Al Dubin

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Al Dubin
Born
Alexander Dubin

(1891-06-10)June 10, 1891
Zürich, Switzerland
DiedFebruary 11, 1945(1945-02-11) (aged 53)
OccupationLyricist
Years active1909–45
Spouse(s)Helen McClay (1921–1943); Edwina Coolidge (1943-1943)
ChildrenSimon Joseph (died 4 days after birth), Patricia Dubin McGuire
Parent(s)Simon and Minna Dubin
RelativesJoseph Dubin (brother)

Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945)[1] was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren.

Life

Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that emigrated to the United States from Switzerland when he was two years old.[2] Born in Zürich, Switzerland, he grew up in Philadelphia.[1] Between ages of thirteen and sixteen, Dubin played hookey from school in order to travel into New York City to see Broadway musical shows. At age 14 he began writing special material for a vaudeville entertainer on 28th Street between 5th and Broadway in New York City, otherwise known as Tin Pan Alley.[3][4]

Dubin was accepted and enrolled at

Alma Mater. After leaving Perkiomen, Dubin got himself a job as a singing waiter at a Philadelphia restaurant. He continued to write lyrics and tried selling them to area publishing firms. During this time, Dubin met composer Joe Burke. Together they wrote the song "Oh, You, Mister Moon" (1911), which was published by M. Witmark & Sons.[5] The team also composed the Villanova University Anthem
(Alma Mater).

In 1917, Dubin was drafted at

ASCAP
in 1921.

Known for his larger-than-life persona, Dubin struggled with alcohol and drugs,[2] and fell on hard times in the 1940s. Estranged from his wife, Dubin struggled to find work both in Hollywood and New York. The last show Dubin was contracted to work on was Laffing Room Only, with composer Burton Lane. Dubin provided only a title for this production, "Feudin' and a Fightin'", for which he received 25 percent credit.[8]

Dubin spent the remainder of the last few years of his life at the Empire Hotel,[8] alone and in ill-health. On February 8, 1945, he collapsed on the street after having taken a large quantity of doctor-prescribed barbiturates. He was admitted to the Roosevelt Hospital for barbiturate poisoning and pneumonia,[2] and later died on February 11, 1945.[1] Newspaper personality Walter Winchell made the announcement of his death on the radio.[9]

Dubin was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Career

Dubin sold his first set of lyrics for two songs "Prairie Rose" and "Sunray", in 1909 to the Whitmark Music Publishing Firm.[10]

In 1925, Dubin met the composer Harry Warren, who was to become his future collaborator at Warner Bros. studio in Hollywood. The first song they collaborated on was titled, "Too Many Kisses in the Summer Bring Too Many Tears in the Fall". But it was another song written with Joseph Meyer that same year that became Dubin's first big hit, "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You".

Warner Bros. purchased the publishing firms of Witmark, Remick and Harms, and since Dubin was under contract to Harms, Warner Bros. inherited his services. In 1929, Dubin wrote "

Tiptoe through the Tulips" with composer Joe Burke,[1] for the film Gold Diggers of Broadway
.

In 1932, Dubin teamed officially with composer Harry Warren[11] on the movie musical 42nd Street, starring Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Warner Baxter and Bebe Daniels, with dance routines sequenced by Busby Berkeley. The songwriting team of Warren and Dubin contributed four songs: "42nd Street", "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me", "Young and Healthy" and "Shuffle Off to Buffalo".[1]

Between 1932 and 1939,

Go Into Your Dance and Wonder Bar, both starring Al Jolson. The song "Lullaby of Broadway", written by Warren and Dubin for the musical film, Gold Diggers of 1935,[1] won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Original Song.[12]

Legacy

In 1980, producer

.

Dubin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.[2]

Work on Broadway

Notable films

Notable songs

References

  1. ^ .
  2. ^ a b c d e Songwriters Hall of Fame. "Songwriters Hall of Fame: Al Dubin". Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  3. .
  4. ^ .
  5. ^ Dubin (1983) p. 60
  6. ^ Mangravite, Ronald (27 February 2003). "The Avenue He's Takin' You To". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ^ Dubin (1983) p. 83
  8. ^ a b Dubin (1983) p. 169
  9. ^ Dubin (1983) p. 39
  10. ^ Dubin (1983) p. 13
  11. ^ a b Encyclopædia Britannica. "Al Dubin (American Lyricist)". Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  12. .
  13. ^ "Like Song! Like Author!". The Indianapolis Times. 1923-12-20. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  14. ^ "Stage Door Canteen". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-02-02.

External links