Bert

Bert is a character from the 1964 film Mary Poppins (film) Mary Poppins. He was portrayed by Dick Van Dyke

Background
Bert is a jack-of-all-trades distinguished by his cockney accent. He never stays with one trade too long, and adapts to current conditions. He is a long time friend of Mary Poppins, though their relationship is noted to be strictly platonic. He is shown to be very much at ease with Mary's magic, and implies that she has helped numerous families using her powers.

Role in the film
Bert appears at the beginning of the film, trying to earn money as a one-man-band. After impressing the crowd with various songs, as well as impromptu poetry, he notes a change in the weather, which he notes as a sign of events to come. He then notices the viewer. After being asked, he shows the viewer the route to 17 Cherry Tree Lane, home of the Banks family. Along the way, he introduces the viewer to some of the residents, and is warned by Admiral Boom, that the Banks residence is dealing with "heavy weather". Upon arrival, Bert is surprised to hear loud arguing coming from the home.

Later, Bert is shown trying to earn money as a street painter. He has drawn pictures depicting his adventures with Mary Poppins. Soon, Mary appears along with the Banks children, Jane and  Michael, for whom she has been employed as a nanny. Jane and Michael tell Bert that they are on their way to the park. Bert scoffs at the mundane outing, and is able to successfully goad Mary Poppins into transporting the group into one of his chalk drawings, a depiction of the English countryside.

While Jane and Michael go to a nearby fair, Bert and Mary enjoy a stroll through the countryside, and enjoy lunch at a small cafe. They talk of their long relationship, which is shown to be platonic. Afterwards, they join the children for a ride on Mary's private carousel. At Mary's word, the horses jump off the carousel, and the group enjoys a horseback ride. Along the way, Bert notices a fox running from hunters, and saves the fox by putting the fox onto his carousel horse. The two end up on a horse track, where they see Mary Poppins easily win the race. After being asked for a word to decribe herself, she tells them of her special word, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and Bert contributes by noting that he used to say the word to save his nose from being tweaked by his father for being rude for not speaking. Soon, it begins raining, and the group is forced to cut the outing short. Though Mary laments the loss of the chalk drawings, Bert notes that he intends to take advantage of the rain and change businesses, by selling hot chestnuts.

Bert appears the next day, at the home of Uncle Albert, who is "suffering" from a strange sickness. Apparently Uncle Albert has laughed too much, and is floating in the air, unable to come down. Bert warns the children not to laugh, as the condition is contagious. However, he succumbs to it himself, and joins Uncle Albert in the air. After the children float as well, Mary allows the bunch to enjoy tea together, by making the table float to join them. Eventually, the group floats to the ground, due to the sadness at realizing they must go home. Mary asks Bert to stay and keep an ye on Uncle Albert. He attempts to cheer Albert up with a joke, but fails.

After a disastrous outing with their father, Jane and Michael run away and become lost. They run into Bert, but do not recognize him initally, as he is covered in soot from cleaning chimneys. Bert helps them to understand that their father does not hate them as they fear, and takes them home. At the Banks residence, Bert is abruptly hired by Mrs. Banks to baby-sit the children, as it is Mary Poppins's day off. Bert cleans the chimney and allows the children to watch. Mary soon returns home after enjoying her day off, and warns the children of the danger. Just as she speaks, the children are drawn through the chimney onto the roof. Bert and Mary follow, and Mary leads the group on an exploration of the rooftops. The group runs into Bert's chimney sweep friends, and a joyous party breaks out, which eventually ends up at the Banks' home.

After Mr. Banks returns, Bert shoos off the chimney sweeps. As he is cleaning up he talks with Mr. Banks. Mr. Banks confides that he feels that the bank outing was a setup by Mary Poppins, and notes that his dreams have seemingly been shattered. Bert sympathizes, but implies that Mr. Banks has focused so much on work, that he has ignored the emotional needs of his children. Bert apologizes for troubling Mr. Banks and leaves.

Bert is seen at the end of the film, selling kites to various by-passers. He sees Mary Poppins as she is leaving, and asks her not to stay away too long.