Sammy Fain

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Sammy Fain (born June 17, 1902 in New York , † December 6, 1989 Los Angeles ; also Sam E. Fain ; born as Samuel Feinberg ) was an American musical and film composer . He worked with EY Harburg , Sammy Cahn and Paul Francis Webster .

Live and act

Sammy Fain was among the composers of the popular music that came to be known as the Great American Songbook . After high school, Fain worked as a pianist for Irving Mills' music company . During this time he wrote his first song with Al Dubin , " Nobody Knows What a Red Head Mamma Can Do ".
He then formed a songwriting team with Irving Kahal . Both went to Hollywood , where they worked in the studios of Paramount Pictures and the Warner Brothers . Together, Fain and Kahal wrote many classic songs such as " Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella " and "When I Take My Sugar to Tea ”(1931). Their collaboration lasted until Irving Kahal's death in 1942. Fain also worked with Lew Brown ; they wrote " That Old Feeling " (1938).

For Broadway , Fain wrote for a number of musicals and revues, with the revues Hellzapoppin from 1938 and Sons o 'Fun from 1941 being the most successful. The hits " I'll Be Seeing You " and " I Can Dream, Can't I? " Come from the unsuccessful 1938 musical Right This Way . ".

In the course of his career, Fain composed the music for over 30 films during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. It was also nominated nine times for an Oscar for Best Original Song . He won it twice, on the one hand with the song " Secret Love " from the western musical Schwere Colts in Zarter Hand (1953) and on the other hand with the later jazz standard pop song " Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing " from the film of the same name from 1955. He wrote both songs with his longtime partner, songwriter Paul Francis Webster . Fain also wrote the songs for several Walt Disney cartoons such as " I'm Late " for Alice in Wonderland ( Alice in Wonderland , 1951), Peter Pan ( Peter Pan , 1953) and Bernard and Bianca - Die Mäusepolizei ( The Rescuers , 1977).

In 1963, Fain worked with Harold Adamson ; they wrote the songs for the film The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964); he also wrote songs like " I wish I Were A Fish ", " Be Careful How You Wish " and " Deep Rapture ".

Sammy Fain died in Los Angeles and is buried in Cedar Park Cemetery in Emerson, New Jersey .

Fain was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame .

Well-known songs


literature

  • Ken Bloom: The American Songbook - The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs. Black Dog & Leventhal, New York City 2005, ISBN 1-57912-448-8 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Fain, Sammy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Feinberg, Samuel (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH New York , USA
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 1989
Place of death Los Angeles , California, USA