movie and the books as separate pieces of art, each having only passing similarities to each other.
I do not see a contradiction here and hope you do not either.
Bukowski on Mickey Mouse. "A four fingered freak with no soul."
god I hope that quote is true
Harlan thought for those who could not or would not. He spoke with a voice that carried weight for all those scared or shy to speak. He saw for those who were blind or willfully closed their eyes. He blessed this world with his creativity and mind. He may have been a bit full of himself, a bit touched of grandeur, but I ask you; of all those who have come before us and will since, if not anyone else, does he not deserve to do so? Did he not earn it? I think so.
Bless you Mr. Ellison. Whether you've gone on somewhere after or returned to the void, whatever happens to us in this crazy world after we shuffle off from this mortal coil, I hope on your death bed you went peacefully and satisfied. You left an unforgettable mark on the course of human history.
You rock, Harlan Ellison! As you always have and always will.
it's such a damn relief to get a REAL opinion.
Harlan was surely one of the most unique and ornery {AND HONEST} minds and characters of this or any century. rest in peace, weary warrior. Hope you made a soft landing.
Oh, and btw: *THE MAN HAD INTEGRITY. creative integrity.* and he hated and despised dishonesty and compromise and what can rightly be called "all the bullshit.*
fascinating note is that Harlan in his younger days once worked for the Disney company but that was short-lived as one of Walt's living relative his nephew Roy.E Disney was overhearing a joke which he took seriously of Ellison wanting to make an animated film involving every animated characters that Walt created to star in a pornographic film and as a result Ellison got fired.
P.S. What was Ellison job at the Disney Studio? He was suppose to be writing scripts for live action Disney films.
Poor Travers. She only made millions from the movie and subsequent book sales. What a tragedy.
So its all about money.
You must think Khloe Kardashian is an Einstein.
This guy wrote Terminator
"I've seen it once or twice, and I've learned to live with it. It's glamorous and it's a good film on its own level, but I don't think it is very like my books." P. L. Travers
Miss you man
10/15/2014
May God bless and keep you on this sad day. We've never met, much to my chagrin, but I plan to seek you out in the next reality...
I have seen the movie and was well aware that the majority of it was (more than likely) made up "bullshit" - but it works beautifully. I went in with a 'well, show me what you've got' attitude and, I admit, was moved to tears in places. It succeeds in telling a story by bastardising another story, granted, but it works and is well worth seeing. Just keep in mind that it's only a movie (albeit a very well made one that works remarkably well) and the 'truth' has nothing to do with this fictional representation. I understand what Harlan means, though - people will see 'based on a true story' and think that this is how it happened.
Harlan Ellison tells it like it is.
9:20 Why everyone who wants to create good work should read Harlan Ellison stories & follow this channel.
It's my understanding, Walt didn't much like black folks, either, and was adamant about never hiring any. So your observation that he was not who he went to great length to appear to be is not surprising to me.
>Walt didn't like black people and was adamant about never hiring any
...that couldn't be further from the truth if it tried. Song of the South was made under Disney's supervision and he personally campaigned for James Baskett to receive an Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, calling him "the finest actor, I believe, to be discovered in years".
@@AllardRT while I admit and accept your point, while hiring one man for one part in his entire enterprise, and heaping praise on his business deal, this is not the same thing as hiring a permanent artist or engineer, someone who would be aboutnthe place for 30 years. No, sir. My point is still valid.
I am in love with your vocab
Good ole Harlan...one of a kind
This guy is compelled to tell the truth.
3:02 "prevarication" perhaps? :)
tell it, Harlan. Already knew it, not surprised.
Thank you! Would love to know more!!!!
Another prolific author, Marc Twain, said, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
Then they shouldn't have made it directly based on real life events and take a big nasty dump on Traver's grave.
My comments on the SAVING MR. BANKS Facebook page: "I loved the film, Thompson and Hanks are terrific, but there were some glaring errors that took me out of the story. The film takes place in 1961. When Travers arrives in Los Angeles, a driver is holding a sign with the Warner Bros logo. That is the present day WB shield which looks like it was taken from a DVD. A Winnie the Pooh bear is among the stuffed toys in the hotel room. Disney did not release their first Pooh feature until 1966. During the first writing session with Travers and team Disney, many trays of snacks are brought in, including a plate of foil wrapped Hostess Ding Dongs, which didn't hit the marketplace until 1967.
agreed...even the typeset on the studio stage doors in the film are from the 90s,not the 60s
Great video! It is wonderful to see you dealing truth in your own inimitable style.
No one says "apparat" like Harlan Ellison...
love ya Harlan...go cat go!
Saying she went to her grave despising the movie is not completely accurate. In an interview which can be seen in the video named "The secret life of Mary Poppins" her exact words were "I have learned to live with it. It's glamorous and a good film on it's own level but I don't think it's very much like my book." The video makes the point that even though the movie was not like her book which made her angry, could she have been conflicted and moved by the film and how it related to her difficult childhood and troubled attempts to be a mother? And true to her character Mary Poppins, if she was conflicted and some of the tears were because of past life events, she wouldn't ever admit it. "No sentimentality remember". The narrator points out. But again, if you can't look at a film below the surface you can miss the point.
Funky picture frame. Where can I buy one :-)
......and this is all coming from a man that was fired from Disney for suggesting the Disney characters be in a porn.
I hope Harlan saved his pay check from disney. (Yes, lower case purposely.)
You sure showed them
Harlan! You look really good in this video. You've lost weight, I think! I wonder if you have a computer yet. This was a cool video, and thanks for the heads up, since I was planning to watch the Hanks film soon. I've noticed recently (okay I'm slow) that most people are unable to wrap their heads around the concept of an artist actually controlling and owning their creations. Maybe it's because folks are used to factory-made art, but time and again I've been seeing criticism of artists for choosing what they do with their own creations. Whether it's a film maker re-editing his own film years later or a comic artist re-drawing some pages of his own decades-old work, I'm seeing (or maybe just noticing) more criticism of artists for daring to control their own creations. It's weird. If I buy a house, and decide to paint it silver and install a pool, everyone agrees I have that right. If I want to redesign or change one of my old books, folks go mad!
It's always a pleasant surprise when this guy actually likes something.
Oh yea, well what have you done buddy?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_Ellison
.....Oh.
Am I the only person to think that Harlan Ellison, in old age, looks exactly like David Hedison when he's caught in the spider's web at the end of the 1958 version of "The Fly"?
Disney is indeed an Empire. It even absorbed the "kingdoms" of Stan Lee (Marvel, minus movie rights to a few series like Xmen), George Lucas (Lucasfilm, including ILM and Star Wars), John Lasseter (Pixar), and Jim Henson (The Muppets, minus sesame Street, which has its own company.) It even had Haim Saban's (adapted from Japan) Power Rangers, but they sold it off.
I have enjoyed Mr. Ellison's books. I have even joyed some of his ramblings in the past but sadly today I do not. What I see today is the paranoid delusions of a bitter old man. I wish Mr. Ellison only the best and hope he can find some peace.
Can you be even more condescending, with those 'wishes'? I know your kind, you are pathetic
I miss this guy
The world is an infinitely better place with Harlan Ellison in it.
Harlan, did you expect them to do otherwise?
Of course you didn't :-)
But as always, I thank you for delivering the goods.
If you are curious about the "few hours" that Mr. Ellison mentioned he worked for The Disney corporation, it is told in WoNdErFuL detail in the essay "The 3 Most Important Things In Life", which first appeared in the adult magazine "Oui" in November 1978, and was reprinted in his collection of stories & essays called "Stalking The Nightmare", 1982 Phantasia Press.
I urge you to find & read the essay. His 5 hours at Disney are in the 3rd part "Labor Relations". To summarize: he was hired to be a writer, he showed up in the morning, and at lunch he entertained others workers in the canteen by imitating the voices of Micky & other cartoons 'filming a porno'. Needless to say when he got back to his office after lunch, the door was locked, and he was informed he had been fired.
Go figure.
What he says in this video about "Uncle Walt", and the film "Saving Mr. Banks" is all TRUE, but take it with a grain of salt...... he does have an old ax to grind from getting fired after half a day back in 1968
Agreed
Thanks Harlan! I knew this film would be a hagiography of Walt but was interested in seeing it anyway for the lead actors' performances. I had read the books long ago and was well aware that the film bears little resemblance to them.
My favorite Disney films are 20,000 Leagues and Dr. Syn. Both tales were significantly revised from their origins, but can be said to be good yarns saved by their cast.
Verne's story did need a dramatic narrative which the jailbreak plot provided, and to my mind, enough of the moral ambiguity and conflict survived to make 20K watchable, if not quite as nuanced as the novel (Walter Miller's Naval Institute Press translation does Verne the honor long denied him by Lewis Mercier's anti-science butchery).
Thorndyke's Dr. Syn is better depicted by Peter Cushing (as Rev. Bliss) in Hammer's "Night Creatures", preserving the Rev. Dr. Syn's past as the pirate called Nathaniel Clegg. Though Disney only had the rights to the knock-off novel "Christopher Syn" by Buchanan, Patrick MacGoohan and Geoffrey Keene are well worth watching, and Disney shot the film on the Romney Marsh, making the film a visual treat.
Harlan is the greatest. He speaks his mind with no filter, a rare occurrence today.
I saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks and know what scene you are talking about when she is crying at the premiere viewing.
The movie was very good as it had a strong emotional element tied to the flashbacks of the young girl's father's demise.
I need help. I'm looking for an Ellison story that I read many years ago when I was a kid. It's about a woman who is about to slit her wrists (or does) in a bathtub, and when she does, all kinds of fantastic things appear to her (I'm pretty sure there were Disney characters or other cartoons), as if to entice her to stay in the world. Is there anyone who can tell me what story that is? I could be wrong, because all my books were stolen and I'm not sure if it's Ellison or someone else.
someone committing suicide in an Ellison story seems out of character