Customer Reviews

Walt's Time - From Before to Beyond

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This book is truly the gem of my library... A beautiful look at the careers of Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman! Reading this book brought back so many memories! Little did I realize that so many of my favorite Disney (and even non-Disney) musical films all had one special thing in common... the music of the Sherman Brothers.

This wonderful book is formatted like a huge scrapbook... its fun to read, and just packed with rare photos, cartoons and other memorabilia that would delight any reader.

Wow!, What a feast of fun! Here's the story of two of this century's most prolific and popular songwriters, the Sherman Brothers, finally cronicled in a superb scrapbook. Discover the Sherman Brothers' insights into the enigma that was Walt Disney, and learn of their dream job with this man.. who nurtured their talent, producing a sound that is truly instantly recognisable, the world over. These are the guys who created "the biggest word you ever heard", who left us singing of a "small, small world".. and gave lyrical life to a "fantasmagorical machine" called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

This is a lovingly remembered book by the Dick and Bob, put together with the help of a few amazingly dedicated fans. Bruce & David and Jeff have produced another gem of a book. With them, too much is never enough.. the photographic treasures, the office cartoons all give the impression of being invited to dinner with the Shermans. I was lucky enough to hear the Shermans at the piano for a preview of this book at a Disney fan's convention last year. That was a night I'll never forget.. as the brothers sang their way through the songs of my childhood. Now the feeling of that night (and my childhood) has been captured in print, and I can't be happier! Thanks guys, it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious !

What a great book about in my opinion the best songwriters! The Shermans had the opportunity to be with Disney during what I believe was the peak of the Disney Co. Their songs have warmed the hearts of millions of people across the world. My mother had never heard of the Shermans but whenever I sing their songs she says "I love that song, I didn't know they wrote that..." I can count on their songs being family friendly and joyful. I love Winnie the Pooh was not at all surprised when I discovered who wrote the songs! I never get tired of reading Walt's Time. The pictures are great and layout is so different. It is fun to read the background stories that is behind each song. Such as A Spoon full of Sugar and how Robert's son gave them the inspiration. I know the price makes it difficult for some of us. I personally do not own the book, but I love to borrow it from my library. It is a must read for every Disney and Sherman fan out there!

Every one of the more than 250 extra large Disney scrapbook pages is filled with unique, full color memorabilia from Walt Disney, and Robert and Richard Sherman, the song writers that created a world of popular music. Everything from pictures and memorabilia of Annette, Haley Mills, and Julie Andrews, to Tommy Sands, 101 Dalmations, The Carousel of Progress, and the Enchanted Tiki Room are featured. Items are grouped by decades. You can spend endless, enjoyable hours just looking in this huge volume that weighs 4 pounds !! Well worth adding to your Disney or music or movies or entertainment library.

Learn how two completely different personalities blend to form one of the great songwriting duos of the 20th Century. Bob Sherman, a stoic World War II hero and Dick Sherman, a boisterous performer pair up to create an entirely new genre of family fare... The Brother team paired up nearly 50 years ago but the family musical style which they created lives on as one of the most lucrative forms of music in the world today. Also learn what brought the two together or rather-- who! It was their father, legendary Tin Pan Alley Songwriter Al Sherman.

Chronicles the career of Dick and Bob Sherman,composers and lyricists of "Mary Poppins", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the famous "It's A Small World", before, during and after their association with the Disney Studios. Sons of Al Sherman, renowned songwriter of the thirties and forties, they trace their family musical heritage with stories and anecdotes to amuse and inspire. Profusely illustrated with rare photos, cartoons and memorablia, the book is a beautiful adornment for the family room or living room coffee table or open shelf. A wonderful gift for adults and children of all ages.

This is a fascinating autobiography of two brother songwriters-- and believe me, you've heard all of their songs. From the musical Mary Poppins to sharing an academy award nomination with John Williams, the Sherman Brothers tell their marvelous story through pictures and anecdotes. This is a "must have" for anyone who loves music and Disney! Great Book!!!

Walt's Time - From Before to Beyond by Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman. 1998, 252 pages.

The Sherman Brothers need little introduction to Disney fans. Prolific composers of music for films and theme park attractions, they have written some of the most memorable songs in Disney history.

This book, which looks at their long career, finally saw the light of day after the Sherman Brothers met Bruce Gordon and Dave Mumford. Just like The Nickel Tour, publishers felt that there was no commercial appeal in this book. Bruce and David had self-published The Nickel Tour and thought that they could do the same with Walt's Time. The Sherman Brothers, after shopping the book around since 1981, had worked with Jeff Kurtti to have a majority of it written. Bruce and Dave met with Jeff and they agreed to self-publish. The Sherman Brothers were thrilled to work with Bruce, David and Jeff.

The book was created to resemble a scrapbook of their career. It starts with their first day on the Disney lot where they land the title song for the Parent Trap while auditioning a song for the Horsemasters. It then launches through the highlights of a majority of their Disney work. The middle section is dedicated to their father, Al and looks at everything that he published and his successes. During the section on their father, they look at their family history and how Al Sherman influenced his children. It is obvious from Walt's Time that the Sherman Brothers were profoundly influenced by their father and Walt Disney. When the brothers speak of either man, the text is filled with love, gratitude and wonder.

The third section details more of their work with the Disney Company, before and after Walt's passing. It also looks at the body of work they have done since leaving the company. Stage productions, theatrical work and animated films make up the bulk of their work in the '70's, 80's and 90's.

The Brothers spend a lot of time discussing their interactions with Walt Disney and how Walt was an amazing and optimistic person. The song There's a Great, Big Beautiful Tomorrow was inspired by Walt Disney. Their proudest moments include It's a Small World and Mary Poppins. They wrote the songs for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang after receiving Walt's blessings to work on the outside project. Albert Broccoli (producer of the Bond movies) also owned the rights to Fleming's children's novel about the car. Broccoli brought the idea to Walt, who declined saying he had too much on his plate and wanted more creative control. After the success of Mary Poppins, Broccoli gathered most of the creative team that had worked on Mary Poppins. The Brothers were also involved with two of the biggest animated films of the 60's as well: The Jungle Book and Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.

Obviously, the Sherman Brothers' influence has been felt greatly in the theme parks. The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room, Magic Highways, Magic Journeys, Makin' Memories, Astuter Computer Review, the Best Time of Your Life and Miracles From Molecules.

Looking at everything the Sherman Brothers have done is a tad bit overwhelming!

Bottom Line: I enjoyed this book and was completely astounded by how prolific the Sherman Brothers actually are. The book is designed beautifully and features awards, personal recollections and photos from every period of their career (just like a scrapbook!). This is book is clearly for music fans, fans of the Sherman Brothers and fans of Disney films from the 1960's.

I loved this book and had to read it cover to cover the moment that I got a hold of it. It was great! Clearly these two brothers have written songs that are better known than any other songwriting team in history. This includes the songs of Lennon & McCartney and the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Who knew that these two prolific brothers had written so many fantastic songs for so many famous movies and Disneyland rides. Although you may not have heard of the songwriters, you are bound to know many of their songs including "It's A Small World After All", "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", "Snoopy Come Home" and "A Spoonful Of Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down". Bob Sherman, a decorated WWII hero turned songwriter, tells the delightful story of how he was searching for a good song idea that would convince Julie Andrews that she should play the part of Mary Poppins. Weeks went by when one day, Bob's boy Jeff came home from school reporting that he'd been given the Salk Vaccine. "Did it hurt?" Bob inquired of his young son. "No, because they put the medicine on a little dab of sugar and that way it goes right down." Lo and behold, a song was born that would be a part of 60's pop culture and my own childrens' lives! Bob, it turns out is also a world class painter, sculptor and philosopher besides being able to turn a pretty tricky phrase. Dick, on the other hand, is the consumate performer and, of the two brothers, the one who sits enthusiastically at the piano. He has played piano around the world on cruise ships and generously for charities. Dick Sherman has also had the opportunity of meeting heads of state including former President Bush and Queen Elizabeth's mother. He loves to party hearty with the big boys, you might say! In 1974 Ringo Starr sang their song, "You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're Mine" which made the song go to number one in the Billboard charts for the second time since it first hit the charts with Johnny Burnette! They have a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and they're constantly on the move doing new projects including a new Winnie The Pooh movie as well as a project with Bob's two sons called "Inkas". In 1998 they came out with a new animated music video called "The Mighty Kong" which I saw and was very good! But still their best films to date are "Mary Poppins", "The Jungle Book" and "Charlotte's Web". I couldn't in good conscience, however give this magnificent autobiography a 5 star rating though. The editing could have been more thoughtfully done. The book was too expensive and didn't have to be quite so lengthy. But even so, I suppose you get your money's worth anyhow! I recommend it highly and think everyone who takes music education seriously would profit by studying its colorful pages!