Harry Warren
Harry Warren | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Salvatore Antonio Guaragna |
Born | New York City, U.S. | December 24, 1893
Died | September 22, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 87)
Genres | Popular music |
Occupation(s) | Composer |
Instrument(s) | Piano |
Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981)[1] was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe". He wrote the music for the first blockbuster film musical, 42nd Street, choreographed by Busby Berkeley, with whom he would collaborate on many musical films.
Over a career spanning six decades, Warren wrote more than 800 songs. Other well known Warren hits included "
Biography
Early life
Warren was born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna, one of eleven children of Italian immigrants Antonio (a bootmaker) and Rachel De Luca Guaragna, and grew up in
Career
Warren wrote over 800 songs between 1918 and 1981, publishing over 500 of them.
He collaborated on some of his most famous songs with lyricists
Early hits and film years
Warren's first hit song was "Rose of the Rio Grande" (1922), with lyrics by Edgar Leslie.[10] He wrote a succession of hit songs in the 1920s, including "I Love My Baby (My Baby Loves Me)" and "Seminola" in 1925, "Where Do You Work-a John?" and "In My Gondola" in 1926 and "Nagasaki" in 1928. In 1930, he composed the music for the song "Cheerful Little Earful" for the Billy Rose Broadway revue, Sweet and Low, and composed the music, with lyrics by Mort Dixon and Joe Young, for the Ed Wynn Broadway revue The Laugh Parade in 1931.[2]
He started working for
Warren is particularly remembered for writing scores for the films of Busby Berkeley; they worked together on 18 films. His "uptempo songs are as memorable as Berkeley's choreography, as [sic] for the same reason: they capture, in a few snazzy notes, the vigorous frivolity of the Jazz Age."[12]
Warren won the
Last years
In 1955, Warren wrote "The Legend of Wyatt Earp", which was used in the
Warren composed a Mass, with Latin text, in 1962. This was performed a decade later at Loyola Marymount University, but it has yet to be recorded commercially.[14] He also wrote nearly three dozen short piano vignettes. The sheet music was first published by Warren's Four Jays Music Co.[15] A dozen of these were released on a 1975 album titled Harry Warren's Piano Vignettes, played by Hugh Delain.[16] Several pianists have recorded the vignettes, including Warren himself.[17]
Personal life
Warren married Josephine Wensler in 1917. They had a son, Harry Jr. (1919–1938), and a daughter, Joan (b. 1925). His wife died in 1993.
Warren died on September 22, 1981, in
Reputation and legacy
According to
In 1980, producer
A theatre in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York, the Harry Warren Theatre, was named for Warren in 1982.[24][25]
Songs
Music by Warren, unless noted:
Academy Award nominations and winners
- Winners
- "Lullaby of Broadway" (1935) w. Al Dubin for Gold Diggers of 1935[26]
- "You'll Never Know" (1943) w. Mack Gordon for Hello, Frisco, Hello[27]
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (1945) w. Johnny Mercer for The Harvey Girls[28]
- Nominations
- "Remember Me?" (1937) w. Al Dubin for Mr. Dodd Takes the Air[28]
- "Jeepers Creepers" (1938) w. Johnny Mercer for Going Places[26]
- "Down Argentina Way" (1940) w. Mack Gordon for Down Argentine Way[29]
- "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for Sun Valley Serenade[30]
- "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" (1942) w. Mack Gordon for Orchestra Wives[31]
- "Zing a Little Zong" (1952) w. Leo Robin for Just for You[27]
- "
- "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)" (1956) w. Harold Adamson and Leo McCarey for An Affair to Remember[30]
No. 1 hits
- "By the River Sainte Marie" (1931) w. Edgar Leslie[30]
- "Too Many Tears" (1932) w. Al Dubin[32]
- "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" (1932) w. Mort Dixon[31]
- "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" (1933) w. Al Dubin[27]
- "Forty-Second Street" (1933) w. Al Dubin[29]
- "Shadow Waltz" (1933) w. Al Dubin[33]
- "(You May Not Be an Angel, But) I'll String Along With You" (1934) w. Al Dubin[27]
- "Lullaby of Broadway" (1935) w. Al Dubin[26]
- "She's a Latin from Manhattan" (1935) w. Al Dubin[33]
- "I'll Sing You a Thousand Love Songs" (1936) w. Al Dubin[31]
- "September in the Rain" (1937) w. Al Dubin[33]
- "With Plenty of Money and You" (1937) w. Al Dubin[27]
- "Remember Me?" (1937) w. Al Dubin[28]
- "Jeepers Creepers" (1938) w. Johnny Mercer[26]
- "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (1938) w. Johnny Mercer[27]
- "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941) w. Mack Gordon[30]
- "My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?)" (1943) w. Mack Gordon[26]
- "I Had the Craziest Dream" (1943) w. Mack Gordon[31]
- "You'll Never Know" (1943) w. Mack Gordon[27]
- "The More I See You" (1945) w. Mack Gordon[32]
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (1945) w. Johnny Mercer[28]
Other selected songs from films
- "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" (1932) w. Al Dubin for 42nd Street[27]
- "Forty-Second Street" (1933) w. Al Dubin for 42nd Street[29]
- "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" (1933) w. Al Dubin for 42nd Street[33]
- "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (1933) w. Al Dubin for Moulin Rouge[30]
- "Keep Young and Beautiful" (1933) w. Al Dubin for Roman Scandals[26]
- "Pettin' in the Park" (1933) w. Al Dubin for Gold Diggers of 1933[28]
- "We're in the Money" (1933) w. Al Dubin for Gold Diggers of 1933[27]
- "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1934) w. Al Dubin for Dames[31]
- "I'll String Along with You" (1934) w. Al Dubin for Twenty Million Sweethearts[27]
- "About a Quarter to Nine" (1935) w. Al Dubin for "Go into Your Dance"
- "Lullaby of Broadway" (1935) w. Al Dubin for Gold Diggers of 1935[26]
- "September in the Rain" (1935) w. Al Dubin for Stars Over Broadway[33]
- "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (1938) w. Johnny Mercer for Hard to Get[27]
- "Chica Chica Boom Chic" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for That Night in Rio[30]
- "I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much)" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for That Night in Rio[31]
- "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for Sun Valley Serenade[30]
- "I Know Why (And So Do You)" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for Sun Valley Serenade[31]
- "It Happened in Sun Valley" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for Sun Valley Serenade[31]
- "At Last" (1941) w. Mack Gordon for Sun Valley Serenade[30]
- "I Had the Craziest Dream" (1942) w. Mack Gordon for Springtime in the Rockies[31]
- "Serenade In Blue" (1942) w. Mack Gordon for Orchestra Wives[33]
- "There Will Never Be Another You" (1942) w. Mack Gordon for Iceland[32]
- "You'll Never Know" (1943) w. Mack Gordon for Hello, Frisco, Hello[27]
- "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" (1945) w. Johnny Mercer for The Harvey Girls[28]
- "The More I See You" (1945) w. Mack Gordon for Diamond Horseshoe[32]
- "This Heart of Mine" (1946) w. Arthur Freed for Ziegfeld Follies[32]
- "Cryin' For the Carolines" (1930) w. Sam Lewis and Joe Young for Spring Is Here[32]
- "Have A Little Faith In Me" (1930) w. Sam Lewis and Joe Young for Spring Is Here[32]
- "(The Same Thing Happens with) The Birds and the Bees" (1956) Mack David for The Birds and the Bees[30]
American songbook songs
In his book American Popular Song, Alec Wilder notes that Warren "wasn't in the category as the best theater writers, but he certainly was among the foremost pop song writers." He discusses songs he likes: "Would You Like to Take a Walk?" (1930, with Mort Dixon and Billy Rose for Sweet & Low), "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" (1931, with Dixon and Rose for Crazy Quilt), "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" (1932), "Summer Night" (1936), "There Will Never Be Another You" (1942), "Serenade in Blue" (1942), "At Last" (1942), "Jeepers Creepers" (1938), and "The More I See You" (1945).[34]
- Other popular songs
- "Cheerful Little Earful" (1930) w. Ira Gershwin and Billy Rose for Sweet & Low[30]
- "Nagasaki" (1928) w. Mort Dixon[28]
Notes
- ^ a b Holden, Stephen (September 23, 1981). "Harry Warren, Songwriter, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. A1.
- ^ a b c d e f PBS biography entry for Harry Warren. Archived 2013-01-03 at the Wayback Machine Accessed February 2009
- ^ a b c Jenkins, David. Biography Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine at HarryWarrenMusic.com, accessed April 3, 2009
- ^ List of Warren songs at HarryWarren.org Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Jenkins, David. "Harry Warren – Hollywood's Unknown Composer" Archived 2006-04-26 at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org
- ^ a b Walls, Robert. "Who is Harry Warren????" GuideToMusicals, accessed April 3, 2009
- ^ Forte, p. 265
- ^ Zinsser, pp. 137 and 251
- ^ "Chattanooga Choo Choo: The #1 Hits", allmusic.com, accessed March 31, 2009
- ^ Harry Warren Archived 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine at Composers and Lyricists Database (1988)
- ^ a b Zinsser, p. 137
- ^ a b Corliss, Richard."That Old Feeling: We Need Harry Warren", Time, October 5, 2001
- ^ Holloway, Ronald. "Marty", Variety, March 22, 1955
- ^ Feinstein, p. 243
- ISBN 0-8065-1066-8.
- ^ "Harry Warren's Piano Vignettes", Discogs.com, 1975, accessed December 6, 2014
- ^ "Harry Warren: Piano Vignettes", AllMusic, accessed December 6, 2014
- ^ Warren, Westwood Village Seeing-stars, accessed March 30, 2009
- ^ "Season 18: 1972–73", Welk Musical Family, accessed June 24, 2013
- ^ "Season 25: 1979–80", Welk Musical Family, accessed June 24, 2013
- ^ "Season 27: 1981–82", Welk Musical Family, accessed June 24, 2013
- ^ "Westchester Broadway Theater Presents 42nd Street with Galantich, Stanley and More", BroadwayWorld.com, September 8, 2009, accessed October 7, 2014
- ^ "42nd Street", Tonyawards.com, accessed May 27, 2014
- ^ "Harry Warren Biography", NJ Theater. Retrieved December 24, 2023
- ^ "Harry Warren Theatre", Time Out, July 12, 2010
- ^ a b c d e f g "Songs J to M" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 25, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Songs UtoZ" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 26, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g "Songs N to R" Archived March 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 26, 2012
- ^ a b c "Songs D to H" Archived February 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 25, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Songs A to C" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 25, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Songs I" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 25, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Songs T" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 26, 2012
- ^ a b c d e f "Songs S" Archived January 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, HarryWarren.org, accessed February 26, 2012
- ^ Wilder, pp. 395–404
References
- ISBN 0-7868-6093-6.
- Forte, Allen (1995). The American Popular Ballad of the Golden Era, 1924–1950. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-04399-X.
- Hemming, Roy (1999) [1986]. "Harry Warren". The Melody Lingers on: The Great Songwriters and Their Movie Musicals. New York City (NY): ISBN 978-1557043801.
- Zinsser, William K. (2006). Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs. Boston (MA): ISBN 9781567923254.
- Wilder, Alex (1972). Maher, James T. (ed.). American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950. New York City (NY): Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195014457.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-8065-0468-4.
External links
- The Harry Warren website
- Biography Archived 2013-01-03 at the Wayback Machine at the Encyclopedia of Composers and Songwriters
- Chronology of some of Warren's best-known songs Archived 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Harry Warren recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- Harry Warren at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- Harry Warren at IMDb
- Harry Warren at the Internet Broadway Database
- Harry Warren at the TCM Movie Database Harry Warren: America's Foremost Composer (1933)
- Biography at Guide to Musical Theatre
- HarryWarrenMusic.com site
- Harry Warren at Find a Grave