Robert B. Sherman Movies
Songwriter Robert B. Sherman and his brother, Richard, were popular songwriters best known for working with the Walt Disney studios during the 1960s. They left the studio in the early '70s and as freelance artists collaborated on numerous screenplays and songwriting gigs. They are particularly known for working on children's films. Both brothers received their educations at Bard College. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 2009
- PG
Screenwriting cousins Jeff and Gregg Sherman team up to craft this documentary exploring the darker side of the relationship shared between their famous fathers, Robert and Richard. Back in the 1960s, Robert and Richard Sherman rose to fame penning upbeat songs for such classic children's films as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But the pair's catchy, optimistic ditties masked a contentious brotherly bond -- which ultimately grew so sour that their sons Jeff and Gregg weren't aware of one another despite the fact that they only lived a few blocks apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, (more)
In this animated story for the whole family, Disney brings A.A. Milne's classic characters from the Winnie the Pooh stories back to the big screen. Tigger is having a hard time finding anyone to play with him, so he decides to track down his family tree and find other Tiggers. Concerned that their friend feels sad, Winnie and his friends dress up like Tiggers so he won't feel so alone. But once Tigger finds out who they really are, it makes him even more determined to find his real family. As Tigger heads out in search of others like himself, he accidentally makes his way into a snowstorm, and Winnie and friends must find him before he gets lost in the cold. The Tigger Movie was originally produced for home video and then upgraded to a theatrical release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Cummings, Nikita Hopkins, (more)
- 1992
- G
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Adventure is only limited by imagination in this exciting animated fantasy from The Goonies writer Chris Columbus. Warmly welcomed to the Kingdom of Slumberland by the king himself, young Nemo is christened heir to the throne and given a magical key that will open any door in the kingdom. Though Nemo is warned not to open the one door with the power to destroy Slumberland, temptation proves too strong and the king is kidnapped as a black cloud of nightmares washes over the formerly idyllic dreamscape. Now, if Nemo is to reverse his error and bring the king back alive, he must rally his friends and journey deep into Nightmare Land to face his ultimate fear. Will dreams ever return to Slumberland, or has Nemo's folly set into motion an irreversible, eternal echo of nightmares and chaos? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabriel Damon, René Auberjonois, (more)
"Paradise" is actually Australia, where this made-for-TV adventure was filmed. Raquel Welch stars as a rich, spoiled socialite who is shipwrecked on a desert island. Her only companion is boozy, unkempt Aussie Jack Thompson. Before the film has a chance to turn into Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away (or even Gilligan's Island), Welch and Thompson are up to their necks in intrigue. Trouble in Paradise originally floated to shore on May 16, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
This first Lassie film in nearly three decades (discounting the various feature-length compilations of Lassie TV episodes) is worth watching for its veteran cast. Lassie is legally wrested from freckled-faced Michael Sharrett by evil Pernell Roberts, who hopes that the kid's grandpa Jimmy Stewart will sell his valuable vineyards to "ransom" the dog. Roberts' scheme falls through, and Lassie makes her getaway, embarking upon a grueling trek to be reunited with her young master. Alice Faye, looking very well preserved, shows up to sing a song or two. Also contributing vocally are Pat Boone and Debby Boone and The Mike Curb Congregation; even Stewart gets to sing (he hasn't improved much since his last singing role in Broadway Melody of 1936, but you gotta love him). About the only cast member in The Magic of Lassie who doesn't sing is Mike Mazurki. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Mickey Rooney, (more)
- 1977
- G
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The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an hour-long compendium of the three Disney "Winnie" animated short subjects produced between 1966 and 1974. Sterling Holloway provides the voice of A.A. Milne's whimsical pooh-bear in all three cartoons, the first two of which are directed by Wolfgang Reithermann and the last by John Lounsbery. The program consists of Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974). The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was originally prepared in 1977 for theatrical release, and has since been available primarily in home-video form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Filmed in Austria, this British-made musical retells the story of Cinderella as it is found in books of fairy tales. The Prince, Edward, is played by Richard Chamberlain, Cinderella by Gemma Craven. In her role as the Prince's witty mother, Dame Edith Evans provides many of the movie's highlights. The musical score and songs written by Richard Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who also provided the music to the movie Mary Poppins, were nominated for Academy Awards. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, (more)
- 1974
One of Mark Twain's best-loved stories becomes a screen musical in this family-friendly adaptation. Mischievous Huckleberry Finn (Jeff East) is a 15-year-old boy who has long had a difficult relationship with his often violent father. When Dad tried to kidnap him, Huck decides to run away from home, and heads out of town on a raft. Huck is soon joined by Jim (Paul Winfield), a runaway slave who is no more eager to see his master than Huck is to see his father. As the two friends make their way down the Mississippi, they're faced with a variety of challenges and adventures, including a run-in with a pair of shabby but dignified actors, The King (Harvey Korman) and The Duke (David Wayne). Produced in association with Reader's Digest magazine, which in 1973, scored a box-office hit with a musical version of Twain's Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn featured original songs by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who also wrote the songs for a handful of Disney hits, including Mary Poppins. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff East, Paul Winfield, (more)
- 1974
Jackie Cooper and Cleavon Little star as aerial photographers who spot a few threatening cracks in the San Andreas fault. Will anyone listen? No. Do they suffer in the subsequent quake? Yes, but not as expensively as the all-star cast in Earthquake. Still, The Day the Earth Moved doesn't aspire to be anything more than a modest made-for-TV disaster flick, and within its own limits it succeeds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Mark Twain's classic tale is brought to the screen for the fourth time, this time with a tuneful score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who also wrote the screen adaptation. Johnny Whitaker stars as Tom Sawyer, with Jeff East in his first film role as Huck Finn. Jodie Foster is also on hand, playing the role of Becky Thatcher. This enjoyable family fare was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Song Score and Best Costume Design. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Whitaker, Celeste Holm, (more)
This animated musical, based on E.B. White's children's book classic, is about a courageous spider who helps save the life of an ill-fated pig. Wilbur is a young pig (voice of Henry Gibson) who's owned by New England farmer Homer Zuckerman (voice of Robert Holt). One day he is sold to a neighbor, where he meets a sheep who warns him that his fate lies in the confines of the slaughterhouse. Wilbur is terrified of this news until he meets Charlotte, a charming spider (voice of Debbie Reynolds), who is determined to save Wilbur from this dire destiny. By weaving words into her web, she convinces the farmer that Wilbur is some sort of prodigious animal too important to kill. The music for Charlotte's Web was written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who wrote the scores for countless Disney movies, including Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Paul Lynde, (more)
The Snoopy/Charlie Brown newspaper cartoon series burgeoned into a considerable empire for Charles M. Schulz, as it became an American phenomenon which spoke for an entire generation. In this feature-length animation, Lila, Snoopy's previous owner, writes him from the hospital and invites him to visit. Aided by his loyal bird companion Woodstock, he does. When she asks him to come back to live at her house, he agrees and goes back to tell Charlie Brown goodbye. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Bedknobs and Broomsticks was produced several years after Walt Disney's death and released in the fall of 1971. As it turned out, Bedknobs was frequently compared to Mary Poppins -- probably thanks to several striking similarities between the two productions, notably the presence in the cast of David Tomlinson, the use of Cockney children as central characters, and the inclusion of sequences that combine animation and live-action. Set in wartime England, Bedknobs stars Angela Lansbury as Eglantine Price, a would-be witch who hopes to use her newly acquired conjuring powers to forestall a Nazi invasion. Saddled with three surly kids who've been evacuated from London, Lansbury wins over her charges by performing various and sundry feats of magic. And, yes, she manages to foil a few Germans along the way. The film's most famous episode is an elaborate undersea fantasy, which combines animation with live-action on a gargantuan scale, dwarfing all previous Disney sequences along these lines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, (more)
The Aristocats was the first Disney Studios animated feature to be produced after Walt Disney's death. A wealthy woman leaves her vast fortune to her four cats: the well-bred Duchess and her kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Jealous butler Edgar, eager to get his mitts on the cats' legacy, abandons the felines in the French countryside. The four lost kitties are aided in their efforts to return home by the raffish country pussycats Thomas O'Malley and Scat Cat. In keeping with a tradition launched by The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats is top-heavy with celebrity voices, including Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Hermione Baddeley, and the ineluctable Sterling Holloway. Assembled by the "nine old men" then in charge of animation, The Aristocats was a commercial success, essentially proving that Disney animated features could succeed without the involvement of the company's founder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, (more)
Filmed on location in the Philippines Robert Aldrich's Too Late the Hero is set in the last months of World War II. Lackadaisical navy lieutenant Cliff Robertson, who happens to speak fluent Japanese, is ordered to go on a suicide mission to wipe out an enemy observation post. Robertson's equally unwilling partners in this venture are British captain Denholm Elliot and pugnacious cockney private Michael Caine. All three men prove to have unsuspected reserves of courage when the going gets toughest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Cliff Robertson, (more)
Not to be confused with Massimo Dallamano's contemporaneous treatment of the Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch classic, this unrelated (but quite entertaining) thriller from cult director Jesus Franco was originally known as Black Angel. James Darren stars as Jimmy Logan, an American jazz musician in Turkey who finds the body of a dead girl washed ashore while coming down from an LSD trip on the beach. The woman, Wanda Reed (Maria Rohm), had been murdered by the sadistic Ahmed Kortobawi (Klaus Kinski) Percival Kapp (Dennis Price), and a lesbian fashion-photographer named Olga (Margaret Lee). Some time later, Jimmy goes to work in a Rio de Janeiro nightclub and moves in with Rita (Barbara McNair), a beautiful black singer. One day, a woman named Venus enters the club, and is a dead ringer for Wanda Reed. When the murders begin, the only motive seems to be revenge from beyond the grave. This well-made shocker contains some enjoyable songs and cameo appearances by the director and Manfred Mann as jazz musicians, as well as being the best of numerous collaborations between Franco and British producer Harry Alan Towers. Prints run 90 and 86 minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Darren, Barbara McNair, (more)
- 1968
- G
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Set in 1888, this tuneful fact-based Disney production concerns the attempts of a musically talented family of Dakota pioneers -- who are politically divided on the upcoming presidential election -- to wrangle an invite to that year's Democratic convention in cosmopolitan St. Louis. Incumbent Grover Cleveland is attempting to win his second straight election and is challenged by Benjamin Harrison. The results are that Cleveland won the popular vote, but Harrison won the electoral vote to be declared President of the United States. Cleveland would win the next election to become the only President to ever serve two non-consecutive terms. Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Janet Blair, Richard Deacon, Wally Cox, John Davidson and Leslie Ann Warren round out the adult cast. Along with the moppets, they sing and dance to espouse their political allegiances to the candidate of their choice. Look closely for Goldie Hawn in her first film role as a laughing chorine. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, (more)
One of the stars of Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke, is re-united with that film's composer and lyricist, Richard M.Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, in this big budget and bloodless children's fantasy musical, based on the children's book by James Bond author Ian Fleming. Van Dyke plays Caractacus Potts, a failed inventor who lives in a big house with his two children -- Jemima Heather Ripley and Jeremy Adrian Hall -- and eccentric father Lionel Jeffries. Potts has to raise 30 shillings so his children can buy a broken-down racing car from the junkyard. After a disastrous attempt to sell his invention of whistling sweets to Lord Scrumptious (James Robertson-Justice), the local candy maker, he finally gets enough money for the car by doing a Dick Van Dyke dance routine at the county fair. Potts takes the car and miraculously transforms the vehicle into a shiny new car named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. While on a picnic with the children and Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), Lord Scrumptious' beautiful daughter, Potts concocts a fantasy tale about the magical powers of the car, which can now float on water and fly. In the tale, Baron Bomburst (Gert Frobe) wants the car for himself and kidnaps the automobile and the inventor. But Bomburst captures Grandpa by mistake along with the wrong car, so Potts, Truly, and the children have to enlist Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on a rescue mission to Bomburst's lair to save Grandpa. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, (more)
Adapted from the book and play of the same name, The Happiest Millionaire is the (mostly) true story of eccentric Philadelphia millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle (Fred MacMurray). The Biddle mansion is the gathering place for a pugilistic boxing class, pet alligators and would-be opera singers. Cordelia Biddle (Lesley Ann Warren), the daughter of Anthony and his wife (Greer Garson), wants to marry wealthy and handsome Angie Duke (John Davidson), but Angie's parents are shocked by the Biddles' freewheeling lifestyle. Thanks in part to the ebullient intervention of John Lawless (Tommy Steele), the Biddles' butler, all misunderstandings are eventually swept away. Like Disney's previous Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire is decked out with a vibrant musical score by Richard and Robert Sherman, but the magic is somehow lacking this time around. This was the last live-action film to personally supervised by Walt Disney; released several months after Disney's death, the film was made available in 141-minute and 164-minute versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Tommy Steele, (more)
- 1966
A young girl is deeply traumatized after she sees her mother burned to death in a house fire and spends the rest of her youth locked in a mental hospital. By the time she is released, her father has married a nasty woman who only wants his money. Knowing that the recently returned daughter is mentally unstable, the stepmom does all she can to drive the fragile girl over the edge. Unfortunately for the conniving bride, things don't quite turn out as planned. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Martha Hyer, (more)
Follow Me, Boys!, Disney's paean to the Boys Scouts of America, leaves no cliché unturned: we're even offered the old reliable "kid hanging over cliff by rope" bit. Corny, sentimental and obvious though it may be, the film is a delight to watch, especially whenever Fred MacMurray dominates the screen. MacMurray plays Lem Siddons, a 1930s musician who decides to settle down in a small Midwestern town. Here he meets pretty bank teller Vida Downey (Vera Miles), who bemoans the fact that the local boys have no organized activities with which to occupy their time. Volunteering to be a scoutmaster, Lem begins a local scout troop. There are some tense moments when banker Ralph Hastings (Elliot Reid) demands that Lem's scouts vacate their headquarters, but Reid's feisty millionaire Aunt Hetty (Lillian Gish) comes to the rescue. The film's throughline is the regeneration of local "tough kid" Whitey (Kurt Russell), who, after joining the Boy Scouts, straightens out and matures into a solid citizen. The film's lachrymose climax is kept "honest" by the sincere underplaying of Fred MacMurray. Though lambasted by reviewers, Follow Me, Boys! struck a responsive chord with filmgoers, to the tune of a $5.5 million box-office take. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, (more)
Though overlong even for a Hayley Mills vehicle, That Darn Cat is an expert blend of laughs and suspense. The eponymous feline is D.C., a Siamese belonging to sisters Hayley Mills and Dorothy Provine. One evening, D.C. comes flouncing home with a lady's wristwatch attached to her neck. The watch contains an unfinished plea for help scribbled on its back, written by Grayson Hall, a bank teller held captive in a neighboring house by robbers Neville Brand and Frank Gorshin. Mills and Provine contact the FBI, who send agent Dean Jones (who's allergic to cats) to investigate. In their efforts to locate and rescue Hall and capture the crooks, Jones and the two sisters embark upon a series of slapstick misadventures involving an unending stream of top character actors. The highlight is a lengthy sequence at the drive-in movie theatre managed by ulcerated Richard Deacon. That Darn Cat is based on Undercover Cat, a somewhat more serious suspense novel by The Gordons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayley Mills, Dean Jones, (more)
Long resistant to film adaptations of her Mary Poppins books, P.L. Travers finally succumbed to the entreaties of Walt Disney, and the result is often considered the finest of Disney's personally supervised films. The Travers stories are bundled together to tell the story of the Edwardian-era British Banks family: the banker father (David Tomlinson), suffragette mother (Glynis Johns), and the two "impossible" children (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber). The kids get the attention of their all-business father by bedevilling every new nanny in the Banks household. Whem Mr. Banks advertises conventionally for another nanny, the kids compose their own ad, asking for someone with a little kindness and imagination. Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews in her screen debut) answers the children's ad by arriving at the Banks home from the skies, parachuting downward with her umbrella. She immediately endears herself to the children. The next day they meet Mary's old chum Bert (Dick Van Dyke), currently employed as a sidewalk artist. Mary, Bert, and the children hop into one of Bert's chalk drawings and learn the nonsense song "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in a cartoon countryside. Later, they pay a visit to Bert's Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn), who laughs so hard that he floats to the ceiling. Mr. Banks is pleased that his children are behaving better, but he's not happy with their fantastic stories. To show the children what the real world is like, he takes them to his bank. A series of disasters follow which result in his being fired from his job. Mary Poppins' role in all this leads to some moments when it is possible to fear that all her good work will be undone, but like the magical being she is, all her "mistakes" lead to a happy result by the end of the film. In 2001, Mary Poppins was rereleased in a special "sing-along" edition with subtitles added to the musical numbers so audiences could join in with the onscreen vocalists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, (more)
- 1963
In the first episode of Walt Disney's two-part miniseries The Horsemasters, the viewer is whisked of to England's prestigious Valleywood Riding School, a training ground for future riding instructors. The head of the riding academy, Janet Hale (Janet Munro), greets her new pupils in her usual no-nonsense fashion. Among the newcomers is Dinah Wilcox (Annette Funicello), who may be "washed out" early on when she develops a fear of jumping. But another pupil, Danny Grant (Tommy Kirk), is determined to help Dinah overcome her terror. Highlights include "The Strummin' Song", written by prolific Disney tunesmiths Richard M. and Robert Sherman. Originally telecast on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, "Follow Your Heart" and the subsequent episode "Tally Ho" were later combined and released theatrically overseas as The Horsemasters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annette Funicello, Tommy Kirk, (more)
A young widow from Boston travels with her three children to Maine to enjoy their summer vacation. Margaret Carey (Dorothy McGuire) is helped by the friendly Osh Popham (Burl Ives), who finds the family a rent-free house vacated by a vacationing landowner. Daughter Nancy (Hayley Mills) catches the eye of a young schoolteacher, Digby (Michael J. Pollard). The owner of the summer house shows up from Europe unexpectedly, but keeps his identity a secret when he too falls for the young Nancy. The entire family gets to croon with Burl Ives in a folksy front-porch singalong. The townsfolk make the Careys feel at home to the point that they consider making the idyllic coastal town their permanent home. This Walt Disney film is lighthearted entertainment for the entire family. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, (more)
