“Osh Popham” named as the proprietor of the happy, bustling shop on Main Street. But who is Osh? He’s actually a character who was played by Oscar-winning actor/singer Burl Ives in the charming 1963 Walt Disney feature film, “Summer Magic,” co-starring Hayley Mills.
In the film, Osh was a shopkeeper, postmaster and good-natured meddler. He helped the struggling Carey family find a new home in the little town of Beulah, Maine. For the character of Osh Popham, the Sherman brothers wrote two of their most memorable tunes: “Ugly Bug Ball” and “On the Front Porch,” which is Robert’s personal favorite Sherman Brothers song.