“Forgotten Hollywood”- It’s a Smaller World…
One of the brothers hired by Walt Disney to compose some of the most memorable tunes in Hollywood history has died. Robert B. Sherman was best known for providing songs in the world of movies and film animation, including The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, The Parent Trap,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, and The Aristocats.
The Sherman Brothers legacy lives daily at any of the many theme parks carrying the Disney brand. The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room, There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, and It’s a Small World are all compositions by the prolific songwriting siblings.
Oscar came calling in 1964 for their efforts: Chim Chim Cher-ee, A Spoonful of Sugar, Feed the Birds, and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in Mary Poppins. The Sherman Brothers also scored on the pop charts with You’re Sixteen (#1 twice – 1960 for Johnny Burnette, and 1972 for Ringo Starr), and Tall Paul.
The brothers were influenced by their father, who wrote popular tunes for Tin Pan Alley. During World War II, Robert helped liberate Dachau Concentration Camp; and eventually, he received a Purple Heart, two Battle Stars, a Combat Infantryman Badge, an American Campaign Medal, a European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, and a medal for Good Conduct.
In 2005, Robert Sherman established an annual scholarship award in his name through the BMI Foundation. That same year, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In 2008, Robert and Richard Sherman were awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bush. A documentary called The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story was released in 2009. The Sherman Brothers were presented with a window on Mainstreet USA at Disneyland in 2010.
Robert Bernard Sherman passed away peacefully in London. He was 88.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 at 12:04 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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