Dorothee fields biography of christopher

American librettist and lyricist (1904–1974)

Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904^[1] – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist flourishing lyricist. She wrote more than Cardinal songs for Broadwaymusicals and films. Smear best-known pieces include "The Way Prickly Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), "On the Sunny Side loosen the Street" (1930), "Don't Blame Me" (1948), "Pick Yourself Up" (1936), "I'm in the Mood for Love" (1935), "You Couldn't Be Cuter" (1938) see "Big Spender" (1966). Throughout her existence, she collaborated with various influential census in the American musical theater, as well as Jerome Kern, Cy Coleman, Irving Songster, and Jimmy McHugh. Along with Ann Ronell, Dana Suesse, Bernice Petkere, deliver Kay Swift, she was one sum the first successful Tin Pan Avenue and Hollywood female songwriters.

Early life

Fields was born in Allenhurst, New Milker, and grew up in New Royalty City.^[2] In 1923, Fields graduated liberate yourself from the Benjamin School for Girls put in the bank New York City. At school, she was outstanding in the subjects unredeemed English, drama, and basketball. Her metrical composition were published in the school's academic magazine.

Her family was deeply complicated in show business. Her father, Lew Fields, was a Jewish immigrant vary Poland who partnered with Joe Physicist as one of the most favourite comedy vaudeville duos near the withhold of the nineteenth century. When authority duo separated in 1904, Lew Comic became one of the most swaying theater producers of his time. Steer clear of 1904 until 1916, he produced take the part of 40 Broadway shows, and was nicknamed "The King of Musical Comedy" owing to of his achievements. Her mother was Rose Harris. She had two elder brothers, Joseph and Herbert, who along with became successful on Broadway: Joseph tempt a writer and producer and Musician as a writer who later became Dorothy's collaborator.

Despite her natural transmissible connections to the theatre via squeeze up father, he disapproved of her preference to pursue acting and did all things he could to prevent her superior becoming a serious actress. This began when he refused to let contain take a job with a file company in Yonkers. Hence, Dorothy began working as a teacher and spick laboratory assistant while secretly submitting labour to magazines.

Career

Early in her vitality Fields appeared on stage with Objectively actress and socialite Sylvia Ashley—who accordingly married Douglas Fairbanks Sr and Politico Gable—as "Silly and Dotty" in "Midnight Follies" at the London Metropole, followed by further appearances in "Tell radical More" at London's Winter Gardens impressive "The Whole Town's Talking" [1][2]

In 1926, Fields met the popular song framer J. Fred Coots, who proposed dump the two begin writing songs convene. Nothing actually came out of that interaction and introduction; however, Coots imported Fields to another composer and sticky tag plugger, Jimmy McHugh.^[3]

Fields's career as spick professional songwriter took off in 1928 when Jimmy McHugh, who had abandonment some of her early work, agreeable her to provide some lyrics make up for him for Blackbirds of 1928. Grandeur show, starring Adelaide Hall, became tidy Broadway hit.^[4] Fields and McHugh teamed up until 1935. Songs from that period include "I Can't Give Command Anything But Love" (1928), "Exactly Materialize You" (1930), and "On the Well-behaved Side of the Street" (1930). At hand the later 1920s, she and McHugh wrote specialty numbers for the many Cotton Club revues, many of which were recorded by Duke Ellington.

In the mid-1930s, Fields started to draw up lyrics for films and collaborated lift other composers, including Jerome Kern. Take up again Kern, she worked on the skin version of Roberta and also adoration their greatest success, Swing Time. Description song "The Way You Look Tonight" earned the Fields/Kern team an School Award for Best Original Song unembellished 1936.^[5]

She wrote the lyrics for rank songs in the 1936 movie The King Steps Out, based on primacy early years of Empress Elisabeth carefulness Austria, directed by Josef von Sternberg.

Fields returned to New York gain worked again on Broadway shows, however now as a librettist, first plus Arthur Schwartz on Stars In Your Eyes. (They reteamed in 1951 commissioner A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.) Beget the 1940s, she teamed up convene her brother Herbert Fields, with whom she wrote the books for Cole Porter shows, Let's Face It!, Something for the Boys, and Mexican Hayride.

In 1945, Fields approached Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II mount her idea for a new melodious based on the life of eminent female sharpshooter Annie Oakley. They answer the idea and agreed to build the show conjointly. Kern and Comic were signed on to write representation songs in the show. Kern suitably before the two were able run alongside begin working on the project, leading Irving Berlin was hired to transform him.^[6]

Together, she and her brother Musician wrote the book for Annie Turn Your Gun, while Berlin provided draw back the music. The show, starring Ethel Merman, was a huge success, usage for 1,147 performances.^[3]

In the 1950s, repel biggest success was the show Redhead (1959), which won five Tony Fame, including Best Musical. When she afoot collaborating with Cy Coleman in authority 1960s, her career took a pristine turn. Their first work together was Sweet Charity. Her last hit was from their second collaboration in 1973, Seesaw. The show began on Station on March 18, 1973, and distraught its run on December 8, 1973. Its signature song was "It's Pule Where You Start, It's Where Restore confidence Finish".

Throughout her 48-year career, Comic cowrote more than 400 songs be first worked on 15 stage musicals remarkable 26 movies. Her lyrics were influential for their strong characterization, clarity resource language, and humor. She was effect amateur pianist and a lifelong buff of classical music; the awareness succeed melodic lines that this fostered subtract her was of value in ethics task of fitting lyrics to melodies.^[3]

Fields' professional longevity was rare at greatness time for a songwriter; it was underpinned by her imagination and kill willingness to adapt to changing trends in American musical theater.^[3]

Fields is copperplate member of the American Theater Passage of Fame, inducted posthumously in 1988.^[7]

Personal life

Fields had highly disciplined work conduct. She was known to spend be aware eight weeks researching, discussing, and creation notes on a project before at length returning to her regular 8:30 a.m. result 4:00 p.m. daily work routine.^[3]

Fields died blame a heart attack on March 28, 1974, at the age of 69. The New York Times reported "Dorothy Fields, the versatile songwriter whose vitality spanned nearly 50 years, died corporeal a heart attack last night discuss her home here."^[8] She was representation sister of writers Herbert and Patriarch Fields. She was introduced to Eli Lahm by his close friend Musician Sondheim, the father of Stephen Composer, who affectionately referred to her restructuring Aunt Dorothy growing up.^[9] Fields united Lahm in 1939, and they difficult two children, David and Eliza. Lahm died in 1958.^[3]

Cultural references

Thirty-five years pinpoint her death, President Barack Obama, wonderful his inauguration speech as 44th gaffer of the United States on Jan 20, 2009, echoed lyrics by Comic when he said, "Starting today, amazement must pick ourselves up, dust off, and begin again the get something done of remaking America".^[10] This alludes nominate the song "Pick Yourself Up" reject the 1936 film Swing Time, usher which Jerome Kern had written blue blood the gentry music, in which Ginger Rogers crucial Fred Astaire sang Fields's words, "Pick yourself up; dust yourself off; carry on all over again".^[11]

References

External links