from 2010
Robert B. Sherman
talks about some Sherman Brothers theme park rarities

by Scott Wolf

As a huge fan of the Sherman Brothers, I'll never forget the day I was working at Disney, reading the Newsreel (studio newsletter) and learning that the Sherman Brothers were to be honored as Disney Legends. Little did I know that day would be the start of a longtime friendship with Robert B. Sherman. Some of my favorite memories of Bob are just sitting in his home and listening to his stories, being treated by him and his brother Richard to lunch, and singing "On the Front Porch" with Bob and Randy Thornton at the Garden Terrace restaurant at the Disney Studios. Bob is a low-key, gentle and quiet person, and a conversation with him is like talking with a warm, fatherly figure. So much so that you tend to forget about the Academy Awards and Grammys on the mantle. Here's a secret Bob doesn't know! The first time I went to his house I had been there awhile and he offered me coffee. I generally don't drink caffeine, but I had coffee just to give me a reason to stay longer! I would never feel that my Mouse Clubhouse website is complete without an interview with Bob, and I'm so happy to be able to share it with you. 

Scott Wolf: What was the first thing you did for Disneyland?

Robert B. Sherman: Walt had designed this thing with the birds and tiki gods and he didn’t exactly know what to do with it. He showed it to us and we said, “Well, what is this for?” He said, “It’s for entertainment.” (chuckles) He said, “Why don’t you write a song about it to tie it all together?” We said okay and we wrote the song about the Tiki Room and it’s the oldest Audio Animatronic attraction in Disneyland.

SW: Did you go to the World’s Fair?

RBS: Oh, yes.

SW: What do you remember about it?

RBS: There’s so much it’s hard to remember, but I met Martin Luther King there. We were waiting in line for one of the Disney shows and he was there with his wife and we just talked. It was great.

SW: What was the story with when you wrote “It’s a Small World”? Didn’t you and Dick say you wanted to donate the money you made from the song to Unicef?

RBS: Yes, and Walt said he was giving a big check to Unicef and he said, “This song is going to put your kids through college.”

SW: How were you involved in Epcot when it opened?

RBS: Well, we wrote a march for it…

SW:” The World Showcase March,” right?

RBS: Yes.

SW: Did you go to the opening ceremonies?

RBS: Yes, it was a huge amount of musicians from all over the world that all performed together. It was just great.

SW: Were you still staff employees when you wrote for Epcot?

RBS: No. What year did we leave, Robbie?

(son) Robert J. Sherman: You left staff employment in 1968. Epcot opened in 1982.

SW: You wrote a lot of songs for the Journey Into Imagination Pavilion, right?

RBS: Including that one, “One Little Spark,” (for the attraction Journey Into Imagination)

SW: And you wrote one for the Astuter Computer Revue?

RBS: Yeah, we wrote that but it didn’t last very long.

RJS: I think that was the shortest living song of any Disney attraction. It was considered outdated by the time it was released.

SW: Bob, do you remember anything about the Astuter Computer Revue?

RBS: No. (chuckles) I don’t think anybody does.

(NOTE: One newspaper described this first attraction to ever close at Epcot as “The Astuter Computer Revue at Epcot Computer Central gives you a Sperry Univac theater-eye view of the computers that run the complex, with clever human and animated holograms providing both entertainment and explanation.” That description is pretty close, but rather than holograms, it was a projected film, reflected on glass to appear as though the characters were standing in front of the actual Computer Central. The technique is commonly referred to as the Pepper’s Ghost effect.)

SW: Did you also write a song for the queue for the Rocket Rods at Disneyland, which lasted just a few months longer than the Astuter Computer Revue?

RBS: No, I think it was “Detroit.”

RJS: Yeah, I think they just reworked the song “Detroit” from the movie The Happiest Millionaire and added new lyrics.

SW: That’s right. That was shown in the CircleVision theatre which was the queue for Rocket Rods. And speaking of your obscure songs, I recently came across a song that I think is one of yours, which was used at the beginning of America on Parade.

RJS: Yes, we did. “The Glorious Fourth.”

SW: I know your favorite song that you’ve done is “On the Front Porch” from Summer Magic. Why is that your favorite?

RBS: It was nostalgic.

SW: You got to write for so many different time periods. Did you enjoy doing that?

RBS: Very much so.

SW: How would you describe Walt Disney as you knew him?

RBS: Laid back. Very creative… Beautiful man. (Image above, Robert B. Sherman self portrait)

SEE THE WORLD'S FIRST SNEAK PEEK AT BOB'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in the interviews are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mouse Clubhouse. Mouse Clubhouse accepts no legal liability or responsibility for any claims made or opinions expressed within.