Episode 208

Producer/Writer/Director/Composer Jeffrey Sherman eagerly went into the family business, following his grandfather, Tin Pan Alley Songwriter Al Sherman and his Dad, Robert B. Sherman of the legendary Disney Songwriters, The Sherman Brothers. Jeff and his cousin Greg Sherman’s film, The Boys, chronicles their fathers’ Disney journey from Annette Funicello’s hit single, Tall Paul, through The Disney Songbook of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and legendary Disneyland Park rides including It’s A Small World (After All!)

Jeff joins us along with HIS next-gen musical son Alex, who offers up one of his beautiful songs. Jeff talks about his remarkable childhood which found him on  sets with his Dad, at scoring sessions for Tom Sawyer and touring Disney Studios with Walt Disney! Jeff also describes the fraught relationship between his Dad and Uncle which somehow forged treasured tunes that have brightened the world.

In celebration of its 60th anniversary, ABC and 20/20 recently aired 'The Untold Story of Mary Poppins, co-produced by Jeff and his cousin Greg. For this production, The ABC News archive doors swung wide open and the cousins discovered early drawings, backstage footage, archival interviews and the audio tape recordings of the Sherman Brothers attempting to win the hardened heart of the famously crusty Mary Poppins Author, P.L. Travers.

The special also details how the Sherman Brothers both spotted Julie Andrews performing a scene from My Fair Lady on The Ed Sullivan. Each sensed that she would be a perfect Poppins but knew that the pick needed to be Walt’s idea and so Broadway tickets were arranged and on cue, he walked backstage and offered Julie Andrews the part.

The special also includes interviews with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and today’s legends who have been moved and inspired by The Sherman Brothers including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Emily Blunt.

Jeff shares that through the noise of his father and uncle’s contentious relationship, they both loved him and were generous with lessons and opportunities to visit sets, sit in on recording sessions and ask questions of greats like John Williams and Irwin Kostal.

Jeff received piano lessons from his Tin Pan Alley Tunesmith grandfather, Al Sherman and Jeff’s polio vaccine inspired the beloved classic, A Spoonful of Sugar.

All that plus Alex Sherman remembers his grandfather and performs an original tune!