Howard Dietz

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Howard Dietz (born September 8, 1896 in New York ; † July 30, 1983 ibid) was an American songwriter , publicist and librettist . He worked with Arthur Schwartz , Vernon Duke and George Gershwin . Together with Schwartz he wrote standards such as Alone Together , Dancing in the Dark , Haunted Heart and You and the Night and the Music .

Live and act

Howard Dietz studied journalism at Columbia University of New York . He then took on public relations as an employee for Samuel Goldwyn's Goldwyn Picture Corporation and the MGM that later emerged from it . In 1942 he became Vice President for Public Relations, the post he held until he left in 1957.

In 1929, the long partnership began with the composer Arthur Schwartz at work for the Broadway - revue The Little Show . The songwriting team should work together for over 30 years; During this time, a long series of songs were written that are now part of the Great American Songbook , such as Alone Together (1932), You and the Night and the Music (1934) and Haunted Heart (1948). The Little Show was intended as a response to revues popular at the time such as the Ziegfeld Follies or the Earl Carroll Varieties . In 1930 they repeated the success with the Second Little Show and with Three's a Crowd , from which the classic ballad Something to Remember You By comes. Another later jazz standard was also used in the show, Body and Soul , which Dietz assisted with. Another great success was the 1931 musical The Band Wagon , in which Fred and Adele Astaire sang; the show contained the Schwartz / Dietz team's most famous song: Dancing in the Dark .

During World War I, Dietz served in the US Navy and was the editor of Navy Life magazine . During the Second World War he worked with Vernon Duke in the troop support.

Dietz 'and Schwartz' last joint shows were made in 1961 ( The Gay Life ) and 1963 ( Jenny ); then Parkinson's disease forced Howard Dietz to quit. He died in New York , Arthur Schwartz a year later. Dietz was married to the costume designer Lucinda Ballard from 1951 until his death .

Well-known songs

  • All the King's Horses - Alec Wilder, Edward Brandt & Howard Dietz, for the revue Three's a Crowd of Margaret Lee (1930)
  • Alone Together - music by Schwartz, for the revue Flying Colors by Jean Sargent (1932)
  • Blue Grass - music by Schwartz, from the musical Inside USA (1948)
  • By Myself - music by Schwartz, from the musical Between The Devil (1937)
  • Dancing in the Dark - music by Schwartz, from the musical revue The Band Wagon (1931)
  • The Dickey-Bird Song - Music by Sammy Fain , from the film Three Daring Daughters (1948)
  • First Prize at the Fair - music by Schwartz, from the musical Inside USA (1948)
  • A Fugitive from Esquire - Music by Jimmy McHugh , from the musical Keep Off the Grass (1940)
  • Get Yourself a Geisha - music by Schwartz, from the musical revue At Home Abroad (1935)
  • Got a Bran 'New Suit - music by Schwartz, sung by Ethel Waters , also in the musical revue At Home Abroad
  • Haunted Heart - music by Schwartz, from the Revue Inside USA (1948)
  • I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan - music by Schwartz sung by Clifton Webb in the revue The Little Show (1929)
  • Hoops - music by Schwartz sung by Fred and Adele Astaire , from the revue The Band Wagon (1931)
  • I Love Louisa - music by Schwartz, also sung by Fred and Adele Astaire in the revue The Band Wagon (1931)
  • I See Your Face Before Me - music by Schwartz, also from the musical Between The Devil (1937)
  • Louisiana Hayride - music by Schwartz, from the revue Flying Colors (1932)
  • The Love I Long For - Music by Vernon Duke , from the musical Sadie Thompson
  • Love Is a Dancing Thing - music by Schwartz, from the revue At Home Abroad (1935)
  • Moanin 'Low - music by Ralph Rainger sung by Libby Holman in the revue The Little Show (1929)
  • Rhode Island Is Famous for You - music by Schwartz, from Revue Inside USA (1948)
  • That's Entertainment - music by Schwartz, sung by Fred Astaire a. a. in the musical film The Band Wagon (1953)
  • You and the Night and the Music - Music by Schwartz, from the musical Revenge with Music
  • Schickelgruber - music by Kurt Weill

Web links

literature

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

annotation

  1. ↑ Dietz 1924, the MGM - mascot " Leo the Lion " ( Leo the Lion ) and the "slogan Ars Gratia Artis developed" in connection to
personal data
SURNAME Dietz, Howard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lyricist
DATE OF BIRTH September 8, 1896
PLACE OF BIRTH New York , United States
DATE OF DEATH July 30, 1983
Place of death New York , United States