Loesser, Frank [Henry] (1910–69), composer and lyricist. Although he was born into a musical New York family, his father, a piano teacher, disapproved of popular music, so young Loesser was largely self‐taught. His earliest professional work was writing lyrics and sketches for vaudeville and radio, and Broadway first heard of him solely as a lyricist when he set words to some Irving Actman melodies for The Illustrators' Show (1936). By the time he returned to the theatre in 1948 as both composer and lyricist for
Frank Loesser
| American Theater Guide: Frank [Henry] Loesser |
| Music Encyclopedia: Frank (Henry) Loesser |
( b New York, 29 June 1910; d there, 28 July 1969). American composer and librettist. Largely self-taught in music, he worked in Hollywood from 1936. Best known for his Broadway shows, notably Guys and Dolls (1950) and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1961), he is particularly successful in catching the flavour of colloquial speech, in his rhymes and his witty melodies, and was inventive in his use of form and harmony.
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Frank Henry Loesser |
For more information on Frank Henry Loesser, visit Britannica.com.
| Works: Works by Frank Loesser |
| 1956 | The Most Happy Fella. Loesser writes the book and the music for this version of Sidney Howard's play They Knew What They Wanted (1924), about an aging Italian wine grower who proposes by mail to a San Francisco waitress, sending her a photo of his hired hand. Almost entirely sung, the musical is considered Loesser's masterpiece, and it has entered the repertory of many opera companies. |
| Artist: Frank Loesser |
- Born: June 29, 1910, New York, NY
- Died: March 28, 1969, New York, NY
- Active: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s
- Genres: Soundtrack
- Instrument: Songwriter
- Representative Albums: "An Evening with Frank Loesser," "Frank Sings Loesser," "I Hear Music"
Biography
A respected Broadway name due to his Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a composer who wrote half a dozen wartime songs including "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition," a Hollywood lyric-writer for several 1940s films -- it appears that Frank Loesser had several careers packed into his one life. Born into a musical family in New York City in 1910, Loesser refused formal training, however, deciding instead to learn by himself while at the piano. Never serious about a show-business career, he dropped out of college to work at a series of jobs including office boy, reporter, inspector, advertising salesman and part-time vaudevillian. After selling one song to a fellow performer, he earned a job as a lyric-writer in Tin Pan Alley, and first published in 1931. Though Fats Waller recorded another of his early-'30s compositions, "I Wish I Were Twins," Loesser was unsuccessful and had to augment his income by singing at a 52nd St. nightspot.In 1936, Frank Loesser decided that he could make his fortune in Hollywood; after signing a contract with Universal, he was released less than a year later, but found success soon after with "The Moon of Manakoora," sung by Dorothy Lamour in 1937's The Hurricane. Several moderate film hits followed during the late '30s and early '40s ("I Fall in Love with You Every Day," "The Boys in the Back Room," "Kiss the Boys Goodbye"), all composed with a variety of musical collaborators.
Loesser's transition into true popular success came in 1942, just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Writing a song around an overheard comment and composing a few notes of music to aid in the lyrical flow, Loesser came up with "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition." After being published in 1942, the song sold several million copies (including copies of sheet music) during the war years, with hit versions recorded by Kay Kyser and Merry Macs. Loesser later joined the military, and continued to to compose more service-related songs, including "First Class Mary Brown," "The WAC Hymn," "What Do You Do in the Infantry?" and "Salute to the Army Air Force."
At the end of World War II, Loesser continued to write in Hollywood (earning an Academy award in 1949 for "Baby It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter), but he also returned to Broadway, composing the score to 1948's Where's Charley? as a dry run for his biggest success, 1950's Guys and Dolls. The musical ran for over 1,200 performances, was continually revived on and off-Broadway, and became a feature film in 1955 starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. The Most Happy Fella followed in 1956, and was the first for which Loesser composed the libretto as well as the score. It was a moderate success, as was 1960's Greenwillow. Loesser's second triumphant production came in 1961, when How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying captured a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony, and Drama Critics Circle award for best musical of the season. Loesser's last production (Pleasures and Palaces) was a failure, but the 1967 film version of How to Succeed in Business was enough to make most forget. Frank Loesser died of cancer in 1969. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
| Discography: Frank Loesser |
| Wikipedia: Frank Loesser |
| Frank Loesser | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Frank Henry Loesser |
| Born | June 29, 1910 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | July 26, 1969 (aged 59) New York City, New York, USA |
| Genre(s) | Musical theatre |
| Occupation(s) | composer, lyricist, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1936-1969 |
Frank Henry Loesser (June 29, 1910 – July 26, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the scores to the Broadway hits Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the latter. He also wrote numerous songs for films and Tin pan alley, many of which have become standards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards for best song, winning once for "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
Contents |
Biography
Early years
Loesser was born in New York City to Henry Loesser, a pianist, and Julia Ehrlich. He left City College of New York in 1925 after one year. After trying various jobs, by 1935 he was performing in a club with singer Lynn Blankenbaker Garland, whom he married in 1936.[1]
After signing with Universal Pictures in 1936 he moved to Hollywood, and then worked for Paramount Pictures. He wrote the lyrics for many songs during this period, including "Two Sleepy People" and "I Hear Music. He stayed in Hollywood until World War II, when he joined the Army Air Force.[1]
One of the early films he worked on was Destry Rides Again (1939), for which he wrote the lyrics to "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have", sung by Marlene Dietrich.
WWII era
During World War II, he wrote 1942's "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition". Formerly a successful lyricist in collaboration with other composers, this was the first song for which Loesser composed the melody in addition to the lyric.
In 1944, Loesser worked on a little known musical intended to be performed by and for US soldiers abroad, titled Hi Yank!, the music for which was composed by Alex North. Hi Yank! was produced by the U.S. Army Office of Special Services as a "blueprint special" to boost the morale of soldiers located where USO shows could not visit. The "blueprint" was a book containing a musical script with instructions for staging the show, using materials locally available to deployed soldiers. A document located at the US Army Centre for Military History states, "A touring company has been formed in Italy to tour a production of "Hi, Yank!"".[2]
This unique Hi Yank! show without stars or a conventional theater run was generally forgotten until 2008, when the PBS History Detectives TV show researched the case of a long-saved radio transcription disc.[3] The disc has two songs and a promotional announcement for the show's Fort Dix premiere in August 1944, when the disc was broadcast there.[4]
Career
In 1948, Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin asked Loesser to write both music and lyrics to George Abbott's book for an adaptation of the Brandon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. That musical, Where's Charley? (1948), starred Ray Bolger, and ran for a successful 792 performances. This led to his next musical, Guys and Dolls (1950), also produced by Feuer and Martin, which became a hit and earned him two Tony Awards.[5]
He wrote the book, music and lyrics for his next two musicals, The Most Happy Fella (1956) and Greenwillow (1960). He wrote the music and lyrics for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), which ran for 1,417 performances and won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and for which he received two more Tonys.
The last musical that he worked on, Pleasures and Palaces (1965), closed during out-of-town tryouts.
Another unproduced musical, Senor Discretion Himself, premiered after his death. He started working on a musical version of the Budd Schulberg short story Senor Discretion Himself in 1966, but stopped working on it after 2 years. A version was presented in 1985 at the New York Musical Theatre Works. With the support of Jo Loesser, a completed version was presented at the Arena Stage, Washington, DC, in 2004, reworked by the group Culture Clash and director Charles Randolph-Wright.[6]
Personal life
Loesser married Jo Sullivan (born Elizabeth Josephine Sullivan) on April 30, 1959. Loesser was introduced to Jo by his first wife Lynn. She had played a lead in Most Happy Fella.[1] They had two children, Hannah and Emily. Emily is a performer.[7]
His first two children with Lynn Loesser, his first wife, are John Loesser and Susan Loesser, an author who wrote her father's biography A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life: A Portrait by His Daughter (1993, 2000).[8]
He died of lung cancer at age 59 in New York City.[9]
Notable songs
Loesser was the lyricist of over 700 songs.[10]
- Broadway musicals
- "Once in Love With Amy" from Where's Charley?
- "A Bushel and a Peck", "Fugue for Tinhorns", "I'll Know", "If I Were A Bell" (a favorite of Miles Davis, featured in recordings with John Coltrane) and "Luck Be a Lady Tonight" from Guys and Dolls
- "Standing on the Corner" from The Most Happy Fella
- "Never Will I Marry" from Greenwillow
- "I Believe In You" and "The Brotherhood of Man" from How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
- Film and Tin Pan Alley
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from the M-G-M picture "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). This was originally a song which Loesser and his wife Lynn performed at parties for the private entertainment of friends. They also recorded the song for Mercury Records. Under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to supply a full score for Neptune's Daughter, Loesser included this song which he had created in 1944, originally for their housewarming party.
- "Heart and Soul" (from the Paramount short subject A Song is Born) – lyrics
- "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" from the Paramount picture Sweater Girl (1942)
- "On a Slow Boat to China" (1948)
- "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" from the Universal picture Christmas Holiday (1944)
- "Inch Worm", "Thumbelina" and "Wonderful Copenhagen" (which is now the official song of the city of Copenhagen) from the Samuel Goldwyn picture "Hans Christian Anderson" (1952)
- "Two Sleepy People" (music by Hoagy Carmichael) from the Paramount picture "Thanks for the Memory" (1938)
- "What are You Doing New Year's Eve?" (written in 1947)
He was also the author of "The Ballad of Rodger Young", which was prominently quoted in Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers.
Awards and legacy
Loesser received Tony Awards for music and lyrics for each of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Guys and Dolls. He was nominated for the Tony Award for book, music and lyrics for The Most Happy Fella and as Best Composer for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Loesser was awarded a Grammy Award in 1961 for Best Original Cast Show Album for How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
He won the 1950 Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside". He was nominated four more times:
- "Dolores" from Las Vegas Nights (1941)
- "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" from Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
- "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" from The Perils of Pauline (1947)
- "Thumbelina" (1953)
In 2006 the PBS documentary, Heart & Soul: The Life and Music of Frank Loesser was released.[11]
References
- ^ a b c Frank Loesser biography,pbs.org, accessed December 5, 2008
- ^ PBS History Detectives; "Blueprint Special", 2008, show transcript, PDFpbs.org
- ^ PBS History Detectives; "Blueprint Special" Aired: Season 6, Episode 10; 2008pbs.org
- ^ Click on player at the bottom to listen to the recording of the Hi Yank soldier musical. (7m37s)pbs.org
- ^ Loesser biography, mtishows.com, accessed August 4, 2009
- ^ Riis, Thomas Laurence. Frank Loesser (2008), Yale University Press, ISBN 0300110510, p,219-223
- ^ "Emily Loesser, Actress, Marries", The New York Times, May 5, 1991
- ^ Frank Loesser biographytcm.com, accessed December 5, 2008
- ^ Krebs, Alvin, "Frank Loesser, Composer, Dead," The New York Times, July 29, 1969, p. 1
- ^ Review of book "Frank Loesser", Thomas L. Riis, Dec 17, 2007,yalepress.yale.edu, accessed December 5, 2008
- ^ "Heart & Soul, The Life and Music of Frank Loesser"www.loessermovie.org, accessed July 30, 2009
External links
- frankloesser.net
- Biography
- Frank Loesser at the Internet Broadway Database
- Frank Loesser at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview with daughter Susan Loesser
- Frank Loesser entry at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
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 | Greenwillow (1960 Album by Original Broadway Cast) |
| Brass on Broadway (1995 Album by Canadian Brass) |
| Frank Sings Loesser (1995 Album by Frank Loesser) |
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Music Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Music. Copyright © 1994 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Works. The Chronology of American Literature, edited by Daniel S. Burt. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Greenwillow (1960 Album by Original Broadway Cast)
- Brass on Broadway (1995 Album by Canadian Brass)
- Frank Sings Loesser (1995 Album by Frank Loesser)
- Capitol Sings Frank Loesser: I Hear Music (1995 Album by Various Artists)
- An Evening with Frank Loesser (1992 Album by Frank Loesser)
- Loesser by Loesser: A Salute to Frank Loesser (1992 Album by Jo Sullivan Loesser)
- Four Lads Sing Frank Loesser (2001 Album by The Four Lads)
- The Jazz Giants Play Frank Loesser: Heart and Soul (1997 Album by Various Artists)
- Relax, It's Dean Martin (2000 Album by Dean Martin)
- Swing Your Partner (1943 Musical Film)
- Abe Burrows (literature)
- Can't Take You Nowhere (1986 Album by Dave Frishberg)
- I Hear Music (1998 Album by Frank Loesser)
- Songs by Young & Loesser, Kern & Warren (1999 Album by Joni James)
