I am saddened to
report that Robert Sherman passed away yesterday in London at the age of 86. While I cannot conceive of anyone who doesn’t
know the name Robert Sherman, for those you may not recognize the name; think “it’s a small world”
and “Mary Poppins.” Yes, it is that
Robert Sherman, the older brother of song writing duo Walt Disney called “the
boys.” Robert was a musician,
songwriter, artist, and novelist, among his many talents, and receiving a
breadth of awards for his endeavors. Not
wanting to reiterate the work of others, I will instead direct you to the Robert B. Sherman Wikipedia
page, and I recommend a visit to get some prospective of how much this man and
his brother – Richard
M. Sherman – have influenced your life, possibly without realizing it. With his brother Richard, Robert wrote so
many of the classic Disney songs we have come to cherish over the years.
I have had the honor
of meeting Richard Sherman, twice, in the intimate setting of The Walt DisneyFamily Museum, and the joy of listening to his experiences working for Walt
Disney and with his older brother. The first
time was during a “Christmas with Walt” presentation, just after the Museum’s
opening, and then again for his second visit, during the Disneyland 55th
celebration. I was struck by this man’s
warmth, kindest, and humility. Upon
meeting him for the second time he appeared genuinely surprised and pleased
that anyone would want to come back to see him again. I can only imagine, but do so, that meeting
Robert would have been a similar experience, and I had hoped that at some
point, he might be able to visit with us at the Museum as I truly wanted to
meet him. Well that is on item on bucket
list to forever be unfulfilled.
One of my favorite
clips on YouTube is where Walt Disney introduces “the boys” singing “It’s a Great Big Beautiful
Tomorrow” for the 1964 World’s Fair GE Pavilion. The jumps and heel clicks with the GE logo on
the back of their suit-coats as they depart, is one of the first images that
comes to my mind when the Sherman Brothers are mentioned. And, while I normal tear up a bit when Mary
Poppins comes to the ‘Bird Lady’ scene, I will never again be able to hear ‘Feed
the Birds’ without a tear and fond memory of Robert (and Richard). During one of the Museum presentations (also
on the ‘the boys’ DVD documentary), Richard told one of my favorite stories,
and was my realization the Dick and Bob were storytellers like Walt. When Walt first gave ‘the boys’ a copy of
Mary Poppins, they took it back to their offices for a read. During that reading, they underlined, I
believe, 6 chapters that they felt would make the foundation for a good
on-scene story. When they, again, met
with Walt to discuss the book, low and behold, Walt’s copy of the book had the same
6 chapters underlined. Kindred
spirits? I think so. And of course, there are the many songs ‘the
boys’ produce for so many other Disney products.
In 2009, the Walt
Disney Company released ‘the
boys’, a documentary directed by Jeffrey Sherman and Gregory Sherman about
their Fathers. It is a touching and
poignant story of their fathers lives both in and outside the Disney Company. In it we learn that there was some conflict
between the brothers, sometimes heated, as they worked together with their
lives so entwined. I think this conflict
arose out a natural sibling rivalry, and the male of the species need to
compete. I wonder, and suspect, that may
be something that attracted Walt Disney to these brothers. From many stories I’ve heard, Walt was known
to team up artists with conflicting personalities, as he felt this teaming created
better more honest product. Here was a
natural teaming that he could appreciate, and encourage to flourish. Quite obviously, he wasn’t wrong.
I also know that the
Kennedy Center has just lost and magnificent opportunity to honor two men, who
have contributed so much entertainment in America and around the world, while
they were both still living. Robert’s
other son Robbie initiated a grass roots writing campaign last year to make his
Father and Uncle recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, and I happily
participated in that campaign writing and letter to add my encouragement that
honoring the Sherman Brothers would be a marvelous inclusion, as their
contribution to our culture is almost unmatched. While it will be posthumously for one
brother, let’s hope the Kennedy Center committee, responsible of the Honors, sees
fit to correct their oversight of last year.
Finally, my heart,
thoughts, and condolences go out to the entire Sherman family for your
loss. Robert was a truly magnificent and
marvelous man who gave us all so much.
He will be missed, and very deeply by me, and may he Rest in Peace. I hope it may help in your grief to know
that, while he will be missed… Because of his tremendous gift to us, Robert M.
Sherman will never be forgotten!
Your comments or questions
are always welcome. If you have a
correction or something you think I should look at in my research, please feel
free to contact me at mr.grumpyguy@gmail.com
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