In my childhood life, one word we seemed to practice over and over, saying it with much pride was the word: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Robert Sherman, the author of this word passed today at the age of 86. Robert and his brother Richard, wrote this in song form to the movie "Mary Poppins", starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.
Robert and Richard Sherman wrote and composed numerous songs for Disney films including : "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocrats", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", and of course, "Mary Poppins".
In 1964, the famous song "It's a Small World (after all)" was composed and written for the World Fair, by the Sherman brothers.
Jeffrey, the son of the late Robert Sherman, wrote on Facebook that his father's intentions in life was to "bring happiness to the world, and unquestionably, he succeeded."
He went on to write in Facebook that "his love and his prayers, his philosophy and his poetry, will live on forever. His songs and his genius will bring hope, joy, and love to this small, small, world."
There was much Robert Sherman accomplished in his 86 years including:
1. 2 academy awards in 1964: one for the best score and song, "Chim Chim Cheree", and 2) for the best movie "Mary Poppins".
2. Robert and his brother Richard received numerous credits of films of "Winnie the Pooh", "The Slipper and the Rose", "Charlotte's Web", "Snoopy come Home", and the "Magic of Lassie".
3. Broadway musicals were made of the Sherman brothers creative songs and stories including the 1974 "Over Here" and the different stagings of "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"....even in 2005 through 2007.
Richard, the brother of Robert Sherman, said in an interview with AP in 2005, " Something good happens when we sit down together and work...we've been doing it all of our lives, practically since college have we been together."
Other awards include:
1. 23 gold and platinum albums
2. They have a "star" on the the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
3. They were the first Americans ever to win first prize at the Moscow Film Festival for "Tom Sawyer" in 1973.
4. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
5. President George W. Bush awarded the brothers with a National Medal of Arts in 2008, with the comment by Pres. Bush "they have helped bring joy to millions."
The Sherman brothers secret for success seemed to lie in these fundamental principles:
1. Make the songs "catchy and playful".
2. Work with multiple levels and ages.
3. Don't insult kids.
4. Don't "write down" to kids (making them feel less important or intelligent).
5. don't write just for adults.
So, as Richard points out, " We wrote for Grandpa...and for his 4 year old grandson sitting on his knee...and for everyone in between."
The Sherman brothers wrote over 150 songs for Disney, including soundtracks for "The Sword and the Stone", "The Parent Trap", "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocrats", and "The Tigger Movie".
The father of Robert and Richard, Al Sherman was a composer as well and influenced his sons on coming up with unusual words known as wordsmithing like "fantasmagorical" and of course " supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
Sometimes their songs came quickly while others longer. In "Mary Poppins", the Sherman brothers were working on a small part about "taking medicine" in the movie, when Robert, then the 8 year old son of the elder Robert, came home from school after receiving a polio vaccine. Robert asked his son, "How did it go? Did the vaccine hurt?" His son replied, "No, they just stuck the medicine in what looked like a lump of sugar." The elder Robert then thought to himself, "That's it!...Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.....".
The song "It's a Small, Small World (after all)", has become one of the most translated and performed songs on the entire planet.
Disney employees know this song very well as it is played daily in Disney theme parks throughout the world.
The Sherman brothers had ups and downs in the relationship between them, but as Richard put it: " We're human, we have frailties and weaknesses. But we love each other very much, respect each other..."
Robert Sherman had spent his last 10 years in London, and is survived by his wife Joyce, and four children: Laurie, Jeffrey, Andrea, and Robert.
Robert Sherman, the author of this word passed today at the age of 86. Robert and his brother Richard, wrote this in song form to the movie "Mary Poppins", starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.Robert and Richard Sherman wrote and composed numerous songs for Disney films including : "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocrats", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", and of course, "Mary Poppins".
In 1964, the famous song "It's a Small World (after all)" was composed and written for the World Fair, by the Sherman brothers.
Jeffrey, the son of the late Robert Sherman, wrote on Facebook that his father's intentions in life was to "bring happiness to the world, and unquestionably, he succeeded."
He went on to write in Facebook that "his love and his prayers, his philosophy and his poetry, will live on forever. His songs and his genius will bring hope, joy, and love to this small, small, world."
There was much Robert Sherman accomplished in his 86 years including:
1. 2 academy awards in 1964: one for the best score and song, "Chim Chim Cheree", and 2) for the best movie "Mary Poppins".
2. Robert and his brother Richard received numerous credits of films of "Winnie the Pooh", "The Slipper and the Rose", "Charlotte's Web", "Snoopy come Home", and the "Magic of Lassie".
3. Broadway musicals were made of the Sherman brothers creative songs and stories including the 1974 "Over Here" and the different stagings of "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"....even in 2005 through 2007.
Richard, the brother of Robert Sherman, said in an interview with AP in 2005, " Something good happens when we sit down together and work...we've been doing it all of our lives, practically since college have we been together."
Other awards include:
1. 23 gold and platinum albums
2. They have a "star" on the the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
3. They were the first Americans ever to win first prize at the Moscow Film Festival for "Tom Sawyer" in 1973.
4. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.
5. President George W. Bush awarded the brothers with a National Medal of Arts in 2008, with the comment by Pres. Bush "they have helped bring joy to millions."
The Sherman brothers secret for success seemed to lie in these fundamental principles:
1. Make the songs "catchy and playful".
2. Work with multiple levels and ages.
3. Don't insult kids.
4. Don't "write down" to kids (making them feel less important or intelligent).
5. don't write just for adults.
So, as Richard points out, " We wrote for Grandpa...and for his 4 year old grandson sitting on his knee...and for everyone in between."
The Sherman brothers wrote over 150 songs for Disney, including soundtracks for "The Sword and the Stone", "The Parent Trap", "Bedknobs and Broomsticks", "The Jungle Book", "The Aristocrats", and "The Tigger Movie".
The father of Robert and Richard, Al Sherman was a composer as well and influenced his sons on coming up with unusual words known as wordsmithing like "fantasmagorical" and of course " supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".
Sometimes their songs came quickly while others longer. In "Mary Poppins", the Sherman brothers were working on a small part about "taking medicine" in the movie, when Robert, then the 8 year old son of the elder Robert, came home from school after receiving a polio vaccine. Robert asked his son, "How did it go? Did the vaccine hurt?" His son replied, "No, they just stuck the medicine in what looked like a lump of sugar." The elder Robert then thought to himself, "That's it!...Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.....".The song "It's a Small, Small World (after all)", has become one of the most translated and performed songs on the entire planet.
Disney employees know this song very well as it is played daily in Disney theme parks throughout the world.
The Sherman brothers had ups and downs in the relationship between them, but as Richard put it: " We're human, we have frailties and weaknesses. But we love each other very much, respect each other..."
Robert Sherman had spent his last 10 years in London, and is survived by his wife Joyce, and four children: Laurie, Jeffrey, Andrea, and Robert.
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