Watch CBS News

Redford Theatre Shows Off Renovations With Magical 'Mary Poppins' Weekend

REDFORD (WWJ) - After two months of renovations, The Redford Theatre is back in business and they're kicking it all off with a special showing of a childhood classic -- Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins."

Jim Korkis, a Disney historian and author of several books about the famed mass media company, stopped by the CBS Detroit studios to talk about this weekend's events. He said "Mary Poppins" will be playing at the theater on Friday at 8 p.m. and again on Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for families or a date night to come and see Mary Poppins the way that Walt wanted it, in a lavish movie palace with people who are also excited," he said. "Even if you've seen it 1,000 times before, it will be like you're seeing it for the first time."

Korkis said you can feel good about attending the showing because proceeds from the event are being donated toward a worthy cause.

"This is sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Disneyana Fan Club, and they're using this as a fundraiser for the Michigan Chapter of Make-a-Wish. So how wonderful is that, that we're going to be able to make dreams come true for children? It's very much in keeping with Walt's philosophy, very much in keeping with the philosophy of the movie Mary Poppins, where all it takes is just the littlest, a tuppence, two pennies, and you can transform the world with kindness," he said.

Korkis said it's also a chance to see a film that almost never was. He said the author of the book "Mary Poppins," Pamela Linden-Traverse, was not too thrilled about Disney transforming her masterpiece into a film.

"She did not want Walt Disney to touch this because she did not want Mary Poppins to be a cartoon, and Walt assured her that he could do live action, and she finally agreed but she had final script approval, she was a consultant and so she argued with Walt every step of the way," he said.

Tickets for all showings are $5 a piece. For more information, visit www.redfordtheatre.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.