Flip - July 1969

Bobby Sherman Takes You To His Secret Hideaway!

Spend a day with Bobby Sherman and spend a long, but groovy day.

It starts early in the morning - like at 6 a.m. - when Bobby shows up at the Columbia Ranch in Burbank, California. The ranch is where they film most of "Here Come The Brides" and all of the permanent sets used on the show are situated there.

After nearly falling asleep in the chair while the make-up man applies his makeup, Bobby then wanders over to the set. It's still very early and the sun is just beginning to peak through the make-believe trees in the outdoor sets.

Bobby doesn't have to spend too long in make-up because his great natural tan requires little help from make-up.

Before arriving on the actual indoor set, Bobby stops off for a minute at his dressing room - a small trailer that he's decorated with a few of his favorite things. He tosses his coat on a chair, picks up a copy of today's script and heads for wardrobe. There he changes into the outfit he'll wear during today's filming.

He finally arrives on the set and greets everyone who's already there. Some of the cameramen, lighting and prop people have already been there for awhile setting things up.

The "Brides" set is one of the grooviest TV sets in all of Hollywood just because they've somehow managed to get a group of people - cast and crew - that all get along. There are no personality conflicts, no ego flareups, no tantrums. Everyone does his job and respects everyone else.

Bobby has particular praise for his co-star Bridget Hanley. "She's great," he says. "She always seems to keep everyone laughing with her antics, yet she's also a very good actress."

It's time for Bobby to go to work now and the director takes him aside with the others who are appearing in the first scene they're filming and explains exactly how he wants it done.

Bobby listens intently, offers his own ideas and questions anything he doesn't understand clearly. It's all very businesslike, yet also relaxed.

They walk through the scene a few times to make sure the lighting, props, sound and everything is just right and then do the actual filming.

Everyone in "Brides" is very professional, so scenes usually don't take too many tries before it's just right but every now and then they'll have to shoot one over and over.

Pretty soon it's break time and everyone from star to stagehand rushes out to the catering truck for coffee, Cokes or whatever.

If there's a reporter, friend or fan on the set, Bobby will always take the time to introduce himself and make sure the visitor feels at home.

He often conducts guided tours of the set for visitors, showing them the sets that are used for the girls' dormitory, the dock, jail and other permanent sets. He points out the make-believe trees and mountains and explains how they can imitate a dock on a river in the middle of Burbank, where there are no real rivers.

Bobby's one of the most gracious performers around and first-time visitors to the set are always amazed at the time he'll take to explain things and see that everyone knows what's going on.

After the break, it's back to work for a couple of hours until lunch time.

In one scene the director explains that although he's just chatting with Bridget, he's supposed to have just had a fight with one of his brothers on the show - a scene which they haven't filmed yet - so he should be agitated.

"OK," says Bobby, "It'll be there." And it is. He appears aggravated and ill at east, 'til they finish the scene and he starts joking with the crew again.

The work is so fascinating that it doesn't seem like work at all, and before you know it, it's lunch time. As soon as the director yells "Lunch, everyone back at one" there's instant chaos as everyone scurries in different directions.

Bobby usually grabs any fan, friend, reporter or cute girl who's standing around and splits for one of the local restaurants.

But sometimes he's got a lot of lines to learn or a heavy interview to do, so he'll spend the time in his trailer dressing room. A good many of the interviews you've read about Bobby were done in that dressing room.

Lunch for Bobby is often light but nutritious. He's a health fan and stays in topnotch shape at all times.

After lunch, it's into a long afternoon of more filming. By the time he finishes the sun has gone down and most visitors have vanished. He then has to change back into his groovy, sporty everyday clothes and takes his makeup off before heading home.

But even though he's had a long day, Bobby's not through yet.

He jumps in his midnight blue 1962 Rolls Royce and heads for his recording studio. Even funnier than seeing a young guy with relatively long hair driving a Rolls is the fact that when he drives himself, Bobby has to sit on a telephone book to see over the dashboard because the car is built so high.

He races out of the Columbia Ranch, waves goodnight to the studio guard, and heads out to his folks' house in the San Fernando Valley. That's where his recording studio is and that's Bobby's home away from home, his secret hideaway.

There he's happiest. There he writes, arranges, produces, plays and sings his music. The studio is one of his most prized possessions, along with the Rolls, and he takes great pride in it.

You know that you're special to Bobby if you get an invitation to see him at the studio. If you're lucky enough to get invited to the studio, you'll see Bobby doing one of the things he loves most - creating music.

He'll gladly explain the entire setup to you, pointing out each machine and instrument and explaining what it does. His hospitality never stops and you can be sure he'll make sure you feel at home in his special hideaway.

He'll work, though it isn't really work to him, until late at night in the studio. Then he'll reluctantly realize that he's got to be at the studio early tomorrow morning again and begin shutting everything off until there's only a soft hum left in the room.

Then it's back to the Rolls. He gladly drops anyone who's around off wherever they have to go and then trudges back to his own place for a good night's sleep after a long, but typical day.

Every day in Bobby Sherman's life is different, but they all begin early and end late - but Bobby wouldn't have it any other way. It's the way of life he chose and he digs it. He hopes you do, too.