With his passing this past week, veteran songsmith Robert Sherman enters those most hallowed of music halls — the myth. Even beyond his personal life — he was with the platoon of American troops that liberated the German concentration camp Dachau during World War II — and his many achievements and accolades, he will always been known by the sound he left behind, the lingering melodies and razor sharp lyrics that would keep generations humming and singing along. After a challenge from their Tin Pan Alley icon father Al, Robert and his brother Richard became a duo, delivering an early hit for Disney’s reigning sweater girl, Annette Funicello. Their 1958 collaboration, “Tall Paul,” got the attention of Walt, and he soon hired the duo as resident House of Mouse composers.
And thus the legacy was born. Over the next few years, the Shermans would craft some of the most memorable music in the history of the studio. They also ventured beyond the celluloid, coming up with material for Disney’s theme parks (“In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room,” “Making Memories”) as well as the TV and theatre. When the venerable cartoonist died in 1966, the Brothers took their talents freelance, coming back from time to time to work on projects they deemed worthy. Nominated nine times for the Academy Award, he would pick up two for the family favorite Mary Poppins. In his later years, Robert would oversee the conversion of his work to the stage. In the final few years, and in failing health, he spent most of his time living in London and painting, a lifelong passion.
In celebration of this man and his amazing work, we have decided to pull together a Top Ten of sorts. This cannot possible represent everything Robert Sherman was responsible for — even in today’s peek preservationist ilk, some things are still MIA — but it does provide a brief overview of his undeniable accomplishments. Also, as with any compilation, this is a matter of opinion. One item may have numerous awards to support a higher placement, but in our heart, it cannot trump our final choices. So beginning with one honest obscurity, here is our salute to Sherman:
As a Mouseketeer, Annette was Disney’s early TV medium breakout star. Hoping to translate said fame into something more mainstream, starring vehicles were immediately lined up. This one, featuring Tommy Kirk as the seminal character Merlin Jones and the fictional college setting of Midvale is unusual in one regard – it offered up The Beach Boys (yes, with THE Brian Wilson on bass) vamping the title tune. The Sherman’s crafted the material in vein of the popular rock group, and the song remains a standout in an otherwise mediocre movie.
The ultimate underage ear worm was originally conceived for the 1964 World’s Fair. Known as “PEPSI Present’s Walt Disney’s “it’s a small world” — a Salute to UNICEF and the World’s Children,” it was an immediate smash. Along with an animatronic Lincoln for the Illinois exhibit and the Carousel of Progress, the Fair became a testing ground for future attractions. In 1966, It’s a Small World opened in Disneyland, and the rest is history. In fact, many don’t know this but the Shermans actually conceived the song as a response to nuclear tensions around the globe.
After the reasonable return to form that is Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the boys decided to head out again and team up with the fledgling feature film fortunes of Hanna-Barbera. Their idea – bring E.B. White’s beloved book about farmyard misfits to audiences everywhere. The result was another fine score by the Shermans, even if the movie was viewed as a “travesty” by the book’s author. As a matter of fact, her strong words may have been responsible for the project’s initial rejection by audiences. Today, almost all is forgiven.
By the mid ’70s, the Shermans had taken on Disney, E.B. White, and A.A. Milne. They even made a pair of musicals based on Mark Twain’s twin titans of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. So tackling the story of Cinderella was not big deal – that is, until it was selected as the Royal Command Performance for 1976. The British production, featuring Richard Chamberlain and Gemma Craven in the leads, was a moderate hit, highlighting the kind of simple, some would argue syrupy material the Brothers excelled at. The Queen Mother loved it, by the way.
By 1968, the Shermans had lost faith in the Disney studios. When Walt was alive, they seemed to be more interested in movies than anything else. When he passed, the product side of the company came to the fore, pushing ideas like this one out into the edges of concern. With a smashing cast that included John Davidson, Kurt Russell, Buddy Ebson, Walter Brennan, Lesley Anne Warren, Goldie Hawn, and Richard Deacon, the story of the 1888 Presidential Election and the part played in it by the singing Bower family should have been a smash. Instead, just the terrific score remains.
5 – 1
After agreeing to part ways with the House of Mouse, the Shermans landed the job of bringing Ian Fleming’s famous children’s book to life. The results barely resembled the author’s work, but it did remind a lot of people of another popular title. Indeed, for years, many saw this as the Brothers retort to their former employer, each and every song similar to one’s used in the award winning Mary Poppins. Today, it stands on its own – if just barely. It does, however, offer up a glimpse into the guys working style, from jolly dance tunes to intimate, saccharine ballads.
In one of the first examples of stunt casting ever in an animated Disney movie, the House of Mouse hired radio and recording veterans Phil Harris and Louis Prima to play characters in its adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s animal boy antics. Naturally, they had to have songs which matched their might, and the Shermans came up with at least one undeniable gem – Prima’s “I Wan’na Be Like You” (the other classic, Harris’ “The Bare Necessities,” was a holdover from Terry Gilkyson’s work on the film). Walt had wanted a happier, peppier score and his in-house heroes didn’t disappoint.
Before the advent of the mid-’80s renaissance, this was considered by many to be the last great Disney studio musical (sorry, Pete’s Dragon). With Tony mainstay Angela Lansbury in the lead and Poppins‘ holdover David Tomlinson as her co-star, the story of an apprentice witch set against the backdrop of the coming World War was a perfect vehicle for the Boys – and they delivered one of their best efforts ever. Sure, you can still say that this is nothing more than another Mary makeover, but the Shermans seemed reinvigorated by the challenge, and ended up finding something special.
For many, this is the duo’s ultimate sonic statement, a combination of story and song (and performance and approach) that trumps anything they’d done before or have done since. Of course, opinions can vary, and no one was happier than Walt Disney when star Julie Andrews won the Oscar for Best Actress (she had been passed over by Warner Brothers for the lead in their adaptation of My Fair Lady, a role she originated on Broadway). Sure, Dick Van Dyke’s cockney accent leaves a lot to be desired, but this is perhaps the work that best defines the Shermans.
Want to know how important the Sherman Brothers were to Disney’s take on A.A. Milne’s memorable stuffed bear? When the 2011 update came around, minus the duo’s dynamic work, it seemed like the heart of the project had been ripped out, put in the hands of some half-baked shoegazing indie rockers…and it didn’t fit. Instead, the beautiful material written by the pair (“Little Black Rain Cloud,” the brilliant title tune among many others) was cast aside – and to us, there is no Pooh without the pair. Some of the selections here could survive without the Shermans. This one couldn’t, and can’t.