(NAPS)—A party doesn’t have to deplete your monthly budget as long as you realize the purpose of entertaining is to have fun with friends. A dessert party is the perfect answer. Everyone loves dessert and, with only one course, the shopping is less expensive and you can often prepare the food beforehand. But what about the theme for the party? That leads us to an idea based on the Disney film “Saving Mr. Banks,” starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson—a ’60s Dessert Party.
(NAPS)—A party doesn’t have to deplete your monthly budget as long as you realize the purpose of entertaining is to have fun with friends. A dessert party is the perfect answer. Everyone loves dessert and, with only one course, the shopping is less expensive and you can often prepare the food beforehand. But what about the theme for the party? That leads us to an idea based on the Disney film “Saving Mr. Banks,” starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson—a ’60s Dessert Party.
A little background. Walt Disney’s “Mary Poppins,” one of the world’s most beloved and enduring family films ever, was released in the mid-1960s, the setting for “Saving Mr. Banks,” which is now on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The film tells the little-known story of how Walt (Hanks) convinced author Pamela “P. L.” Travers (Thompson) to agree to a movie based on her best-selling book series. In many meetings, the stubborn Travers insists Disney and his team stick to the exact details of her novels. Eventually, Walt makes her understand that despite taking some liberties, using imagination and creativity does achieve what Travers really wanted to say.
Creativity, of course, went into duplicating the early to mid-’60s style and look of “Saving Mr. Banks,” a key component of which was food. TV and film food stylist Chris Oliver (“About Last Night,” “The Master”; TV’s “Parenthood,” “Masters of Sex,” “Boardwalk Empire”) was brought in to handle the design.
Ms. Oliver’s primary focus was the writers’ room scenes where Walt had plentiful dessert fare wheeled in for breaks. Some of the most popular desserts from the ’60s were featured. “The food was meant to reflect a time line for Mrs. Travers, who, at first, was entirely negative about everything Disney. When she first arrives in the room, we put out tons of premade desserts loaded with preservatives—Sno Balls, Twinkies, etc. (I was particularly proud of the red/green/orange Mickey Jell-O mold.) As the film progresses and Travers softens, we brought in more homemade items with pure ingredients.”
Oliver sees the movie as the perfect inspiration for a retro-themed ladies’ dessert party. To throw a classic ’60s party, she recommends starting with “a pastel color scheme, Pyrex serving dishes, fun Jell-O molds, cheese and fruit platters, and cakes with lots of frosting. Popular desserts of the ’60s are coconut or butter cakes, baked Alaska, soufflés, berry pies and pineapple upside-down cake.”
One of Chris Oliver’s favorite dishes inspired by the ’60s is cherry pie, but her special recipe is a timeless classic with ingredients that haven’t changed for more than a century. For Chris’ Cherry Pie and other favorite ’60s recipes, visit www.facebook.com/SavingMrBanks.
To get more into the spirit of the era as you watch the film together, put on a pot of tea and provide a few side snack dishes like deviled eggs or Walt Disney’s personal favorite, chili: (http:// blogs.disney.com/insider/recipes/ 2013/02/04/walts-own-chili/).
For more information about Chris Oliver and her cooking and food styling tips, please visit www.hollywoodfoodstyling.com. For more information about the “Saving Mr. Banks” Blu-ray™ and DVD, please visit www.movies.disney.com.
