Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at Bedknobs & Broomsticks

Welcome back to Deep Dive Disney my friends, where today, we’ll be looking at a personal favorite of mine that I’ve been excited to take a look at for quite some time, the 1971 Disney Classic, Bedknobs & Broomsticks. Before we get into the movie itself, it’s very much impossible to discuss the particulars of this film without discussing another noteworthy Disney classic, Mary Poppins, a film we’ll be covering very soon. See, it’s been well publicized by this point that the battle of the film rights for Mary Poppins was a tumultuous one to say the least. Faced with that sort of uncertainty, Walt and his team came up with Bedknobs & Broomsticks, based on a 1945 book by Mary Norton called The Magic Bed Knob as a sort of backup plan. Fast forward a bit and Mary Poppins is a smash hit and then a few years later, Walt passes on, leaving his team to try and replicate the success of Poppins. Still having the Magic Bed Knob idea in their back pocket, they strived to make this movie the next Mary Poppins, even going so far as to include some Sherman Brothers songs originally written for Poppins and casting George Banks himself, David Tomlinson, as the male lead, Professor Emelius Browne. Fun fact, the role of Eglantine Price was originally offered to Julie Andrews, who initially turned it down, only changing her mind after Angela Lansbury had already been cast. So, what is it that we’re looking at here? Well, our story brings us to England during World War II, where a woman named Eglantine Price is reluctantly charged with the task of taking care of three children orphaned during the blitz. One night, the children make a most unusual discovery. Miss Price is a witch, practicing the dark arts through a correspondence college in the hopes of using them to end the threat of the Third Reich. However, when the college unexpectedly closes down before she is able to receive the final spell she needs, Miss Price and the children head to London (utilizing a bed with a magical teleporting knob, hence the title) to find the head of the College, Professor Emelius Browne. Unfortunately, it turns out Mr. Browne is little more than con artist who found a bunch of nonsense words in an old book and sold them in the hopes of making some quick cash, having no idea the magic actually worked. Now, to stop an impending Nazi invasion, Miss Price, the children, and professor Browne go on an adventure to find the final spell. So, let us waste no further time and get into, Bedknobs & Broomsticks.

Main Character:

Two main characters this time around, Eglantine Price and Emelius Browne. With Miss Price, it’s very clear that they’re trying to make her a new Mary Poppins. That’s all well and good, but the thing is, as we’ll see when we eventually cover that film, Poppins is kind of a one of a kind character and trying to replicate that magic usually results in a pale imitation. As such, Ms. Price, through no fault of her own, feels like the poor man’s Poppins. That having been said, there is still a lot to like about Miss Price. She’s tough as nails, driven, and doesn’t suffer fools. Those who push her too far end up getting turned into rabbits for their troubles, albeit temporarily. She’s also fiercely loyal to her country, willing to dabble in the dark arts in order to save it from the Nazis. Helping her case is the fact that she’s played by the legendary Angela Lansbury, who was already a mega star in the world of theatre at this point. Lansbury brings a charm and charisma to the role that few actresses of the time truly could. So, I’m glad she’s here.

Professor Emelius Browne is played by the great David Tomlinson and he is just a delight, much more so than he was allowed to be in Mary Poppins. Like I said, he’s a con artist with a bit of an inflated ego, but ultimately, he’s got enough charm that you end up liking him despite his faults. He seems to be someone who can talk his way out of any situation just because he’s a likable guy. And he’s not a heartless man by any means, he does grow to care for Miss Price as well as the children and while he freaks out at the idea of becoming a husband and father to these people he's just met, he does step up for them when it counts.

Villain:

NaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNaNa NAZIS!!!!

You know what’s useful about Nazis? You’ll probably say nothing and in most cases, you’d be absolutely right. At least I’d hope that’d be true of most of my readers. However, say you’re writing a story and you want your villain to be an evil scumbag with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Just make ‘em a Nazi and your work is half done. Mind you, these particular Nazis don’t factor into the plot that much and don’t even show up until the climax, but hey, we never got to see Poppins kicking Nazi ass, so that’s a point in this movie’s favor

There’s also this strange character called The Bookman who is setup as a major antagonist and someone who has a history with Mr. Browne but after his one scene, the film just sort of forgets about him. Weird.

Side Characters:

Let’s talk about the children, Paul, Carrie and Charlie. As a personal rule, I don’t go too hard on child actors. I’m no actor, but I’ve known many and I know that acting is a skill that takes a long time to master, and when one is so young, it can be hard to be expected to perform at such a level. However, storytelling often times calls for children so you gotta do what you gotta do. Once in a while, if you’re very lucky, you’ll end up with a Daniel Radcliffe or a Hailee Steinfeld, but more often than not, you just have to play the hand you’re dealt. All of that having been said, Jesus Christ these kids were insufferable! The girl is okay, and the only one of the three who can act, but the movie barely gives her anything to do. Paul, the youngest child is just grating for the most part, and then there’s Charlie. This little shit balances the delicate line between being a complete jackass and being utterly bland. It’s a weird balance. Every minute this kid is being an obstinate little shit. So annoying.

Miss Price has a cat. His name is Cosmic Creepers. He is not amused.

The film also has an extended animated sequence that features an island filled with talking animals, leading to my theory that this movie exists in the same universe as both Robin Hood and Zootopia. The sequence is fine, if not ultimately pointless, but some of the characterizations are a bit baffling. There's a bear dressed like Donald Duck who is NOT voiced by Phil Harris. That feels a bit weird. Also, the king talks like a pirate for some reason. I swear, if they made this movie today, he'd be played by Clancy Brown and he'd be using the exact same voice he uses for Mr. Krabs.

Songs:

Lots of great songs in this one so let’s go through them one by one.

The Old Home Guard is a fun little opening number, even if it really doesn’t connect to the rest of the story all that much.

The Age of Not Believing is a number about how when you get older, it’s harder for you to believe in magic. Miss Price sings it when Charlie is being a douchey little skeptic, despite the fact that five minutes ago he was turned into a rabbit.

There was a song cut from the film called With a Flair, sung by Browne while he’s performing his street magic act. It’s actually a really fun song and I wish they'd found a way to keep it in.

Eglantine is a great song from Browne where he tries to court Miss Price into joining him in Show Business. It’s one of my favorites in the movie, and the melody is catchy as all hell. I’ve found myself humming it in the shower many times.

My absolute favorite song in the movie is called Portobello Road. Portobello Road is a huge trader’s market where you can buy pretty much anything and everything a chap can unload. One of my favorite bits of the entire movie is Browne spotting the other con artists because he’s probably pulled plenty of cons like this in the past, it’s really fun. In the second half of the sequence the whole thing transforms into a big song and dance sequence. And the cherry on top, a cameo from the great Thurl Ravenscroft.

The Beautiful Briny, a song originally written for Mary Poppins, is a nice little number that takes place under the sea. Fun fact, this was the first clip of the movie I ever saw as it was featured on one of the old Disney Sing-A-Long tapes, of which I owned many as a small child.

Finally, there’s Substitutiary Locomotion, the big number where Miss Price finally gets the spell she needs. This feels like it comes straight out of Mary Poppins, and I mean that in the best way. The song is catchy, but also a lot of fun as we see dancing shoes and dresses everywhere. For 1971, these effects are actually pretty impressive.

Memorable Scenes:

Pretty much any time Miss Price turns someone into a rabbit is absolutely hilarious. I really like Miss Price’s take no shit attitude when it comes to people trying to exploit her. It’s especially fun when she does it to Charlie who, at that point, is trying to black mail her after finding out she’s a witch. Now, if it were me, I’d think twice about messing with a practitioner of the dark arts, but this kid is really dumb. As it seems is Mr. Browne who gets turned into a Rabbit multiple times when he gets a little too familiar with Miss Price.

Story:

I honestly don’t know if this movie was going for any deeper meaning. It’s just trying to be a fun little film that captures the spirit of Mary Poppins, and while I don’t think it replicates the magic of Poppins exactly, it still does a great job being a fun experience. And hey, the movie succeeds in having bigger stakes than Poppins so there’s that. Hell, the image of Angela Lansburry in a British military helmet, wielding a sword, riding a broomstick and commanding a ghost army is cooler than anything we see in Poppins. It kind of gives off some Harry Potter meets Inglorious Bastards vibes. If there is one thing in this movie I don't especially care for, it's the ending. Miss Price has vanquished the Nazi invasion force with the army of animated suits of armor from the museum, proving her belief that witchcraft can be used to fight the Nazis, and then she just up and quits being a witch altogether, leaving Browne to go off and fight in the war. I'm sorry, but that ending is just lame a reeks of an outdated patriarchal mentality. You mean the wimpy con man is a more valuable asset to the war effort than Jessica Fletcher with Magical Powers? Bullshit!

The Dark Disney Factor:

While this is not an especially dark movie, there are some dark moments. After all, this entire movie ends with Angela Lansbury summoning a nightmarish ghost army to fight Nazis. There’s also little things here and there that make this movie way darker than it needs to be. How about the unexploded bomb in the yard of the house Browne is squatting in? Or the animals horribly mangling each other during a soccer game? How about the fact that they use the word soccer in a British movie? That’s not dark, but it is blasphemous, even to a dumb American like me. Finally, there’s something that’s less dark and more… inappropriate. See, the way they get around in this movie is by way of a magical bed knob that belongs to young Paul. They reference “his knob” quite a bit in this movie. For those who don’t know, “knob” is actually British slang for someone’s penis… so, out of context, Paul referring to his knob sounds extremely uncomfortable.

Final Thoughts: While it may never escape the shadow of Mary Poppins, Bedknobs & Broomsticks will forever be cemented as a Disney classic in my eyes. It is filled to the brim with charm, fun and some iconic performances. However, we've discussed Mary Poppins quite a bit in this article, so, let's not wait. Next time, in a very special Patreon Exclusive article, Deep Dive Disney will be looking at one of the undisputed Disney classics, Mary Poppins.