Last weekend I was privileged to attend a once in a lifetime Disney event. The Morristown and Newport Theater Guide production of “Summer Magic – Flitterin’ from Film to Footlights”. Presented at a small college theater in a small town in Tennessee, this intimate setting was mostly attended by local folk with the exception of a few notable celebrities in the audience. My friend, Jim Hollifield who was deeply involved in helping put this production together, saw that I happened to be close enough to make the short drive to see the play and sent me an invitation. I was not disappointed!

The play itself pretty much followed the movie, with all the great Sherman brother’s music.  However the producer, Jerry Malloy, in this adaptation skillfully added a few more Sherman brother tunes (from Happiest Millionaire) to fill out the story. He even used a song written by Al Sherman, father of the famous Sherman brothers writing duo.

The cast was made up of mostly local talent which was well rehearsed. They had a live orchestra which sounded awesome in the small theater (about 200 seats) and the backdrops were impressive. They even had a barbershop quartet! To be able to hear the wonderful music and songs from “Summer Magic” played and sung live, was a pleasure I shall not soon forget!

I mentioned earlier about celebrities in attendance. A couple of locals with Disney connections came to see the play. Mary Costa, who voiced and sang as Sleeping Beauty, and Eddie Hodges who starred in the movie version of Summer Magic. And even Richard Sherman came with his wife to see this special event. Stacia Martin, who is not only a Disney historian and artist, but also another Disney record collector, moderated a pre-play interview of Richard and Eddie about their work on the film.

It is unknown if this will be the only time this Disney classic will be performed as a play. I did find out that Disney Theatrical would be in attendance the next night, so maybe there will be future “Summer Magic” for all to enjoy. I hope so. Even though I feel special to be able to experience this special showing, I think it would be great to share it with other Disney fans that also have a love for this classic!

Yesterday, Robert Sherman, the older of the famous Disney songwriting Sherman Brothers duo, passed away in his London home.  So many songs from my childhood flowed from the pen of this man and his brother!  When I took trips to Disneyland as a boy, I would soon run out of tickets in my book and have many hours left to explore what "free" rides and exhibits they had. My favorite was Carousel of Progress, sponsored by General Electric. I would ride it over and over again (alternated with Adventures Through Inner Space). The music would sweep over me and I would sing "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" as we moved around to each scene. At that time I had no idea who the Sherman Brothers were. I just loved the music!  "Miracles from Molecules!" "It's a Small World!" "In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!"  For me, the music made the rides!  Thank you Robert, for all the wonderful memories I still cherish today!

Thanks to my friend Craig Barton who took this photo of the Disneyland tribute in front of the Sherman Brother's window on Main Street USA

I found a 1957 "TV Guide" magazine from the Los Angeles area that includes many interesting Disney listings including an article about Mouseketeer Cubby, Zorro, and a complete week listing of the Mickey Mouse Club.  Click below to see selected pages inside the magazine.