Tuesday 19 May 2009

OH, BROTHER(S)!

Still on the subject of Disney...

Browsing an auction-site the other day, I spotted my face!

OK, it was very small - minute actually - but there I was on a poster for the 2001 documentary film Walt: The Man Behind the Myth

In truth, I only make the briefest of cameo appearance in the film (talking about the relationship between Walt Disney and Mary Poppins author, P L Travers) compared with such notable names as Dick Van Dyke, Ray Bradbury, Buddy Ebsen, Robert Stack, Dean Jones, Chuck (Bugs Bunny) Jones and a number of legendary Disney animators including Ward Kimball, Marc Davis, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.

Anyway, along with the other interviewees (all of whose photos, by the way, somehow got a bit squashed!) here I am on the poster...

Click image to enlarge

"WHERE?"
You ask. OK, penultimate line, three-in from then left after Mary Poppins songwriters, Richard and Robert Sherman. Found me?

Speaking of Dick and Bob Sherman - prolific composers who, between them, wrote the most memorable songs of all our childhoods - I've received the following invitation to a special screening in Hollywood tonight (but obviously I'm not going to be there!) of The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story - another documentary in which I make a guest appearance...

Click image to enlarge

What is really fascinating about the Sherman's story is not that they wrote standards like 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', 'I Wanna Be Like You', 'Winnie-the-Pooh', 'The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers', 'A Spoonful of Sugar', 'Feed the Birds', 'Chim-Chim-Cheree' and (let is not forget) 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious', but that these men who together created so many memorable musical moments were, most of the time, consumed by sibling rivalry. As the poster has it: Brothers. Partners. Strangers.

Anyway, on this occasion, as you can see (or, rather, can't see) I'm, regrettably, not on the poster! BUT I am in the trailer --- well, not exactly, 'in', but - towards the very end (so, do be patient) you will at least hear my dulcet tones!



And here's the Sherman's most-played song (probably the most played song ever in the history of songdom): the endlessly repeated theme to the 'it's a small world' attraction continuously played (on average) 12 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year in Disneyland, Walt Disney World's The Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland. Don't blame me if you're left humming it all day long!



8 comments:

scb said...

Yes indeed -- there you are, looking erudite and all those other good things. Couldn't watch the video, so I'll just imagine your dulcet tones... and I didn't even *need* to watch the second vid to get the benefit of the earworm (I'm particularly prone to earworms. "A song for everything, and everything with a song" is my brain's motto, and it adheres to it religiously.)

It's amazing what the Sherman Bros. achieved despite the gnawing of sibling rivalry. Perhaps they wouldn't have achieved as much without the prod of that rivalry?


Today's word verification is "lizedish" which is either a very dishy looking woman named liz, or a food item one consumes on Eliza Doolittle Day, or one of the things on my kitchen counter which is awaiting immersion in the sink -- must go and do the washing up!

Brian Sibley said...

Wonder why you couldn't watch the videos...?

As for 'lizedish', it sounds a bit reptilian!

scb said...

The video featuring your dulcet tones came up as a black screen that said "This video is private. You must be marked as a friend in order to view it", or words to that effect.

The other vid I could *see*, and wondered why I couldn't *hear* it, until I realized that my speakers were on mute. They keep doing that to themselves -- I know I haven't ever asked them to. Technology likes to toy with me.

However, the word verification wants to help me, as it says it will *diguout* . Um, actually, that sounds rather painful, on second glance...

Brian Sibley said...

The Sherman Brothers trailer should be 'viewable' now...

Whether you can hear it or not will, obviously, depend on whether your speakers are up or not! ;-)

Boll Weavil said...

I viewed it OK. I have to say I didn't realise they were responsible for so many great songs (although I should do as I watched a documentary about them a while back)! I think you should have got in on the poster though. I mean think how many fans you have on here...
FUZZIR : The art of name dropping as used on Ebay to sell something that is nothing to do with that person..... example THE SHERMAN BROS MOVIE POSTER (RARE VERSION WITHOUT BRIAN SIBLEY)

Brian Sibley said...

I have known booksellers describe copies of my books as being "VERY RARE - NOT signed by the author"!

Phil said...

Brian, I wondered if you had heard that Wayne Allwine passed away on Monday - one of the voices of Mickey Mouse. I saw a brief tribute here:

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/archive/2009/05/20/wayne-allwine-tribute.aspx

Brian Sibley said...

Thanks, PHIL, I had heard the news and am writing an obituary to him for The Guardian. Wayne was a sweet, unassuming man, immensely proud of being the voice of the first ever talking cartoon character and delightfully in love with Russi Taylor, his wife and the voice of Minnie Mouse...