16 Magazine - March 1972 (typed by sweet Gale)

Bobby - The Tears Behind His Smile

Try to imagine a handsome, virile, strong young man like Bobby Sherman - who looks for all the world like one of the happiest people you've ever met - actually reduced to tears! Isn't that just about the last thing you'd ever expect to see him do - sob on someone's shoulder?

In reality, Bobby gets upset very rarely - and when he does, he usually doesn't let anyone even suspect that he's not quite his usual sweet and charmin' self.   He covers up any disturbing mood with that disarmingly beautiful smile that always cheers up everyone else.

Even his parents, who know him better than anyone else in the whole wide world, admit that it's rare to see Bobby sad and disheartened.  They say that he's an eternal optimist who always sees the bright side of things. (Instead of saying a glass of something is half empty, Bobby would say it's half full!)  In fact, Bobby is such a positive thinker that he often refuses to hear the negative aspects of a story - he likes to hear and say only good things about people!

But there's also a very, very important reason why Bobby curbs his tears and hides his emotions behind his gay smile.  And that reason is you!  You see, Bobby refuses to hurt or upset the people he loves most - and that's certainly you!   And, of course, he has always spared his parents hours of worry by acting unruffled, calm, and happy even when some problem was gnawing at his mind.

THE THINGS THAT BUG BOBBY - During his concerts, Bobby smiles at you, hoping to get to meet you after the show.   He jokes and sings happily - and you'd think that nothing in the world could be upsetting Bobby Sherman.  But perhaps the sound system isn't projecting his voice as well as he'd like, or the lighting is bad, or perhaps earlier in the day Bobby overheard an argument between his manager and some bossy booker who wanted Bobby to perform under difficult conditions.  You'd never know it - cos Bobby, true to the oldest tradition of show business, makes the "show go on".

And so, after saving up your allowance for weeks, after spending days deciding what to wear - you are never disappointed when you see Bobby Sherman in concert.   He's his usual sweet and charming self, and no one will ever know the pain he may be feeling inside - or see the tears behind his smile.

For instance, there are some very private, personal things that can choke Bobby up - some things that really upset him, even though he doesn't let on to anyone that they bother him.  What will never fail to disturb Bobby - in fact what nearly breaks his heart every time he hears about it - is any form of disease or sickness or disaster.   Last year - when he was in Memphis, Tennessee, for a concert - Bobby had an experience he will never forget.  Feeling very pleased after a successful concert, Bobby had just finished an encore on stage when the mayor of Memphis came up and asked a favor of him.  The Mayor told Bobby there was a 14-year-old girl who had very much wanted to see his concert, but instead she had to go to the hospital - could Bobby visit her?

It turned out that the little girl had cancer, and her leg had been amputated the day before. But the thing that upset her most was that she missed Bobby's concert!  It was this experience more than anything else that led Bobby to form the Bobby Sherman Cancer |Research Fund. (You can help him fight this dreaded disease by sending your contribution to The Bobby Sherman Cancer Research Fund of the Concern Foundation , P.O. Box 3121, Los Angeles, California 90051.)

WHY BOBBY NEEDS YOU - So now you know - although Bobby is a very, very happy person, he is also super-sensitive, especially about things that may hurt or injure or bother you.  He doesn't let personal or career setbacks disturb him - he carries on like the "pro" he is.   When he learned, for instance, that Getting Together was not going to be renewed on ABC-TV, he accepted it philosophically.  Of course, he was bothered by the fact that he wouldn't have a "date" with you every Saturday night any longer (for awhile, that is), but he just forged ahead to find other ways for you to see him - even now he is hoping to do a movie for television.  And he will definitely appear on a Mod Squad episode called "Outside Position", to be aired in mid-February.  Bobby will play a boy sent to jail mistakenly by his girlfriend's father!

Though Bobby is an admirably strong person - one you should look up to and be inspired by - do remember that Bobby is also a very humble human being and that he needs you to give him the self-confidence and self-assurance that enables him to carry on, no matter what - and to always keep his tears behind his smile!