Watch a Younger Julie Andrews Settle for Her Finest Actress Oscar for Mary Poppins

It was a jolly vacation certainly on Aug. 27, 1964, when the Disney traditional Mary Poppins hit theaters.

The movie starred two actors who have been then up-and-comers: Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It in the end made greater than $100 million on the field workplace and has remained a household staple ever since.

Following its launch, the movie made mega-stars out of its leads, incomes them each countless award nominations and for Andrews, a Finest Actress Oscar — her sole Academy Award.

On the 1965 present, the 29-year-old star was up in opposition to fellow icons Anne Bancroft (The Pumpkin Eater), Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Type), Debbie Reynolds (The Unsinkable Molly Brown) and Kim Stanley (Seance on a Moist Afternoon).

Tv legend Bob Hope helped current alongside actor Sidney Poitier, who one yr prior had received his first Finest Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Subject.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is right here! How shortly are you able to resolve it? Play now!

Andrews was visibly shocked when her title was referred to as; she gave a kiss to then-husband Tony Walton earlier than ascending the stage, as Van Dyke stood applauding enthusiastically.

“Thanks! Thanks. Oh that is beautiful,” the actress mentioned. “I do know you People are well-known to your hospitality, however that is actually ridiculous.”

She continued, “I’ve so many thank-yous I solely know the place to start out, and that is with Mr. Walt Disney. And naturally, he has the biggest thank-you of all. I would not know the place to cease.”

“I might one way or the other prefer to try to convey my actually deep gratitude and, effectively, gratefulness — effectively I simply mentioned that did not I! — for being made to really feel so actually welcome on this nation. Thanks very a lot certainly.”

Andrews has two extra Finest Actress Oscar nominations to her title, for The Sound of Music in 1966 and Victor/Victoria in 1983. Van Dyke has by no means been nominated for an Oscar, however his intensive TV work earned him 9 Primetime Emmy nominations and 4 wins, particularly for The Dick Van Dyke Present.

Chatting with PEOPLE in 2018 as Mary Poppins Returns hit theaters, Van Dyke mentioned he and Andrews “had a sense” their authentic movie “was going to work.”

“Walt Disney walked me to room after room with watercolor work of all of the totally different scenes,” he shared. “And I walked out of there on air. He had me offered. And the rating simply wiped me out.”

Disney recruited Andrews for the half after seeing her on Broadway in Camelot; in a clip from the Mary Poppins premiere, he recalled going backstage, the place he “tried to speak her into the factor. I attempted to persuade her I used to be able to making an image with dwell actors in addition to cartoons … I believe I placed on fairly an act that evening.”

Van Dyke informed PEOPLE that his chemistry with Andrews, now 88, “felt proper from the start. She’s acquired a little bit little bit of British aristocracy in her — that fantastic accent — however she’s a little bit of an imp on the within!”

By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free day by day publication to remain up-to-date on the very best of what PEOPLE has to supply​​, from superstar information to forcing human curiosity tales. 

And Andrews recalled assembly the legendary actor in the course of the two-hour Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic CBS particular in December 2023.

The actress mentioned that her costar, now 98, was “younger, match as may be, and actually beautiful to take a look at” at first sight, admitting that assembly him was “daunting.”

“I might by no means made a film earlier than, and I might given delivery to my beautiful daughter Emma practically six weeks earlier, and I shortly realized that I had higher pull my socks up and get in form,” she mentioned. “I discovered it fairly daunting, I can let you know. Dick couldn’t have been kinder, extra genuinely candy and useful. I prefer to assume that we did bond immediately.”