Arthur James Johnston (January 10, 1898 – May 1, 1954) was an American composer, conductor, pianist and arranger.

Life and career

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, he began playing piano in movie houses, and went to work for

Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach; September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenbach ...

's music publishing company at the age of 16. He met, and was soon hired by,

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

, becoming Berlin's personal

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestrat ...

, and director of early '' Music Box Revues''. His first hit song was "Mandy Make Up Your Mind", co-written with George W. Meyer,

Roy Turk Roy Kenneth Turk (September 20, 1892 – November 30, 1934) was an American songwriter and lyricist, who frequently collaborated with composer Fred E. Ahlert, with whom he wrote their popular 1929 song "Mean to Me (1929 song), Mean to Me", w ...

and

Grant Clarke Grant Clarke (May 14, 1891, Akron, Ohio – May 16, 1931, California) was an American songwriter. Clarke moved to New York City early in his career, where he worked as an actor and a staff writer for comedians. He began working on Tin Pan Alley, ...

for Florence Mills to sing in the show ''Dixie to Broadway''. Biography by Jason Ankeny, ''Allmusic.com''
Retrieved 12 January 2021 In 1929, he moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, where he orchestrated and arranged the music for films including '' Puttin' On the Ritz'' and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

's ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...

''. He worked with

Sam Coslow Sam Coslow (December 27, 1902 – April 2, 1982) was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager. He contributed songs to Broadway revues, ...

on such songs as ""Just One More Chance" (1932) and "

Cocktails for Two "Cocktails for Two" is a song from the Big Band era, written by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow. The song debuted in the movie ''Murder at the Vanities'' (1934), where it was introduced by the Danish singer and actor Carl Brisson. Duke Ellington ...

" (1934). He became closely associated with

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

, writing songs for the films '' College Humor'' (1933), ''

Too Much Harmony ''Too Much Harmony'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Harry Green, and Judith Allen. It was released by Paramount Pic ...

'' (1933), and '' Pennies From Heaven'' (1936), the first film on which he worked with lyricist Johnny Burke. Johnston and Burke were nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

in 1936 for the song " Pennies From Heaven".TheOscarSite.com
/ref> He visited Britain in 1938, writing the music for the Jessie Matthews film '' Sailing Along'', and served in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After returning to Hollywood, he wrote for movies including ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical comedy-drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson, produced by Walt Disney, and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pi ...

'' (1947). He was a member of the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

. He died in Corona del Mar, California, in 1954, aged 56.

Notable songs

*"Moon Song (That Wasn't Meant For Me)"—lyrics by

*"Black Moonlight"—lyrics by Sam Coslow *"

"—lyrics by Sam Coslow *"Sweet Lotus Blossom"—lyrics by Sam Coslow *" My Old Flame"—lyrics by Sam Coslow *" Pennies From Heaven"—lyrics by Johnny Burke *"One, Two, Button Your Shoe"—lyrics by Johnny Burke *" The Moon Got in My Eyes"—lyrics by Johnny Burke

References

External links

Arthur Johnston at TheOscarSite.comSong Writers' Hall of Fame
*
Arthur Johnston recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Arthur American male songwriters American male classical composers American classical composers American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers American film score composers 1898 births 1954 deaths 20th-century American composers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American male film score composers 20th-century American male musicians