Anyone who knows me,
know of my interest in and love for all things Disney. That love and interest lead to a membership
in the Walt Disney Family Museum, and
a rare opportunity to meet and hear from many Disney Legends and
Luminaries. One such Legend was in the
person of Richard Sherman: One half of
the Sherman Brothers team of Disney lore.
Think “It’s A Small World” or maybe you remember a little movie they
wrote the music for: “Mary Poppins.” Richard has been most kind and generous with
his time and stories to members of the Museum, and served to remind me just how
much he and his brother Robert B. Sherman had really influenced my life from a
very early age. Actually, if you have
visited a Disney theme park, viewed any number of films or stage plays, you have
been influenced in some way by the Sherman Brothers’ magic. Meeting Richard left me with a great desire
to one day meet his brother, Robert.
In the 2002 Robert,
with his youngest son Robbie, moved to London after losing his beloved wife
Joyce the year earlier. In March of 2012
we lost Robert and the age of 86, and thus dashed my chances of ever having the
privilege of meeting Robert, in this life.
However, shortly after learning of Robert’s passing, I was fortunate to
be accepted in to a group on Facebook dedicated as a tribute site to the Sherman Brothers,
run by Robert’s youngest son Robbie. I
have been able to learn much more about the Sherman Brothers, and in particular
Robert through this site and my interactions, and somewhat to my surprise, I
have been able to provide some of my own insights that have been found of value
to some. I am most thankful that Robbie,
in particular, has found value in some of my input. The relationships that I have had the great
and rare fortunate chance to grow out of my association what that site are
amazing, and would fill a post all by themselves. All I can say right now is a deep and
personal Thank You to Gregg, Jeff and Wendy, Laurie, and very especially to
Robbie for the kindness, generosity, and friendship you have all shown me over
the last couple of years. It has meant
more than any of you might realize.
Tracy, you are still on my “Still to Meet” list.
Anyway, to the book,
it was through my association with the Sherman Brothers
page that I learned that Robert had written and autobiography – Moose:
Chapters From My Life, and the Robbie, as editor, was working toward
getting it published for his Dad, posthumously.
I have two copies of this book in my collection, a working copy that I
use for research, and a 2nd hard bound copy which is part of my
treasured signed collection of Disney related books. As I said earlier, I was never able to meet
Bob in person, so his book is most fittingly signed by the person, whose
tireless efforts got it published, the editor… Robbie Sherman – Thank You
again!
I am not going to
reveal many, if any, details from the book, you should read and discover for
yourself the truly amazing history of this man and to some degree his Brother
and the team we know today as the Sherman Brothers. This is not what many would consider a traditional
biography, auto or otherwise. It is a
personal story, told by a master storyteller; about a life lived in both
private and public, sometimes even very publicly, one of the challenges of
being a publicly known figure. This is the
story of a man of many lives and many talents, some that not many know much
about. This is the story about a man who
was often more charitable of his assessments of others than he was his own person
experiences. Yet, even so, he exposed
what he felt were his own flaws with an honesty that is both charitable and
understanding tone. If you want to learn
about a man, from the man himself, and more about what made him the incredible
individual he was than just all that he did, this is the book for you. And to the editor ;-), I disagree; I think
the last chapter is as important a read as the first. This is more than just a story about a man we
should all want to know more about, it is a story about a man who all man
should aspire to emulate.
As you might gather,
I highly recommend this book for any Disney fan, or Sherman Brothers fan, and
remember, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”
Finally, for those
of you who what to know even more about The Sherman Brothers, you can check out
a copy of The Boys: The
Sherman Brothers' Story a documentary about
this legendary team, or Walt's Time - From Before to
Beyond, a book done in 1998 by
Richard and Robert with editorial help another legend – Bruce Gordon.
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
