12 – THE MUSICAL – STAGE AND FILM
The American musical theatre is the direct result of a blending of several performance genres, the most important being the extravaganza, the minstrel show, the revue and the operetta.
Extravaganzas, elaborate spectacles featuring music, a chorus line and special effects had originated in Britain and France and flowered in America in the 1820's. The first major American extravaganza was "The Black Crook"(1866).
Another stage in the evolution of the modern American musical was the minstrel show, a number of travelling troupes satirizing blacks which helped promote among others, the music of Dan Emmett and Stephen Foster. The format generally centered around a series of songs and comedy skits. Later, vaudeville became a vehicle for promoting new songs. Again, it was in a variety format yet not as limited in its subject matter (see Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret).
By the late 1800's, the revue, a series of skits with music became the most popular form of stage entertainment. The idea of the revue was conceived by George W. Lederer who basically added legitimacy and respectability to vaudeville by cleaning up its act and creating production numbers. Songwriters soon realized the power of having a song featured in a hit revue, especially after 1892 when the show, "A Trip To Chinatown," featuring the hit songs, "The Bowery" and "After The Ball," became the most successful American revue of its time. It premiered on Nov. 9, 1891 at The Madison Square Theater in New York City where it ran for an unprecedented 657 performances. "After The Ball," written by Chas K. Harris (see Tin Pan Alley) became a huge hit, eventually selling over 5 million in sheet music copies. From then on, the musical show became one of the greatest vehicles for the promotion of songs.
Next came the revue, "Twirly Whirly." Premiering on Sept. 11, 1902, it starred the great Lillian Russell singing "Come Down Ma Evening Star," written by composer/arranger John Stromberg (1853 - 1902). The sheet music for the song had been found in his pocket after he committed suicide shortly before the show's debut. The combination of the romantic story behind the song and a poignant delivery by Miss Russell made the song an immediate smash.
Revues continued throughout much of the century in one form or another. The Ziegfeld Follies, created by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, ran from 1907 to 1931 and featured the music of the cream of Tin Pan Alley craftsmen such as Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern. In 1919, a new series of revues called The George White Scandals began to rival Ziegfeld and in 1923, The Earl Carroll Vanities debuted featuring nudity in the form of scantily attired models labelled "living statues." May 17, 1925, saw the premiere of The Garrick Gaieties, a musical revue featuring no star attractions. The show was totally dependant on a fresh young cast performing a score by the new songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart. During the late 1920's, the revue was hitting its peak and The Ziegfeld Follies was in decline since a great many of its stars had exited. However, the popularity of the revue lasted well into the 1940's. With the influence of respected European stagings, American writers decided to put their music into legitimate revues featuring one specific theme or storyline as a showcase for plot related songs. Opera was the predominant influence, only now modern themes and dialogue would be applied. Actually, opera did not involve dialogue since all plot lines were sung. The modern musical did not reach that plateau until the debut of the Gershwins' "Porgy And Bess" in 1935. However, the show still relied on some spoken passages.
Basically, operetta or "little opera" consisted of a simple play augmented by song and dance. The two basic styles were comic opera, featuring a comedic storyline and operetta, which was predominantly romantic and sentimental. The storylines were generally "cloak and dagger" plots involving fantasy complete with beautiful heroines, dastardly villains and storybook romances set in elaborate stagings.
One of the biggest influences on American musical theatre was the universal popularity of the shows produced by British operetta pioneers, Gilbert and Sullivan. Later, America became enamoured of the elaborate operettas written by European-born composers such as Victor Herbert, Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg.
- William Schwenck Gilbert (Nov. 18, 1836 - May 29, 1911)
- Librettist/playwright/producer born in London, England.
- Arthur Seymour Sullivan (May 14, 1842 - Nov. 22, 1900)
- Composer born in London, England.
- 1870 - They met and began a long term collaboration. Their operatic burlesque satires became a British national institution.
- 1877 - Debuted their comedy, "Engaged."
- Nov. 25, 1878 - Their "H.M.S. Pinafore" made its American debut in Boston, Massachusetts, immediately becoming the rage and paving the way for other such musicals.
- 1879 - Their second American success was "The Pirates Of Penzance."
- Other shows include "Iolanthe"(1882), "The Mikado"(1885) and "The Gondoliers"(1889).r
- Their strength lay in their memorable melodies and sophisticated wit.
- Gilbert & Sullivan opened the floodgates for a whole new wave of European writers and encouraged American composers and librettists to emulate current European trends.
- Gilbert often opposed Sullivan's Wagnerian aspirations.
- May 29, 1911 - Gilbert died while rescuing a drowning girl.
- 1983 - A film version of "The Pirates Of Penzance" starred Linda Ronstadt.
- Victor August Herbert (Feb. 1, 1859 - May 26, 1924)
- Composer/cellist/conductor born in Dublin, Ireland.
- While in Germany, worked as cellist with The Stuttgart Court Orchestra.
- 1886 - After his marriage to Therese Forster, a leading German soprano, they moved to New York City.
- 1893 - Became the director of The 22nd New York Regiment Band.
- His first operetta, "Prince Ananais"(1894) was a failure. However his next effort, "The Wizard Of The Nile"(1895) written with librettist Harry B. Smith brought him recognition and the featured song, "Star Light, Star Bright" became all the rage.
- 1897 - His operetta, "The Serenade" was a success.
- 1898-1904 - Served as chief conductor for The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
- 1903 - Completed his masterpiece, "Babes In Toyland."
- 1910 - His next big success was "Naughty Marietta" which featured "I'm Falling In Love With Someone" and the haunting "Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life." The musical was later brought to the screen in 1935 starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.
- Herbert later contributed music for The Ziegfeld Follies.
- His other successful operettas include "Sweethearts"(1913) (another movie vehicle for MacDonald and Eddy in 1938) and "Eileen"(1917).
- Other hits include "Kiss Me Again"(1905) and "Because You're You" (1906).
- 1916 - His "The Birth Of A Nation" became the first symphonic score composed for a feature film.
- May 26, 1924 - Died of a heart attack in New York City.
- Charles Rudolf Friml (Dec. 7, 1879 - Nov. 12, 1972)
- Composer/pianist born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
- Son of a baker.
- 1900-1903 - Studied at the Prague Conservatory under composer Josef Jiranek (1855 - 1940) and Anton Dvorak (1841 - 1904).
- Toured as accompanist for violinist Jan Kubelik (1880 - 1940).
- 1905 - Moved to New York City.
- He inherited Herbert's title of "Broadway's Leading Operatic Writer."
- Dec. 2, 1912 - His first operetta, "The Firefly," with book and lyrics by Otto Harbach (Otto Abels Hauerbach) (Aug. 18, 1873 - Jan. 24, 1963), debuted at The Lyric Theater. It became a movie musical in 1937 starring Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones. Its hit song was the catchy "Donkey Serenade."
- From 1910 to 1920, he composed several hit operettas including "High Jinks"(1913), "Katinka"(1915), "You're In Love"(1917), "Sometime"(1918) and "Tumble In"(1919).
- 1924 - Became an American citizen.
- 1924 - Composed the music for the popular "Rose Marie," with book and lyrics by Otto A. Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The outstanding song of the show was "Indian Love Call." It became a screen classic in 1936 starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy (the film is often listed as "Indian Love Call").
- 1925 - "The Vagabond King" was his next success and its great hit song was "Only A Rose." It became a movie musical in 1930 starring Jeanette MacDonald and again in 1956 starring Kathryn Grayson.
- 1928 - His last Broadway hit was "The Three Musketeers."
- Other works include "Luana"(1930 and "Annina"(1934).
- Friml helped to adapt most of his operettas to the screen.
- In the late 1960's, he gave piano concerts.
- (July 29, 1887 - Nov. 9, 1951)
- Composer born in Szegedin, Hungary.
- Educated at The University Of Bucharest.
- Trained as an engineer.
- 1908 - Moved to America.
- 1912 - Formed his own orchestra.
- 1913 - Became the staff composer for The Schuberts production company.
- Aug. 16, 1917 - "Maytime," his first important work debuted. It featured the beautiful sentimental waltz, "Will You Remember." It was later transferred to the screen in 1937 as one of the MacDonald/Eddy team's best films.
- Although most of his efforts featured strong Viennese elements, he seldom strayed from American themes.
- Composed 175 numbers for 17 Schubert musicals.
- Among his numerous successes were "The Student Prince"(1924) featuring "The Drinking Song," "The Desert Song"(1926) featuring the haunting "One Alone" and "New Moon"(1928) featuring "Lover Come Back To Me." All would later become hit movie musicals.
- After Romberg, the popularity of European style operetta died.
- 1954 - The biopic, "Deep In My Heart" starred Jose Ferrer as Romberg.
The flowering of truly American musical comedy came with the emergence of George M. Cohan, who single-handedly revolutionized the genre by simply utilizing current American slang with the music and the storylines. Many critics considered his work vulgar but the public could finally relate to the plot and themes. With him, the floodgates opened to embrace a more modern production style and a whole new crop of young American composers such as Berlin, Kern, Gershwin and Porter. Finally, the European monopoly on English language musical comedy was broken.
In the early days of the musical, a great majority of the songs had absolutely nothing to do with the storyline. Numbers were performed and then the plot continued. Later, songs were strategically placed in order to emphasize the mood of a scene. Then, after the overwhelming success of "Porgy And Bess," writers began perfecting shows featuring little or no dialogue and the songs themselves furthered the storyline. Basically, the modern musical was heading closer to opera in structure, except that its themes and lyrics were current.
Some shows could run for years. Financial returns for a successful production were tremendous. Writers like Rodgers & Hart were capable of creating several hit shows per year. Most productions were perfected on the road in smaller towns before premiering in New York City. If certain numbers or scenes failed, they were either revamped or replaced.
In Aug., 1926, Warner Brothers' "Don Juan" starring John Barrymore became the first feature film to use the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. It had no dialogue or songs but featured sound effects and a score by William Axt. The Warner brothers, Sam, Jack, Harry and Albert were on the verge of bankruptcy, yet the success of "Don Juan" encouraged them to take yet another risk and experiment with the idea of a musical. "The Jazz Singer," based on the Samson Raphaelson short story, "The Day Of Atonement" had been a great success on Broadway starring George Jessel. However, Jessel demanded too much money and second choice, Eddie Cantor thought the project too great a career risk. The Warner's then approached the biggest singing star of the period, Al Jolson who immediately accepted. On Oct. 6, 1927, "The Jazz Singer" premiered, eventually grossing over three and a half million dollars. In reality, the film was only a partial talkie. In the sections where Jolson sang, the sound-on-disc system was used.
When sound pictures burst into the spotlight in 1927, one of the first film genres to achieve instant popularity, thanks to the overwhelming success of "The Jazz Singer" was the musical. Large spectacles featuring the latest song hits became the rage. Many Broadway performers, songwriters, choreographers and designers were recruited for the burgeoning sound film industry.
Sometimes, Broadway stars were replaced by established film personalities who had more box office clout yet were often musically inept. Many had to be taught to sing and dance while others used ghost singers. The movie industry was in transition. With the arrival of the talkies, it was discovered that many silent actors had atrocious speaking voices or heavy foreign accents and the entire film community experienced drastic changes. Many careers went down the drain. Sound recording was in its infancy and some early endeavors suffered catastrophic results.
When it became apparent that the public hungered for musicals, many Broadway classics were revamped for the screen and numerous established composers were contracted to create new vehicles especially for the new medium.
The movie musical shot to the forefront with the release of the first all-singing, all-talking, all-dancing film, "The Broadway Melody" starring Charles King, Anita Page and Bessie Love. It premiered in February of 1929 and set the standard for other film musicals to follow. Another milestone was the first full length all-black sound musical, "Hallelujah"(1929). Directed by King Vidor, it starred Daniel L. Haynes and the vivacious Nina Mae McKinney. Also in 1929, the first all-talking, all-singing operetta, "The Desert Song" came to the screen. Shot in two colour Technicolour, it starred John Boles and featured a score by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
As film musicals gained in popularity, shows were written specifically for the screen. Some of the earliest and most creative were the Gold Digger films designed by Busby Berkeley (William Berkeley Enos) (Nov. 29, 1895 - March 14, 1976) such as "Forty Second Street"(1933), "The Gold Diggers Of 1933"(1933), "Dames" (1934) and "Flirtation Walk"(1935). During the same period, the classic Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals became major box office successes. Some of their screen hits such as "Top Hat"(1935), "Swingtime" (1936) and "Shall We Dance"(1937) featured songs composed by the cream of Tin Pan Alley writers. In 1934, "The Continental," composed by Con Conrad and Herb Magidson, from the Astaire/Rogers film, "The Gay Divorcee" received the first Oscar ever awarded to a song.
Early movie musicals became extremely elaborate even by current standards. Some of the awe inspiring production numbers in a film such as "The Great Ziegfeld"(1936) would be absolutely impossible to stage now in terms of expense alone.
In the history of movie musicals, MGM had the market cornered. Starting with "The Broadway Melody" and continuing well into the 1950's where the genre hit its peak with classics like "Singing In The Rain"(1952) and "An American In Paris"(1951), MGM definitely reigned supreme. The worldwide success of its vast number of movie musicals could only be matched by the calibre of its star roster. The company was famous for its star grooming system which provided its artists with classes in acting, singing, dancing, grooming and etiquette.
Later on, recording stars had musicals tailor-made to showcase their specific talents. By the 1950's, one of the most popular formats for a movie musical was the biopic where the lives of past music legends were glorified and fictionalized.
Although the movie musical has since lost its mass appeal, the Broadway musical is experiencing a resurgence in popularity with the emergence of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who debuted his first musical, "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat" in 1969 and has since churned out an amazing spectrum of hit shows from "Jesus Christ Superstar" to "Sunset Boulevard."
ROSE MARIE
- Victor Herbert.
- Broadway (1924) - Film (1936).
- Hit song - "Indian Love Call."
- The film (also known as "Indian Love Call") starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.
NO NO NANETTE
- Vincent Youmans with text and lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach.
- 1924 - Premiered in Detroit, Michigan.
- Broadway (1925) - Film (1930) and later revamped as "Tea For Two"(1950).
- Hit songs - "I Want To Be Happy," "No No Nanette" and "Tea For Two."
- Broadway star was Louise Groody - 1930 film star was Bernice Claire and the later version starred Doris Day.
FUNNY FACE
- George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
- Broadway (1927) - Film (1957).
- Hit songs - "S'Wonderful" and "Funny Face."
- Broadway stars were Fred and Adele Astaire - Film stars were Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.
SHOWBOAT
- Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Based on the book by Edna Ferber.
- Original stage production by Florenz Ziegfeld.
- Broadway (1927), (1946) and (1995) - Film (1929), (1936) and (1951).
- Hit songs - "Bill," "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," "Make Believe" and "Ol Man River."
- Both the original 1927 stage production and the 1936 film starred Helen Morgan. The 1951 MGM film version starred Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner and Howard Keel.
- It was the first real drama to become a legitimate musical.
THE BANDWAGON
- Arthur Schwartz with lyrics by Howard Dietz.
- Broadway (1931) - Film (1953).
- Broadway hit songs included "Hoops," "I Love Louisa" and "Dancing In The Dark." Film songs included "By Myself," "A Shine On Your Shoes" and "That's Entertainment."
- Broadway cast included Fred & Adele Astaie and Frank Morgan - Film cast included Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.
ANYTHING GOES
- Cole Porter.
- Book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse.
- Broadway (1934) - Film (1936) and (1956).
- Hit songs - "Anything Goes," "I Get A Kick Out Of You," "You're The Top" and "Blow Gabriel Blow."
- Both the Broadway production and the 1936 film starred Ethel Merman.
PORGY AND BESS
- George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Du Bose Heyward.
- Broadway (1935) - Film (1959).
- Hit songs - "Summertime," "I Got Plenty Of Nuttin'," "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "Bess You Is My Woman Now."
- Considered racy for its time, it featured an all black cast. It was 95% song with very little spoken dialogue. Most of the songs advanced the plot line.
- Film version starred Sydney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge.
DU BARRY WAS A LADY
- Cole Porter.
- Broadway (1939) - Film (1943).
- Unfortunately, material by other composers bypassed all but three of Porter's original songs for the film version.
- Hit songs - "Friendship" and "Well Did You Evah?"
- Broadway stars were Ethel Merman and Bert Lahr - Film stars were Lucille Ball and Red Skelton.
CABIN IN THE SKY
- John Latouche, Vernon Duke, Harold Arlen, Ted Fetter and E. Y. Harburg.
- Broadway (1940) - Film (1943).
- Hit songs - "Cabin In The Sky," "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe" (written especially for the film) and "Taking A Chance On Love."
- Broadway stars were Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson - Film stars were Ethel Waters and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and featured Lena Horne and Louis Armstrong.
OKLAHOMA
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Broadway (1943) - Film (1955).
- Hit songs - "Oklahoma," "Surrey With The Fringe On Top," "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" and "People Will Say We're In Love."
- Premiering on March 31, 1943 at The St. James Theatre in New York City, it ran for 2212 performances, making it the longest running show to date. It was originally written as a play titled "Green Grow The Lilacs" for The Theatre Guild Of New York. The storyline concerned the settlement of the Oklahoma Territory.
- The show was total theatre - dance, dialogue and music. In her first shot at a Broadway production, it was choreographed by Cecil B. DeMille's niece Agnes DeMille. Ballet gave the plot perpetual motion and the songs furthered the plot line. Oklahoma was revolutionary in the advancement of the musical, later honoured with The Pulitzer Prize.
- Film stars were Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Charlotte Greenwood and Rod Steiger.
CAROUSEL
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Broadway (1945) - Film (1956).
- An adaptation of "Liliom."
- Hit songs - "If I Loved You," "June Is Bustin' Out All Over," "Soliloquy" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."
- Broadway stars were John Raitt and Jan Clayton - Film stars were Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
- Irving Berlin.
- Broadway (1946) - Film (1950).
- Hit songs - "There's No Business Like Show business," "They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful," "Doin' What Comes Natcherly," "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better," "You Can't Get A Man With A Gun" and "I Got The Sun In The Morning."
- Broadway stars were Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton - Film stars Betty Hutton and Howard Keel.
BRIGADOON
- Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music).
- Broadway (1947) - Film (1954).
- Hit songs - "Come To Me Bend To Me," "The Heather On The Hill," "I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean" and "Almost Like Being In Love."
- Film stars were Gene Kelly, Van Johnson and Cyd Charisse.
KISS ME KATE
- Cole Porter.
- Broadway (1948) - Film (1953).
- Based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew."
- Hit songs - "So In Love," "Always True To You In My Fashion," "Too Darn Hot" and "Were Thine That Special Face."
- Broadway stars were Patricia Morison and Alfred Drake - Film stars were Kathryn Grayson and Howard Keel.
SOUTH PACIFIC
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Broadway (1949) - Film (1958).
- Based on James A. Michener's "Tales Of The South Pacific."
- Hit songs - "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "Bali Ha'i," "Happy Talk" and "Younger Than Springtime."
- Broadway stars were Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza - Film stars were Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. Only Juanita Hall as "Bloody Mary" was retained from the stage production.
GUYS AND DOLLS
- Frank Loesser.
- Subtitled, "A Musical Fable Of Broadway."
- Broadway (1950) - Film (1955).
- On Broadway, it ran for 1,200 performances.
- Hit songs - "Fugue For Tinhorns," "If I Were A Bell," "A Bushel And A Peck," "I'll Know" and "Adelaide's Lament."
- Broadway stars were Robert Alda and Vivian Blaine - Film stars were Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons.
CALL ME MADAM
- Irving Berlin.
- On Broadway, it ran for 644 performances.
- Broadway (1950) - Film (1953).
- Hit songs - "The Best Thing For You," "You're Just In Love," "The Hostess With The Mostess" and "It's A Lovely Day Today."
- Both the Broadway and film versions starred Ethel Merman.
THE KING AND I
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Based on the Margaret Landon novel, "Anna And The King Of Siam," it was a non musical film in 1948.
- Broadway (1951) - Film (1956).
- Hit songs - "Shall We Dance," "Hello Young Lovers," "Getting To Know You" and "Whistle A Happy Tune."
- Broadway stars were Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence - Film stars were Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.
CAN-CAN
- Cole Porter.
- Broadway (1955) - Film (1960).
- Hit songs - "I Love Paris," "C'est Magnifique" and "It's All Right With Me."
- Film stars were Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine and Juliet Prowse.
SILK STOCKINGS
- Cole Porter.
- Broadway (1955) - Film (1957).
- Based on the 1939 MGM comedy, "Ninotchka."
- On Broadway, it ran for 478 performances.
- Hit songs - "All Of You" and "Siberia."
- Film stars were Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire.
DAMN YANKEES
- Richard Adler and Jerry Ross (music and lyrics).
- Broadway (1955) - Film (1958).
- Hit songs - "Heart" and "Whatever Lola Wants."
- Both Broadway and film versions featured Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston.
THE MOST HAPPY FELLA
- Frank Loesser.
- Broadway (1956).
- Hit songs - "Standing On The Corner," "Big D" and "Don't Cry."
- Stars were Robert Weede and Art Lund.
MY FAIR LADY
- Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music).
- Broadway (1956) - Film (1964).
- Based on Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion."
- Hit songs - "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly," "On The Street Where You Live," "Get Me To the Church On Time," "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face" and "With A Little Bit Of Luck."
- Broadway stars were Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison - Film stars were Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
WEST SIDE STORY
- Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
- Broadway (1957) - Film (1961).
- A contemporary reworking of William Shakespeare's "Romeo And Juliet."
- Hit songs - "Something's Coming," "Maria," "Somewhere," "Tonight" and "America."
- The show advanced the use of ballet in the modern musical.
- Film stars were Natalie Wood, George Chakiris and Rita Moreno.
FLOWER DRUM SONG
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and script by Joseph Fields.
- Based on the C. Y. Lee novel, "Flower Drum Song."
- Broadway (1958) - Film (1961).
- Hit songs - "A Hundred Million Miracles," "Chop Suey" and "I Enjoy Being A Girl."
- Broadway stars were Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo and Juanita Hall - Film stars were Nancy Kwan, Jack Soo, Miyoshi Umeki and Juanita Hall.
GYPSY
- Jule Styne with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
- Broadway (1959) - Film (1962).
- Based on the memoirs of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
- Hit songs - "Some People," "Let Me Entertain You," "Small World," "Together Wherever We Go," "You'll Never Get Away From Me" and "Everything’s Comin' Up Roses."
- Broadway star was Ethel Merman - Film star was Rosalind Russell.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
- Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.
- Broadway (1959) - Film (1965).
- On Broadway, it played 1,443 performances and collected 6 Tony Awards.
- The original soundtrack LP sold over 15 million copies.
- Hit songs - "The Sound Of Music," "Edelweiss," "My Favourite Things," "Do-Re-Mi" and "Climb Every Mountain."
- Broadway star was Mary Martin - Film star was Julie Andrews.
CAMELOT
- Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music and screenplay).
- Broadway (1960) - Film (1967).
- Hit songs - "How To Handle A Woman" and "If Ever I Would Leave You."
- Broadway stars were Richard Burton and Julie Andrews - Film stars were Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
- Jerry Bock with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
- Broadway (1964) - Film (1971).
- On Broadway, it ran for 3,242 performances.
- Hit songs - "Sunrise Sunset" and "If I Were A Rich Man."
- Broadway star was Zero Mostel - Original London stage production and film starred Chaim Topol.
HELLO DOLLY
- Jerry Herman.
- Broadway (1964) - Film (1969).
- Based on the Thornton Wilder play, "The Matchmaker."
- Hit songs - "So Long Dearie," "Before The Parade Passes By" and "Hello Dolly."
- Broadway star was Carol Channing - Film star was Barbra Streisand with a special guest appearance by Louis Armstrong.
FUNNY GIRL
- Jule Styne.
- Broadway (1964) - Film (1968).
- Based on the life story of Ziegfeld star Fanny Brice.
- Hit songs - "People," "Don't Rain On My Parade," "I'm The Greatest Star" and "Funny Girl." The film featured two Brice standards - "My Man" and "I'd Rather Be Blue."
- Both the Broadway and film versions starred Barbra Streisand.
- Streisand won the Oscar for her performance.
- The show inspired a film sequel titled "Funny Lady."
MAME
- Jerry Herman.
- Broadway (1966) - Film (1968).
- Based on the Patrick Dennis novel, "Auntie Mame" which had also been a non musical film in 1958 starring Rosiland Russell.
- Hit songs - "If He Walked Into My Life," "Bosom Buddies" and "Mame."
- Broadway star was Angela Lansbury - Film star was Lucille Ball.
- Bea Arthur was recruited from the Broadway cast to recreate her hilarious Vera Charles character.
CABARET
- John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb.
- Broadway (1966) - Film (1972).
- Based on the John van Druten play, "I Am A Camera" and Christopher Isherwood's "Goodbye To Berlin."
- Hit songs - "Willkommen," "Maybe This Time" and "Cabaret."
- Oscar winning stars were Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey.
SWEET CHARITY
- Cy Coleman with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
- Broadway (1966) - Film (1969).
- Based on the Fellini film, "Nights Of Cabiria"(1957).
- Hit songs - "If They Could See Me Now," "Hey Big Spender" and "Where Am I Going."
- Broadway star was Gwen Verdon - Film star was Shirley MacLaine.
HAIR
- Galt MacDermot with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado.
- Subtitled "The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical," it was Broadway's first flirtation with rock culture.
- Broadway (1967) - Film (1979).
- It closed in 1972 after 1729 performances on Broadway.
- Hit songs - "Easy To Be Hard," "Aquarius," "Good Morning Starshine," "Where Do I Go?," "Hair" and "The Flesh Failures/Let The Sunshine In."
- Broadway stars were Gerome Ragi, James Rado, Ronnie Dyson and Lynn Kellogg - Film stars were Treat Williams, John Savage and Beverly D'Angelo.
- The film version featured choreography by Twyla Tharp.
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
- Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice.
- Broadway (Oct., 1971) - Film (1973).
- The first in a string of hits for Lloyd Webber, his very first effort had been the mildly successful, "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat."
- Began as a studio project featuring Ian Gillan and Yvonne Elliman.
- July 12, 1971 - The first live presentation of the show was staged at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena starring Jeff Fenholt in the lead role.
- Hit songs - "I Don't Know How To Love Him," "Everything's Alright," "Hosanna" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."
- Film stars were Ted Neely and Yvonne Elliman.
GREASE
- Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.
- Broadway (1972) - Film (1978).
- A pop/rock musical satirizing the 1950's.
- Hit songs - "Grease," "Hopelessly Devoted To You," "You're The One That I Want" and "Greased Lightnin'."
- April 13, 1980 - The Broadway show closed after 3883 performances.
- The film version was fortified by songs contributed by Barry Gibb.
- Film stars were John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
GIGI
- Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music).
- Film (1958) - Broadway (1974). An unusual case where the film preceded the stage production.
- The film won 8 Oscars.
- Hit songs - "Gigi," "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" and "I Remember It Well."
- Film stars were Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan with featured performances by Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier.
A CHORUS LINE
- Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Edward Kleban.
- Broadway (1975) - Film (1985).
- The idea of depicting the stark realities of the lives of dancers was conceived by choreographer/producer/writer/director Michael Bennett.
- Hit songs - "I Can Do That," "At The Ballet," "One" and "What I Did For Love."
- The longest running Broadway show to date.
- Film stars were Michael Douglas and Alyson Reed and was directed by Sir Richard Attenborough.
ANNIE
- Charles Strouse with lyrics by Martin Charnin.
- Broadway (1977) - Film (1982).
- Hit songs - "Tomorrow," "Easy Street," "The Hand-knock Life" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile."
- Broadway stars were Dorothy Louden and Andrea McArdle - Film stars was Carol Burnett and Aileen Quinn.
EVITA
- Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice.
- Based on the life of Argentinian first lady Eva Peron.
- June 21, 1976 - Debuted in London at The Prince Edward Theatre starring Elaine Paige.
- Broadway (1978) - Film (1996).
- Hit songs - "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Rainbow High."
- Broadway star was Patti Lupone - Film star was Madonna.
- The film featured new material including the hit, "You Must Love Me."
CATS
- Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- Based on "Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats" by T. S. Eliot.
- One of the most fascinating stagings in the history of the musical.
- 1980 - Debuted in London, England.
- Jan. 13, 1990 - The show established a new Japanese record with 1590 performances in Tokyo.
- 2000 - The show finally closed making it the longest running stage show ever to date.
- Hit songs - "Rum Tum Tugger" and "Memory."
DREAMGIRLS
- Henry Krieger with lyrics by Tom Eyen.
- Broadway (1982).
- Hit songs - "And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going," "I Am Changing" and "Steppin' To the Bad Side."
- Star was Jennifer Holliday.
LES MISERABLES
- Claude-Michel Schonberg with lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer.
- Broadway (1985).
- Based on the novel by Victor Hugo.
- Hit songs - "Master Of The House" and "Empty Chairs And Empty Tables."
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Charles Hart.
- Debuted in 1987.
- Hit songs - "All I Ask Of You," "Phantom Of The Opera," "Music Of The Night" and "Point Of No Return."
- Stars were Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.
- Ain't Misbehavin' - Broadway (1978) - Fats Waller.
- Chicago - Broadway (1978) - Film (2002) - John Kander and Fred Ebb.
- Company - Broadway (1970) - Stephen Sondheim.
- A Connecticut Yankee - Broadway (1927) - Film (1949) - Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
- Follies - Broadway (1971) - Stephen Sondheim.
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Broadway (1949) - Film (1953) - Jule Styne and Leo Robin.
- Good News - Broadway (1927) - Film (1930) & (1947) - DeSylva, Brown & Henderson.
- A Little Night Music - Broadway (1973) - Film (1977) - Stephen Sondheim.
- Man Of La Mancha - Broadway (1965) - Film (1972) - Mitch Leigh and Joe Darian.
- The Music Man - Broadway (1957) - Film (1962) - Meredith Wilson.
- Oliver - Broadway (1960) - Film (1968) - Lionel Bart.
- On A Clear Day - Broadway (1965) - Film (1970) - Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane.
- Paint Your Wagon - Broadway (1954) - Film (1969) - Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
- The Pajama Game - Broadway (1954) - Film (1957) - Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.
- Pal Joey - Broadway (1940) - Film (1957) - Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
- Panama Hattie - Broadway (1940) - Film (1942) - Cole Porter.
FORTY SECOND STREET - (1933)
- Composers - Al Dubin and Harry Warren.
- Choreography - Busby Berkeley.
- Stars - Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Warner Baxter and Bebe Daniels.
- Hit songs - "Forty Second Street," "Shuffle Off To Buffalo" and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me."
- A milestone in Hollywood history, this was "the" backstage musical, revolutionized by Berkeley's fabulous dance creations.
TOP HAT - (1935)
- Composer - Irving Berlin.
- Choreography - Hermes Pan.
- Stars - Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
- Hit songs - "Cheek To Cheek," "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails," "Isn't This A Lovely Day" and "The Piccolino."
- The epitome of sophisticated 1930's musicals and one of the best Astaire/Rogers vehicles.
THE WIZARD OF OZ - (1939)
- Composers - Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg. Choreography - Bobby Connolly.
- Stars - Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton.
- Hit songs - "Over The Rainbow," "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead," "If I Only Had A Brain" and "We're Off To See The Wizard."
- A classic in every sense of the word. Touching performances, memorable score and spectacular sets and special effects.
STORMY WEATHER - (1943)
- Composers - Various - Title song by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler.
- Choreography - Clarence Robinson.
- Stars - Lena Horne, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Cab Calloway.
- Hit songs - "Stormy Weather," "Diga Diga Do," "There's No Two Ways About Love" and "Ain't Misbehavin'."
- Second only to "Cabin In The Sky" as the greatest of all black film musicals.
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS - (1944)
- Composers - Various - Title song by Andrew B. Sterling and Kerry Mills.
- Choreography - Charles Walters.
- Stars - Judy Garland, Tom Drake, Leon Ames and Margaret O'Brien.
- Hit songs - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door" and "Meet Me In St. Louis."
- Picturesque period piece with classic songs.
EASTER PARADE - (1948)
- Composer - Irving Berlin.
- Choreography - Robert Alton.
- Stars - Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Peter Lawford and Ann Miller.
- Hit songs - "Easter Parade," "A Couple Of Swells," "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and "I Love A Piano."
- 17 Berlin songs and the magic combination of Astaire and Garland made it the second biggest money-maker of the year.
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - (1951)
- Composers - George and Ira Gershwin.
- Choreography - Gene Kelly.
- Stars - Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron and Oscar Levant.
- Hit songs - "I Got Rhythm," "Embraceable You," "S'Wonderful," "Love Is Here To Stay" and "An American In Paris."
- Famous for its creative dance sequences and sense of style and mood.
SINGING IN THE RAIN - (1952)
- Composers - With the exception of 2 songs, the score was by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed.
- Choreography - Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen.
- Stars - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Conner and Jean Hagen.
- Hit songs - "Singing In The Rain," "You Were Meant For Me," "You Are My Lucky Star," "Make Em Laugh" and "Fit As A Fiddle."
- Considered to be the finest movie musical ever made.
CALAMITY JANE - (1953)
- Composers - Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster.
- Choreography - Jack Donohue.
- Stars - Doris Day and Howard Keel.
- Hit songs - "Secret Love," "The Deadwood Stage," "Higher Than A Hawk," "A Woman's Touch" and "The Black Hills Of Dakota."
- "Secret Love" won the Oscar for best song.
- Day at her all time best.
WHITE CHRISTMAS - (1954)
- Composer - Irving Berlin.
- Choreography - Robert Alton, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen.
- Stars - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.
- Hit songs - "White Christmas," "Sisters" and "Count Your Blessings."
- Top moneymaking film of the year, it later became an annual TV event. The song, "White Christmas" originally appeared in the 1942 film "Holiday Inn."
A STAR IS BORN - (1954)
- Composers - Various - The hit song, "The Man That Got Away" was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin.
- Choreography - Richard Barstow.
- Stars - Judy Garland and James Mason.
- Hit songs - "The Man That Got Away," "Lose That Long Face" and the delightful "Born In A Trunk" medley.
- It had already been a non musical starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in 1937 and was later plundered for a contemporary 1976 reworking the theme starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOWBUSINESS - (1954)
- Composer - Irving Berlin.
- Choreography - Robert Alton and Jack Cole.
- Stars - Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Donald O'Conner, Mitzi Gaynor and Marilyn Monroe.
- Hit songs - "There's No Business Like Show business," "Heat Wave" "Lazy" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band."
- The Benny Goodman Story (1955).
- The Best Things In Life Are Free (1956) - The DeSylva, Brown And Henderson Story.
- The Buddy Holly Story (1978).
- Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - The Loretta Lynn Story.
- The Dolly Sisters (1945).
- The Fabulous Dorseys (1947) - The Jimmy And Tommy Dorsey Story.
- The Five Pennies (1959) - The Red Nichols Story.
- Funny Girl (1968) - The Fanny Brice Story.
- Funny Lady (1975) - The Fanny Brice Story - Part 2.
- The Gene Krupa Story (1959).
- The Glenn Miller Story (1954).
- Great Balls Of Fire (1989) - The Jerry Lee Lewis Story.
- The Great Ziegfeld (1936) - The Florenz Ziegfeld Story.
- The Helen Morgan Story (1957).
- The Jolson Story (1946) - The Al Jolson Story.
- Jolson Sings Again (1949) - The Al Jolson Story - Part 2.
- La Bamba (1987) - The Ritchie Valens Story.
- Lady Sings The Blues (1972) - The Billie Holiday Story.
- Leadbelly (1976).
- Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) - The Ruth Etting Story.
- Rhapsody In Blue (1945) - The George Gershwin Story.
- Star (1968) - The Gertrude Lawrence Story.
- The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle (1939).
- Sweet Dreams (1985) - The Patsy Cline Story.
- What's Love Got To Do With It (1993) - The Tina Turner Story.
- Words And Music (1948) - The Rodgers And Hart Story.
- Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - The George M. Cohan Story.
GEORGE M. COHAN, JEROME KERN, GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRVING BERLIN, COLE PORTER and DeSYLVA, BROWN & HENDERSON
- Richard Charles Rodgers (July 28, 1902 - Dec. 30, 1979)
- Composer born near Averne, Long Island, New York.
- 1918 - Formed a songwriting partnership with lyricist Lorenz Hart who had already been dabbling in poetry and lyrics.
- 1920 - Rodgers and Hart collaborated with Sigmund Romberg on the score for "The Poor Little Ritz Girl."
- Between 1921 and 1923, they separated while Rodgers studied at The Institute Of Musical Art.
- 1925 - They wrote the songs for "The Garrick Gaieties" including "Manhattan" and "Mountain Greenery."
- Their incredible catalogue of shows include "The Girlfriend" (1926) featuring "The Girlfriend" and "The Blue Room;" "A Connecticut Yankee"(1927) featuring "Thou Swell" and "My Heart Stood Still;" "Spring Is Here"(1929) featuring "With A Song In My Heart;" "Simple Simon"(1930) featuring "Ten Cents A Dance;" "Jumbo"(1935) featuring "My Romance," "Little Girl Blue" and "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World;" "On Your Toes"(1936) featuring "There's A Small Hotel" and "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue;" "Babes In Arms"(1937) featuring "Where Or When," "Johnny One Note," "The Lady Is A Tramp" and "My Funny Valentine;" "I Married An Angel" (1938) featuring "Spring Is Here;" "The Boys From Syracuse"(1938) featuring "This Can't Be Love," "Sing For Your Supper" and "Falling In Love With Love;" "Pal Joey"(1940) featuring "Bewitched" and "I Could Write A Book;" and "Jupitor"(1942) featuring "Careless Rhapsody."
- Nov. 22, 1943 - After the death of Hart, Rodgers began his 17 year collaboration with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
- 1943 - He and Hammerstein turned the folk play, "Green Grow The Lilacs" into the landmark Broadway musical, "Oklahoma."
- Their hit shows include "Oklahoma"(1943) featuring "Oh What A Beautiful Morning," "Oklahoma" and "Surrey With The Fringe On Top;" "State Fair"(1945) featuring "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's A Grand Night For Singing;" "Carousel"(1945) featuring "If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone," "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "Soliloquy;" "South Pacific"(1949) featuring "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "Bali Ha'i," "A Wonderful Guy" and "Happy Talk;" "The King And I" (1951) featuring "Hello Young Lovers," "Shall We Dance," "Getting To Know You" and "Whistle A Happy Tune;" "Flower Drum Song"(1958) featuring "I Enjoy Being A Girl" and "A Hundred Million Miracles;" and "The Sound Of Music"(1959) featuring "My Favourite Things," "The Sound Of Music," "Do Re Mi" and "Climb Every Mountain."
- 1960 - After the death of Hammerstein, Rodgers worked with other lyricists including Samuel Taylor and Arthur Laurents. Unfortunately, he was unable to match the pinnacle of success he achieved with Hart and Hammerstein.
- Feb. 22, 1975 - Inducted into The Entertainment Hall Of Fame.
- Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 - Nov. 22, 1943)
- Lyricist/librettist born in New York City.
- 1918 - Formed a songwriting partnership with Richard Rodgers (see Richard Rodgers' profile for song and show catalogue) while still a student at Columbia University.
- He had a supreme gift for clever sophisticated lyrics which until his emergence had been sadly lacking in modern song. Hart was one of the first lyricists who attempted to further the plot line in his songs.
- Hart, a closeted gay, led a troubled life dominated by alcoholism and illness.
- 1942 - During the run of "By Jupitor," became ill.
- Nov. 22, 1943 - Succumbed to double pneumonia.
- The career of Rodgers and Hart was chronicled in a rather fictitious biopic titled "Words And Music"(1948), starring Tom Drake as Rodgers and Mickey Rooney as Hart.
- Oscar Greely Glendenning Hammerstein II (July 12, 1895 - Aug. 23, 1960)
- Lyricist/librettist/producer born in New York City.
- Grandson of the famous impresario Oscar Hammerstein and the son of William Hammerstein, manager of New York's Victory Theater.
- 1919 - Began to write books and lyrics for musical shows.
- 1923 - His first success was "Wildflower," in which he introduced a theatrical form he called a musical play (basically, a serious drama set to music).
- 1924 - Collaborated with Jerome Kern on the musical, "Sunny."
- 1924 - Collaborated with Rudolf Friml and Otto Harbach on the musical, "Rose Marie."
- 1927 - Adapted Edna Ferber's book, "Showboat" to the stage with the music of Jerome Kern.
- 1940 - Teamed with Jerome Kern to write his first song not intended for a show, "The Last Time I Saw Paris."
- 1943 - Converted Bizet's "Carmen" into a modern musical titled "Carmen Jones" which featured an all black cast.
- 1943 - After the death of Lorenz Hart, he formed a songwriting partnership with Richard Rodgers (see Richard Rodgers' profile for song and show catalogue).
- Aug. 23, 1960 - Died at his home in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
- (March 2, 1900 - April 3, 1950)
- Composer born in Dessau, Germany.
- The son of a cantor who abandoned sacred music for secular.
- 1912 - Age 12, worked as rehearsal pianist for a local opera company.
- Studied composition in Berlin with Ferruccio Busoni and Engelbert Humperdinck.
- 1924 - Began composing difficult post-Stravinskian concert pieces.
- 1926 - Married actress/cabaret singer Lotte Lenya (Karoline Wilhelmine Blamauer) (Oct. 18, 1898 - Nov. 28, 1981) who later starred in many of his works.
- He was successful in pre-Nazi Germany with shows such as "The Protagonist"(1926), "The Little Mahogonny"(1927), "The Royal Palace"(1927) and "The Rise And Fall Of The City Mahogonny"(1930) featuring the hit, "Alabama Song," which would later enjoy recognition when recorded by the 1960's rock group, The Doors.
- 1928 - His biggest success came when he collaborated with librettist Bertolt Brecht (Eugene Bertolt Friedrich Brecht) (Feb. 10, 1898 - 1956) on "Die Dreigroschenoper" ("The Three Penny Opera"), based on John Gay's 1728 satire, "The Beggar's Opera" which featured "Moritat." Later with English lyrics, it would become the popular "Mack The Knife."
- 1929 - Weill & Brecht's musical, "Happy End" premiered featuring the torchy "Surabaya Johnny."
- 1933 - Moved to Paris, France when his productions were banned because of antitotalitarian overtones. There, he composed the ballet, "The Seven Deadly Sins."
- 1935 - Moved to New York City becoming an American citizen 8 years later.
- 1938 - With lyricist Maxwell Anderson, composed the music for the Broadway show, "Knickerbocker Holiday" featuring the hit songs, "It Never Was You" and "September Song."
- 1941 - Had a great success with the show, "Lady In The Dark."
- 1943 - Composed the musical comedy, "One Touch Of Venus."
- His last two shows were "Street Scene"(1947) and "Lost In The Stars"(1949).
- He was one of the first modern musical writers to incorporate jazz elements into his scores, but he will forever be remembered for his vivid depiction of the moral decadence of 1920's Berlin.
- April 3, 1950 - Died of a heart attack.
- 1950 - Lenya became the public custodian of Weill's legacy.
- March, 2000 - A 12 hour marathon of Weill's music titled "Wall To Wall Kurt Weill" was held at Manhattan's Symphony Space.
- James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 - May 23, 1969)
- Composer/pianist born in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Irish-American composer who wrote many hits and over 50 film scores.
- While working as an office boy for The Boston Office House, he became an accompanist for rehearsals.
- Worked as a song plugger for Irving Berlin's publishing firm.
- 1921 - With lyricists Irving Mills and Gene Austin, he wrote his first hit, "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street."
- 1928 - Wrote for the Broadway show, "The Blackbirds Of 1928."
- His two principal lyricists were Dorothy Fields and Harold Adamson.
- 1930 - Recruited for Hollywood.
- Film scores include "Singing The Blues"(1931), "Dinner At Eight" (1933), "Roberta"(1935), "Happy Go Lucky"(1943) and "Calendar Girl"(1947).
- 1957 - Appeared in the biopic, "The Helen Morgan Story."
- Hit songs with Dorothy Fields include "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"(1928), "Exactly Like You"(1930), "On The Sunny Side Of The Street"(1930), "I'm In The Mood For Love"(1935) and "Don't Blame Me"(1946).
- Other hits include "Goodbye Blues"(1932) (with Harold Adamson), "Lovely To Look At"(1935) (with Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern), "South American Way"(1940) (with Al Dubin) and "It's A Most Unusual Day"(1948) (with Harold Adamson).
- Harry Revel (Dec. 21, 1905 - Nov. 3, 1958)
- Composer/pianist born in London, England.
- In the 1920's, settled in Berlin, Germany, where he composed the score to the operetta, "Was Frauen Traumen."
- 1927 - Composed the music for "Andres Charlot's Revue Of 1927."
- Composed "I'm Going Back To Old Nebraska" with Noble Sissle.
- 1929 - Moved to America.
- Mack Gordon (Morris Gittler) (June 21, 1904 - March 1, 1959)
- Lyricist born in Warsaw, Poland.
- Moved to America as a child.
- Worked mainly in vaudeville and minstrel shows before teaming with Revel in 1929.
- 1930 - They wrote the score for the all-black show, "Fast And Furious."
- 1931 - Composed songs for "The Ziegfeld Follies Of 1931."
- 1932 - The team moved to Hollywood, California.
- 1932 - Wrote "Underneath The Harlem Moon," which became a #19 hit for Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra in Dec., 1932.
- 1933-1936 - Worked for Paramount.
- 1933 - Their first big hit, "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking" was introduced by Ginger Rogers in the film, "Sitting Pretty."
- 1936-1938 - Worked for Fox.
- Hits together include "With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" (1934), "Stay As Sweet As You Are"(1934) and "Goodnight My Love" (1936).
- 1942 - The team split. Revel composed with Morter Green, later with Paul Francis Webster. Gordon worked with other composers including Harry Warren (see Al Dubin & Harry Warren) and Joseph Myrow.
- Alan Jay Lerner (Aug. 31, 1918 - June 14, 1986)
- Lyricist/librettist born in New York City.
- Frederick Loewe (June 10, 1904 - Feb. 14, 1988)
- Composer born in Vienna, Austria.
- Both were one-time boxers.
- 1942 - Loewe moved to The United States where he formed a writing partnership with Lerner.
- 1947 - Their first major success was "Brigadoon" featuring the hits, "The Heather On The Hill" and "Almost Like Being In Love."
- Other shows together include "Paint Your Wagon"(1951) featuring "They Call The Wind Maria" and "I Talk To The Trees;" "My Fair Lady"(1956) featuring "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face," "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "On The Street Where You Live;" and "Camelot"(1960) featuring "What Do The Simple Folk Do?" and "If Ever I Would Leave You."
- 1951 - With Burton Lane, Lerner collaborated on "Royal Wedding" which featured a song with probably the longest title ever - "How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life."
- 1959 - During the writing of "Camelot," the two engaged in so many violent disagreements that they vowed never to work together again. That decision lasted for 10 years.
- 1973 - They converted their 1958 film musical, "Gigi" to the stage.
- 1974 - Had a modest success with the film, "The Little Prince."
- Lerner's hectic private life included 8 marriages.
- Nacio Herb Brown (Ignacio Herbert Brown) (Feb. 22, 1896 - Sept. 28, 1964)
- Composer born in Deming, New Mexico.
- His entire output was for musical films.
- Began as the manager of a real estate office while composing part time.
- Married for a time to film actress Anita Page.
- Arthur Freed (Arthur Grossman) (Sept. 9, 1894 - April 12, 1973) Lyricist/film producer born in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Began as a song plugger for a major music publisher.
- Worked with The Marx Brothers in vaudeville.
- 1923 - Wrote the lyrics for the classic "I Cried For You."
- 1929 - Irving Thalberg brought the two together to collaborate for MGM beginning with "The Broadway Melody."
- 1939 - Freed became a producer for MGM.
- Songs together include "The Wedding Of The Painted Doll," "You Were Meant For Me," "The Pagan Love Song," "Temptation," "All I Do Is Dream Of You," "Beautiful Girl" and "You Are My Lucky Star."
- 1952 - All songs in the classic film, "Singing In The Rain" were written by Brown & Freed. The title track had been introduced by Cliff Edwards in the early talkie, "The Hollywood Revue Of 1929."
- Sept. 28, 1964 - Brown died in San Francisco, California.
- April 12, 1973 - Freed died in Hollywood, California.
- Al Dubin (July 10, 1891 - 1945)
- Lyricist born in Zurich, Switzerland.
- Began as a singing waiter/lawyer/part time writer.
- 1929 - With Joe Burke, wrote "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" for the Warner Brothers film, "Gold Diggers Of Broadway."
- Harry Warren (Salvatore Guaragno) (Dec. 24, 1893 - Sept. 22, 1981)
- Composer born in Brooklyn, New York.
- Began as a drummer in a carnival band.
- Hired on as a stagehand and property man at Vitagraph studios, later, movie extra and finally, assistant director.
- 1928 - Wrote "Nagasaki" with Mort Dixon.
- 1930 - Both signed contracts with Warner Brothers.
- Hits together include "Forty Second Street," "Shuffle Off To Buffalo" and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" from "Forty Second Street"(1933); "We're In The Money" and "Remember My Forgotten Man" from "Gold Diggers Of 1933"(1933); "Dames" and "I Only Have Eyes For You" from "Dames"(1934); the Oscar winning "Lullaby Of Broadway" from "Gold Diggers Of 1935"(1935) and "With Plenty Of Money And You" from "Gold Diggers Of 1937"(1937).
- 1938 - The partnership ended.
- 1942 - Warren began composing with Mack Gordon.
- Other songs by Dubin include "Chattanooga Choo Choo"(1941) (with Mack Gordon), "(I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo"(1942) (with Mack Gordon), the Oscar winning "You'll Never Know"(1943) (with Mack Gordon) and the Oscar winning "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe"(1946) (with Johnny Mercer).
- Frank Henry Loesser (June 29, 1910 - July 28, 1969)
- Composer/lyricist/pianist/producer/publisher born in New York City.
- 1931 - Published his first song, "In Love With The Memory Of You."
- 1937 - Moved to Hollywood, writing mostly with Burton Lane (1913 - Jan. 7, 1997).
- As lyricist to several other composers, he collaborated on numerous hits including "The Moon Of Manakoora"(1937), "The Boys In The Back Room"(1939) and "Kiss The Boys Goodbye"(1941).
- 1942 - Wrote both music and lyrics for the huge wartime hit, "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition."
- 1942 - Composed "I Don't Want To Walk Without You."
- His first Broadway show was "Where's Charley"(1948).
- 1949 - Had a huge hit with "Baby It's Cold Outside."
- His musicals include "Guys And Dolls"(1950) featuring "If I Were A Bell," "Adelaide's Lament" and "A Bushel And A Peck;" "The Most Happy Fella"(1956) featuring "Standing On The Corner" and "Big D;" and "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying"(1961) featuring "I Believe In You."
- July 28, 1969 - Died of cancer in New York City.
- Hyman Arluck (Feb. 15, 1905 - April 23, 1986)
- Composer/pianist/vocalist born in Buffalo, New York.
- During the 1920's, he played in several jazz combos.
- 1930 - His first hit song came when Ted Koehler wrote lyrics for his "Get Happy" which was introduced by Ruth Etting in "The 9:15 Revue."
- Early songs include "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" (1931), "I Love A Parade"(1931), "I've Got The World On A String" (1932), "I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues"(1932) and "Stormy Weather"(1932).
- Arlen's great gift was his ability to create earthy blues oriented pieces.
- 1933 - With Billy Rose and E. Y. Harburg, wrote "It's Only A Paper Moon."
- 1939 - He reached the zenith of his career when he collaborated with E. Y. Harburg as lyricist on 12 songs for the film, "The Wizard Of Oz" including the classic "Over The Rainbow."
- 1941 - Wrote the popular "Blues In The Night" with Johnny Mercer.
- 1943 - With E. Y. Harburg, composed "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe" for the film version of "Cabin In The Sky."
- 1946 - Wrote the score for "St. Louis Woman" which featured the charismatic Pearl Bailey singing "Come Rain Or Come Shine."
- His two great 1950's musicals were "House Of Flowers"(1954) featuring "A Sleepin' Bee," and "Jamaica"(1957) featuring "Take It Slow Joe."
- As a singer, Arlen had several hits including "Little Girl"(July, 1931)#4, "Stormy Weather"(March, 1933)#1-8 wks., "Ill Wind" (April, 1934)#3 and "You're A Builder Upper"(Aug., 1934)#6.
- Richard Adler (Aug. 3, 1921 – )
- Composer/lyricist from New York City.
- Jerry Ross (Jerold Rosenberg) (1924 - 1955)
- Singer/composer.
- After meeting in 1950, they collaborated on several hits including "Rags To Riches"(1953) and "Even Now"(1953).
- Their biggest stage hits were "The Pajama Game"(1954) featuring "Hey There" and "Hernando's Hideaway," and "Damn Yankees"(1955) featuring "Whatever Lola Wants."
- 1955 - Jerry Ross died of chronic bronchitis shortly before his 30th birthday.
- 1961 - Adler's musical, "Kwamina" was a failure. He later wrote music for commercials and worked as an arts administrator.
- (July 10, 1933 – )
- Composer/lyricist/pianist born in New York City.
- Studied interior decorating at Parsons School Of Design in New York City before deciding on songwriting as a career.
- Supported himself by playing piano in nightclubs.
- 1961 - His first Broadway show was "Milk And Honey."
- His biggest successes came with the shows, "Hello Dolly"(1964) featuring "So Long Dearie" and the title song, and "Mame"(1966) featuring "If He Walked Into My Life" and the title song. Both were hits on stage and on film.
- 1983 - His musical version of "La Cage Aux Folles" debuted.
- Nov. 13, 1996 - Released his autobiography, "Showtune - A Memoir by Jerry Herman with Marilyn Stasio."
- Dec. 8, 1996 - Debuted his TV musical, "Mrs. Santa" featuring 10 new songs and starring Angela Lansbury.
- Julius Kerwin Styne (Dec. 31, 1905 - Sept. 20, 1994)
- Composer born in London, England.
- 1913 - Age 8, moved to Chicago, Illinois.
- 1930 - Played piano for Fanny Brice at a Chicago gambling club.
- 1942 - Wrote "I Don't Want To Walk Without You" with Frank Loesser which was introduced in the film, "Sweater Girl."
- 1942 - Began writing regularly with Sammy Cahn. Their early hits included "I've Heard That Song Before"(1942), "I'll Walk Alone" (1944) and "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)" (1945).
- 1947 - Cahn and Styne's first big Broadway success was "High Button Shoes" featuring "Papa Won't You Dance With Me."
- 1949 - He enjoyed a huge Broadway success with "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" which he wrote with lyricist Leo Robin. Hit songs include "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" and "A Little Girl From Little Rock."
- 1954 - With Sammy Cahn, wrote the hit, "Three Coins In The Fountain."
- 1959 - With lyricist Stephen Sondheim, he scored "Gypsy," which featured the incomparable Ethel Merman belting out "Everything's Comin' Up Roses," "Let Me Entertain You," "Small World" and "Together Wherever We Go." The show was based on the memoirs of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
- 1964 - Barbra Streisand starred in Styne's blockbuster show, "Funny Girl," featuring the hits, "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade." The show was based on the life of Fanny Brice.
- Other shows include "Sugar"(1972) and "Lorelei"(1974).
- Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 - Jan. 15, 1993)
- Lyricist/composer born in New York's East Side.
- 1935 - Began as a Tin Pan Alley lyricist.
- Collaborated as lyricist for Saul Chaplin's music. Hits together include "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen"(1937) and "Joseph Joseph"(1938).
- 1942 - Teamed with Jule Styne, churning out hits like "I've Heard That Song Before"(1942), "I'll Walk Alone"(1944) and "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)"(1945).
- 1947 - Cahn and Styne had their first Broadway success with "High Button Shoes" featuring "Papa Won't You Dance With Me."
- 1954 - Cahn and Styne wrote the blockbuster hit, "Three Coins In The Fountain."
- Cahn's collaboration with Jimmy Van Heusen produced the hits, "Love And Marriage"(1955) and "High Hopes"(1959).
- 30 Academy Award nominations.
- Frank Sinatra recorded over 80 of his songs.
- 1974 - Published his autobiography, "I Should Care."
- Stephen Joshua Sondheim (March 22, 1930 – )
- Lyricist/composer born in New York City.
- A protégé of Oscar Hammerstein II, he studied with Milton Babbitt.
- 1956 - His first Broadway show was "The Girls Of Summer."
- 1957 - Collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on "West Side Story."
- 1959 - Collaborated with Jule Styne on "Gypsy."
- After 1960, he became a lyricist/composer.
- 1962 - His first solo Broadway success came with "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To the Forum" featuring "Love I Hear" and "Everybody Ought To Have A Maid."
- 1970 - His "Company" became a hit Broadway show featuring "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Getting Married Today."
- Major successes include "Follies"(1971) featuring "Losing My Mind" and "Broadway Baby," "A Little Night Music"(1973) featuring "A Weekend In The Country," "Send In The Clowns," and "Pacific Overtures"(1976). Other shows include "Sweeney Todd"(1979), "Merrily We Roll Along," "Sunday In The Park With George"(1983) and "Into The Woods"(1987).
- 1976 - The British revue, "Side By Side By Sondheim," transferred to Broadway in 1977, confirmed the popularity of his music.
- 1981 - Composed the score for the film, "Reds."
- (March 22, 1948 – )
- Composer/producer born in London, England.
- Son of classical composer William Lloyd Webber and brother of cellist Julian Lloyd Webber (1951 – ).
- The most commercially successful composer/producer in the history of musical theatre.
- 1959 - Composed his first classical work, "The Toy Theatre Suite."
- In the late 1960's, he formed a partnership with lyricist Tim Rice (Timothy Miles Bindon Rice) (Nov. 10, 1944 – ) to write musicals.
- 1968 - Their first show was "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat," recorded in 1969. It later achieved great success in the 1990's.
- Next came "Jesus Christ Superstar" which took 18 months to write. Originally released as a recording on Oct. 1, 1970 in Britain, the Broadway production premiered on Oct. 27, 1971. In Britain, it debuted on Aug. 9, 1972 at The Palace Theatre in London. The film version starring Ted Neeley and Yvonne Elliman was released in 1973. The standout hits were "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and the title song.
- 1975 - With lyricist Alan Ayckbourn, Lloyd Webber experienced his first flop, "By Jeeves," which lasted for 9 performances in London's West End. It was later revived as a hit in 1996.
- 1976 - Lloyd Webber and Rice wrote their popular stage show, "Evita," based on the life of Eva Peron. Debuting in London in June of 1978, it made a star of Elaine Paige (Elaine Bickerstaff) (1951 – ). The hit song, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," originally recorded by Julie Covington went to #1 in Britain. In 1996, the show became a major film starring Madonna.
- 1980 - Lloyd Webber soloed with his brilliant musical, "Cats" based on T. S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats." Also starring Elaine Paige, the show featured elaborate costumes and sets and one gigantic hit song, "Memory." It closed in 2000, making it the longest running stage show to date.
- March 22, 1984 - Married singer Sarah Brightman.
- 1985 - Released his "Requiem Mass."
- 1986 - With lyricist Charles Hart, he wrote an updated version of "The Phantom Of The Opera." It was directed by Harold Prince and starred Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman (Aug. 14, 1961 – ). Hit songs included "All I Ask Of You," "The Music Of The Night," "The Point Of No Return" and the title song.
- 1989 - Transformed the 1955 David Garnett novel, "Aspects Of Love" into a musical with lyricists Charles Hart and Don Black.
- Other shows include "Starlight Express"(1984) and "Sunset Boulevard"(1993).
- 1993 - Became Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- Dec., 1996 - The film version of "Evita" starred Madonna and Antonio Banderas.
- His personal fortune is estimated at over $400 million.
- With the emergence of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical had reached its apex. Finally, the songs truly furthered the plot as in opera. In other words, modern musicals were in actuality, operas with modern lyrics and themes. The form had come full circle.
AL JOLSON
- See Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret
MAE WEST
- See Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret
BING CROSBY
- Frederick Austerlitz (May 10, 1899 - June 22, 1987)
- Dancer/singer/actor/choreographer born in Omaha, Nebraska.
- 1906 - Made his professional dancing debut with his sister Adele (Sept., 1898 - Jan. 25, 1981) in Keyport, New Jersey.
- 1911 - Appeared under age in vaudeville in New York City.
- 1916 - The duo changed their name to Astaire when they made their Broadway debut in "Over The Top."
- 1922 - They appeared on Broadway in "For Goodness Sake."
- From 1924 to 1931, they starred in 10 Broadway shows including "For Goodness Sake," "Lady Be Good," "Funny Face" and "The Bandwagon."
- 1932 - After Adele married Lord Charles Cavendish, Fred went to Hollywood where he appeared with Joan Crawford in "Dancing Lady" (1933).
- Skyrocketed to fame when he was teamed with Ginger Rogers in a series of film musicals including "Flying Down To Rio"(1933), "The Gay Divorcee"(1934), "Top Hat"(1935), "Swingtime"(1936), "Shall We Dance"(1937), "The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle" (1939) and "The Barkleys Of Broadway"(1949).
- Between 1933 and 1957, he appeared in 29 musicals including "Holiday Inn"(1942), "Easter Parade"(1948), "Three Little Words" (1950), "The Bandwagon"(1953) and "Daddy Long Legs"(1955).
- 1949 - Received a special Academy Award for helping to raise the standards of film musicals.
- He later enjoyed a successful TV career, winning several Emmys for his variety specials.
- Remembered for his class, perfection and exquisite sense of style, Astaire has been considered by many including Ballanchine to be the world's greatest dancer.
- It should be noted that Astaire was a popular recording star and one of the artists most often chosen by the great songwriters to introduce their material.
- 1981 - Awarded The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
- Hits include "Night And Day"(Dec., 1932)#1-10 wks., "Cheek To Cheek"(Aug., 1935)#1-11 wks., "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails" (Aug., 1935)#2, "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket"(Feb., 1936)#1, "The Way You Look Tonight"(Aug., 1936)#1-6 wks., "A Fine Romance"(Aug., 1936)#1-5 wks., "They Can't Take That Away From Me"(April, 1937)#1, "Nice Work If You Can Get It"(Nov., 1937)#1 and "Change Partners"(Aug., 1938)#1-2 wks.
- Virginia Katherine McMath (July 16, 1911 - April 25, 1995)
- Dancer/actress/singer born in Independence, Missouri.
- The only child of Lela and William McMath, her parents separated shortly before her birth. Her mother later married John Rogers and she was given his surname.
- 1925 - Age 14, won the title of "Texas State Charleston Champion."
- Toured in vaudeville with 2 partners as Ginger & Her Redheads, later touring with first husband, dancer/comedian Jack Pepper as Ginger & Pepper.
- Sang with Paul Ash's orchestra in New York.
- 1929 - Age 17, married for the first time. The marriage soon ended after her husband proved abusive.
- 1929 - Appeared in the Kalmar & Ruby Broadway musical, "Top Speed."
- Oct. 14, 1930 - Introduced "Embraceable You" and "But Not For Me" in the Broadway show, "Girl Crazy."
- 1930 - Signed with Paramount, later RKO.
- 1930 - In the film, "Young Man Of Manhattan" she delivered her famous line, "Cigarette Me, Big Boy."
- 1933 - Played a bit part in the film, "Forty Second Street."
- 1933 - Introduced "We're In The Money" in the film, "Gold Diggers Of 1933." Her rendition of the song was delivered in pig-latin.
- 1933 - In her first pairing with Fred Astaire, they danced "The Carioca" in "Flying Down To Rio."
- Other films with Astaire include "The Gay Divorcee"(1934), "Top Hat"(1935), "Swingtime"(1936), "Shall We Dance"(1937), "The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle"(1939) and "The Barkley's Of Broadway" (1949).
- Other memorable film musicals include "Follow The Fleet"(1936) (introducing "Let Yourself Go") and "Lady In The Dark"(1944).
- 1939 - Began concentrating on dramatic film roles.
- 1940 - Won the Best Actress Oscar for "Kitty Foyle."
- Other films include "Monkey Business"(1952) and "The First Traveling Saleslady"(1956).
- Later, returned to Broadway in "Hello Dolly" and worked regularly on TV.
- She was married 5 times and never had children
- She made 73 films.
- April 25, 1995 - Died in Rancho Mirage, California of natural causes.
- Ethel Agnes Zimmermann (Jan. 16, 1909 - Feb. 15, 1984)
- Singer/actress born in Queens, New York.
- Left high school to work as a stenographer, moonlighting as a singer.
- 1930 - As a 21 year old neophyte, she caused a sensation when she held high C for 16 bars during her performance of "I Got Rhythm" in the Broadway show, "Girl Crazy."
- 1931 - Introduced "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries" in "The George White Scandals Of 1931."
- Her list of successful Broadway shows includes "Anything Goes" (1934), "Red Hot And Blue"(1936), "Panama Hattie"(1940), "Something For The Boys"(1943), "Annie Get Your Gun"(1946), "Call Me Madam"(1950) and "Gypsy"(1959).
- Appeared in 13 Broadway shows and 14 movies.
- Nicknamed "The Titan Of Broadway."
- Famous for her perfect pitch, powerful brassy vocals and her perfection in performance.
- Merman was the favourite artist of composers like Porter, Berlin and Gershwin, since they were convinced that with her dynamic delivery, the lyrics would be heard in the back row.
- During her heyday, she was the highest paid Broadway star with a base of 5 figures when tickets were only 8 dollars.
- "The Merm" was probably the most important female artist in Broadway history.
- Feb. 15, 1984 - 36 Broadway theatres darkened their lights in her honour when she died a few months after an operation for a brain tumour.
- Hits include "How Deep Is The Ocean"(Nov., 1932)#14, "Eadie Was A Lady"(Jan., 1933)#8, "You're The Top"(Dec., 1934)#4, "I Get A Kick Out Of You"(Jan., 1935)#12, "They Say It's Wonderful"(Sept., 1946)#20 (with Ray Middleton), "Dearie"(March, 1950)#12 (with Ray Bolger) and "You're Just In Love"(April, 1951)#30 (with Dick Haymes).
BOB HOPE
- Shirley Jane Temple (April 23, 1928 – )
- Singer/dancer/actress born in Santa Monica, California.
- One of 3 children born to a bank teller's family.
- Began appearing in a series of film shorts.
- 1934 - Sang "Baby Takes A Bow" in her first major film, "Stand Up And Cheer."
- 1934 - Her role in "Little Miss Marker" made her a star worldwide.
- Signed a 7 year contract with Fox.
- 1934 - Received a special Oscar.
- During her film career, appeared in 42 films including "Bright Eyes"(1934), "Curly Top"(1935), "Captain January"(1936), "Poor Little Rich Girl"(1936), "Heidi"(1937) and "Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm"(1938).
- 1945-1949 - Married to actor John Agar.
- 1949 - Retired from films.
- 1950 - Married TV executive Charles Black.
- 1959-1961 - Appeared in 50 one hour children's TV programs.
- 1969 - Appointed as Representative to the 24th General Assembly of the U.N.
- 1974 - Became the U.S. Ambassador to The Republic Of Ghana.
- Hits include "On The Good Ship Lollipop"(1934), "Animal Crackers In My Soup"(1935) and "Goodnight My Love"(1936).
- Richard Ewing Powell (Nov. 14, 1904 - Jan. 3, 1963)
- Actor/singer/producer/director born in Mountain View, Arkansas.
- One time vaudeville partner of Ginger Rogers.
- 1925 - Joined The Royal Peacock Orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky.
- 1928 - Made his recording debut with The Charlie Davis Orchestra.
- His boyish good looks and powerful tenor voice made him Busby Berkeley's most frequent leading man.
- Often paired with Ruby Keeler, he appeared in many early film musicals including "Forty Second Street"(1933), "The Gold Diggers Of 1933"(1933), "Dames"(1934), "Flirtation Walk"(1935), "The Gold Diggers Of 1937"(1937) and "On The Avenue"(1937).
- Later, starred in numerous crime and detective films, beginning in 1945 with "Murder My Sweet."
- 1952 - Formed Four Star Productions for TV.
- 1959-1961 - Starred on TV's "The Dick Powell Theatre."
- Wives included Joan Blondell and June Allyson.
- Jan. 3, 1963 - Died of cancer in Hollywood, California.
- Hits include "The Gold Digger's Song (We're In The Money)"(June, 1933)#18, "By A Waterfall"(1933), "Happiness Ahead"(Nov., 1934) #14, "I Only Have Eyes For You"(1934), "I'm Going Shopping With You"(April, 1935)#20, "With Plenty Of Money And You"(Nov., 1936) and "I Know Now"(Aug., 1937)#14.
- Frances Ethel Gumm (June 10, 1922 - June 22, 1969)
- Singer/dancer/actress born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
- 1925 - Age 3, began touring in vaudeville with her sisters Jimmy and Suzy as The Gumm Sisters.
- George Jessel suggested she change her name to Judy Garland.
- 1934 - Age 12, signed with MGM.
- June, 1936 - Age 13, began recording with Bob Crosby And His Bobcats.
- Appeared with Mickey Rooney in the Andy Hardy film series including "Love Finds Andy Hardy"(1938), "Life Begins For Andy Hardy"(1939) and "Andy Hardy Meets Debutante"(1940).
- 1939 - Starred in the classic film musical, "The Wizard Of Oz," introducing "Over The Rainbow" which she would later adopt as her trademark song.
- Her many film musicals include "Babes In Arms"(1939), "For Me And My Gal"(1942), "Meet Me In St. Louis"(1944), "The Harvey Girls" (1946), "Easter Parade" (1948), "A Star Is Born"(1954) and "I Could Go On Singing"(1963).
- A belter, influenced by her idol Sophie Tucker, Garland developed one of the most recognizable vocal styles in show business. She possessed what could only be described as a fat voice dominated by a strong earthy vibrato. Her legend was almost as big as her talent.
- During the 1960's, her one woman concerts and her successful TV variety series revitalized her career.
- Garland led a hectic life, dominated by alcohol and drug abuse.
- Two of her children, Liza Minnelli (by Vincente Minnelli) and Lorna Luft (by Sid Luft) carry on the show business tradition.
- June 22, 1969 - Died in London, England of an accidental drug overdose.
- Hits include "Over The Rainbow"(Sept., 1939)#5, "I'm Nobody's Baby"(July, 1940)#3, "For Me And My Gal"(Jan., 1942)#3, "Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart"(recorded July, 1939) (July, 1943) #22, "The Trolley Song"(Nov., 1944)#4, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"(Dec., 1944)#27, "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe"(Sept., 1945)#10, "The Man That Got Away"(Aug., 1954)#22 and "I Could Go On Singing"(1963).
- Jeanette MacDonald (June 18, 1903 - Jan. 14, 1965)
- Singer/actress born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Sister of actress Marie Blake and wife of Gene Raymond.
- Nelson Eddy (June 29, 1901 - March 6, 1967)
- Singer/actor born in Providence, Rhode Island.
- They had appeared separately in several stage shows and operettas before becoming the most romantic duo in film musicals.
- MacDonald, a classically trained vocalist starred in several films including "Monte Carlo"(1930), "The Vagabond King"(1930), "The Merry Widow"(1934), "San Francisco"(1936), "The Firefly" (1937), "Broadway Serenade"(1939) and "Smilin" Through"(1941).
- Films together include "Naughty Marietta"(1935), "Rose Marie" (also listed as "Indian Love Call")(1936), "Maytime"(1937), "Girl Of The Golden West"(1938), "Sweethearts"(1938), "Bitter Sweet" (1940), "New Moon"(1940) and "I Married An Angel"(1942).
- Eddy starred in other film musicals including "Balalaika"(1939), "Let Freedom Ring"(1939), "The Chocolate Soldier"(1941) and "Knickerbocker Holiday"(1944).
- Hits together include "Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life"(1935), "Indian Love Call"(Dec., 1936)#8, "Will You Remember"(1937) and "Wanting You"(1940).
- MacDonald's solo hits include "Beyond The Blue Horizon"(Sept., 1930)#9 and "San Francisco"(1936).
- Eddy's solo hits include "Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life"(May, 1935)#5, "I'm Falling In Love With Someone"(May, 1935)#4 and "When I Grow Too Old To Dream"(Aug., 1935)#8.
- Edna Mae Durbin (Dec. 4, 1922 – )
- Singer/actress born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
- 1935 - Durbin's soprano voice was featured on Eddie Cantor's radio program.
- Her film musicals supposedly saved Universal from bankruptcy.
- Film appearances include "Three Smart Girls"(1936), "One Hundred Men And A Girl"(1937), "First Love"(1939) and "It's A Date" (1940).
- Dec. 12, 1950 - Retired from films and married Charles Henri David. They moved to France where Durbin vowed never to appear in films again.
- Hits include "It's Raining Sunbeams"(1937), "Because"(1938), "Amapola"(1939) and "My Own"(Feb., 1939)#15.
- (Dec. 1, 1913 - 1991)
- Singer/actress born in Weatherford, Texas.
- Mother of actor Larry Hagman.
- Ran a dancing school in her home town, later performing in local nightclubs and on radio.
- After appearing at The Trocadero in Hollywood, she was discovered by the producer of "Leave It To Me"(1938) in which she was featured singing Cole Porter's classic "My Heart Belongs To Daddy."
- Her greatest Broadway successes include "South Pacific"(1949) and "The Sound Of Music"(1959).
- During the 1950's, achieved fame on TV appearing in "Peter Pan."
- When asked what she thought of her friend Mary Martin, the great Ethel Merman stated, "Mary's o.k. - if you like talent."
- Martin turned down the role of Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical, "Funny Girl." The part went to Barbra Streisand.
- 1991 - Died of cancer.
- Hits include "My Heart Belongs To Daddy"(Jan., 1939)#9, "I'll Walk Alone"(Aug., 1944)#6, "Almost Like Being In Love"(Oct., 1947)#21, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair"(1949) and "Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep, Go To Sleep"(March, 1950)#8 (with Arthur Godfrey).
- Ruth Elizabeth Grasle (Dec. 18, 1916 - July 2, 1973)
- Actress/singer/dancer born in St. Louis, Missouri.
- 1930 - Age 14, appeared as a Goldwyn Girl in the Eddie Cantor show, "Whoopee."
- Between 1931 and 1939, she appeared in vaudeville and played bit parts in several films.
- Sang with Jay Whidden's Orchestra.
- 1939 - Introduced Cole Porter's "Well Did You Evah" in the Broadway show, "DuBarry Was A Lady."
- 1940 - Starred in the film musical, "Down Argentine Way."
- Her striking good looks made her the pinup girl of World War Two.
- Her legs were insured for one million dollars by Lloyds Of London.
- Grable's forte was nostalgic film musicals.
- Film appearances include "Springtime In the Rockies"(1942), "Coney Island"(1943), "The Dolly Sisters"(1945), "Diamond Horseshoe"(1945), "Mother Wore Tights"(1947) and "How To Marry A Millionaire"(1953).
- 1943-1965 - Married to Harry James.
- During the early 1970's, appeared on Broadway in "Hello Dolly."
- July 2, 1973 - Died of cancer.
- Hits include "I Had The Craziest Dream"(1942) and "I Can't Begin To Tell You"(Dec., 1945)#5.
- Note: Grable is sometimes listed as Ruth Haag on her early recordings.
- Alice Jeanne Leppert (May 5, 1912 - May 10, 1998)
- Singer/actress born in New York City.
- 1926 - Age 14, joined The Chester Hale Dance Group.
- 1932 - She was a chorine in "The George White Scandals."
- Worked on radio as a vocalist for Rudy Vallee.
- Film appearances include "On The Avenue"(1937), "In Old Chicago" (1938), "Alexander's Ragtime Band"(1938), "Rose Of Washington Square"(1939), "Tin Pan Alley"(1940), "Lillian Russell"(1940) and "Hello Frisco Hello"(1943).
- Nicknamed "The Fox Blonde."
- She possessed a low resonant voice and stunning good looks.
- 1941 - Married Phil Harris.
- Retired from films in the 1940's, later making an appearance in the 1961 film version of "State Fair."
- 1974 - Appeared on Broadway in a revival of "Good News."
- Hits include "There's A Lull In My Life"(May, 1937)#20, "Rose Of Washington Square"(1939) and "You'll Never Know"(1943).
MARTHA RAYE
- Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha (Feb. 9, 1909 - Aug. 5, 1955)
- Singer/dancer/actress/comedienne born in Marco de Canavezes, Portugal.
- She and her sister Aurora became stars in Brazil.
- 1930 - Made her recording debut.
- During her career, recorded over 400 titles.
- 1939 - Made her Broadway debut with Olsen & Johnson in "Streets Of Paris."
- Nicknamed "The Brazillian Bombshell."
- Famous for her flamboyant costumes, 9" platform shoes and turbans piled sky high with fruit.
- Miranda was an accomplished comedienne.
- Helped in promoting Brazilian music in North America.
- Film appearances include "Down Argentine Way"(1940), "That Night In Rio"(1941), "Weekend In Havana"(1941), "Springtime In The Rockies"(1942), "Four Jills In A Jeep"(1944) and "A Date With Judy"(1947).
- 1948 - Topped the bill at The London Palladium.
- Aug. 5, 1955 - Died of a heart attack while rehearsing a new show with Jimmy Durante.
- Hits include "South American Way"(1940), "I Yi Yi Yi Yi (I Like You Very Much)"(1941), "Mama Euquero (I Want My Mama)"(May, 1941)#25, "Cuanta La Gusta"(Oct., 1948)#12 (with The Andrews Sisters) and "The Wedding Samba"(Jan., 1950)#23 (with The Andrews Sisters).
- Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – )
- Singer/actress born in Brooklyn, New York.
- 1934 - Worked as a chorus girl at Harlem's famous Cotton Club.
- 1934 - As Helena Horne, sang with Ray Noble's orchestra.
- 1936 - Married Louis Jones, changing her professional name to Helena Jones.
- 1939 - Became Lena Horne, starring in "The Blackbirds Of 1939."
- 1940 - Sang with The Charlie Barnet Orchestra.
- 1941 - Debuted at Cafe Society, the first interracial nightclub in New York City.
- Became one of the first black film goddesses, famous for her cool, sexy vocals and stunning beauty.
- Film appearances include "Cabin In The Sky"(1943), "Stormy Weather"(1943), "Thousands Cheer"(1943), "I Dood It"(1943), "Till The Clouds Roll By"(1946), "Words And Music"(1948) and "Death Of A Gunfighter"(1969).
- Late 1947 - Married white arranger/composer/bandleader Lennie Hayton in Paris.
- During the 1950's, she was unjustly blacklisted as a communist because of her close relationship with Paul Robeson. Later cleared, she has remained a key force in the civil rights movement.
- 1957 - Appeared in the Broadway show, "Jamaica."
- 1978 - Starred as Glinda in the film version of "The Wiz."
- 1981-1982 - Starred in the smash Broadway one-woman show, "Lena Horne; The Lady And Her Music."
- 1983 - Recipient of the coveted Spingarn Award.
- 1984 - Kennedy Center honouree.
- Hits include "Stormy Weather"(Sept., 1943)#21, "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)"(March, 1945)#21, "Deed I Do"(May, 1948)#26 and "Love Me Or Leave Me"(July, 1955)#19.
- Eugene Joseph Curran Kelly (Aug. 23, 1912 - Feb. 2, 1996)
- Dancer/actor/singer/choreographer/director born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Son of Al Jolson's road manager J.P.J. Kelly.
- Brother of dancer/choreographer/director/producer Fred Kelly (1917 - March 15, 2000).
- Second only to Fred Astaire in the history of modern dance.
- Kelly was an athletic stylist who brought a decided macho image to dance.
- 1937 - Became a chorus boy on Broadway, later staging numbers for Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe nightclub.
- 1940 - Appeared in the stage productions, "The Time Of Your Life" and "Pal Joey."
- 1941 - David O'Selznick brought him to Hollywood.
- 1941-1957 - Signed to MGM, starring in many musicals including "For Me And My Gal"(1942), "Du Barry Was A Lady"(1943), "Cover Girl"(1944), "On The Town"(1949), "Summer Stock"(1950), "An American In Paris"(1951), "Singing In The Rain"(1952), "Brigadoon"(1954) and "Les Girls"(1957).
- Kelly will forever be associated with the song, "Singing In The Rain."
- 1982 - Kennedy Center honouree.
- 1985 - Kelly was awarded The American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.
- Feb. 2, 1996 - Died of complications due to a stroke.
- Hits include "For Me And My Gal"(Jan., 1942)#3 (with Judy Garland) and "When You Wore A Tulip"(April, 1942)#19 (with Judy Garland).
- Ella Geisman (Oct. 7, 1917 – )
- Actress/singer/dancer born in The Bronx, New York.
- 1937 - Made 2 reelers, later becoming a Broadway chorus girl.
- 1941 - Understudied Betty Hutton in Broadway's "Panama Hattie."
- Nicknamed "The Girl Next Door" after her appearance in the Broadway show of the same name. She later starred in the 1943 film version.
- Film appearances include "Best Foot Forward"(1943), "Till The Clouds Roll By"(1946), "Good News"(1947), "Words And Music"(1948) and "The Glenn Miller Story"(1954).
- Famous for her husky voice and pageboy hairstyle.
- Married actor Dick Powell.
- During the 1980's and 1990's, worked extensively in TV commercials.
- Hits include "Treat Me Rough"(1943) (with Mickey Rooney), "The Best Things In Life Are Free"(1947) and "Thou Swell"(1948) (with The Blackburn Twins).
- Elizabeth June Thornburg (Feb. 26, 1921 – )
- Singer/dancer/actress/comedienne born in Battle Creek, Michigan.
- Sister of band singer Marion Hutton (Marion Thornburg) (1919 – ).
- Sang on the street as a child to support her family.
- 1934 - Age 13, began singing with bands.
- Developed a frantic vocal delivery.
- 1938-1939 - Sang with the Vincent Lopez orchestra.
- 1940 - Appeared on Broadway in "Two For The Show."
- 1941 - Buddy DeSylva chose her for Broadway's "Panama Hattie."
- In the 1940's, became Paramount's "Blonde Bombshell."
- 1942 - Caused a sensation singing "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing In A Hurray" in the film, "The Fleet's In."
- Film appearances include "Happy Go Lucky"(1943), "The Incendiary Blonde"(1945), "Duffy's Tavern"(1945), "The Perils Of Pauline" (1947), "Red Hot And Blue"(1949), "Let's Dance"(1949), "Annie Get Your Gun"(1950), "Somebody Loves Me"(1952) and "The Greatest Show On Earth"(1952).
- 1952 - Walked out on her Paramount contract. Her career floundered thereafter.
- 1967 - Filed for bankruptcy.
- 1974 - Discovered working in a Rhode Island Catholic rectory.
- Hits include "It Had To Be You"(June, 1944)#5, "Murder He Says" (1943), "His Rocking Horse Ran Away"(July, 1944)#7, "Stuff Like That There"(April, 1945)#4, "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief"(Dec., 1945)#1-2 wks., "I Wish I Didn't Love You So"(Sept., 1947)#5 and "A Bushel And A Peck"(Oct., 1950)#3 (with Perry Como).
- Zelma Kathryn Hedrick (Feb. 9, 1922 – )
- Coloratura soprano/actress born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
- Sang on Eddie Cantor's radio program.
- 1939 - Signed with M.G.M.
- Groomed for 2 years before her first film, "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary"(1941).
- 1940-1946 - Married to actor John Shelton.
- 1947-1951 - Married to singer/actor Johnny Johnston.
- Her kittenish beauty and sugar sweet coloratura soprano voice made her a star in the early 1950's.
- Later appeared regularly in nightclubs.
- Films include "Rio Rita"(1942), "Two Sisters From Boston"(1946), "Kissing Bandit"(1948), "The Toast Of New Orleans"(1950), "Showboat"(1951), "So This Is Love"(1953) and "Kiss Me Kate" (1953).
- Hits include "Love Is Where You Find It"(1948), "Be My Love" (1950) (with Mario Lanza) and "Remember"(1953).
DORIS DAY
- (March 12, 1921 - Jan. 24, 1986)
- Baritone singer/actor born in East Orange, New Jersey.
- Raised in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York.
- Played clarinet and piano early in his career.
- 1939 - Won an amateur singing contest at The World's Fair.
- 1941-1967 - Married to actress Sheila MacRae (Sheila Stephens).
- Father of actresses Heather and Meredith MacRae.
- 1942-1943 - Sang with Horace Heidt.
- 1946 - Appeared in the Broadway revue, "Three To Make Ready."
- Had several duet hits with Jo Stafford including "My Darling, My Darling"(Nov., 1948)#1, "A - You're Adorable"(March, 1949)#4 and "Whispering Hope"(Aug., 1949)#4.
- Film appearances include "Tea For Two"(1950), "On Moonlight Bay" (1951), "The Desert Song"(1953), "Oklahoma"(1955), "Carousel" (1956) and "The Best Things In Life Are Free"(1956).
- 1956 - Starred in his own TV show.
- 1967 - Appeared in the Broadway show, "I Do I Do."
- 1983 - A long time alcoholic, he became the honorary chairman of The National Council Of Alcoholism.
- Jan. 24, 1986 - Died of cancer of the mouth and pneumonia.
- Hits include "I Still Get Jealous"(Nov., 1947)#25, "It's Magic" (July, 1948)#9, "Hair Of Gold, Eyes Of Blue"(Aug., 1948)#7, "So In Love"(March, 1949)#20, "Mule Train"(Nov., 1949)#20 and "The Secret"(Sept., 1958)#18.
- (Aug. 28, 1925 – )
- Dancer/singer/actor/comedian/composer born in Chicago, Illinois.
- Born into a circus family turned vaudevillians, he joined the act at the age of 11.
- 1937 - Appeared with his 2 brothers in the film, "Melody For Two."
- 1938 - Signed with Paramount.
- 1942 - Began appearing in a string of low-budget films for Universal.
- 1952 - His showstopping "Make Em Laugh" number from "Singing In The Rain" became an absolute classic.
- Other film musical appearances include "Get Hep To Love"(1942), "Call Me Madam"(1953) and "There's No Business Like Show business" (1954).
- 1954-1955 - Hosted "The Donald O'Connor Texaco Show" on TV.
- In the mid 1950's, appeared in a comedy film series featuring Francis the talking mule.
- 1956 - Conducted The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in a premiere performance of his first symphony, "Reflections d'un Comique."
- 1957 - Starred in the film biopic, "The Buster Keaton Story."
- Hits include "You're Just In Love"(1953) (with Ethel Merman) and "A Man Chases A Girl Until She Catches Him"(1954) (with Marilyn Monroe).
- Alfred Arnold Cocozza (Jan. 13, 1921 - Oct. 7, 1959)
- Singer/actor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- The most popular operatic tenor since Enrico Caruso.
- 1942 - After an audition with conductor Serge Koussevitzky, he received a scholarship to The Berkshire Summer Festival in Tanglewood.
- 1946 - After World War Two service, he was signed to MGM.
- 1947 - Drew 76,000 people at a concert in Chicago's Grant Park.
- His Latin good looks and powerful voice made him a perfect lead for the popular screen musicals of the 1950's.
- Film appearances include "That Midnight Kiss"(1949), "The Toast Of New Orleans"(1950), "The Great Caruso"(1951) and "Serenade" (1956).
- 1951 - Received the largest royalty cheque ever given to a singer to date for a 10 month period - $746,000.
- 1954 - Provided the singing voice for Edmund Purdom in the Sigmund Romberg biopic, "Deep In My Heart."
- April, 1955 - Quit films and began appearing in Las Vegas.
- Lanza never appeared in any theatrical opera.
- Constantly battling obesity, Lanza's life was dominated by alcohol and barbiturate abuse.
- Oct., 1959 - Entered a clinic for weight reduction in Rome, Italy.
- Oct. 7, 1959 - Mario Lanza, opera's first sex symbol died of a heart attack in Rome. His wife Betty died 6 months later. It was later revealed that he had had 3 heart attacks during 1959.
- Hits include "Be My Love"(Dec., 1950)#1, "The Loveliest Night Of The Year"(April, 1951)#3, "Because"(June, 1951)#16, "Because You're Mine"(Sept., 1952)#7 and "Song Of India"(Aug., 1953)#20.
- Julia Elizabeth Wells (Oct. 1, 1935 – )
- Singer/actress/dancer born in Walton-On-Thames, England.
- Studied voice, attaining a vocal range of 4 octaves.
- 1947 - Age 12, stopped the "Starlight Roof Revue" at The London Hippodrome singing high F above high C in Titania's aria from "Mignon."
- Joined her parents' vaudeville act.
- 1953 - Age 18, appeared in the London production of "Cinderella."
- 1954 - Made her Broadway debut in the 1920's musical spoof, "The Boyfriend."
- 1956 - Age 21, began a three and a half year stint in London and on Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady."
- 1960 - Starred on Broadway with Richard Burton in "Camelot."
- 1964 - She was bypassed for the film version of "My Fair Lady." The part went to Audrey Hepburn.
- 1964 - Made her film debut as the nanny in "Mary Poppins" for which she won the Academy Award for best actress.
- Films include "The Sound Of Music"(1965), "Thoroughly Modern Millie"(1967), "Star"(1968) and "Victor Victoria"(1982).
- During the 1970's, she hosted her own TV variety series.
- 1992 - Appointed Goodwill Ambassador for The United Nations Development Fund For Women.
- 1995 - Starred on Broadway in the stage version of "Victor Victoria."
- 1997 - Suffered what she claimed was a botched operation to remove non-cancerous polyps from her vocal cords, after which she was unable to sing.
- Dec., 1999 - Launched a massive suit against the famed Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
- She is the author of 3 bestselling children's books.
- May 16, 2000 - Awarded the O.B.E.
- Hits include "I Could Have Danced All Night"(1956), "Wouldn't It Be Loverly"(1956), "The Sound Of Music"(1965), "Thoroughly Modern Millie"(1967) and "Le Jazz Hot"(1982).
- Norma Jean Baker (June 1, 1926 - Aug. 5, 1962)
- Actress/singer born in Los Angeles, California.
- Daughter of Gladys Pearl Baker and Edward Mortenson.
- 1942 - Age 16, married 21 year old Jim Dougherty.
- 1944 - Began a modeling career.
- 1946 - Divorced Dougherty.
- Aug., 1946 - Signed with 20th Century Fox and her name was changed to Marilyn Monroe.
- 1948 - Her film career was under way with her appearances in "Scudda-Hoo! Scudda-Hey!," "Dangerous Years" and "Ladies Of The Chorus."
- Appeared in 30 films. The musicals include "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"(1953), "There's No Business Like Show business"(1954) and "Some Like It Hot"(1959).
- Monroe was the sex symbol of the 1950's and the most imitated glamour queen of all time.
- Jan., 1954 - Married baseball player Joe DiMaggio for 9 months.
- June, 1956-Jan., 1961 - Married to playwright Arthur Miller.
- Famous for her whispery renditions of "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend"(1953), "River Of No Return"(July, 1954)#30, "Heat Wave" (1954) and "I Wanna Be Loved By You"(1959).
- Aug. 5, 1962 - Died of an overdose of barbiturates.
- June 1, 1995 - On what would have been her 69th birthday, the U.S. issued a postage stamp in her honour.
- (Jan. 13, 1925 - Oct., 2000)
- Dancer/singer/actress/choreographer born in America.
- Four-time Tony Award winner.
- Wife of Bob Fosse.
- Appeared in both the stage (1955) and film (1958) version of "Damn Yankees" which featured "Whatever Lola Wants."
- 1966 - Appeared in the stage version of "Sweet Charity" where she introduced the rollicking, "If They Could See Me Now."
- Other stage appearances include "Can Can"(1953), "New Girl In Town"(1957) and "Chicago"(1975).
- Barbara Joan Streisand (April 24, 1942 – )
- Singer/actress/songwriter/director born in Brooklyn, New York.
- 1958 - After graduating from Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, she moved to Manhattan where she began singing on the club circuit and auditioning for as many parts as possible.
- Oct. 21, 1961 - Made her acting debut in "Another Evening With Harry Stoones."
- 1962 - David Merrick signed her for the part of the dumpy Miss Marmelstein in the Broadway show, "I Can Get It For You Wholesale."
- Her kooky beatnik image and unique vocal acrobatics got her a contract with Columbia Records. Powerhouse vocals and an unconventional choice of material made her an immediate sensation. She earned $1 million in 2 years.
- Her first album, "The Barbra Streisand Album" won the Album Of The Year Award and the NARAS Award for excellence.
- 1964 - Portrayed Fanny Brice in the Broadway musical, "Funny Girl."
- Garnered several Emmy Awards for her TV specials.
- 1968 - Won the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in the film version of "Funny Girl."
- Film appearances include "Hello Dolly"(1969), "On A Clear Day" (1970), "The Way We Were"(1973), "Funny Lady"(1975), "A Star Is Born"(1977), "The Main Event"(1979), "Yentl"(1983), "Nuts"(1987), "Prince Of Tides"(1991) and "The Mirror Has Two Faces"(1996).
- 1973, 1974 & 1975 - Voted #1 Female Box-Office Star by The Quigley Poll.
- 1975 - Winner of The Golden Globe Award for World Film Favourite and The People's Choice Award for both Favourite Female Actress and Favourite Female Vocalist.
- By 1975, she had amassed 16 certified R.I.A.A. gold albums.
- Sept., 1986 - Appeared in her first live concert in 20 years as a benefit for the environment.
- Spring, 1994 - Began touring again in concert.
- July 1, 1998 - Married actor James Brolin.
- Dec. 31, 1999 - Appeared at a millennium concert in Las Vegas.
- Winner of 10 Golden Globes.
- As of Jan., 2000, her recording output consisted of 42 gold albums, 26 platinum albums and 13 multi-platinum albums making her the highest selling female vocalist in recording history.
- Jan. 23, 2000 - Received The Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award.
- 2000 - Completed her final concert tour, later released as the "Timeless" video and album.
- 2001 - Awarded The A.F.I. Lifetime Achievement Award, the first female director to be so recognized.
- Streisand is one of, if not the most important female artist of the century.
- Hits include "People"(May, 1964)#5, "Second Hand Rose"(Jan., 1966)#32, "Stoney End"(Dec., 1970)#6, "The Way We Were"(Dec., 1973)#1-3 wks., "My Heart Belongs To Me"(May, 1977)#4, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"(Nov., 1978)#1-2 wks. (with Neil Diamond), "The Main Event"(July, 1979)#3, "No More Tears"(Oct., 1979)#1-2 wks. (with Donna Summer), "Woman In Love"(Sept., 1980)#1-3 wks., "Guilty"(Nov., 1980)#3 (with Barry Gibb), "Somewhere"(Dec., 1985) #43 and "I Finally Found Someone"(Nov., 1996) (with Bryan Adams).
BETTE MIDLER
- See Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret
LIZA MINNELLI
- See Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret
THE DONALDSON AWARDS
- 1944-1955.
- Founded in memory of W. H. Donaldson, creator of Billboard Magazine.
- The awards honoured all aspects of Broadway shows.
THE TONY AWARDS
- Established in 1947.
- Named for Antoinette Perry, head of The American Theater Wing during World War Two.
- Given by The American Theater Wing for outstanding achievements in theater.
THE NEW YORK CRITICS AWARDS
ALSO SEE
- Chapter 9: The Sing Era
- Chapter 11: Tin Pan Alley
- Chapter 13: Vaudeville, Music Hall And Cabaret
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