Tigerbeat - September 1980 (15th Anniversary Issue)
Article courtesy of Kathi and photo courtesy of Chris

Bobby - Yesterday And Today

By Ann Moses
Editor of TIGER beat from 1967-1972

Bobby Sherman is one guy TIGER beat's featured who's never left the show business sceneyou remember him from years past, and you know and love him today!

"HI BABE!" - Some 10 years had passed since I'd heard "Hi, Babe!" as only Bobby Sherman can say it, but those two words are as much a part of him as his piercing blue eyes and dimpled cheeks.

Some things never change! With Bobby Sherman, it's his ever-excited attitude towards life and his love for people. Talking with him today, he has many qualities that were so special then: his concern for his fans, his love for his family and his enthusiasm for his work, whether it be recording, producing or acting.

In the January 1970 TIGER beat, Bobby's fans got to spend 24 hours with him. His typical day then went something like; 6:00 A.M.: alarm rings, shower, shave, time for one cup of coffee. 6:45 A.M.: jump into his blue Rolls Royce and drive to Columbia Studios, make-up, study lines one last time. 7:30 A.M.: begin the day's shooting as Jeremy on "Here Come The Brides. 1:00 P.M.: lunch break at Yankee Pedlar restaurant. 2:00 P.M.: afternoon shooting, interviews, write songs between takes. 7:30 P.M.: home to cook his own dinner. And 10:00 P.M.: drop into bed after studying lines for the next day.

Bobby's schedule changed dramatically in the years to follow. After "Here Come The Brides" and his own show called "Getting Together" went off the air, Bobby seemed to drop from sight. What really happened was that Bobby's career took a different turn. His acting began to take a back seat to his producing and writing talentsand to his family. Bobby married his long-time girlfriend, Patti Carnel, and they had two sons, Christopher and Tyler.

His days were then filled with activities like producing his first movie for ABC-TV, "The Day the Earth Moved," and producing records from the recording studio in his home. Though he was proud of his accomplishments, he still longed to prove to his audience and to himself that he was a good actor, not "just a teenage idol" and that meant going back to work in front of the cameras.

"Work has always been fun for me," Bobby told me, "and I've never said to myself, Oh, no! I've gotta go to work today.' I have so many goals. I've been very busy, but there are so many things I miss the weekend concerts and the one-on-one contact with the fans."

HOME AND SONS - Show business, in part, led to his and Patti's divorce last year. "We're better friends now than ever before," Bobby admits. "I will never regret the times we spent together. It was right for us then, but we grew in different directions. Patti wanted a life away from the chaos of Hollywood, but I can't live without the excitement and the challenge."

Bobby's life today is not the same as in 1970, but it's just as full - and happier than ever! His Number One priority is the time he spends with his sons every weekend. Christopher is now seven, Tyler is six. ("We do everything you can imagine - swim in the pool, play ball, go to Disneyland. You name it, we do it.") Unlike the overworked executive who feels a need to "escape" after a long work week, Bobby smiles, "My home, especially when the boys are here, means everything to me. I have the pool, a movie theater, an arcade with pinball machines, waterfalls and ponds with fish. There's no reason to go out!"

Even when the hectic pace of his life slowed down during the 70's, Bobby was not one to take off for far away adventures. "I got so much traveling in while I was touring, there was nowhere special I wanted to see. There's a part of me that's very much a loner and that part needs to be satisfied. I find that satisfaction right here in my home."

One thing hasn't changed, when Bobby goes out into public, he still gets recognized, and he still loves it! "I always loved meeting the fans, but it's different now. It used to be a group of girls who'd see me, start screaming and run over, not knowing really what to do or how to act. Now, it's moreromantic. They're a little older, they remember when they used to see me on TV and it's very nostalgic. But their feelings are more clear to them now, so they just come up and talk to me. It's great!"

Bobby's fans have remained very loyal. Recently though he has only appeared on television occasionally in the last few years. ABC received so many letters asking about Bobby and what he was doing that "Good Morning America" sent a camera crew to his home for five hours to film an interview! His recent appearance in the movie for TV "Gossip Columnist" sparked a whole new generation of fans, and it seems we'll all be seeing more of Bobby in the near future!

He now has all but three songs finished for a new album, plus he'll be starring in a movie for TV (which may turn into a weekly series) called "Jimmy," about an international entertainer who also works undercover for the U.S. government searching out secret information.

I say, "The more, the better!" To see the smiling face of one of Hollywood's most sincere and honest actors and to hear "Hi, Babe", as only Bobby can say it, will keep me a fan for years to come! You, too?