Umbrella Series #2-"What you say when you don't know what to say"

I need to toss an opinion out into the world. I realize that, at the risk of appearing hard-hearted, tasteless or elitist, I may incur mass censure. However, it must be noted: I do not like 'The Sound of Music' (1965). Even though it was inspired by the real-life drama of the Von Trapp's , I have never, for a split second, been able to force myself, even through liberal self-application of guilt, to give a fig about their fictionalized stand-ins. The song 'My Favorite Things' serves only to nauseate me. I dodge it as best I can every Christmas time, when it is treated as some sort of holiday anthem.
The only vintage Julie Andrews film I truly appreciate is, of course, 'Mary Poppins' (1964). Not only does it feature an enjoyably miscast Dick Van Dyke, it is replete with goofily addictive tunes and trippy sets. I loved to sing along with it as a kid. Its saccharine moral message was lost on me but I could spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious at quite a precocious age.
From an episode of The Simpsons to Anne Hathaway's recent SNL sketch, parodies abound: a sure, affectionate indication of its permanent place in pop-culture. Re-viewing it as an adult, it is not so sweet after all. As an engagingly sly fantasy, it is way less sugar-coated than 'Music'. Plus, it has that aerodynamic umbrella, surely the most famous in cinema history, behind Gene Kelly's 'Singin' in the Rain' dance partner. Not just a prop, the enigmatic Mary Poppins' black brolly is integral to the plot, giving definition to her character as soon as she comes into view: this is no wall-flower. Anyone willing to so serenely fly over the city of London, clutching nothing but an umbrella ,with one hand, is obviously balls-out fabulous.

(This is #2 in a series inspired by National Umbrella Month)