Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book By Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert
Music and Lyrics By Frank Loesser: One of America's
great composer/lyricists, Frank Loesser began his songwriting career during
the Depression as a lyricist, contributing songs to Broadway revues and nightclub
acts. His work with composer Irving Actman in the 1936 revue The Illustrator's
Show led to a songwriting contract in Hollywood, where he spent the next eleven
years working with such composers as Burton Lane, Jule Styne, Arthur Schwartz
and Hoagy Carmichael. Some of his film songs from that period include Two Sleepy
People," "Jingle Jangle Jingle" and "I Don't Want To Walk Without You." The
first song for which Loesser wrote both words and music was "Praise The Lord
And Pass The Ammunition," written during his World War II service. His Hollywood
work after the war included the hit songs "Spring Will Be A Little Late This
Year," "A Slow Boat To China," and the 1949 Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold
Outside." In 1948 Loesser was approached by fledgling Broadway producers Cy
Feuer and Ernest Martin to write music and lyrics to George Abbott's libretto
for an adaptation of the classic Brandon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. The new
musical, which starred Ray Bolger, was called Where's Charley? and was a hit.
This led to Loesser's next show, the hugely influential and successful Guys
and Dolls (1950), also produced by Feuer and Martin, with a script was by Abe
Burrows and Jo Swerling. In 1956 Loesser wrote the libretto, music and lyrics
for his next show, The Most Happy Fella, adapted from Sidney Howard's play,
They Knew What They Wanted. This impressive score contains over 30 musical numbers
and makes extensive use of operatic techniques and forms, including recitative,
arias, duets, trios and choral numbers. In 1960 he provided the score and was
co-librettist for Greenwillow. In 1961, Loesser wrote the score for the Pulitzer
Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His last show,
Pleasures and Palaces, closed in 1965 during out-of-town try-outs."
Abe Burrows (Book): After
studying to be a doctor and an accountant, Abe Burrows had a career in sales
before becoming a successful radio script writer and writer/performer of musical
parody numbers. His first Broadway libretto was Guys and Dolls, co-written with
Jo Swerling, with a score by Frank Loesser. Among the musicals for which he
provided librettos are Make A Wish, Can-Can and Silk Stockings (both with scores
by Cole Porter), Say, Darling, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really
Trying (which he also directed; score by Frank Loesser). His non-musical plays
include Cactus Flower (wrote and directed) and Forty Carats (directed).
Willie Gilbert & Jack Weinstock (Book): Jack
Weinstock, a native New Yorker who attended Columbia College and was a graduate
of NYU's Bellevue Medical College, was in private life a doctor. He did not
start to write professionally until he met his collaborator Willie Gilbert,
first as a patient and then as a friend. Willie Gilbert, who came from Cleveland,
Ohio, received a B.S. in education, but pursued a career as a comedian. Together
Gilbert and Weinstock won Tony Awards as co-writers of How to Succeed... Subsequent
stage credits include the 1963 musical comedy Hot Spot and the 1965 hit comedy
mystery Catch Me If You Can. TV credits range from science fiction to classic
children's shows like Howdy Doody," and sketches for comedian Jackie Gleason.
In addition to his successful writing career, "Dr. Jack" (as Weinstock's friends
called him) successfully lived two lives, one as author and one as doctor. He
was medical director of a life insurance company, surgeon at two hospitals,
and had a Fifth Avenue medical practice. Jack Weinstock died in 1969. Willie
Gilbert died in 1980. " Music By Frank Loesser: Frank Loesser (Music, Lyrics):
One of America's great composer/lyricists, Frank Loesser began his songwriting
career during the Depression as a lyricist, contributing songs to Broadway revues
and nightclub acts. His work with composer Irving Actman in the 1936 revue The
Illustrator's Show led to a songwriting contract in Hollywood, where he spent
the next eleven years working with such composers as Burton Lane, Jule Styne,
Arthur Schwartz and Hoagy Carmichael. Some of his film songs from that period
include Two Sleepy People," "Jingle Jangle Jingle" and "I Don't Want To Walk
Without You." The first song for which Loesser wrote both words and music was
"Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition," written during his World War II service.
His Hollywood work after the war included the hit songs "Spring Will Be A Little
Late This Year," "A Slow Boat To China," and the 1949 Oscar-winning song "Baby,
It's Cold Outside." In 1948 Loesser was approached by fledgling Broadway producers
Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin to write music and lyrics to George Abbott's libretto
for an adaptation of the classic Brandon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. The new
musical, which starred Ray Bolger, was called Where's Charley? and was a hit.
This led to Loesser's next show, the hugely influential and successful Guys
and Dolls (1950), also produced by Feuer and Martin, with a script was by Abe
Burrows and Jo Swerling. In 1956 Loesser wrote the libretto, music and lyrics
for his next show, The Most Happy Fella, adapted from Sidney Howard's play,
They Knew What They Wanted. This impressive score contains over 30 musical numbers
and makes extensive use of operatic techniques and forms, including recitative,
arias, duets, trios and choral numbers. In 1960 he provided the score and was
co-librettist for Greenwillow. In 1961, Loesser wrote the score for the Pulitzer
Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His last show,
Pleasures and Palaces, closed in 1965 during out-of-town try-outs. " Lyrics
By Frank Loesser: Frank Loesser (Music, Lyrics): One of America's great composer/lyricists,
Frank Loesser began his songwriting career during the Depression as a lyricist,
contributing songs to Broadway revues and nightclub acts. His work with composer
Irving Actman in the 1936 revue The Illustrator's Show led to a songwriting
contract in Hollywood, where he spent the next eleven years working with such
composers as Burton Lane, Jule Styne, Arthur Schwartz and Hoagy Carmichael.
Some of his film songs from that period include Two Sleepy People," "Jingle
Jangle Jingle" and "I Don't Want To Walk Without You." The first song for which
Loesser wrote both words and music was "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition,"
written during his World War II service. His Hollywood work after the war included
the hit songs "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year," "A Slow Boat To China,"
and the 1949 Oscar-winning song "Baby, It's Cold Outside." In 1948 Loesser was
approached by fledgling Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin to write
music and lyrics to George Abbott's libretto for an adaptation of the classic
Brandon Thomas play Charley's Aunt. The new musical, which starred Ray Bolger,
was called Where's Charley? and was a hit. This led to Loesser's next show,
the hugely influential and successful Guys and Dolls (1950), also produced by
Feuer and Martin, with a script was by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling. In 1956
Loesser wrote the libretto, music and lyrics for his next show, The Most Happy
Fella, adapted from Sidney Howard's play, They Knew What They Wanted. This impressive
score contains over 30 musical numbers and makes extensive use of operatic techniques
and forms, including recitative, arias, duets, trios and choral numbers. In
1960 he provided the score and was co-librettist for Greenwillow. In 1961, Loesser
wrote the score for the Pulitzer Prize-winning How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying. His last show, Pleasures and Palaces, closed in 1965 during out-of-town
try-outs."
