Chet Forrest

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Chet Forrest (born July 31, 1915 in Brooklyn , New York City , † October 10, 1999 in Miami ; actually George Forrest Chichester Jr. ) was an American pianist , conductor , film composer and songwriter .

Life

Born George Forrest Chichester Jr. in Brooklyn, Forrest and his family moved to nearby Miami in the early 1920s . At the age of 13 he already appeared as a pianist in nightclubs and accompanied singers such as Al Jolson . In high school he met Bob Wright , who also played as a pianist in nightclubs. From then on, they wrote songs for numerous revues together . In 1934 they went on a tour that took them through New York City to Hollywood . There they received a seven-year contract with MGM as a songwriting duo . Songs from her pen were used in the 1937 film operetta Maienzeit ( Maytime ) with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy , whose original songs had been rejected by MGM. In 1939 they received their first of three Oscar nominations in the Best Song category for Always and Always from the movie Mannequin .

Forrest and Wright had a great success on Broadway in 1953 with their musical Kismet . It was an adaptation of Borodin's opera Fürst Igor , after which famous songs such as Stranger in Paradise were created. In 1954 they received the Tony Award for Kismet in the Best Musical category. A year later, the musical by Vincente Minnelli was filmed under the same title. Forrest and Wright's collaboration lasted into the 1990s, producing more than 2,000 songs for Broadway and film productions.

Forrest spent his final years in Miami, where he died in 1999 at the age of 84. Shortly before, he had worked with Wright on a new musical called Betting on Bertie .

Filmography (selection)

Songs
  • Blow that horn
  • Vive l'Opera
  • Ham and eggs
  • Saratoga
  • The Horse with the Dreamy Eyes
  • Amour Eternal Amour
  • Tanya
  • Ride, Cossack, Ride
  • Shadows on the Sand
  • Forevermore
  • 1939: The Wrong Paths of Love ( Broadway Serenade )
  • High flyin '
  • One look at you
  • I've Got Music in My Heart
  • Hearts in the Sky
  • No other love
  • Punchinello
  • Oh what a lovely dream
  • It's a blue world
  • 1955: Kismet
  • Baubles, Bangles, and Beads
  • Stranger in Paradise
  • Bored
  • Rhymes Have I
  • Night Of My Nights
  • Not Since Nineveh
  • Sands Of Time
  • The Olive Tree
  • Fate
  • And This Is My Beloved
  • Gesticulate
  • Rahadlakum
  • It's the same

Musicals (selection)

Awards

  • 1939: Oscar nomination for Best Song for Always and Always from the movie Mannequin with Edward Ward and Bob Wright
  • 1941: Oscar nomination for Best Song for It's a Blue World from the film Music in My Heart with Bob Wright
  • 1943: Oscar nomination for Best Song for Pennies for Peppino from the film Flying with Music with Edward Ward and Bob Wright
  • 1954: Tony Award for Best Musical for Kismet
  • 1990: Nomination for the Tony Award in the category Best Original Music for Grand Hotel
  • 1990: Two nominations for the Drama Desk Award in the categories Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music for Grand Hotel

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Robert Hanley: George Forrest, 84, Songwriter For Broadway, Films and Clubs . In: The New York Times , October 12, 1999.
personal data
SURNAME Forrest, Chet
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chichester, George Forrest Jr.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American pianist, conductor, film composer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York City
DATE OF DEATH October 10, 1999
Place of death Miami