WALT DISNEY STORYTELLER Disney's The Aristocats MIKE SAMMES SINGERS Phil Harris!

1 Item Set of "Walt Disney Storyteller - Disney's THE ARISTOCATS"; by Mike Sammes Singers and Phil Harris. Includes:

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ITEM 1.) Walt Disney Company/Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.; Walt Disney Storyteller - Disney's The Aristocats;

The Aristocats performed by the Mike Sammes Singers (Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Shermand); Ev'rybody Wants to be a Cat performed by Phil Harris (Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker); "For the convenience of children, identical recording on both sides of cassette";

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NOTE: GENERIC PHOTO - NOT THE ACTUAL ITEM IN THIS LOT:

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HISTORICAL NOTE: "The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced & released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 & stars Eva Gabor & Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story. The 20th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on a story by Tom McGowan & Tom Rowe, & revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, & how an alley cat acquaintance helps them after a butler has kidnapped them to gain his mistress' fortune which was meant to go to them. It was originally released to theaters by Buena Vista Distribution on Dec. 11, 1970. The title is a pun on the word aristocrats. The film is noted for being the last film to be approved by Walt Disney himself, as he died in late 1966, before the film was released. It garnered positive reviews & was a box office success. Disney Studios began production of a sequel, The Aristocats II, in Dec. 2005, set to release in 2007, but production was cancelled in early 2006. In Paris, France, in 1910, a mother cat named Duchess & her three kittens, Marie, Berlioz, & Toulouse, live in the mansion of retired opera singer Madame Adelaide Bonfamille, along with her English butler Edgar. She early on settles her will with her lawyer Georges Hautecourt, an aged, eccentric old friend of hers, stating that she wishes for her fortune to be left to her cats, who will retain it until their deaths, upon which her fortune will revert to Edgar. Edgar hears this from his own room & is unwilling to wait for the cats to die naturally before he inherits Madame Adelaide's fortune, & plots to remove the cats from a position of inheritance. He sedates the cats by putting sleeping pills into the cats' food & then heads out into the countryside to drown them in a creek. However, two hound dogs, named Napoleon & Lafayette, attack him. Edgar escapes, leaving behind his umbrella, hat, the cats' bed-basket, & the sidecar of his motorcycle. The cats are unharmed, but stranded in the countryside, while Madame Adelaide, Roquefort the mouse, & Frou-Frou the horse discover their absence. In the morning, Duchess meets an alley cat named Thomas O'Malley, who offers to guide her & the kittens to Paris. They have a struggle returning to the city, briefly hitchhiking on the back of a milk cart before being chased off by the driver. Marie subsequently falls into a river & is saved by O'Malley. They then meet a pair of English geese, Amelia & Abigail Gabble, who are on a tour of France. The group head off, marching like geese, until they reach Paris & come across the girls' drunken Uncle Waldo. Abigail & Amelia then depart to take Waldo home. Travelling across the rooftops of the city, the cats meet Scat Cat & his band, close friends to O'Malley, who perform the song Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat. After the band has departed & the kittens lie in bed, O'Malley & Duchess spend the evening on a nearby rooftop & talk, while the kittens listen at a windowsill. The subject of their conversation is the question of whether Duchess may stay & marry Thomas. Eventually, she turns him down, largely out of loyalty to Madame Adelaide. Edgar, meanwhile, retrieves his sidecar, umbrella, & hat from Napoleon & Layafette with some difficulty, knowing that it's the only evidence that could incriminate him. The cats make it back to the mansion, whereupon O'Malley departs sadly. Edgar sees Duchess & Kittens coming & captures them, places them in a sack & briefly hides them in an oven. The cats tell Roquefort to pursue O'Malley & get help. He does so, whereupon O'Malley races back to the mansion, ordering Roquefort to find Scat Cat & his gang. Edgar places the cats in a trunk which he plans to send to Timbuktu, Africa. O'Malley, Scat Cat & his gang, and Frou-Frou all fight Edgar, while Roquefort frees Duchess & the kittens. In the end, Edgar is tipped into the trunk, locked inside, & sent to Timbuktu himself. Madame Adelaide's will is rewritten to exclude Edgar & include O'Malley. She starts a charity foundation providing a home for all of Paris' stray cats. The grand opening thereof, to which most of the major characters come, features Scat Cat's band, who perform a reprise of Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat. This film was the last one to be approved by Walt Disney himself, and the 1st one produced after his death in 1966. The film took four years to produce, at a budget of $4,000,000. Five of Disney's legendary "Nine Old Men" worked on it, including the Disney crew that had been working 25 years on average. Phil Harris as Thomas O'Malley (full name: Abraham de Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley the Alley Cat) - The deuteragonist. A friendly alley cat who finds Duchess & her kittens stranded in the woods & befriends them, becoming a father figure to the kittens & falling in love with Duchess. Eva Gabor as Duchess the White Cat - Madame Adelaide's cat & mother of three kittens. She is the main protagonist who falls in love with Thomas & is forced to choose her life at home or a life with Thomas. Robie Lester provided her singing voice. Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar - Madame Adelaide's butler & the main antagonist of the film. He hopes to get rid of the cats in order to inherit Adelaide's fortune. Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat - Thomas's best friend & leader of a group of music-loving alley cats. Plays the trumpet. Gary Dubin as Toulouse - the oldest kitten, he aspires to meet a tough alley cat & adores Thomas as a father figure. He acts very tough at times & often gets into Marie's & Berlioz's nerves. Liz English as Marie - the middle kitten. Not only is she very bossy at times, but she also believes that by being female, she is the best of the three kittens. She, like Toulouse, grows to love Thomas like a father. Dean Clark as Berlioz - the youngest kitten. He is somewhat timid & shy. Like Toulouse & Marie, he grows to love Thomas like a father. Sterling Holloway as Roquefort the Mouse - a friend of the cats. He attempts to find them after they are catnapped, but is unsuccessful. Paul Winchell as Shun Gon the Chinese Cat - a member of Scat Cat's gang. Plays the piano & drums that are made out of pots. Lord Tim Hudson as Hit Cat the English Cat - a member of Scat Cat's gang. Plays acoustic guitar. Vito Scotti as Peppo the Italian Cat - a member of Scat Cat's gang. Plays the accordion. Thurl Ravenscroft as Billy Boss the Russian Cat - a member of Scat Cat's gang. Plays cello bass guitar. Pat Buttram as Napoleon the Bloodhound - a farm dog who attacks Edgar when he intrudes in the farm, unknowingly saving the lives of Duchess & her kittens. Napoleon insists, whenever cohort Lafayette makes a suggestion, that he is in charge – then proceeds to adopt Lafayette's suggestion as his own. George Lindsey as Lafayette the Basset Hound - a farm dog & Napoleon's companion. He sometimes proves to be smarter than Napoleon, despite Napoleon staunchly insisting that he is the leader of the farm dogs. Hermione Baddeley as Madame Adelaide Bonfamille - a former opera singer & owner of Duchess & her kittens. Charles Lane as Georges Hautecourt the Lawyer - a senile but lively old man who denies his old age & even refuses to accept Edgar's offer of using the elevator instead of the long staircase, resulting in brief chaos. Nancy Kulp as Frou-Frou the Horse - Roquefort's companion & who plays a part in subduing Edgar. Ruth Buzzi provided her singing voice. Monica Evans as Abigail Gabble - a goose who finds the cats & tries to help them get home. Carole Shelley as Amelia Gabble - Abigail's twin sister. Bill Thompson as Uncle Waldo - the drunk uncle of Amelia & Abigail. (his final role). Peter Renaday - French Milkman the Driver/Le Petit Cafe Cook/Truck Movers (uncredited). Maurice Chevalier - Singer. The Aristocats was re-released to theaters on Dec. 19, 1980 & April 10, 1987. It was released on VHS in Europe on Jan. 1, 1990. It was 1st released on VHS in N. Am. in the Masterpiece Collection series on April 24, 1996 & DVD on April 4, 2000 in the Gold Classic Collection line. The Aristocats had its Gold Collection disc quietly discontinued in 2006. A new single-disc Special Edition DVD (previously announced as a 2-Disc set) was released on Feb. 5, 2008. Based on 18 reviews, the film has a 67% rating at Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6/10. While this is rather low for a Disney animated feature, it still classifies it as "fresh". Of the reviews, 12 gave it fresh & only 6 gave it rotten. The film was nominated for AFI's 10 Top 10 in the "Animation" genre. "The Aristocats" - Maurice Chevalier. Ths title song from the film was written by Robert & Richard Sherman at the end of the eight year tenure working for Walt Disney Productions. Actor & singer Maurice Chevalier came out of retirement to sing this song for the motion picture's soundtrack, convinced by a demo version where Richard Sherman imitated him. (Robert Sherman also stated that Chevalier's recording is Chevalier imitating Richard Sherman imitating Chevalier.) He recorded it in English as well as in French translation ("Naturellement - les Aristocats!"). It would be his last work before his death in 1972. "Pourquoi?" - A deleted song sung by Hermione Baddeley as Madame Bonfamille, who sings about her love for the cats while harmonizing with a recording of her own voice on a 78-RPM. Marie, voiced by Robie Lester, interrupts the song twice by asking her "Purr-quoi?", to which she replies "Because I am with you." The song, introduced by its writer Richard M. Sherman, is featured among the extras in the 2008 Special Edition DVD. "Scales & Arpeggios" - Liz English, Gary Dubin, Dean Clark, Robie Lester. "Thomas O'Malley Cat" - Phil Harris. "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" - Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, Paul Winchell. This song is sung by Scatman Crothers as Scat Cat, with all the other members of his polyethnic jazz band. It was also released as a now rare 45 rpm single, in a version sung only by Phil Harris, which lacks the cartoon voices of the common release. The soundtrack CD released in 1996 contains an edited version of the song. The lines sung by "Chinese Cat", voiced by Paul Winchell, now seen as politically incorrect, are removed. However, they are still in the song as featured in the DVD release. "She Never Felt Alone" - Another deleted song, this number features a reprise of "Pourquoi?" sung by Robie Lester on her own with different lyrics, explaining why Madame loves her & the kittens. Lester's piano-and-voice demo is featured among the DVD extras, within the same section as "Pourquoi?". "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat (reprise)" - Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, Thurl Ravenscroft, Vito Scotti, Paul Winchell, Ruth Buzzi, Bill Thompson. A reprise featuring all of the animal characters in the film. On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic, this includes "Thomas O'Malley Cat" on the purple disc & "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" on the orange disc. On Disney's Greatest Hits, this includes "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat" on the red disc. The Aristocats II was supposed to be a direct-to-video sequel to this film. It was scheduled to be released in 2007, but the production was stopped in 2005. In Italy the title was translated to Gli Aristogatti. Most of the characters maintained their original names but Thomas O'Malley that was renamed Romeo, Er mejo der Colosseo ("The best of Colosseum" in Romanesco), & changed its origin from Ireland to Italy.";

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HISTORICAL NOTE: "Michael William "Mike" Sammes (19 Feb. 1928 – 19 May 2001) was an English musician & vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s. Born in Reigate, Surrey, Sammes was the son of pioneer photographer & film-maker Rowland Sammes. He began his interest in music by learning the cello & played in the school orchestra at Reigate Grammar School. He then worked briefly for the music publisher, Chappell & Co. in London. After national service in the RAF in the late 1940s, he worked a variety of jobs until a fellow musician, Bill Shepherd, convinced him to form a group called The Coronets. This male vocal group recorded some covers of current hits for Columbia Records & did some back-up work for the Big Ben Banjo Band, but Shepherd lost interest. Sammes, however, was greatly interested in the work & saw the business opportunities it provided. After bringing together the core group of singers in 1955, the ensemble was soon working four sessions a day, six days a week. They did back-ups for all the major & minor British singers, soundtrack & radio work, & thousands of radio jingles. Under the name of 'The Mike Sammes Singers' they recorded seven albums between 1962 & 1988. In addition, they performed on numerous albums for Disneyland Records. Among the many hit singles featuring the Mike Sammes Singers are "No Other Love" (Ronnie Hilton), "A Handful of Songs" (Tommy Steele), "Why?" & "Strawberry Fair" (Anthony Newley), "Walkin' Back to Happiness" (Helen Shapiro), "The Last Waltz" (Engelbert Humperdinck), "Green Green Grass of Home" & "Delilah" (Tom Jones) & "Tears" by Ken Dodd. Barry Gray used them on the title themes for three of Gerry Anderson's shows, Supercar, Stingray, & The Secret Service. They helped out The Beatles on the songs "I Am the Walrus" & "Good Night"; as well as on their last album, Let It Be, at the behest of Phil Spector. Sammes also provided the distinctive basso backing vocals on Olivia Newton John's early country crossover hits, including "Banks of the Ohio", "Let Me Be There" & "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)." However, his group, the Mike Sammes Singers, have only one entry in The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, for "Somewhere My Love" in July 1967. Sammes rewrote the song, "Marianne", with Bill Owen to provide Cliff Richard with a minor hit in Sept. 1968. The Mike Sammes Singers remained very busy into the 1970s, doing recordings for television (The Secret Service) & appearing on the small screen (The Val Doonican Show, 1971). By the mid 1970s, though, the demand for backing vocals had faded considerably, due to the introduction of multi-tracking & synthesizers. Sammes died at the age of 73 in May 2001, several months after a bad fall from which he had never fully recovered. Johnny Trunk, of Trunk records, was able to recover a number of reel-to-reel tapes from Sammes' house (despite it having been ransacked by house clearance), which he went on to compile as the CD 'Music For Biscuits', so-named because it features 1960s/70s advertising jingles for Tuc biscuits, Shield soap, Dulux paint etc.";

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HISTORICAL NOTE: "Richard Morton Sherman (born June 12, 1928) is an American songwriter who specializes in musical film with his brother Robert Bernard Sherman. Some of the Sherman Brothers' best-known writing includes the songs from Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper & the Rose & the theme park song, "It's a Small World (after all)". Richard Morton Sherman was born in New York City to Russian-Jewish immigrants, Rosa & Al Sherman. Together with his older brother Robert, "The Sherman Brothers" would eventually follow in their songwriting father's footsteps to form a long-lasting songwriting partnership. Following seven years of frequent cross-country moves, the Sherman family finally settled down in Beverly Hills, California in 1937. Throughout Richard's years at Beverly Hills High School he became fascinated with music & studied several instruments including the flute, clarinet, piccolo & piano. At his 1946 graduation from Beverly Hills High School, Richard Sherman & André Previn played a musical duet - Previn (played piano) accompanying Sherman (who played flute). Coincidentally, in 1965 both composers won Oscars for different films, both winning in musical categories. At Bard College, Sherman majored in Music, writing numerous sonatas & "art songs" during his time there but it was Richard's ambition to write the "Great American Symphony" which eventually led him to write songs. Within two years of graduating, Richard & Robert Sherman began writing songs together on a challenge from their father, songwriter Al Sherman. In 1953 Sherman was drafted into US Army joining the band & glee club. He served as a musical conductor for both groups & remained in the U.S. during his time in the service. He was not in combat. During this time, collaborator brother, Robert, worked with other songwriters. In 1955 Sherman was honorably discharged from the Armed Forces. In 1957 Sherman married Elizabeth Gluck with whom he had two children: Gregory & Victoria. Lynda (Sherman) Rothstein is his daughter from a previous marriage. In 1958 the Sherman Brothers had their 1st "Top Ten" hit with "Tall Paul", sung by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. The success of this song yielded the attention of Walt Disney who eventually hired the Sherman Brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios. While at Disney, the Sherman Brothers wrote what is perhaps their best-loved song: It's a Small World (after all) for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Since then, "Small World" has become the most translated & performed song on earth. In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won two Academy Awards for the film Mary Poppins (1964), which includes the songs "Feed The Birds", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" & the Oscar winner, "Chim Chim Cher-ee". Since Mary Poppins premiere, the Sherman Brothers have subsequently earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations & an 23 gold & platinum albums. The Shermans worked directly for Walt Disney until Disney's death in 1966. Since leaving the company, the brother songwriting team has worked freelance on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme park exhibits & stage musicals. Their 1st non-Disney assignment came with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968 which garnered the brothers their 3rd Academy Award Nomination. In 1973, the Sherman Brothers made history by becoming the only Americans ever to win 1st Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer for which they also authored the screenplay. The Slipper & the Rose was chosen as the Royal Command Performance of 1976 & was attended by Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. A modern musical adaptation of the classic Cinderella story, "Slipper" also features both song-score & screenplay by the Sherman Brothers. That same year the Sherman Brothers received their star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theater. Their numerous other Disney & Non-Disney top box office film credits include The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), The Parent Trap (1961), The Parent Trap (1998), Charlotte's Web (1973) , The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), Snoopy, Come Home (1972), Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971) & Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland (1992). Outside of the motion picture realm, their Tony nominated smash hit, Over Here! (1974) was the biggest grossing original Broadway Musical of that year. The Sherman Brothers have also written numerous top selling songs including "You're Sixteen" which holds the distinction of reaching Billboard's #1 spot twice; 1st with Johnny Burnette in 1960 & then with Ringo Starr fourteen years later. Other top-ten hits include, "Pineapple Princess", "Let's Get Together" & more. In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the song score for Disney's blockbuster film: The Tigger Movie (2000). This film marked the brothers' 1st major motion picture for the Disney company in over twenty eight years. In 2002, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang hit the London stage as a musical & received rave revues. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium, boasting the longest run in that century-old theatre's history. In 2005 the musical premiered on Broadway (New York City) at the Hilton Theatre. The Sherman Brothers wrote an additional six songs specifically for the new stage productions. In 2003, four Sherman Brothers' musicals ranked in the "Top 10 Favorite Children's Films of All Time" in a (British) nationwide poll reported by the BBC. The Jungle Book (1967)_ranked at #7, Mary Poppins (1964) ranked at #8, The Aristocats (1970) ranked at #9 & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) topped the list at #1. A new Disney & Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins: The Stage Musical made its world premiere at the Prince Edward Theatre in December 2004, featuring the Sherman Brothers' classic songs. The show went on to successful runs in New York & Los Angeles. The Sherman Brothers' classic motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was adapted into a London West End Musical in 2002 & premiered at the London Palladium on April 16, 2002 featuring many new songs & a reworked score by both Sherman Brothers. It was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best New Musical. The Sherman Brothers each received the "Musical Theatre Award" from the Variety Club of Great Britain that year as well for Chitty. Chitty finished a record breaking, three & a half year run at the Palladium becoming the longest running show in the theatre's century long history. 2004 saw the premiere of Mary Poppins on the stage. In 2005, Poppins was nominated for nine Olivier Awards. In 2005 Chitty went to Broadway & was nominated for 9 Tonys & also began its nationwide (UK) tour. In June 9, 2005, Sherman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Bill Withers, Steve Cropper, John Fogerty, Isaac Hayes, David Porter & his brother, Robert B. Sherman. On November 16, 2006 the Cameron Mackintosh/Disney production of Mary Poppins made its Broadway premiere at the New Amsterdam Theater featuring the Sherman Brothers’ classic songs. In February, 2008 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang began a 2nd UK tour. In 2008 & 2009, Poppins is scheduled to premiere in numerous cities throughout the world including: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Budapest, Shanghai, Toronto, Sydney, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, São Paulo & Helsinki. Full UK & US tours of Poppins are also scheduled to commence in 2008 & 2009 respectively. On Saturday, October 4, 2008, Sherman appeared as a surprise guest on stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles during The Swell Season's sold out concert & performed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" with the band. On Monday, November 17, 2008, Robert & Richard Sherman were awarded the National Medal of Arts at the White House by President George W. Bush in the East Room. The National Medal of Arts is the highest award bestowed onto artist by the US Government. In May 2009, a documentary called the boys: the sherman brothers' story was released. In October 2009, Disney released a 59 track, two CD compendium of their work for the studio spanning forty-two years. The CD is entitled "The Sherman Brothers Songbook". In 2010 Sherman released "Forgotten Dreams" a CD of his piano music. Sherman also wrote "Make Way For Tomorrow Today", which can be heard in the score for the movie Iron Man 2. On March 11, 2010 the Sherman Brothers were presented with a Window on Mainstreet Disneyland in Anaheim, California in honor of their contribution to Disney theme parks. On May 17, 2010 the Sherman Brothers received the "Career Achievement Award" at The Theatre Museum's 2010 Awards Gala in New York City. In 2011, Sherman begins preproduction on the film project Inkas the Ramferinkas. Animatic work has already been produced out of London, Munich & Los Angeles. Sherman collaborates on both the script & score for this film. Since 2002, Robert Sherman has lived in London, England. He moved from Beverly Hills, while Richard Sherman remained in California. The geographical separation has not impeded the brothers' collaborative process. The brothers have credited this to fax, email & low cost international telephone service. Both brothers travel between Los Angeles, New York & London frequently which also facilitates their work. Since Robert's move, the brothers have continued to collaborate on various musical plays. A Symposium on Popular Songs, 1962 (uncredited); Mary Poppins, 1964 (*treatment only, uncredited); The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1973; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1974; The Slipper & the Rose, 1976; The Magic of Lassie, 1978; Ferdinand the Bull, 1986 (*TV screenplay); Inkas the Ramferinkas, 2013 (announced). Victory Canteen, 1971 (Ivar Theatre, L.A.); Over Here!, 1974 (Broadway, NY); Dawgs, 1983 (Variety Arts Center, L.A.); Busker Alley, 1995 (U.S. Tour); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2002 (London); Mary Poppins, 2004 (London); On the Record 2004-5 (U.S. Tour); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2005 (Broadway, NY); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2005 (UK Tour); Busker Alley, 2006 (Broadway, NY - *one night only); Mary Poppins, 2006 (Broadway, NY); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2007 (Singapore); Mary Poppins, 2008 (UK Tour); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2008 (Second UK Tour); Mary Poppins, 2008 (Sweden); Mary Poppins, 2009 (US Tour); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Copenhagen); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Budapest); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Shanghai); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Australia); Mary Poppins, 2009 (South Africa); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Amsterdam); Mary Poppins, 2009 (Helsinki). There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow for Carousel of Progress; "The Best Time Of Your Life" for Carousel of Progress; Miracles from Molecules for Adventure Thru Inner Space; One Little Spark for Journey Into Imagination; Magic Journeys for Journey Into Imagination; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (attraction); "it's a small world" for the 1964 New York World's Fair attraction of the same name.; "The Astuter Computer Revue" for the 1982 premiere of the CommuniCore Exhibit at EPCOT.; Magic Highways for Rocket Rods; Making Memories for Magic Journeys; The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room; "We Meet the World with Love" and Meet the World for the same exhibit in Tokyo Disneyland. 1965 Won Academy Award in the category of "Best Original Song" for "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from Mary Poppins; 1965 Won Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Score - Substantially Original" for Mary Poppins; 1969 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Original Song" for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; 1972 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Original Song" for "The Age of Not Believing" from Bedknobs & Broomsticks; 1972 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Scoring Adaptation & Original Song Score" for Bedknobs & Broomsticks; 1974 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Scoring Original Song Score &/Or Adaptation" for Tom Sawyer; 1978 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Original Song" for "The Slipper & the Rose Waltz" from The Slipper & the Rose; 1978 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Original Song Score & Its Adaptation Or Best Adaptation Score" for The Slipper & the Rose; 1979 Nominated Academy Award in the category of "Best Music, Original Song" for "When You're Loved" from The Magic of Lassie. Annie Awards: 2000 Nominated Annie in the category of "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production" for the song "Round My Family Tree" from The Tigger Movie; 2003 "Winsor McCay Award" for lifetime achievement & contribution to animation. BAFTA Awards: 1977 Nominated "Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music" for The Slipper & the Rose. BMI: 1977 "Pioneer Award" awarded in Los Angeles, California; 1991 "Lifetime Achievement Award" awarded at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles, California. 1964 "Christopher Award" for "Best Original Song Score" for Mary Poppins; 1973 "Christopher Award" for "Best Original Song Score" for Tom Sawyer. Disney: 1985 "Mousecar" awarded at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California in front of 20 thousand people; 1990 "Disney Legends" awarded at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California; 2010 Main Street, U.S.A. Window presented at Disneyland in Anaheim, California in honor of the Sherman Brothers' contribution to Disney theme parks. 1965 Nominated Golden Globe in the category of "Best Original Score" for Mary Poppins; 1969 Nominated Golden Globe in the category of "Best Original Score" for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; 1969 Nominated Golden Globe in the category of "Best Original Song" for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; 1974 Nominated Golden Globe in the category of "Best Original Score" for Tom Sawyer; 1977 Nominated Golden Globe in the category of "Best Original Score" for The Slipper & the Rose. Golden Videocassette Award: 1984 Best Selling Video Cassette (of all time) for Mary Poppins. 1965 Won Grammy in the category of "Best Original Score for a Motion Picture or Television Show" for Mary Poppins; 1972 Nominated Grammy in the category of "Best Original Score for a Children's Show" for Snoopy Come Home; 1974 Nominated Grammy in the category of "Best Original Score for a Musical Show" for Over Here! 1965 Won "Golden Laurel" in the category of "Best Song" "Chim Chim Cher-ee" for Mary Poppins; 1965 2nd Place "Golden Laurel" in the category of Music Men"; 1966 3rd place "Golden Laurel" in the category of "Best Song" "That Darn Cat!" for That Darn Cat! Moscow Film Festival: 1973 First Place Award in the category of "Best Music" for Tom Sawyer. 2008 National Medal of Arts awarded to Richard & Robert Sherman on November 17, 2008 at the White House by President George W. Bush. This is the highest honor the US Government bestows on artists. Olivier Awards: 2002 Nominated "Best Musical" for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Songwriters Hall of Fame: 2005 induction at the Marriott Hotel on Times Square in New York City. Theatre Museum Award: 2010 Career Achievement Award presented on May 17, 2010 at The Players Club in New York City. Variety Club Awards: 2003 Won "Best Musical" for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Walk of Fame: 1976 A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame awarded to "Richard & Robert Sherman" on November 17, 1976, located at 6914 Hollywood Blvd..";

HISTORICAL NOTE: "Robert Bernard Sherman (born December 19, 1925) is an American songwriter who specializes in musical films with his brother Richard Morton Sherman. Some of the Sherman Brothers' best known writing includes the songs from Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper & the Rose & the theme park song, "It's a Small World (after all)". Robert Bernard Sherman was born in December 19, 1925 in New York City. His parents, Russian-Jewish immigrants, Rosa & Al Sherman paid Robert's hospital delivery costs with a royalty check which had arrived that day. The title of the song which covered the hospital bill was "Save Your Sorrow". Al Sherman was to become a well known Tin Pan Alley songwriter. As a youth, Robert Sherman excelled in intellectual pursuits, taking up the violin & piano, painting & writing poetry. Following seven years of frequent cross-country moves, the Shermans finally settled down in Beverly Hills, California. Some of the primary schools Robert attended in Manhattan included PS 241 & the Ethical Culture Fieldston School; in California, the El Rodeo School. Throughout his years at Beverly Hills High School, he wrote & produced radio & stage programs for which he won much acclaim. At age 16, he wrote a stage play, Armistice & Dedication Day, which earned thousands of dollars for War Bonds & a special citation from the US Department of War. In 1943, Sherman obtained permission from his parents to join the army a year early, at age 17. In early April 1945, he led half a squad of men into Dachau concentration camp, the 1st Allied troops to enter the camp after it had been evacuated by the fleeing German military only hours earlier. On April 12, 1945, the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Sherman was shot in the knee forcing him to walk with a cane ever since. For his service to his country, he received two Battle Stars, a Combat Infantryman Badge, an American Campaign Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, a European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal & a Good Conduct Medal. In addition, Sherman was also awarded several Army Weapons Qualifications badges including a "Sharpshooter badge" with bars for both rifle & submachine gun; a "Marksman Badge" for carbine & an "Expert Badge" for rifle & grenade. During his recuperation in Taunton & Bournemouth (UK), Sherman was awarded the Purple Heart medal. While still rehabilitating, Sherman 1st became curious about British culture, reading anything he could find on the subject. Once back on his feet, Sherman met & became friends with many British people, attaining 1st hand knowledge of the UK, her customs & people. Years later, Sherman credited this time in his life as the origin of his fascination with England, believing that it proved an invaluable resource to his songwriting career. Many of his best-known works center around English stories, authors & subject matter. On his return to the US, Sherman attended Bard College in upstate New York where he majored in English Literature & Painting. Sherman also served as the editor-in-chief of The Bardian which is the campus newspaper. At Bard, Sherman completed his 1st two novels, The Best Estate & Music, Candy & Painted Eggs. He graduated in the class of 1949. On May 12, 1990 Sherman received an Honorary Doctorate from Lincoln College. Within two years, Sherman & his brother Richard began writing songs together on a challenge from their father, Al Sherman, a successful popular songwriter in the "Tin Pan Alley" days ("No! No! A Thousand Times No!!", "You Gotta Be a Football Hero"). In 1953, Robert married Joyce Sasner, which moderated what had become his bohemian lifestyle in the years following the war. His 1st child, Laurie, was born in 1955, followed by Jeffrey in 1957, Andrea in 1960 & later, Robert in 1968. In 1958, Sherman founded the music publishing company, Music World Corporation, which later worked with Disney's BMI publishing arm, Wonderland Music Company. That same year, the Sherman Brothers had their first "Top Ten" hit with "Tall Paul", which was sung by Annette Funicello. The success of this song yielded the attention of Walt Disney who eventually hired the Sherman Brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios. While at Disney, the Sherman Brothers wrote what is perhaps their most recognized song: "It's a Small World (after all)" for the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won 2 Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, including "Feed The Birds", "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", & the Oscar winner, "Chim Chim Cher-ee". Since Mary Poppins' premiere, Robert B. Sherman has subsequently earned 9 Academy Award nominations, 2 Grammy Awards, 4 Grammy Award nominations & 23 gold & platinum albums. Robert & Richard Sherman worked directly for Walt Disney until Disney's death in 1966. Since leaving the company, the brothers worked freelance as songwriters on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme park exhibits & stage musicals. Their 1st non-Disney assignment came with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968 which garnered the brothers their 3rd Academy Award Nomination. In 1973, the Sherman Brothers made history by becoming the only Americans ever to win 1st Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer for which they also authored the screenplay. The Slipper & the Rose was picked to be the Royal Command Performance of the year & was attended by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. A modern musical adaptation of the classic Cinderella story, Slipper also features both song-score & screenplay by the Sherman Brothers. That same year the Sherman Brothers received their star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theater. Their numerous other Disney & Non-Disney top box office film credits include The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), The Parent Trap (1961), The Parent Trap (1998), Charlotte's Web (1973), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), Snoopy, Come Home (1972), Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971) & Little Nemo: Adventures In Slumberland (1992). Outside the motion picture realm, their Tony nominated, Over Here! (1974) was the biggest-grossing original Broadway Musical of that year. The Sherman Brothers have also written numerous top selling songs including "You're Sixteen", which holds the distinction of reaching Billboard's #1 spot twice; 1st with Johnny Burnette in 1960 & then with Ringo Starr fourteen years later. Other top-ten hits include, "Pineapple Princess", "Let's Get Together" & more. In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the song score for Disney's blockbuster film: The Tigger Movie (2000). This film marked the brothers' 1st major motion picture for the Disney company in over twenty eight years. In 2002 the stage musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang premiered in London. It is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium, boasting the longest run in that century-old theatre's history. In early 2005 a 2nd Chitty company premiered on Broadway (New York City) at the Foxwoods Theatre (then the Hilton Theatre). The Sherman Brothers wrote an additional six songs specifically for the new stage productions. In 2002, Sherman moved from Beverly Hills to London, England where he continues to write & paint. In 2003, four Sherman Brothers' musicals ranked in the "Top 10 Favorite Children's Films of All Time" in a (British) nationwide poll reported by the BBC. The Jungle Book (1967)_ranked at #7, Mary Poppins (1964) ranked at #8, The Aristocats (1970) ranked at #9 & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) topped the list at #1. A new Disney & Cameron Mackintosh production of Mary Poppins: The Stage Musical made its world premier at the Prince Edward Theatre in December 2004 & features the Sherman Brothers classic songs. In June 2005, Robert B. Sherman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with his brother. Also in June 2005, a tribute was paid to Robert B. Sherman at the Théâtre de Vevey in Vevey, Switzerland by the Ballet Romand. Chitty opened on Broadway in 2005 & commenced its 1st full UK tour in December 2005 with subsequent tours &/or tour dates in each year since. Poppins opened on Broadway in 2006. In 2008, Robert Sherman completed an autobiographical novel entitled Moose while Poppins embarked on a UK tour as well as a world tour beginning in Göteborg, Sweden. Chitty embarked on a 29 city, US Tour which goes through 2009. A lesser known aspect of Sherman's life is his painting which he has done since 1941 & kept private (except from his family & close friends) until 2002. Sherman studied painting while attending Bard College, receiving a double degree in both Painting & English Literature. Sherman has worked in various visual arts media, including clay & metal sculpture, but his main focus was oil painting throughout the 1940s, 1950s & 1960s. He switched to acrylics in the mid 1960s, & has painted in that medium ever since. In April 2002, an exhibition of Sherman's paintings was held in London, England, at Thompsons' Gallery on Marylebone High Street. This marked the 1st public exhibition of his paintings since he started painting in 1941. Sherman subsequently exhibited his paintings in Florida & California. A series of Limited Edition Giclées of Sherman's art were also published at this time on both canvas & paper. Paintings which have appeared at the various exhibitions include: "On Route 9G" (c.1949), "Self Portrait" (1970), "San Francisco (1970)", "Moses" (1977), "Carousel In The Country" (1982), "From the Dining Room (1982)", "Sacrifice" (1983), "Florid Window" (1984), "Geisha (1986)", "Fine Four Fendered Friend (2002)" & "Park Lane" (2003). On March 4, 2007, Sherman & his younger son, Robbie, donated limited edition prints of "Moses" & "Sacrifice" to the Giffnock Synagogue in Glasgow, Scotland. Robert Sherman has also been a metal sculptor, poet, & short story author. Sherman married Joyce Ruth Sasner on September 27, 1953. Joyce & Robert Sherman have four children: Laurie Shane, Jeffrey Craig, Andrea Tracy & Robert Jason. Dr. Laurie Sherman is married to Dr. John Evans & they have three children including Joshua Abraham, Sarah Aurora & Amelia Elizabeth. Jeff Sherman is married to Wendy Liebman & they have two children; Alex & Ryan. Joyce Sasner Sherman died on October 16, 2001. In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the award winning score to The Tigger Movie which achieved number one status in both theatrical box office & video sales. The Sherman Brothers' classic motion picture, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was adapted into a London West End Musical in 2002 & premiered at the London Palladium on April 16, 2002 featuring many new songs & a reworked score by both Sherman Brothers. It was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best New Musical. The Sherman Brothers each received the "Musical Theatre Award" from the Variety Club of Great Britain that year as well for Chitty. Chitty finished a record breaking, three & a half year run at the Palladium becoming the longest running show in the theatre's century long history. 2004 saw the premiere of Mary Poppins on the stage. In 2005, Poppins was nominated for nine Olivier Awards. In 2005 Chitty went to Broadway & was nominated for 9 Tonys & also began its nation wide (UK) tour. On June 9, 2005, Sherman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Bill Withers, Steve Cropper, John Fogerty, Isaac Hayes, David Porter & his brother, Richard M. Sherman. On November 16, 2006 the Cameron Mackintosh/Disney production of Mary Poppins made its Broadway premiere at the New Amsterdam Theater featuring the Sherman Brothers’ classic songs. During a London press junket promoting the 40th anniversary DVD rerelease of The Jungle Book, Robert & Richard Sherman were witnessed by press working on a new song for Inkas in the same Brown's Hotel room where The Jungle Book was originally penned by the British writer, Rudyard Kipling, over a hundred years earlier. In February, 2008 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang began a 2nd UK tour. In 2008 & 2009, Poppins is scheduled to premiere in numerous cities throughout the world including: Stockholm, Copenhagen, Budapest, Toronto, Shanghai, Sydney, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, São Paulo & Helsinki. Full UK & US tours of Poppins are also scheduled to commence in 2008 & 2009 respectively. On November 17, 2008 Robert & Richard Sherman were awarded the National Medal of Arts at the White House by President George W. Bush in the East Room. The National Medal of Arts is an award & title created by the Congress of the United States in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists & patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), & ceremoniously presented the award by the President of the US. In May 2009, a documentary called the boys: the sherman brothers' story was released. In October 2009, Disney released a 59 track, two CD compendium of their work for the studio spanning forty-two years. The CD is entitled "The Sherman Brothers Songbook". On March 11, 2010 the Sherman Brothers were presented with a Window on Mainstreet Disneyland in Anaheim, California in honor of their contribution to Disney theme parks. On May 17, 2010 the "Career Achievement Award" at The Theatre Museum's 2010 Awards Gala. In 2011, Sherman begins preproduction on the film project Inkas the Ramferinkas. Animatic work has already been produced out of London, Munich & Los Angeles. Sherman collaborates on both the script & score for this film. In 2005 Robert Sherman established an annual scholarship award in his name through the BMI Foundation. The awardee is chosen by BMI's Lehman Engel program with some consultation with Sherman. The 1st awardee was announced in November 2006. Awardees are chosen for their excellence in musical comedy songwriting with an emphasis on lyric writing. Following is a list of the annual winners since the award's inception: 2006 - Andrew Nellessen; 2007 - Michael Mitnick; 2008 - (No Award This Year); 2009 - Jeffrey Simno; 2010 - Andy Roninson. Since 2002, Robert Sherman has lived in London, England. He moved from Beverly Hills while Richard Sherman remained in California. The geographical separation has not impeded the brothers' collaborative process. The brothers have credited this to the technological advents of fax machines, email & low cost international telephone service. Also, both brothers travel between Los Angeles, New York & London frequently which also facilitates their work. Since Robert's move, the brothers have continued to collaborate on various musical plays as well as a feature, animated, film musical which incorporates their original story, song score & screenplay.";

HISTORICAL NOTE: "Phil Harris (born Wonga Philip Harris; June 24, 1904 – Aug. 11, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, jazz musician, actor & comedian. Though successful as an orchestra leader, Harris is remembered today for his recordings as a vocalist, his voice work in animation (probably most famous later in his career for his roles as bears, one being Baloo in Disney's The Jungle Book & as Little John in Disney's Robin Hood) & as a pioneer in radio situation comedy, 1st with Jack Benny, & then in a series in which he co-starred with his wife, singer-actress Alice Faye, for eight years. Harris was born in Linton, Indiana but grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, & identified himself as a Southerner (his hallmark song was "That's What I Like About the South"). His upbringing accounted for both his trace of a Southern accent &, in later years, the self-deprecating Southern jokes of his radio character. The son of two circus performers, Harris's 1st work as a drummer came when his father, as tent bandleader, hired him to play with the circus band. Harris began his music career as a drummer in San Francisco, forming an orchestra with Carol Lofner in the latter 1920s & starting a long engagement at the St. Francis Hotel. The partnership ended by 1932, & Harris led and sang with his own band, now based in Los Angeles. Phil Harris also played drums in the Henry Halstead Big Band Orchestra during the mid-1920s. In 1931, Lofner-Harris recorded for Victor. After Harris recorded for Columbia in 1933, he recorded for Decca in 1935. From Dec. 1936, through March 1937, he recorded 16 sides for Vocalion. Most were hot swing tunes that used a very interesting gimmick; they faded up & faded out with a piano solo. These were probably arranged by pianist Skippy Anderson. On Sept. 2, 1927, he married actress Marcia Ralstone in Sydney, Australia; they had met when he played a concert date. The couple adopted a son, Phil Harris, Jr. (b. 1935), but they divorced in Sept., 1940. In 1933, he made a short film for RKO called So This Is Harris!, which won an Academy Award for best live action short subject. He followed with a feature-length film, Melody Cruise. Both films were created by the same team that next produced Flying Down to Rio, which started the successful careers of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. Additionally, he appeared in Thunder Across the Pacific (1951), alongside Forrest Tucker & Walter Brennan, & The High & the Mighty with John Wayne in 1954. In 1936, Harris became musical director of The Jell-O Show Starring Jack Benny (later renamed The Jack Benny Program), singing & leading his band, with Mahlon Merrick writing much of the show's music. When he showed a knack for snappy one-liners, he joined the Benny ensemble portraying himself, but scripted as a hip-talking, hard-drinking, brash Southerner, whose good nature often overcame his ego. His 1st trademark was his jive-talk nicknaming of the others in the Benny orbit. Benny was "Jackson," for example; Harris's usual entry was a cheerful "Hiya, Jackson!". He usually referred to Mary Livingstone as "Livvy". His signature song, belying his actual Hoosier birthplace, was "That's What I Like About the South." His comic persona—that of a musical idiot who never met a bottle he didn't like or a mirror he could bypass—masked his band's evolution into a smooth, up-tempo big band. Many of Harris's vocal recordings were comic novelty "talking blues" numbers not unlike the talking numbers of African-American comedian Bert Williams, a style sometimes considered a precursor to modern rap music. In time, Harris's comic persona made such an impression that he got a chance to step out on his own, though he remained loyal to Benny & a key member of the Benny cast for a few more years. In 1946, Harris & wife Alice Faye began co-hosting The Fitch Bandwagon, a comedy-variety program that followed the Benny show on Sunday nights. It was sponsored by hair products manufacturer F.W. Fitch Co. of Des Moines, Iowa. Harris & Faye married in 1941; it was a 2nd marriage for both (Faye had been married briefly to singer-actor Tony Martin) & lasted 54 years, until Harris's death. Harris engaged in a fistfight at the Trocadero nightclub in 1938 with RKO studio mogul Bob Stevens; the cause was reported to be over Faye after Stevens & Faye had ended a romantic relationship. In 1942, Harris & his entire band enlisted in the U.S. Navy, & they served until the end of World War II. By 1946, Faye had all but ended her film career. She drove off the 20th Century Fox lot after studio czar Darryl F. Zanuck reputedly edited her scenes out of Fallen Angel (1945) to pump up his protege Linda Darnell. Originally a vehicle for big bands, including Harris' own, The Fitch Bandwagon became something else entirely when Harris & Faye's family skits made them the show's breakout stars. Coinciding with their desire to settle in southern California & raise their children---Phil Jr. (born 1935 and whom Harris had adopted while previously married), Alice (born 1942) & Phyllis (born 1944), The Fitch Bandwagon name disappeared when Rexall became the program's sponsor in 1948; the show was renamed The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. By that time, it had become a full-fledged situation comedy featuring one music spot each for Harris & Faye. Harris was the vain, language-challenged, stumbling husband, & Faye was his acid but loving wife on the air. Off the air, as radio historian Gerald S. Nachman has recorded, Harris was actually a soft-spoken, modest man. "But it was the 'Phil Harris' character," wrote radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio), "that carried [the show]: his timing was exceeded by none, including [Jack] Benny himself. Like Benny, Harris played a character who in real life would be intolerable. That both men projected themselves through this charade & made their characters treasures of the air was a notable feat." Young actresses Jeanine Roos & Anne Whitfield played the Harris' two young daughters on the air; unlike Ozzie & Harriet Nelson's two young sons, the Harris's real-life children did not seem to have any inclination to join their famed parents on the air. The series also featured Gale Gordon as Mr. Scott, their sponsor's harried representative, & Great Gildersleeve co-star Walter Tetley as obnoxious grocery boy Julius Abruzzio. Elliott Lewis--already a distinguished radio performer & producer/director--found himself in a comic role that would be long remembered, playing Frank Remley, a layabout guitarist whose mission in life seemed to be getting Harris into & out of trouble almost continuously; his "I know a guy . . ."---usually, referring to a shady character he'd enlist to help Harris out of a typical jam---became one of the show's catch-phrases. The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show ran until 1954, by which time radio had succumbed to television. Harris continued to appear on Jack Benny's show, along with his own, from 1948 to 1952. Because the Harris show aired immediately after Benny's on a different network (Harris & Faye were still on NBC, whereas Benny jumped his show to CBS in 1949), Harris would only appear during the 1st half of the Benny show; he would then leave the CBS studio & walk approximately one block to his own studio down the street, arriving just in time for the start of his own program. He was succeeded as Benny's orchestra leader in the fall of 1952 by Bob Crosby. After the show ended, Harris revived his music career. In 1956, he appeared in the film Good-bye, My Lady. He made numerous guest appearances on 1960s & 1970s TV shows, including the Kraft Music Hall, Burke's Law, with the most memorable being as a college-educated, jive-talking horn-player in "Who Killed Billy Jo", The Dean Martin Show, F Troop, The Hollywood Palace & other musical variety programs. He appeared on ABC's The American Sportsman hosted by Grits Gresham, & later sports announcer Curt Gowdy, which took celebrities on hunting, fishing or shooting trips around the world. Song hits by Harris included the early 1950s novelty song, "The Thing." The song describes the hapless finder of a box with a mysterious secret & his efforts to rid himself of it. Harris also spent time in the 1970s & early 1980s leading a band that appeared often in Las Vegas, often on the same bill with swing era legend Harry James. Harris was also a close friend & associate of Bing Crosby & appeared in an episode of ABC's short-lived The Bing Crosby Show sitcom. After Crosby died in 1977, Harris sat in for his old friend doing color commentary for the telecast of the annual Bing Crosby Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Harris said of Crosby's death, "I have grown up to learn that God doesn't make mistakes. Today, I'm beginning to doubt that." An old episode of The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show began with Harris telling the story of how he once won the tournament. He worked as a vocalist & voice actor for animated films, lending his distinctive voice to the Disney animated features The Jungle Book (1967) as Baloo, The Aristocats (1970) as Thomas O'Malley & Robin Hood (1973) as Little John (another bear). The Jungle Book was his greatest success in the years following the end of his radio career. As Baloo the Sloth Bear, he sings one of the film's showstoppers, "The Bare Necessities," a performance that introduced Harris to a new generation of young fans who had no awareness of his radio fame. Harris also joined Louis Prima in "I Wanna Be Like You," delivering a memorable scat singing performance. The Aristocats features Harris as alley cat Abraham de Lacey Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley, who joins in the film's showstopper, "Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat," with Scatman Crothers. In Robin Hood, Harris's Little John sings the popular anti-Prince John tune "The Phony King of England." In 1989, Harris briefly returned to Disney to once again voice Baloo, this time for the cartoon series TaleSpin. He was later replaced by actor Ed Gilbert. His last animated film project was the 1991 Rock-a-Doodle, directed by Don Bluth, in which he played the friendly, laid-back Basset Hound Patou. Harris was a longtime resident & benefactor of Palm Springs, California, where Crosby also made his home. Harris was also a benefactor of his birthplace of Linton, Indiana, establishing scholarships in his honor for promising high school students, performing at the high school, & hosting a celebrity golf tournament in his honor every year. Harris & Faye donated most of their show business memorabilia & papers to Linton's public library. Harris died of a heart attack in Palm Springs 1995 at age 91. Alice Faye died of stomach cancer three years later. Two years before his death, Harris was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame. Both Harris & Faye are interred at Forest Lawn-Cathedral City in Riverside County, California. Phyllis Harris was last reported living in St. Louis (she had been with her mother at her father's bedside when he died), while Alice Harris Regan was reported living in New Orleans. Harris remained grateful to radio for the difference it made in his professional & personal life. He was quoted as saying, "If it hadn't been for radio, I would still be a traveling orchestra leader. For 17 years I played one-night stands, sleeping on buses. I never even voted, because I didn't have any residence." Episodes of The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show turn up frequently on compact-disc collections of old-time radio classics, both on their own sets & amid various comedy collections. At least half the surviving episodes of the show's final season include Harris's audience warmup routine, performed for ten minutes before the show was to begin recording. Many old-time radio historians (such as Nachman & Dunning) consider the show at its best to have stood the test of time, thanks to above-average writing (mostly by the team of Ray Singer & Dick Chevillat) & the two stars who executed it with impeccable timing.

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HISTORICAL NOTE: "Floyd Huddleston. Birth: 19 Aug. 1918, McComb, Mississippi, USA. Death: 27 Sept. 1991, Los Angeles, California, USA. Birth Name: Floyd Houston Huddleston. Songwriter & author. He joined ASCAP in 1949, & his popular-song compositions include "Highway to Love", "You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right", "Of All Things", "He's Just My Kind", "Just For Laughs", & "You Started Something". Married to Nancy Adams (1965 - Present, 1 Child), arranger & singing voice of Maid Marian of his Academy Award-nominated song, Love, in Walt Disney's Robin Hood. His chief musical collaborators were Al Rinker & Don Costa. His ASCAP biography gives his birth year as 1919.";

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HISTORICAL NOTE: "Al Rinker (Dec. 20, 1907 – June 11, 1982) began performing as a partner with Bing Crosby in 1925 & the two singers formed the Rhythm Boys, which singer/songwriter/pianist Harry Barris later joined. Barris wrote the songs Mississippi Mud, I Surrender, Dear, & Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams among others. The singing trio worked with Paul Whiteman's Big Band in Los Angeles until Crosby dissolved the group to go solo, recording both with Whiteman & on their own with Barris on piano. The Rhythm Boys were filmed for the Paul Whiteman movie The King of Jazz (1930) singing Mississippi Mud, So the Bluebirds & the Blackbirds Got Together, I'm a Fisherman, Bench in the Park, & Happy Feet. According to a filmed interview of Rinker, Crosby performed the 1st two weeks on his 1st film while on daytime work release from jail after crashing his car into a telephone pole while driving drunk. After the Rhythm Boys broke up, they reunited only once, to appear together on the "Paul Whiteman Presents" radio broadcast on July 4, 1943. In 1952, a song for which Rinker wrote the lyrics, You Can't Do Wrong Doin' Right, appeared in the film Push-Button Kitty & in the television series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He also wrote the song Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat for the Disney cartoon children's movie The AristoCats (1970). Rinker's sister Mildred, under her married name of Mildred Bailey, became a well-known jazz singer after the Rhythm Boys arranged for Paul Whiteman to "discover" her singing at a party & hired her. She became the 1st woman to join a band as a full-time singer, as Crosby had been the 1st man to do so. Al's brother Charles was a lyricist who worked frequently with composer Gene de Paul.";