WALT'S TIME
Richard and Robert Sherman's book, "Walt's Time," is a treasure trove of anecdotes about these two remarkable song writers - responsible for the score for Mary Poppins and dozens of other Disney songs, including "It's a Small World" - and their relationship with Walt Disney. Lovingly illustrated with enough artwork to fill a small museum it's a feast for the eyes as well. The book was edited by Bruce Gordon, David Mumford and Jeff Kurtti.
Following are a few excerpts from the book. If you're interested in purchasing a copy, just click on the appropriate link at the end of this exhibit.
THE ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM
Walt's secretary called us up one day and asked us to come over to Stage 2 at the Studio.
When we arrived, we found ourselves in the middle of a marvelous mock-up of a new project called The Enchanted Tiki Room. The team of designers and engineers had set up a big room in the middle of the stage, with four walls, dozens of exotic birds and hundreds of tropical flowers.
We sat down - on bridge chairs - and the show began. A choir of white birds started singing, "Let's all sing like the birdies sing." Then the lights changed color and the Tiki torches on the walls came to life changing, "Uga buga, uga buga!" Before long we were all thinking to ourselves, "What in God's name is going on here?" It was the strangest thing in the world.
When it was all over, Walt stood up and explained his concern to the gathered audience. "It's a great show," he began, "But nobody knows what the damn thing is all about."
Then he turned to us . . . "Any ideas, boys?" We had to think fast. Luckily we remembered that about two years earlier we had written a lengthy calypso to cover a lot of boring footage showing how the Disney crews had carted tons and tons of equipment to Tobago to film Swiss Family Robinson. It was a very crazy song, but it did tie all the footage together for the TV show.
So, we suggested that an articulate parrot could sing a song to set up the show. In fact, we continued, he could even act as the emcee! The song could be done in a calypso beat - "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room." It had a sound you could remember. And Walt bought the idea just like that, adding, "Instead of one parrot emcee, we'll have four with French, Spanish, German and Irish accents." He always had a way of plussing a good idea.
IT'S A SMALL WORLD
Just before (the World's) Fair opened, we joined the whole Small World design team for a ride through the show. Bob was sitting in the first boat. Dick in the second. The scenes looked marvelous and everything was working fine until we were about a third of the way through the ride, when suddenly the sound went off. Then, just as suddenly, it came back on, playing backwards at high speed. A moment later the sound was off altogether and the building fell completely silent, except for the clickety-clack of the Audio-Animatronics children.
There was only one thing we could do to save the day: We started singing "It's a Small World," as loudly as we could - each of us in one boat - and kept it up right through to the finale.
Whether it be stage, screen or boat, the show must go on."
LET'S GO FLY A KITE
Let's Go Fly a Kite began as a piece called Sticks Paper and Strings. The original is very different from the song we know today. It had an exciting and dynamic, "oompa, oompa, oompa driving rhythm - a very "show business" kind of thing.
We played it for Walt and he said, "That's the kind of song that ends the second act of a Broadway show. But it does not end my movie." So, we changed it into a very English three-quarter time, changed the name to "Let's go Fly a Kite," added a lilting sing-along chorus melody and he bought it.
The song is a direct inspiration from a wonderful man named Al Sherman - who happened to be our father. Besides being a great songwriter, Dad was also a terrific kite maker. In our childhood, he would often build kites for us and take us to the park to fly them. When we were thinking of the "big thing" Mr. Banks could do for his children to demonstrate his love for thing, something which would outshine even Mary Poppins' magic, this, we knew, was it. Thanks, Dad.
THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE
We got a call from Walt asking, 'Are you guys busy? I've got an idea.' We told him we were already working on five projects, and he said, 'Unless you're juggling ten, you're not working!' Of course, he was right - he was juggling twenty or thirty.
Walt's idea revolved around a new comedy to be called The Happiest Millionaire. Screenwriter AJ Carothers had written a bright and witty script for it, based on a play and book by Cordelia Drexel Biddle and Kyle Crichton.
The more Walt looked at the script, though, the more he kept seeing the possibilities it would have as a musical. He had just finished Mary Poppins and his enthusiasm for musical films was at an all time high.
Al joined us in Walt's office and when Walt told us his idea, we wholeheartedly agreed - the Happiest Millionaire would be perfect as a musical.
We spent the next several months working with AJ, writing a dozen songs and transforming the script into a full musical comedy. It was a happy collaboration.
The Happiest Millionaire holds another special significance; it was the last live action film Walt would see completed.
|