American composer and lyricist (1895–1996)
Irving Caesar
Caesar in 1930
Birth name Isidor Keiser Born (1895-07-04 ) July 4, 1895 New York City, U.SDied December 17, 1996(1996-12-17) (aged 101) New York City, U.SOccupation(s) Lyricist Years active 1920s–1980s Spouse(s)
Christina Ballesteros
(
m. 1994)
[1]
Musical artist
Irving Caesar (born Isidor Keiser , July 4, 1895 – December 17, 1996)
[2] was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including "
Swanee ", "
Sometimes I'm Happy ", "
Crazy Rhythm ", and "
Tea for Two ", one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written.
[3] In 1972, he was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame .
[4]
Biography
Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was born in New York City, United States.
[3] His older brother
Arthur Caesar was a successful
Hollywood screenwriter. The Caesar brothers spent their childhood and teen years in
Yorkville , the same
Manhattan neighborhood where the
Marx Brothers were raised. Caesar knew the Marx Brothers during his childhood. He was educated at
Chappaqua Mountain Institute in
Chappaqua, New York .
In his career, Caesar collaborated with a wide variety of composers and songwriters, including
Rudolf Friml ,
George Gershwin ,
Sigmund Romberg ,
Victor Herbert ,
Ted Koehler and
Ray Henderson .
[4] Two of his best known numbers, "
I Want to Be Happy " and "Tea for Two", were written with
Vincent Youmans for the 1925 musical
No, No, Nanette .
[3] Another of his biggest hits, "
Animal Crackers in My Soup ", was popularized by
Shirley Temple in her 1935 film
Curly Top .
[3] "
Just a Gigolo ", his 1929 adaptation of an Austrian song, was a hit for
Louis Prima in the 1950s and again for
David Lee Roth in the 1980s.
In the late 1930s, along with composer
Gerald Marks , he wrote a famous series of children's songs focusing on safety. Caesar made hundreds of appearances in schools performing the "Sing a Song of Safety," "Sing a Song of Friendship" (a United Nations-inspired series focusing on world peace, racial tolerance and friendship) and "Songs of Health" collections.
[4]
Caesar served on the songwriters'
performance-rights organization
ASCAP board of directors from 1930 to 1946 and again from 1949 to 1966. He was a founder of the
Songwriters Guild of America .
[4] He died, aged 101, in New York on December 18, 1996.
[3]
Broadway credits
Note: All productions are
musicals unless otherwise stated.
La La Lucille (1919) - additional lyrics
Kissing Time (1920) - adaptation of an earlier version of this musical - co-lyricist
Pins and Needles (1922) -
revue - co-lyricist
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1922 (1922) -
revue - co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1923 (1923) -
revue - co-lyricist
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1924 (1924) -
revue - co-lyricist
Betty Lee (1924) - co-lyricist
No, No, Nanette (1925) - co-lyricist
Charlot Revue (1925) -
revue - featured lyricist for "Gigolette" and "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You"
Yes, Yes, Yvette (1926, Chicago;
[5] 1927, Broadway)
[6] - lyricist
[5]
[6]
Sweetheart Time (1926) - co-lyricist
Ziegfeld 's Revue "No Foolin'" (1926) -
revue - co-lyricist
Betsy (1926) - co-bookwriter
Talk About Girls (1927) - lyricist
Here's Howe (1928) - lyricist
Americana of 1928 (1928) -
revue - co-lyricist
Polly (1929) - co-composer and co-lyricist
George White's Scandals of 1929 (1929) -
revue - co-composer and co-lyricist
Ripples (1930) - co-lyricist
Nina Rosa (1930) - lyricist
The Wonder Bar (1931) - play - co-playwright/adaptor of the original German
George White's Scandals of 1931 (1931) -
revue - co-bookwriter
George White's Music Hall Varieties of 1932 (1932) -
revue - co-composer and lyricist
Melody (1933) - lyricist
Shady Lady (1933) - reviser
Continental Varieties (1934) -
revue - dialogue-writer
The White Horse Inn (1936) - English-version lyricist
My Dear Public (1943) - co-composer, co-lyricist, and co-bookwriter
Post-retirement credits:
The American Dance Machine (1978) - dance
revue - featured lyricist
Up in One (1979) -
revue - featured songwriter
Big Deal (1986) - featured English-version lyricist for "Just a Gigolo"
Sally Marr...and her escorts (1994) - play - featured lyricist for "Tea for Two"
References
^ Smith, Liz (December 6, 1994).
"(untitled news item)" . Newsday . Melville, New York. p. 13.
^ "Lyricist of 'Swanee' Dies at 101". Ledger-Enquirer . Columbia, George. December 18, 1996. p. C5.
^
a
b
c
d
e
Colin Larkin , ed. (1997).
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.).
Virgin Books . p. 213.
ISBN
1-85227-745-9 .
^
a
b
c
d
"Irving Caesar Biography" . Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 1, 2018 .
^
a
b Bob Morningstar (December 18, 1926).
"Chicago Premiere; Four Cohans Theatre; Yes, Yes, Yvette" .
Billboard .
^
a
b
"YES, YES, YVETTE' IS CHEERY, REFRESHING; Jack Whiting and Jeanette MacDonald Aid in Keeping Musical Comedy at Lively Pace" .
The New York Times . October 4, 1927. p. 32.
External links
International National Artists People Other