Main content

Julie Andrews

Sue Lawley's castaway is the singer Julie Andrews.

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is Julie Andrews, the star of such film favourites as Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Julie Andrews discovered she had an unusual talent for singing quite early and first appeared on stage alongside her step-father and her mother in their act, touring the Variety theatres of Great Britain in the 1940s and early 1950s. She had an enormous hit in a show at the London Hippodrome Theatre when she was just a teenager, and then appeared regularly on Educating Archie, one of radio's biggest programmes in the 1950s.

But it was appearing on Broadway that led her to being cast in the stage version of My Fair Lady, with Rex Harrison that really began to establish her as an international star, and then her first movie role, as Mary Poppins, which won her an Oscar that brought her to the attention of millions worldwide.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Piano Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel
Book: The Once and Future King by T H White
Luxury: Piano

Available now

40 minutes

Last on

Fri 20 Aug 1993 09:05

Music Played

  • John Ireland

    Amberley Wild Brooks

    Performer: Eric Parkin.
    • Piano Music Vol 2.
    • Lyrita.
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams

    The Lark Ascending

    • Vaughn Williams/Elgar Lco2.
    • Virgin Classics.
  • Johannes Brahms

    Violin Concerto in D major

    • Violinkonzert.
    • EMI.
  • Giacomo Puccini

    Nessun dorma

    • Decca.
  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Maurice Ravel

      Piano Concerto in G Major

      • EMI.
  • Aaron Copland

    Buckaroo Holiday (Rodeo - 4 dance episodes)

    Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony. Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas.
    • EMI.
  • Sergey Prokofiev

    Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major

    • Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Edward Elgar

    Introduction and Allegro for Strings

    • EMI.
  • Book Choice

    • The Once and Future King - T H White

  • Luxury Choice

    • Piano

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Sue Lawley
Interviewed Guest Julie Andrews

Broadcasts

  • Sun 18 Oct 1992 12:15
  • Fri 23 Oct 1992 09:05
  • Fri 20 Aug 1993 09:05

Featured in...

The Desert Island Discs podcast

The Desert Island Discs podcast

Subscribe or download individual episodes.

Listen to over 2,000 programmes

Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.

Articles

Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.

Podcast