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The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U.S. and its territories to rate a film's thematic and content suitability for certain audiences. The MPAA rating scheme applies only to films submitted for rating. The MPAA rating system is a voluntary scheme not enforced by law; and films can be exhibited without a rating, though many theaters refuse to exhibit non-rated or X-rated films. Non-members of MPAA may also submit films for rating.^[1] Other media (such as television programs and video games) may be rated by other entities. The MPAA rating system is one of various motion picture rating systems used to help parents decide what movies are appropriate for their children.

In the United States, the MPAA rating scheme is the most-recognized guide for parents regarding the content of films and each rating has been trademarked by MPAA so that they cannot be used by other organizations. The MPAA system has been criticized for the secrecy of its decisions as well as for perceived inconsistencies.^[2]

The MPAA's rating system is administered by the Classification & Ratings Administration, which is not a government agency. MPAA ratings serve primarily as a consumer suggestion by a group of corporate analysts. After screening films, their personal opinions are used to arrive at one of five ratings. Theater owners voluntarily agree to enforce corporate film ratings as determined by the MPAA, which in turn facilitates their access to new film releases.

Films are often released with different versions and different ratings, as versions that may be unprofitable in theaters may have better success in the home entertainment market (see the section entitled "Commercial viability of the NC-17 rating" below).

Ratings[link]

Since 1990, the MPAA movie ratings have been as follows:

Rating symbol	Meaning[3]
	G – General Audiences All ages admitted (1968–present)
	PG – Parental Guidance Suggested Some material may not be suitable for children (1978–present; between 1972 and 1984, the word "children" instead read "pre-teenagers.")
	PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (1984–present)
	R – Restricted Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. (1970–present; during 1968 and 1969, the designated age was 16)
	NC-17 – No Children Under 17 (1996–present; between 1990 and 1996, the wording was "No One Under 17 Admitted")

If a film is not submitted for rating, the label NR (Not Rated) or UR (Unrated) is often used. Many older films have the label NR or UR, but merely because a film is labelled NR or UR does not always mean that it is unsuitable for children.

History[link]

Replacement of Hays Code[link]

Jack Valenti, who had become president of the MPAA in May 1966, deemed the Hays Code – in place since 1930 and rigorously enforced since July 1, 1934 – as hopelessly out of date and no longer appropriate for the current film and cultural environment. He felt compelled to take this position by the release of major studio films such as The Pawnbroker (1965), Blow-Up (1966), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), which were among the first to feature nudity and profanity.^[4]

Valenti felt action was required on the part of the respective studios to edit their films appropriately, but that having to deal with each film one at a time in this manner was awkward and inefficient.^[4] The Code was revised in 1966 to include the "SMA" (Suggested for Mature Audiences) advisory as a stopgap measure. However, Valenti realized that a new approach to film rating was needed in response to "the irresistible force of creators determined to make 'their films'", and to avoid "the possible intrusion of government into the movie arena".^[4]

On November 1, 1968, the voluntary MPAA film rating system took effect, with three organizations serving as its monitoring and guiding groups: the MPAA, the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), and the International Film Importers & Distributors of America (IFIDA).^[4]

The original movie ratings were^[4]:

• G: General Audiences – Suggested for General Audiences – (all ages)
• M: Mature Audiences – Suggested for Mature Audiences – Parental Discretion Advised
• R: Restricted – People Under 16 Not Admitted Unless Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian
• X: Adults Only – People Under 18 will not be Admitted (changed to 17 later that year)

This content classification system originally was to have three ratings with the intention of allowing parents to take their children to any film they choose. However, the National Association of Theater Owners urged the creation of an adults only category, fearful of possible legal problems in local jurisdictions. The "X" rating was not an MPAA trademark: any producer not submitting a movie for MPAA rating could self-apply the "X" rating (or any other symbol or description that was not an MPAA trademark).^[4]

With the MPAA's introduction of its rating system, the U.S. was a latecomer as far as film classification was concerned. Countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom had begun this practice earlier in the 20th century.^[5]

From M to GP to PG[link]

The M rating was changed because parents were confused as to whether "M"-rated films or "R"-rated films had more intense content. This led to the "GP" rating in January 1970.^[6]

The ratings used from 1970 to 1972 were:

• Rated G: All Ages Admitted. General Audiences.
• Rated GP: All ages Admitted. Parental Guidance Suggested.
• Rated R: Restricted. Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
• Rated X: No One Under 17 Admitted.

Also in 1970 the ages of viewers admitted to R- and X-rated movies was raised from 16 to 17. It was then changed from 17 to 18 for X to stop underage kids from seeing pornography.^[7][8] However, the age on the X rating varied per the jurisdiction.^{[citation needed]}

By 1972, parents perceived the "GP" rating as not indicative of a film's true content. In 1971, the MPAA added content advisories such as: Contains material not generally suitable for pre-teenagers. In February 1972 the MPAA replaced the GP rating with the new PG rating.^[9]

The ratings used from 1972 to 1984 were:

• Rated G: General Audiences – All Ages Admitted.
• Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not be Suitable for Pre-Teenagers.
• Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
• Rated X: No One Under 17 Admitted.

By late 1978, the PG rating was reworded, with pre-teenagers being replaced with children.^[10][11]

Adoption of PG-13 rating[link]

In 1984, explicit violence and gore in the films Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins caused an uproar among parents over their PG rating.^[12][13] Their complaints led Hollywood figure Steven Spielberg, director of Temple of Doom and producer of Gremlins, to suggest a new rating to MPAA president Jack Valenti for movies that have too much adult content to be rated PG, but not quite enough to be rated R. Spielberg's suggestion was for an intermediate rating of PG-13 or PG-14.^[14] On conferring with cinema owners, Valenti and the MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating on July 1, 1984, indicating that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The Spielberg films were never re-rated.

The first film distributed with a PG-13 rating was Red Dawn (1984). Dreamscape and The Woman in Red were released on the same day the following week. The Flamingo Kid (1984) was the first film to receive the rating, but was not released until December 1984.^[15]

The ratings used from 1984 to 1986 were:

• Rated G: General Audiences – All Ages Admitted.
• Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not be Suitable for Children.
• Rated PG-13: Parents Are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13 – Some Material may be Inappropriate for Children Under 13.
• Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
• Rated X: No One Under 17 Admitted.

In 1986, the PG-13 rating's wording was changed to: Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May be Inappropriate for Children Under 13.

X is replaced by NC-17[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

In the rating system's early years, X-rated movies, such as Midnight Cowboy (1969), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Fritz the Cat (1972), and Last Tango in Paris (1973) were understood to be non-pornographic films with adult content that were nonetheless mainstream films that did well at the box office. However, pornographic films – if rated at all – sometimes self-imposed the non-trademarked X rating. Thus, the X rating (along with the hyperbolic "XXX", typically for hardcore pornography) soon became a synonym for pornography in American mainstream culture.^[16]

In 1989, two critically acclaimed art films, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, were released featuring very strong adult content. Neither was approved for an R rating, thus limiting their commercial distribution.^[1]

On September 27, 1990, the MPAA introduced the rating NC-17 ("No Children Under 17 Admitted") as its official rating for adult-oriented films bearing the MPAA seal.^[17] Henry & June was the first film to receive the NC-17 rating.^[17][18]

The ratings used from 1990 to the late 1990s were:

• Rated G: General Audiences – All Ages Admitted.
• Rated PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not be Suitable for Children.
• Rated PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May be Inappropriate for Children Under 13.
• Rated R: Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
• Rated NC-17: No Children 17 or Under Admitted.

In the late 1990s the NC-17 rating age limit was changed by rewording it from "No Children Under 17 Admitted" to "No One 17 And Under Admitted". In January 18, 2012, it was changed back to "No Children Under 17". And, in practice, media that refused to advertise X-rated films and movies also refused to advertise NC-17 movies and films.^{[citation needed]} In addition, large video distribution businesses such as Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video refused to stock NC-17 movies.^[19]

Re-released films[link]

Midnight Cowboy was rated X when released in 1969, but re-rated R in 1971.^[20]

Additional information for parents[link]

Since September 1990, the MPAA has added brief explanations of why a particular film received an R rating, allowing parents to know what type of content the film contained. For example, Martin Scorcese's 2006 film The Departed was rated R for "Strong Brutal Violence, Pervasive Language, Some Strong Sexual Content, and Drug Material". Sometime later, the MPAA began applying rating explanations for PG, PG-13 and NC-17 films as well.^[21]

As of October 2011^[update], most, if not all, films assigned with an official MPAA rating provide reasons as to why they were rated because of said content. Some pre-1990 films may contain rating explanations if re-released for home video.

Advertising materials[link]

The MPAA also rates film trailers, print advertising, posters, and other media used to promote a film. Trailers are commonly referred to as "green band", "yellow band", or "red band" based on the rating given to the trailer by the MPAA. Green, yellow, or red title cards displayed before the start of a trailer indicates the trailer's rating.

• Green band: approved for all or appropriate audiences; can be shown before a movie with any rating.
• Yellow band: approved for age-appropriate audiences; Internet trailers only.^[22]
• Red band: approved for restricted audiences; can be shown before R, NC-17 or unrated films.^[23]

Rating process[link]

Language[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2011)

• If a film uses "one of the harsher sexually derived words" (such as fuck) one to four times, it is routine today for the film to receive a PG-13 rating, provided that the word is used as an expletive and not with a sexual meaning (this was mentioned in Be Cool, when Chili Palmer complains about the movie industry.).^{[citation needed]} There has been two exceptions so far: Gunner Palace, a documentary of soldiers in the Second Gulf War, has 42 uses of the word, 2 used sexually^[24], and The Hip Hop Project has 17 uses^[25]. Both films were appealed in order to get PG-13 ratings from the MPAA.

Drugs[link]

• A reference to drugs, such as marijuana, usually gets a movie a PG-13 rating at a minimum. A well known example of an otherwise PG movie getting a PG-13 for a drug reference (momentary, along with brief language) is Whale Rider. The film contained only mild profanity but received a PG-13 because of a scene where drug paraphernalia were briefly visible. Critic Roger Ebert criticized the MPAA for the rating and called it "a wild overreaction."^[26]
• In May 2007, the MPAA announced that depictions of cigarette smoking would be considered in a film's rating.^[27][28]

Walt Disney Pictures no longer allows smoking in its movies, or at least in its newer movies, as at least one older movie, 101 Dalmatians, was released uncut on DVD after Disney banned smoking in its films despite the fact that it features Cruella de Vil and Roger Radcliffe as heavy smokers. The 2011 Nickelodeon-animated film Rango caused some controversy over its PG rating among anti-smoking advocates. It was argued that the movie showed over sixty depictions of characters smoking in the film, and was therefore inappropriate for the child-friendly PG rating.^[29]

Sexual content[link]

As of 2010, the MPAA has added a descriptor of "male nudity" to movies featuring said content.^[30]

MPAA Ratings Board[link]

According to This Film Is Not Yet Rated, the members of the board as of December 2005^[31] were:

• Joan Graves, Chair
• Anthony "Tony" Hey, Senior Rater, 61,
• Scott Young, Senior Rater, 51,
• Joann Yatabe, Senior Rater, 61,
• Matt Ioakimedes, 46,
• Barry Freeman, 45,
• Arleen Bates, 44,
• Joan Worden, 56,
• Howard Fridkin, 47,
• Kori Jones, now deceased

and the MPAA Appeals Board members:

• Matt Brandt, President, Trans-Lux Theatres
• Pete Cole, Film Buyer, The Movie Experience
• Bruce Corwin, Chairman & CEO, Metropolitan Theatres
• Alan Davy, Film Buyer, Regal Entertainment Group
• Mike Doban, President, Archangelo Entertainment
• Steve Gilula, CEO 20th Century Fox
• Frank Haffar, COO, Maya Cinemas
• John Lodigian, Vice President of Sales, AMC Theatres
• Michael McClellan, Vice President & Film Buyer, Landmark Theatres
• Milton Moritz, CA/NV Chapter President, National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
• Lew Westenberg, VP of Operations West Coast Division, Loews Cineplex Theatres
• Jonathan Wolf, Director, American Film Market
• Reverend James Wall, United Methodist Minister, National Council of Churches
• Harry Forbes, Representative, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

According to the documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated out of all the rating systems across over 30 different countries only the American system are the members not disclosed by the organization. Members must sign contracted agreements that they will not disclose any information about the MPAA to the public. ^[31]

Effects of ratings[link]

During the last decade PG ratings have begun to be associated with children's films, and are widely considered to be commercially bad for films targeted at teenagers and adults. For example, the 2004 film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which was not targeted at children, received a PG rating, which some believe caused it to underperform at the box office as preteens and teenagers may have brushed it off as a "kiddie flick".^[32]

Commercial viability of the NC-17 rating[link]

In its initial years of use, few movies with the NC-17 rating were profitable. Today, the NC-17 rating is found primarily in art house films where patrons are less likely to have a positive or negative impression of the rating. During the controversy about the MPAA's decision to give the film Blue Valentine an NC-17 rating (the Weinstein Company challenged this decision, and the MPAA ended up rewarding the same cut an R rating on appeal), star Ryan Gosling noted that NC-17 films are not allowed wide advertisement and that, given the refusal of major cinema chains like AMC and Regal to show NC-17s, many such films will never be accessible to people who live in markets that do not have art house theatres.

In 1995, United Artists released the big-budget film Showgirls (1995). It became the most widely-distributed movie with an NC-17 rating (showing in 1,388 cinemas simultaneously), but a financial failure that grossed only 45% of its $45 millon budget.^[33] This helped establish the perception that the NC-17 rating was commercially untenable.

When the horror film Scream was submitted, it received an NC-17 rating for its graphic violence. However, Miramax Films, which funded the film, refused to release a film with this rating, so director Wes Craven fought long and hard, making many cuts to attempt to get an R rating. In the end, it took a second showing, with the members having an open mind toward the humorous subject matter, to get the wanted rating. Ironically, when the film was released to video, the version shown was the original, uncut version, though that was fixed in subsequent releases.

Requiem for a Dream (2000) was given an NC-17 rating. When Darren Aronofsky refused to edit the film for an R rating, Artisan Entertainment backed him up by releasing an unrated final cut. An R-rated cut was released later.

Some modest successes can be found among NC-17 theatrical releases, however. Fox Searchlight Pictures released the original NC-17-rated American edition of the European movie The Dreamers (2003) in theaters in the United States, and later released both the original NC-17 and the cut R-rated version on DVD. A Fox Searchlight spokesman said the NC-17 rating did not give them much trouble in releasing this film (they had no problem booking it, and only Mormon-owned Deseret News refused to take the film's ad), and Fox Searchlight was satisfied with this film's United States box office result.^[34] Another notable exception is Bad Education, a NC-17 foreign-language film which grossed $5.2 million in the United States theatrically^[35] (a moderate success for a foreign-language film^[36]).

With the growth of the home entertainment market since the late 1990s, a successful marketing vehicle for NC-17 films has emerged. Since R ratings are preferred for theatrical exhibition, filmmakers often cut films to meet the requirements. The "uncut" (either unrated or NC-17) version is sometimes released in limited engagements, other formats (such as DVD or Blu-Ray), and in foreign markets. This practice has become commonplace as an enticement to sell the movies for home entertainment use.^{[citation needed]}

As of March 2007, according to Variety, MPAA chairman Dan Glickman had been made aware of the attempts to introduce a new rating, or find ways to reduce the stigma of the NC-17 rating. Film studios have pressured the MPAA to retire the NC-17 rating, because of its likely impact on their film's box office revenue.^[37][38]

Legal scholar Julie Hilden wrote that the MPAA has a "masterpiece exception" that it has made for films that would ordinarily earn an NC-17 rating, if not for the broader artistic masterpiece that requires the violence depicted as a part of its message. She cites Saving Private Ryan, with its bloody depiction of the D-Day landings, as an example. This exception is troubling, Hilden argues, because it ignores context and perspective in evaluating other films and favors conventional films over edgier films that contribute newer and more interesting points to public discourse about violence.^[39]

Issuance of "R Cards"[link]

Starting in 2004, GKC Theatres (now Carmike Cinemas) had 'R-Cards' that let teens see R-rated films without adult accompaniment. The cards generated much controversy, and Jack Valenti of the MPAA said in a news article: "I think it distorts and ruptures the intent of this voluntary film ratings system. All R-rated films are not alike."^[40] The president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, John Fithian, also says that the cards can be harmful. He noted in a news article for the Christian Science Monitor that the R rating is "broad enough to include relatively family-friendly fare such as Billy Elliot and Erin Brockovich (both rated R for language) along with movies that push the extremes of violence, including Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.".^[41] Though the quote is cited correctly, Billy Elliot was actually rated PG-13 when it was released on video.

Criticisms[link]

Emphasis on sex and language versus violence[link]

The movie rating system has had a number of high profile critics. Film critic Roger Ebert argues that the system places too much emphasis on sex while allowing the portrayal of massive amounts of gruesome violence. The uneven emphasis on sex versus violence is echoed by other critics, including David Ansen, as well as many filmmakers. Moreover, Ebert argues that the rating system is geared toward looking at trivial aspects of the movie (such as the number of times a profane word is used) rather than at the general theme of the movie (for example, if the movie realistically depicts the consequences of sex and violence). He has called for an A (adults only) rating, to indicate films high in violence or mature content that should not be marketed to teenagers, but do not have NC-17 levels of sex. He has also called for the NC-17 rating to be removed and have the X rating revived. He felt that everyone understood what X-rated means while fewer people understood what NC-17 meant. He called for ratings A and X to identify whether an adult film is pornographic or not. ^{[42] [43] [44] [45]}

MPAA chairman Dan Glickman has disputed these claims, stating that far more films are initially rated NC-17 for violence than for sex but that these are later edited by studios to receive an R rating.^[46]

Despite this, an internal critic of the early workings of the ratings system is film critic and writer Stephen Farber, who was a CARA intern for six months during 1969 and 1970. In The Movie Ratings Game,^[47] he documents a prejudice against sex in relation to violence. This Film Is Not Yet Rated also points out that four times as many films received an NC-17 rating for sex rather as they did for violence according to the MPAA's own website.

The South Park film Bigger, Longer & Uncut focuses largely on censorship. One of the last lines in the movie (spoken by the character Sheila Broflovski) is "Just remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words!"

The 2011 documentary Bully received an R rating due to language, spawning controversy as the rating would prevent most of the intended audience, middle and high schoolers, from seeing the film.^[48] Common Sense Media disagreed with the rating, recommending the film to mature teens thirteen and older.^[49] The film's director Lee Hirsch said "It's nothing that they've never heard before." A petition collected more than 300,000 signatures to change the film's rating.^[50] A version with less profanity was finally given a PG-13 rating.

Tougher standards for independent studios[link]

Many critics of the MPAA system, especially independent distributors, have charged that major studios' releases often receive more lenient treatment than independent films. They allege that Saving Private Ryan, with its intense depiction of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, would have earned an NC-17 had it not been a Steven Spielberg film. The independent film Saints and Soldiers, which contains no nudity, almost no sex (there is a scene where a German soldier is about to rape a French woman), very little profanity, and a minimum of violence, was said to have been rated R for a single clip where a main character is shot and killed, and required modification of just that one scene to receive a PG-13 rating.^[51][52]

The comedy Scary Movie, released by a division of The Walt Disney Company's Dimension Films, contained "strong crude sexual humor, language, drug use and violence," including images of ejaculation and an erect penis, but was rated R, to the surprise of many reviewers and audiences; by comparison, the comparatively tame porn spoof Orgazmo, an independent release by South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, contained "explicit sexual content and dialogue" and received an NC-17 (the only onscreen penis seen is a dildo). As Parker and Stone did not have the money and the time to edit the film, it retained its NC-17 rating. Adam Carolla's movie The Hammer was given an R rating for brief language which prompted him to question why the MPAA would rate the movie R, despite there being one to two instances of "fuck", and other minimal profanities, which is mostly considered PG-13 rated fare. A similar incident occurred with the Oscar winning independent film The King's Speech, which had a rough total of 17 instances of "fuck" used over two brief scenes. The film's subsequent R rating was criticized due to the tame content of the rest of the film, as well as the relative importance to the plot the cursing plays. Eventually, an edited, PG-13 rated version was released, but never released on DVD. To help counter this imbalance, some studio executives and successful producers who had worked with the MPAA have gone on to form companies that work with filmmakers to submit their films. Examples include Dunn Films and Motion Picture Consulting LLC.^{[citation needed]}

Call for publicizing the standards[link]

Many critics of the system, both conservative and liberal, would like to see the MPAA ratings unveiled and the standards made public. The MPAA has consistently cited nationwide scientific polls (conducted each year by the Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, New Jersey), which show that parents find the ratings useful. Critics (such as Kirby Dick) respond this proves only that parents find the ratings more useful than nothing at all.^[31] In the film it is also discussed how the MPAA will not reveal any information about who or why certain decisions are made. They will not even reveal to the film maker the specific scenes that need to be cut in order to get alternative rating.

Accusation of "ratings creep"[link]

Although there has always been concern about the content of films,^[53] the MPAA has, in recent years, been accused of a "ratings creep", whereby the films that fall into today's ratings categories now contain more objectionable material than those that appeared in the same categories two decades earlier.^[54] A study put forward by the Harvard School of Public Health in 2004 concluded that there had been a significant increase in the level of profanity, sex and violence in films released between 1992 and 2003.^[55] Kimberly Thompson, director of the study, stated: "The findings demonstrate that ratings creep has occurred over the last decade and that today’s movies contain significantly more violence, sex, and profanity on average than movies of the same rating a decade ago."^[55]

Several independent consumer information services have stated that they have perceived a trend in movies containing more objectionable material. In September 2000, the ChildCare Action Project published a report with conclusions similar to that of the Harvard School of Public Health's, where they claimed that their findings indicated a "ratings creep" towards more explicit material.^[56]

Questions of relevance[link]

Slashfilm.com managing editor David Chen wrote on the website: "It's time for more people to condemn the MPAA and their outrageous antics. We’re heading towards an age when we don’t need a mommy-like organization to dictate what our delicate sensibilities can and can’t be exposed to. I deeply hope that the MPAA’s irrelevance is imminent." ^[57] Chicago Tribune movie critic Michael Phillips wrote that the MPAA ratings board "has become foolish and irrevelvant [sic], and its members do not have my interests at heart, or yours. They’re too easy on violence yet bizarrely reactionary when it comes to nudity and language."^[58]

Alternative systems[link]

For independent filmmakers[link]

The MPAA system is not mandatory for films produced outside the major studios and therefore can be bypassed. In 2010, the Voluntary Media Rating (known as VoMeR for short) system was created by US-based filmmakers frustrated with the MPAA system, yet do not wish their films released 'unrated.'^[59] The Voluntary Media Rating is a self-rating system for film, music and new-media producers. The system has a key feature of two levels of parental admonishment; with Adult under age [ wA < (age) ] and Restricted content under age [ Rc < (age) ]. The admonishment scale is refined by the age number. There are two informative parts to the voluntary self-rating; a Letter+Age code and disclosure details.^[59]

The US feature film Spectrauma was the first to adopt the Voluntary Media Rating system with a wA < 14 rating.^[59][60]

See also[link]

• Production Code
• This Film Is Not Yet Rated, a 2006 film investigating the MPAA rating system
• Richard Heffner longtime head of the MPAA ratings board
• Foreign national equivalents
  • Irish Film Classification Office
  • British Board of Film Classification, Britain
  • Central Board of Film Certification, India
  • Australian Classification Board
  • New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification
  • Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (Germany)
  • Canadian motion picture rating system (although ratings vary between provinces)
• Examples in other media
  • Entertainment Software Rating Board
  • Marvel Rating System, with which the MPAA had a brief dispute
  • Television rating system
• Related concepts
  • Censorship
  • Parental guidance
  • Strong language
  • Edited movie
• List of NC-17 rated films
• Film Advisory Board, which offers an alternative to the MPAA ratings system
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting
• ChildCare Action Project A fundamentalist Christian alternative to MPAA ratings.
• Kids In Mind A website created by Critics Inc., kids-in-mind.com gives parents and non-parents alike a thorough review of past and current films detailing any and all content in a film that may even be vaguely offensive.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Classification and Ratings Administration Official Website with ratings database
• MPAA Film Ratings website
• VoMeR (Voluntary Media Rating)

Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews, March 2003
Born	Julia Elizabeth Wells (1935-10-01) 1 October 1935 (age 76) Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actress, singer, author
Years active	1945–present (stage) 1949–present (screen)
Spouse	Tony Walton (m. 1959–1967) «start: (1959-05-10)–end+1: (1967-11-15)»"Marriage: Tony Walton to Julie Andrews" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Julie_Andrews) (divorced) Blake Edwards (m. 1969–2010) «start: (1969-11-12)–end+1: (2010-12-16)»"Marriage: Blake Edwards to Julie Andrews" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Julie_Andrews) (his death)
Children	5

Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE (née Wells;^[1] born 1 October 1935)^[2] is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honours.

Andrews is a former child actress and singer who made her Broadway debut in a 1954 production of The Boy Friend, and rose to prominence starring in musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, both of which earned her Tony Award nominations. In 1957, she made her television debut with the title role in Cinderella, which was seen by over 100 million viewers.

Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins (1964), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received her second Academy Award nomination for The Sound of Music (1965). Adjusted for inflation, these two films are the 25th and 3rd highest grossing films of all time, respectively.^[3] From 1964 to 1967, Andrews was the biggest film star in the world, with the additional box office successes of her films The Americanization of Emily, Hawaii, Torn Curtain, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

In the 1970s, Andrews' film career slowed down following the commercial disappointments of Star!, Darling Lili, and The Tamarind Seed. She returned to prominence with the critical and commercial successes of 10 (1979) and Victor Victoria (1982), for which she received her third Academy Award nomination. During the remainder of the 1980s, Andrews starred in critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful films such as That's Life! and Duet for One, before her career went into eclipse in the 1990s.

Andrews' film career had a major revival in the 2000s with the successes of The Princess Diaries (2001), its sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), the Shrek animated films (2004–2010), and Despicable Me (2010). Her voice, which originally spanned four octaves, was damaged by a throat operation in 1997. In 2003 Andrews revisited her first Broadway success, this time as a stage director, with a revival of The Boy Friend at the Bay Street Theatre, Sag Harbor, New York (and later at the Goodspeed Opera House, in East Haddam, Connecticut in 2005).

Andrews is also an author of children's books, and in 2008 published an autobiography, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years.

Early life[link]

Julia Elizabeth Wells was born on 1 October 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England.^[4] Her mother, Barbara Ward Wells (née Morris), was married to Edward Charles "Ted" Wells, a teacher of metalwork and woodwork, but Andrews was conceived as a result of an affair her mother had with a family friend.^[5][6]

With the outbreak of World War II, Barbara and Ted Wells went their separate ways. Ted Wells assisted with evacuating children to Surrey during the Blitz, while Barbara joined Ted Andrews in entertaining the troops through the good offices of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). Barbara and Ted Wells were soon divorced. They both remarried: Barbara to Ted Andrews, in 1939; and Ted Wells to a former hairstylist working a lathe at a war work factory that employed them both in Hinchley Wood, Surrey.^[7][8]

Andrews lived briefly with Ted Wells and her brother John in Surrey. In about 1940, Ted Wells sent her to live with her mother and stepfather, who, the elder Wells thought, would be better able to provide for his talented daughter's artistic training. According to her 2008 autobiography Home, while Julie had been used to calling Ted Andrews "Uncle Ted", her mother suggested it would be more appropriate to refer to her stepfather as "Pop", while her father remained "Dad" or "Daddy" to her. Julie disliked this change.

The Andrews family was "very poor and we lived in a bad slum area of London," Andrews recalled, adding, "That was a very black period in my life." In addition, according to Andrews' 2008 memoir, her stepfather was an alcoholic. Ted Andrews twice, while drunk, tried to get into bed with his stepdaughter, resulting in Andrews putting a lock on her door.^[9] But, as the stage career of Ted and Barbara Andrews improved, they were able to afford to move to better surroundings, first to Beckenham and then, as the war ended, back to the Andrews' home town of Hersham. The Andrews family took up residence at the Old Meuse, in West Grove; Hersham (now demolished) a house where Andrews' maternal grandmother happened to have served as a maid.^[8]

Andrews' stepfather sponsored lessons for her, first at the Cone-Ripman School, an independent arts educational school in London, then with the famous concert soprano and voice instructor Madame Lilian Stiles-Allen. "She had an enormous influence on me", Andrews said of Stiles-Allen, adding, "She was my third mother – I've got more mothers and fathers than anyone in the world." In her memoir Julie Andrews – My Star Pupil, Stiles-Allen records: "The range, accuracy and tone of Julie's voice amazed me ... she had possessed the rare gift of absolute pitch"^[10] (though Andrews herself refutes this in her 2008 autobiography Home).^[7][11] According to Andrews: "Madame was sure that I could do Mozart and Rossini, but, to be honest, I never was".^[12] Of her own voice, she says "I had a very pure, white, thin voice, a four-octave range – dogs would come for miles around."^[12] After Cone-Ripman School, Andrews continued her academic education at the nearby Woodbrook School, a local state school in Beckenham.^[13]

Career[link]

Early career in the United Kingdom[link]

Julie Andrews performed spontaneously and unbilled on stage with her parents for about two years beginning in 1945. "Then came the day when I was told I must go to bed in the afternoon because I was going to be allowed to sing with Mummy and Pop in the evening," Andrews explained. She would stand on a beer crate to reach the mic and sing, sometimes a solo or as a duet with her stepfather, while her mother played piano. "It must have been ghastly, but it seemed to go down all right."^[14][15]

Julie Andrews got her big break when her stepfather introduced her to Val Parnell, whose Moss Empires controlled prominent venues in London. Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome singing the difficult aria "Je Suis Titania" from Mignon as part of a musical revue called "Starlight Roof" on 22 October 1947. She played the Hippodrome for one year.^[7][16] Andrews recalled "Starlight Roof" saying, "There was this wonderful American person and comedian, Wally Boag, who made balloon animals. He would say, 'Is there any little girl or boy in the audience who would like one of these?' And I would rush up onstage and say, 'I'd like one, please.' And then he would chat to me and I'd tell him I sang... I was fortunate in that I absolutely stopped the show cold. I mean, the audience went crazy."^[17]

On 1 November 1948, Julie Andrews became the youngest solo performer ever to be seen in a Royal Command Variety Performance, at the London Palladium, where she performed along with Danny Kaye, the Nicholas Brothers and the comedy team George and Bert Bernard for members of King George VI's family.^[18][19]

Julie Andrews followed her parents into radio and television.^[20] She reportedly made her television debut on the BBC programme RadiOlympia Showtime on 8 October 1949.^[21] She garnered considerable fame throughout the United Kingdom for her work on the BBC radio comedy show Educating Archie; she was a cast member from 1950 to 1952.^[19]

Andrews appeared on West End theatre at the London Casino, where she played one year each as Princess Badroulbadour in Aladdin and the egg in Humpty Dumpty. She also appeared on provincial stages across United Kingdom in Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood, as well as starring as the lead role in Cinderella.^[20]

In 1950 at the age of 14, Andrews was asked to sing at a party of a family friend, Katherine Norwalk, and it was then that she learned that Ted Wells was not her biological father.^[7][8]

Early career in the United States[link]

On 30 September 1954 on the eve of her 19th birthday, Julie Andrews made her Broadway debut portraying "Polly Browne" in the already highly successful London musical The Boy Friend.^[2] To the critics, Andrews was the stand-out performer in the show.^[22] Near the end of her Boy Friend contract, Andrews was asked to audition for My Fair Lady on Broadway and got the part.^[23] In November 1955 Andrews was signed to appear with Bing Crosby in what is regarded as the first made-for-television film, High Tor.^[24]

Andrews auditioned for a part in the Richard Rodgers musical Pipe Dream. Although Rodgers wanted her for Pipe Dream, he advised her to take the part in the Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner musical My Fair Lady if it were offered to her. In 1956, she appeared on stage in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle to Rex Harrison's Henry Higgins. Rodgers was so impressed with Andrews' talent that concurrent with her run in My Fair Lady, she was featured in the Rodgers and Hammerstein television musical, Cinderella.^[22] Cinderella was broadcast live on CBS on 31 March 1957 under the musical direction of Alfredo Antonini and attracted an estimated 107 million viewers.^[25][26]

Andrews married set designer Tony Walton on 10 May 1959 in Weybridge, Surrey. They had first met in 1948 when Andrews was appearing at the London Casino in the show Humpty Dumpty. The couple filed for a divorce on 14 November 1967.^[19][27]

Between 1958 and 1962, Andrews appeared on such specials as CBS-TV's The Fabulous Fifties and NBC-TV's The Broadway of Lerner & Loewe. In addition to guest starring on The Ed Sullivan Show, she also appeared on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, What's My Line?, The Jack Benny Program, The Bell Telephone Hour, and The Garry Moore Show. In June 1962 Andrews co-starred in Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, a CBS special with Carol Burnett.

In 1960 Lerner and Loewe again cast her in a period musical as Queen Guinevere in Camelot, with Richard Burton and newcomer Robert Goulet. However film studio head Jack Warner decided Andrews lacked sufficient name recognition for her casting in the film version of My Fair Lady; Eliza was played by the established film actress Audrey Hepburn instead. As Warner later recalled, the decision was easy, "In my business I have to know who brings people and their money to a cinema box office. Audrey Hepburn had never made a financial flop."^[28]

Andrews and her husband headed back to Britain in September 1962 to await the birth of daughter Emma Katherine Walton, who was born in London two months later.^[29]

Film superstardom[link]

In 1963, Andrews began her work in the title role of Disney's musical film Mary Poppins. Walt Disney had seen a performance of Camelot and thought Andrews would be perfect for the role of the British nanny who is "practically perfect in every way!". Andrews initially declined because of pregnancy, but Disney politely insisted, saying, "We'll wait for you."^[30]

Mary Poppins became the biggest hit in Disney history. Andrews won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Actress and the 1965 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her performance. She and her co-stars also won the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Album for Children. As a measure of "sweet revenge," as Poppins songwriter Richard M. Sherman put it, Andrews closed her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes by saying, "And, finally, my thanks to a man who made a wonderful movie and who made all this possible in the first place, Mr. Jack Warner."^[30] Warner Bros. passed over Andrews in favour of Audrey Hepburn for the starring role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.^[31]

Julie Andrews in the trailer for Mary Poppins (film).

In 1964, Andrews starred opposite James Garner in The Americanization of Emily (1964), which she has described as her favourite film.^[32]

In 1965, Andrews starred in The Sound of Music, which was the highest-grossing film of the year and was the biggest hit in 20th Century Fox history.^[33] As of 2012, it is the 3rd highest-grossing film of all time.^[3] For her performance as Maria Von Trapp, Andrews won her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

After completing The Sound Of Music, Andrews appeared as a guest star on the NBC-TV variety series The Andy Williams Show, which gained her an Emmy nomination.^[34] She followed this television appearance with an Emmy Award-winning color special, The Julie Andrews Show, which featured Gene Kelly and the New Christy Minstrels as guests. It aired on NBC-TV in November 1965.

In 1966, Andrews starred in Hawaii. It became the highest grossing film of 1966.^[35]

Also in 1966, she starred opposite Paul Newman in Torn Curtain, which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The following year, she played the eponymous character in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. At the time, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Torn Curtain were the biggest and second biggest hits in Universal Pictures history, respectively.

By the end of 1967, after six hit films in a row, Andrews was the world's most successful film star.

Mid-career[link]

Julie Andrews' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Andrews next appeared in two of Hollywood's most expensive and infamous flops: Star!, a 1968 biopic of Gertrude Lawrence, and Darling Lili (1970), co-starring Rock Hudson and directed by her soon-to-be second husband, Blake Edwards (they married in 1969). The couple stayed married for 41 years until Edwards' death in 2010.^[36] She made only two other films in the 1970s, The Tamarind Seed (1974) and 10 (1979).

In the 1970s, Edwards and Andrews adopted two daughters; Amy in 1974 and Joanna in 1975.^[37][38] Edwards' children from a previous marriage, Jennifer and Geoffrey, were 3 and 5 years older than Emma, Andrews' daughter with Tony Walton.^[39]

Andrews continued working in television. In 1969, she shared the spotlight with singer Harry Belafonte for an NBC-TV special, An Evening with Julie Andrews and Harry Belafonte. In 1971 she appeared as a guest for the Grand Opening Special of Walt Disney World, and that same year she and Carol Burnett headlined a CBS special, Julie and Carol At Lincoln Center.

In 1972–73, Andrews starred in her own television variety series, The Julie Andrews Hour, on the ABC network. The show won seven Emmy Awards, but was cancelled after one season. Between 1973 and 1975, Andrews continued her association with ABC by headlining five variety specials for the network. She guest-starred on The Muppet Show in 1977, and the following year, she appeared again with the Muppets on a CBS television variety special. The programme, Julie Andrews: One Step Into Spring, aired in March 1978, to mixed reviews and mediocre ratings. In February 1980, Andrews headlined "Because We Care", a CBS-TV special with 30 major stars raising funds for Cambodian Famine victims. Later that year, she starred in the film Little Miss Marker.

In 1981, she appeared in Blake Edwards' S.O.B. (1981) in which she played Sally Miles, a character who agrees to "show my boobies" in a scene in the film-within-a-film. That was Andrews's first on-screen nude scene and got much attention as she poked fun at her own squeaky clean image.

In 1982, Andrews played a dual role of Victoria Grant and Count Victor Grezhinski in the film Victor Victoria. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, as well as a nomination for the 1982 Academy Award for Best Actress, her third Oscar nomination.^[2][40]

In 1983, Andrews was chosen as the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year by the Harvard University Theatrical Society.^[41] That year, she co-starred with Burt Reynolds in The Man Who Loved Women. Her next two films were That's Life! and Duet for One, both of which were released in 1986 and earned her Golden Globe nominations.

In December 1987, Andrews starred in an ABC Christmas special, Julie Andrews: The Sound Of Christmas, which went on to win five Emmy Awards. Two years later, she was reunited for the third time with Carol Burnett for a variety special which aired on ABC in December 1989.

In 1991, Andrews made her television dramatic debut in the ABC made-for-TV film, Our Sons, co-starring Ann-Margret. Andrews was named a Disney Legend within the year.

In the summer of 1992 Andrews starred in her first television sitcom, Julie, which aired on ABC and co-starred James Farentino. In December 1992 she hosted the NBC holiday special, Christmas In Washington.

In 1993, she starred in a limited run at the Manhattan Theatre Club in the American premiere of Stephen Sondheim's revue, Putting It Together. Between 1994 and 1995 Andrews recorded two solo albums – the first saluted the music of Richard Rodgers and the second paid tribute to the words of Alan Jay Lerner. In 1995, she starred in the stage musical version of Victor/Victoria. It was her first appearance in a Broadway show in 35 years. Opening on Broadway on 25 October 1995 at the Marquis Theatre, it later went on the road on a world tour. When she was the only Tony Award nominee for the production, she declined the nomination saying that she could not accept because she felt the entire production was snubbed.^[42]

Andrews was forced to quit the show towards the end of the Broadway run in 1997 when she developed vocal problems. She subsequently underwent surgery to remove non-cancerous nodules from her throat and was left unable to sing.^[2] In 1999 she filed a malpractice suit against the doctors at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital, including Dr. Scott Kessler and Dr. Jeffrey Libin, who had operated on her throat. Originally, the doctors assured Andrews that she should regain her voice within six weeks, but Andrews' stepdaughter Jennifer Edwards said in 1999 "it's been two years, and it [her singing voice] still hasn't returned."^[43] The lawsuit was settled in September 2000.^[44]

Despite the loss of her singing voice, she kept busy with many projects. In 1998, she appeared in a stage production of Dr. Dolittle in London. As recounted on the Julie Andrews website, she performed the voice of Polynesia the parrot and "recorded some 700 sentences and sounds, which were placed on a computer chip that sat in the mechanical bird's mouth. In the song "Talk To The Animals," Polynesia the parrot even sings."

The next year Andrews was reunited with James Garner for the CBS made-for-TV film, One Special Night, which aired in November 1999.

In the 2000 New Year Millennium Honours List, Andrews was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to the performing arts. She also appears at No.59 on the 2002 List of "100 Greatest Britons" sponsored by the BBC and chosen by the public.^[45]

In 2001, Andrews received Kennedy Center Honors. The same year she reunited with Sound of Music co-star Christopher Plummer in a live television performance of On Golden Pond (an adaptation of the 1979 play).

Career revival[link]

In 2001, Andrews appeared in The Princess Diaries, her first Disney film since 1964's Mary Poppins. She starred as Queen Clarisse Marie Renaldi and reprised the role in a sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). In The Princess Diaries 2, Andrews sang on film for the first time since having throat surgery. The song, "Your Crowning Glory" (a duet with Teen idol Raven-Symoné), was set in a limited range of an octave to accommodate her recovering voice.^[46] The film's music supervisor, Dawn Soler, recalled that Andrews, "nailed the song on the first take. I looked around and I saw grips with tears in their eyes."^[46]

Andrews continued her association with Disney when she appeared as the nanny in two 2003 made-for-television films based on the Eloise books, a series of children's books by Kay Thompson about a child who lives in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Eloise at the Plaza premiered in April 2003, and Eloise at Christmastime was broadcast in November 2003. The same year she made her debut as a theatre director, directing a revival of The Boy Friend, the musical in which she made her 1954 Broadway debut, at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York. Her production, which featured costume and scenic design by her former husband Tony Walton, was remounted at the Goodspeed Opera House in 2005 and went on a national tour in 2006.

From 2005 to 2006 Andrews served as the Official Ambassador for Disneyland's 18-month-long, 50th anniversary celebration, the "Happiest Homecoming on Earth", travelling to promote the celebration, and recording narration and appearing at several events at the park.

In 2004 Andrews performed the voice of Queen Lillian in the animated blockbuster Shrek 2 (2004), reprising the role for its sequels, Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010). Later, in 2007, she narrated Enchanted, a live-action Disney musical comedy that both poked fun and paid homage to classic Disney films such as Mary Poppins.

In 2004, she also was the host/narrator of "Broadway: The American Musical", a six part PBS documentary series about the history of Musical Theater in America.

In January 2007 Andrews was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild's awards and stated that her goals included continuing to direct for the stage and possibly to produce her own Broadway musical.^[40] She published Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, which she characterised as "part one" of her autobiography, on 1 April 2008. Home chronicles her early years in Britain's music hall circuit and ends in 1962 with her winning the role of Mary Poppins. For a Walt Disney video release she again portrayed Mary Poppins and narrated the story of The Cat That Looked at a King in 2004.

In July through early August 2008, Andrews hosted Julie Andrews' The Gift of Music, a short tour of the United States^[47] where she sang various Rodgers and Hammerstein songs and symphonised her recently published book, Simeon's Gift. These were her first public singing performances in a dozen years, due to her failed vocal cord surgery.^[48]

On 8 May 2009, Andrews received the honorary George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music at the annual UCLA Spring Sing competition in Pauley Pavilion. Receiving the award she remarked, "Go Bruins. Beat SC ... strike up the band to celebrate every one of those victories."

2010–present[link]

In January 2010, Andrews was the official USA presenter of the New Year's Day Vienna concert.^[49] This was her second appearance in this role, after presenting the previous year's concert.^[50] Andrews also had a supporting role in the film Tooth Fairy, which opened to unfavourable reviews^[51] although the box office receipts were successful.^[52] On her promotion tour for the film, she also spoke of Operation USA and the aid campaign to the Haiti disaster.^[53]

On 8 May 2010, Andrews made her London comeback after a 21-year absence (her last performance there was a Christmas concert at the Royal Festival Hall in 1989). She performed at the O2 Arena, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and an ensemble of five performers.^[54] Previous to it she appeared on British television (on 15 December 2009 and on many other occasions), and said that rumours that she would be singing were not true. Instead, she said she would be doing a form of "speak singing".^[55] However in the concert she actually sang two solos and several duets and ensemble pieces. The evening, though well received by the 20,000 fans present, who gave her standing ovation after standing ovation,^[56] did not convince the critics.^[57]

On 18 May 2010, Andrews' 23rd book (this one also written with her daughter Emma) was published. In June 2010 the book, entitled The Very Fairy Princess, reached number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Children's Books.^[58]

On 21 May 2010, her film Shrek Forever After was released; in it Andrews reprises her role as the Queen.^[59]

On 9 July 2010, Despicable Me, an animated film in which Andrews lent her voice to Marlena, the thoughtless and soul-crushing mother of the main character Gru, voiced by Steve Carell), opened to rave reviews^[60] and strong box office.^[61]

On 28 October 2010, Andrews appeared, along with the actors who portrayed the cinematic Von Trapp family members, on Oprah to commemorate the film's 45th anniversary.^[62][63] A few days later, her 24th book, Little Bo in Italy, was published.^[64]

On 15 December 2010, Andrews' husband Blake Edwards died at the age of 88, of complications of pneumonia at the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Andrews was by her husband's side when he died.^[65][66]

In February 2011, Andrews received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and, with her daughter Emma, a Grammy for best spoken word album for children (for A Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies), at the 53rd Grammy Awards ceremony.^[67][68]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Stage[link]

Honours[link]

Bibliography[link]

Andrews has published books under her name as well as the pen names Julie Andrews Edwards and Julie Edwards.

• Andrews, Julie. Home: A Memoir of My Early Years (2008) Hyperion ISBN 0-7868-6565-2
• Andrews, Julie and Emma Walton Hamilton (Authors) and Christine Davenier (Illustrator). Very Fairy Princess. Little Browne 2010. ISBN 978-0-316-04050-1.
• Andrews, Julie and Emma Walton Hamilton (Authors) and James McMullan (Illustrator). Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies. Little Brown 2009. ISBN 978-0-316-04049-5.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews (Author) and Judith Gwyn Brown (Illustrator). Mandy. Harper & Row, 1971. ISBN 0-06-440296-7.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews (Author) and Johanna Westerman (Illustrator). "Mandy: 35th Anniversary Edition". HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN 0-06-113162-8.
• Edwards, Julie. The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. New York: Harper and Row. 1974. ISBN 0-00-184461-X.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews. Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea. Hyperion, 1999. ISBN 0-7868-0514-5. (several others in this series.)
• Edwards, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Dumpy the Dumptruck']. Hyperion, 2000. ISBN 0-7868-0609-5. (several others in the Dumpy series.)
• Edwards, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, (Authors). Gennady Spirin (Illustrator). Simeon's Gift. 2003. ISBN 0-06-008914-8.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Dragon: Hound of Honor. HarperTrophy, 2005. ISBN 0-06-057121-7.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton (Authors) and Tony Walton (Illustrator). The Great American Mousical. HarperTrophy, 2006. ISBN 0-06-057918-8.
• Edwards, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Thanks to You: Wisdom from Mother and Child. Julie Andrews Collection, 2007. ISBN 0-06-124002-8.

References[link]