Sam Coslow

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Sam Coslow (December 27, 1902 - April 2, 1982) was an American songwriter, singer and film producer. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager. He contributed songs to Broadway revues, formed the music publishing company Spier and Coslow in 1928 and made a number of vocal recordings.

With the explosion of film musicals in the late 1920s, Hollywood attracted a number of ambitious young songwriters and Coslow joined the exodus in 1929. Coslow and his partner Larry Spier sold their publishing business to Paramount Pictures and Coslow became a Paramount songwriter. One of his first assignments for the studio was the score for the 1930 film The Virtuous Sin. He formed a successful partnership with composer Arthur Johnston and together they provided the scores for a number of films including Bing Crosby vehicles.

Coslow became a film producer in the 1940s and won the Academy Award for Best Short Film for his production Heavenly Music in 1943. He was married to actress Esther Muir from 1934 to 1948, and they had a daughter Jacqueline Coslow, who also worked as an actress. He died in New York City.

Songs

• "Bebe" (music by Abner Silver). A 1923 song inspired by film actress Bebe Daniels.
• "Wanita" (music by Al Sherman). A 1923 song made popular by Jazz age icon, Al Jolson.
• "True Blue Lou" (music by Richard Whiting) from the 1929 film The Dance of Life
• "Sing, You Sinners" (music by W. Frank Harling). Introduced by Lillian Roth in the 1930 film Honey
• "Hot Voodoo" (music by Ralph Rainger) from the 1932 film Blonde Venus
• "Just One More Chance" (music by Arthur Johnston). The first major success for Bing Crosby as a solo recording artist.
• "Thanks" (music by Arthur Johnston). Introduced by Bing Crosby and Judith Allen in the 1933 film Too Much Harmony
• "The Day You Came Along” (music by Arthur Johnston). Introduced by Bing Crosby and Judith Allen in the 1933 film Too Much Harmony
• "Learn To Croon" (music by Arthur Johnston). Introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1933 film College Humor
• "Cocktails for Two" (music by Arthur Johnston). Introduced by Carl Brisson in the 1934 film Murder at the Vanities
• "(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)", strongly associated with Ella Fitzgerald.
• "My Old Flame" (music by Arthur Johnston). Introduced by Mae West with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in the 1934 film Belle of the Nineties
• "Beware My Heart" (words and music by Coslow). Introduced by Vaughn Monroe in the 1946 film Carnegie Hall.
• "Kiss and Run". (1950 words and music by Coslow). Performed perhaps most notably by Sonny Rollins.
• "In the Middle of a Kiss" (1935 words and music by Coslow). From the Paramount Picture "College Scandal".