"the boys: the sherman brothers' story" is an intimate journey through the lives of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, the astoundingly prolific, Academy Award®-winning songwriting team that defined family musical entertainment for five decades. The feature-length documentary, conceived, produced and directed by two of the songwriters' sons, takes audiences behind the scenes of the Hollywood magic factory and offers a rare glimpse of a unique creative process at work. It also explores a deep and longstanding rift that has kept the brothers personally estranged throughout much of their unparalleled professional partnership. BroadwayWorld is pleased to bring you some images from the film.
"the boys: the sherman brothers' story" is produced and directed by Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman. Executive producers are Stephen Buchsbaum, David Permut, Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld. The film is edited by Rich Evirs. Director of photography is Richard Numeroff. Associate producers are Toni and Kenneth Liebman, and Randy and Valerie Lewis.
With such unforgettable songs as "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from "Mary Poppins," "I Wanna Be Like You" from "The Jungle Book," the score to "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and the most translated song ever written, "It's a Small World (After All)" from the popular Disneyland attraction, to name just a few, brothers Bob Sherman and Dick Sherman celebrated family values and happy endings for generations of moviegoers. Outside the public eye, however, the boys' personal relationship with each other was less than harmonious.
Filmmakers Gregory V. Sherman and Jeffrey C. Sherman explore the brothers' peripatetic childhoods, marriages, early careers and close personal and professional relationship with pioneering filmmaker and studio chief Walt Disney to create a unique portrait of these two extremely gifted but very different artists.
"the boys: the sherman brothers' story" includes all-new interviews with such Hollywood luminaries as Julie Andrews, Roy E. Disney, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., John Landis, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Kenny Loggins, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Randy Newman, Robert Osborne, Debbie Reynolds, Stephen Schwartz, Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke and John Williams as well as a rare archival interview with Annette Funicello.
Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman have been making the music that makes families happy for over 50 years. Their collaboration is one of the most prolific and honored musical partnerships in history, encompassing 50 motion pictures and resulting in A Catalog of more than a thousand songs for television, records, theme parks and stage.
The sons of renowned songwriter Al Sherman, they bridged the gap between Tin Pan Alley and Top-Ten, reflecting the benchmarks of the music of their lifetime as they went, from their first hit song, "Tall Paul," to their recent Broadway successes, "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."
As the only songwriters ever to be put under contract by Walt Disney Studios, the Sherman Brothers created a unique sound that became synonymous with the Disney musical. Just some of their numerous film credits include "Mary Poppins," "The Aristocats," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," "The Jungle Book," "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" and "The Parent Trap," as well as such non-Disney titles as "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Charlotte's Web," "Tom Sawyer," and "Snoopy Come Home." They also wrote the hit song "You're Sixteen," which twice hit Billboard's Top 10; first in 1960 with Johnny Burnette, then in 1974 with Ringo Starr, when it went all the way to No. 1. Their song "It's a Small World (After All)" debuted at the 1964 World's Fair and is the most translated song on earth.
Among their many honors are two Academy Awards® (plus seven additional Oscar® nominations), the BMI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy® and five Golden Globe® nominations. They are members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In a 2008 ceremony at the White House, the Sherman Brothers were awarded the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor the United States government bestows on artists.
Richard M. Sherman currently resides in Beverly Hills where he continues performing his music and writing new songs. Robert B. Sherman lives in London, where in addition to his ongoing collaboration with his brother, he has completed an autobiography and continues his life commitment to painting.
"the boys: the sherman brothers' story" uses original interviews, archival footage and personal photographs to create an unusually full portrait of the songwriters' lives. "There have been a lot of documentaries about creative people," says Gregg. "In this case, we get to peek into the creative process. We have the footage of them working together."
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