City of Las Vegas opens Family Film Festival

Monday, July 8, 2002 | 9:16 a.m.

When the clever and adventurous Mary Poppins floated via her umbrella into an English neighborhood in the movie "Mary Poppins," she became legendary.

Melodically uttering such phrases as "spit spot," "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "just a spoonful of sugar ... " while forever changing the lives of the wealthy Banks family with her magic and righteous attitude, the nanny would be adored and occasionally mocked for decades.

On Thursday Mary Poppins (played by Julie Andrews), the Banks family, Bert (Dick Van Dyke) and a score of animated penguins featured in the 1964 movie will be seen on the big screen as the city of Las Vegas kicks off this year's outdoor Family Film Festival at Jaycee Park.

Fantasy musical classics is the theme of this year's festival.

Other films scheduled for the festival include 1971's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," in which a lonely and eccentric chocolate family owner opens the doors to his mysterious, surrealistic and psychedelic world, 1968's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the 1939 classic, "The Wizard of Oz."

The films for this year's lineup were chosen because of their fun music, their fantasy nature and their return to innocence, said Colleen Duffy, cultural specialist with the Artreach Unit of the city's Cultural Arts Division.

"They're just so loved by many different generations," Duffy said. "They're all such optimistic films. They're happy. They're wholesome. You can take the whole family." And, she added, "A lot of kids, and even adults, haven't had a chance to see these movies on the big screen."

Picnic baskets, blankets and lawnchairs are welcome during the run of the annual film festival.