In 2002, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang hit the London stage, receiving rave reviews and is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium, boasting the longest run in that century-old theatre's history.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, Benny Hill, James Robertson Justice, Robert Helpmann, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall. The film is based on the 1964 children's novel Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming, with a screenplay co-written by Hughes and Roald Dahl. Irwin Kostal supervised and conducted the music for the film based on songs written by the Sherman Brothers, Richard and Robert. The film's title song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 41st Academy Awards.
The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialised in musical films, made up of brothers Robert Sherman (December 1925 – March 2012) and Richard Sherman (June 1928 – May 2024). Together they received various accolades including two Academy Awards and three Grammy Awards. They received nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award, a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. In 1976, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the National Medal of the Arts in 2008. The Sherman Brothers wrote more motion-picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Their work includes the live-action films The Parent Trap, Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the animated films The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Four Sherman Brothers' musicals rank in the Top 10 Favourite Children's Films of All Time in a nationwide poll reported by the BBC. Most notably, Chitty topped the list at No. 1.
Denis Burton spent an impressive 50 years or so on Regular and Reserve service in the British Army. He enlisted in 1972 as a junior musician before establishing himself as the principal trombone of the Staff Band of the Royal Army Ordinance Corps. His musical potential was quakily realised, and he was selected for the Bandmaster Course, graduating as the top student and winning six prizes – including the Worshipful Company of Musicians Medal for Best Overall Bandmaster. He held appointments in the Light Infantry and in the Training Development Team at the Royal Military School of Music. He was commissioned and promoted to Director of Music, leading the Band of the Royal Lancers and the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers as well as being Chief Instructor at the Royal Military School of Music responsible for musical training of all Army musicians. His final appointment in Regular Service was as Director of Music, Grenadier Guards, achieving world class standards of excellence in this high-profile state ceremonial role. After finishing his Regular Army career, Denis served as Director of Music of The Band of The Royal Welsh as part of the Army Reserve for another 15 years. Denis’s compositions and arrangements for wind, brass and ensembles have been published across the UK and Europe, with many of his arrangements still being used on occasions such as Trooping the Colour.
