Richard Sherman
(1928-2024)
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Richard M.
Sherman, one half of the
Oscar-winning song-writing team
known as the Sherman Brothers,
has died at the age of 95. He and
his brother Robert (1925-2012)
were two of the most prolific
composer-lyricists in the history
of cinema, writing more than 200
songs for around 27 films, as
well as 24 television shows.
They were honoured in their
lifetime with nine Academy Award
nominations, two of which - for
the score for Mary Poppins
- won Oscars. They also won three
Grammy awards and 23 of their
albums have achieved Gold or
Platinum status, representing
sales in excess of 500,000 or 1
million respectively
and they are still selling!
Born in Compton, California in
1928 Richard Sherman attended
Beverly Hills High School and at
his graduation ceremony in 1946
he played a flute solo with
André Previn accompanying on
piano. During his military
service in the early 1950s he
conducted an Army Band.
Richard and Robert's father was a
Tin Pan Alley song-writer by
profession and the sons followed
in his footsteps, starting their
professional careers in the field
of pop music and scoring a chart
hit for Annette Funicello in 1957
with Tall Paul. This was
followed with Youre
Sixteen (Youre Beautiful
and Youre Mine) for
Johnny Burnette, later covered by
Ringo Starr. But in 1960 they
were commissioned by Walt Disney
to write some numbers for The
Absent-Minded Professor
starring Fred McMurray. They soon
became resident composers for the
Disney Company with movies
including The Parent Trap (1961),
Summer Magic (1963), The
Sword In The Stone (1963),
Mary Poppins (1964),
That Darn Cat! (1965),
Winnie the Pooh & The Honey
Tree (1966), The Jungle
Book and The Happiest
Millionaire (both in 1967), The
Aristocats (1970) and Bedknobs
and Broomsticks (1971) to
their credit.
The most successful of these by
far were Mary Poppins
starring Julie Andrews (Disney)
and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
with Sally Ann Howes (1930-2021),
made by EON Productions, who also
own the James Bond franchise. The
Shermans played a key role in
persuading Mary Poppins
author P.L. Travers to release
the film rights to Walt Disney
(as amusingly portrayed in the
2013 film Saving Mr Banks
starring Emma Thompson as
Travers). Casting Julie Andrews,
who had just been rejected by
Warner Brothers for the movie
version of My Fair Lady,
was a stroke of genius, and songs
such as Chim Chim Cheree,
Its A Jolly Holiday
and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
became stand-out hits. These
films have subsequently been
turned into extremely popular
theatrical shows (I saw Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang at the
London Palladium a few years ago
and Mary Poppins will
embark on a nationwide tour
starting at the Bristol
Hippodrome in November.)
The Sherman
brothers made history in 1973 by
becoming the only Americans ever
to win first prize at the Moscow
Film Festival. This Russian
equivalent to the Oscar was
bestowed on them for their film
musical The Adventures Of Tom
Sawyer, for which they
penned both script and songs.
In 1976 The Slipper And The
Rose, starring Gemma Craven
as Cinderella and Richard
Chamberlain as The Prince and
directed by Bryan Forbes, was
chosen for the Royal Command
Performance, attended by the
Queen Mother. The arranger and
musical director on the film was
Angela Morley, whose centenary we
are celebrating this year.
Running at two and a half hours
the film overstays its welcome
but the score is, in my opinion,
one of their most underrated.
In 2005 Richard and Robert were
awarded a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame and three years
later they were awarded the
National Medal Of The Arts for
'unforgettable songs and
optimistic lyrics that have
brought magic to the screen and
stage'.
Paying tribute to
this giant of movie musical
industry Bob Iger, Chief
Executive Officer of the Walt
Disney Company has said: "Richard
Sherman was the embodiment of
what it means to be a Disney
legend, creating with his brother
Robert the beloved classics that
have become a cherished part of
the soundtrack of our
lives
the music of the
Sherman Brothers has captured the
hearts of generations of
audiences. We are forever
grateful for the mark Richard
left on the world."
Richard is
survived by his wife of 66 years,
Elizabeth; their daughter
Victoria Wolf, son-in-law Doug
Wolf and grandchildren Mandy and
Anthony. He is also survived by
his daughter from a previous
marriage, Lynda Rothstein, as
well as her two children and
three grandchildren.
© Anthony Wills 27.05.24
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