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Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals '' Guys and Dolls'' and '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for ''Guys and Dolls'' and shared the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
for ''How to Succeed''. He also wrote songs for over 60 Hollywood films and
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
, many of which have become standards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards for best song, winning once for " Baby, It's Cold Outside".


Early years

Frank Henry Loesser was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of Henry Loesser, a
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
,Frank Loesser biography
, pbs.org, accessed December 5, 2008
and Julia Ehrlich. He grew up in a house on West 107th Street in Manhattan. His father had moved to America to avoid German military service and work in his family's banking business. He married Bertha Ehrlich; their son, Arthur Loesser, was born on August 26, 1894. Bertha's younger sister Julia arrived in America in 1898, marrying Henry in 1907 after Bertha died in childbirth. Grace, their first child, was born in December of that year. Their son Frank was born on June 29, 1910. Loesser's parents, secular German Jews, prized high intellect and culture, and educated him musically in the vein of European composers. But although Henry was a full-time piano teacher, he never taught his son. In a 1914 letter to Arthur, Henry wrote that the four-year-old Frank could play by ear "any tune he's heard and can spend an enormous amount of time at the piano." (Frank Loesser later collaborated with musical secretaries to ensure that his written scores reflected the music as he conceived it.) Loesser disliked his father's refined taste in music and resisted by writing his own music and taking up the harmonica. He was expelled from
Townsend Harris High School Townsend Harris High School (THHS; often also shortened to Townsend Harris or simply Townsend) is a public high school for the humanities in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located on the campus of Queens College, a public college p ...
, and from there went to City College of New York. He was expelled from the CCNY in 1925 after one year for failing every subject except English and gym. After his father died suddenly on July 20, 1926, Loesser was forced to seek work to support his family. His jobs included restaurant reviewer, process server, classified ad salesman for the '' New York Herald Tribune'', political cartoonist for ''The Tuckahoe Record'', sketch writer for
Keith Vaudeville Circuit Benjamin Franklin Keith (January 26, 1846 – March 26, 1914) was an American vaudeville theater owner, who played an important role in the evolution of variety theater into vaudeville. Biography Early years Keith was born in Hillsborough, ...
, knit-goods editor for ''
Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion". Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides i ...
'', press representative for a small movie company, and city editor for a short-lived newspaper in New Rochelle, New York, titled ''New Rochelle News''.


Early career as lyricist

Loesser's first song credit was "In Love with the Memory of You," with music by William Schuman, published in 1931. Other early lyrical credits included two hit songs of 1934, "Junk Man" and "I Wish I Were Twins", both with music by Joe Meyer and the latter with co-lyric credit to Eddie DeLange. "Junk Man" was first recorded that year by
Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...
with singer
Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentime ...
on vocals. In the mid-1930s, he performed at The Back Drop, a night spot on east 52nd Street, along with composer Irving Actman, while by day working on the staff of Leo Feist Inc. writing lyrics to Joseph Brandfon's music at $100 per week. After a year, Feist had not published any of them. Loesser fared only slightly better collaborating with the future classical composer Schuman, selling their 1931 song to Feist that would flop. Loesser described his early days of learning the craft as having "a rendezvous with failure." While he dabbled in other trades, he inevitably returned to the music business. Loesser's work at the Back Drop led to his first Broadway musical, ''The Illustrator's Show'', a 1936 revue written with Back Drop collaborator Irving Actman, which lasted only four nights. The year before while performing at the Back Drop, Loesser met an aspiring singer, Lynn Garland (born Mary Alice Blankenbaker). He proposed in a September 1936 letter that included funds for a railroad ticket to Los Angeles where Loesser's contract to
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
had just ended. The couple married in a judge's office. Loesser was offered a contract by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
. His first song credit there was " Moon of Manakoora", written with Alfred Newman for
Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the ''Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing C ...
in the film '' The Hurricane''. He wrote the lyrics for many popular songs during this period, including " Two Sleepy People" and " Heart and Soul" with
Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...
and " I Hear Music" with
Burton Lane Burton Lane ( Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include '' Finian's Rainbow'' in 1947 and '' On a Clear Day Yo ...
. He also collaborated with composers
Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New ...
and Joseph J. Lilley. One of his notable efforts was " See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have", with music by Friedrich Hollaender and sung by
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
in '' Destry Rides Again.'' In 1941, Loesser wrote " I Don't Want to Walk Without You" with
Jule Styne Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...
, included in the 1942 film '' Sweater Girl'' and sung by Betty Jane Rhodes.
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 ...
was a huge fan of the song and once played it repeatedly, telling Loesser why he believed it was the greatest song he wished he'd written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose the 1942 song " Jingle Jangle Jingle", for which Loesser wrote the lyrics, as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. He stayed in Hollywood until World War II, when he joined the Army Air Force.


World War II era

During
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 ...
, he enlisted in the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
and continued to write lyrics for films and single songs. Loesser created the popular war song " Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" (1942) inspired by words of navy chaplain Howell Forgy. Loesser wrote other songs at the request of the armed forces, including "What Do You Do in the Infantry?" and " The Ballad of Rodger Young" (1943). He also wrote "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" for the 1943 film '' Thank Your Lucky Stars''. In 1944, Loesser worked as the lyricist on the little-known musical ''Hi Yank!'', performed by and for U.S. soldiers abroad, with music by Alex North. ''Hi Yank!'' was produced by the U.S. Army Office of Special Services as a "blueprint special" to boost the morale of soldiers located where USO shows could not visit. The "blueprint" was a book containing a musical script with instructions for staging the show using materials locally available to deployed soldiers. According to a document at the U.S. Army Centre for Military History, a touring company formed in Italy was slated to produce the musical. ''Hi Yank!'' was generally forgotten until 2008 when the PBS '' History Detectives'' researched the case of a long-saved radio
transcription disc Electrical transcriptions are special phonograph recordings made exclusively for radio broadcasting,Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, eds. (2001). ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture''. The University of Wisconsin Press. . P. 263. which wer ...
. The disc has two songs and a promotional announcement for the show's Fort Dix premiere in August 1944, when the disc was broadcast there.


Broadway and later film career

In 1948, Broadway producers Cy Feuer and Ernest H. Martin asked Loesser to write music and lyrics to George Abbott's book for an adaptation of the Brandon Thomas play '' Charley's Aunt''. The musical, '' Where's Charley?'' (1948), starred Ray Bolger and ran for 792 performances. A film version released in 1952. Also in 1948, Loesser sold to
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
the rights to " Baby, It's Cold Outside", a song he wrote in 1944 and performed informally at parties with his then wife Lynn Garland. The studio included it in the 1949 movie '' Neptune's Daughter'', and the song became a huge hit. While Garland was mad at Loesser for selling what she considered "their song", it won the
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 ...
. His next musical, '' Guys and Dolls'' (1950), based on the stories of Damon Runyon, was again produced by Feuer and Martin. ''Guys and Dolls'' became a hit and earned Loesser a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
.Loesser biography
mtishows.com, accessed August 4, 2009
Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker, and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in th ...
called ''Guys and Dolls'' "the greatest American musical of all time". A film version was released in 1955, starring
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
, Jean Simmons,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
, and Vivian Blaine. In 1950, Loesser started Frank Music Corporation. Initially created as a means of controlling and publishing his work, the company eventually supported other writers, including
Richard Adler Richard Adler (August 3, 1921 – June 21, 2012) was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows. He is best known for his work with Jerry Ross (composer), Jerry Ross on the musicals ''The Pajama Game'' (1954) a ...
, Jerry Ross, and Meredith Willson. Loesser also started the theatrical licensing company Music Theatre International in 1952. Frank Music and MTI were sold to CBS Music in 1976. CBS in turn sold Frank Music to
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
's MPL Communications holding company in 1979. Also in 1952, Loesser wrote the score for the film ''
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
''. The movie's songs included " Wonderful Copenhagen", "Anywhere I Wander", "
Thumbelina Thumbelina (; ) is a literary fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in the se ...
", and " Inchworm". He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for his next two musicals, '' The Most Happy Fella'' (1956) and '' Greenwillow'' (1960). Around the beginning of 1957, Garland and Loesser divorced, and Loesser began a relationship with Jo Sullivan, who had played the character of Rosabella in ''Fella''. He wrote the music and lyrics for '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (1961), which ran for 1,417 performances, won the 1962
Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
, and received another Tony and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. '' Pleasures and Palaces'' (1965), the last Loesser musical produced during his lifetime, closed during out-of-town tryouts.


Later life and death

From 1965 until 1968, Loesser was composing the book, music and lyrics for '' Señor Discretion Himself'', a musical version of a
Budd Schulberg Budd Schulberg (born Seymour Wilson Schulberg; March 27, 1914 – August 5, 2009) was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his novels '' What Makes Sammy Run?'' (1941) and ''The Harder They ...
short story. A version was presented in 1985 at the New York Musical Theatre Works. With the support of his widow Jo Loesser, a completed version was presented at the Arena Stage, Washington, D.C., in 2004, reworked by the group Culture Clash and director Charles Randolph-Wright. When he was asked why he did not write more shows, Loesser responded that "I don't write slowly. It's just that I throw out fast." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' confirmed his hard working habits and wrote that Loesser "was consumed by nervous energy and as a result slept only four hours a night, spending the rest of the time working." Loesser, a heavy cigarette smoker, died on July 28, 1969, of lung cancer at age 59 at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan's
East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...
neighborhood.


Personal life

Lynn Garland and Frank Loesser divorced around the beginning of 1957 after 21 years of marriage. They had two children together: John Loesser, who works in theatre administration, and Susan Loesser, an author who wrote her father's biography ''A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life: A Portrait by His Daughter'' (1993, 2000, ). He married his second wife Jo Sullivan (born Elizabeth Josephine Sullivan) on April 29, 1959 after being introduced to her by Lynn. Jo Sullivan had played a lead in ''The Most Happy Fella''. They had two children, Hannah and Emily. Emily is a performer who is married to actor Don Stephenson. Hannah was an artist in oils, pastels and mixed media; she died of cancer on January 25, 2007. Jo died on April 28, 2019, at age 91.


Notable songs

Loesser was the lyricist of over 700 songs. ;War songs: * " Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" (1942) * " The Ballad of Rodger Young" (1943) * "What Do You Do in the Infantry" (1943) ;Broadway musicals: * " A Bushel and a Peck", " Fugue for Tinhorns", " If I Were A Bell" (a favorite of
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
, featured in recordings with
John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...
), " Luck Be a Lady Tonight", " Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" and "I'll Know" from '' Guys and Dolls'' * " Standing on the Corner" and "Joey, Joey, Joey" from '' The Most Happy Fella'' * " Never Will I Marry" from '' Greenwillow'' ;Films and
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...
: * " Baby, It's Cold Outside" from the M-G-M picture '' Neptune's Daughter'' (1949). This was originally a song which Loesser and his wife Lynn performed at parties for the private entertainment of friends. They also recorded the song for
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
. Under contract to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
to supply a full score for ''Neptune's Daughter'', Loesser included this song which he had created in 1944, originally for their housewarming party. * " Heart and Soul" (from the Paramount short subject ''A Song is Born'') – lyrics * " I Don't Want to Walk Without You" from the Paramount picture '' Sweater Girl'' (1942), performed on screen by Betty Jane Rhodes * " Let's Get Lost" from '' Happy Go Lucky'' (1943) This song inspired the title to the 1988 documentary film with the same title about jazz trumpeter and singer
Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...
, who recorded it several times. * " On a Slow Boat to China" (1948) * " Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" from the Universal picture '' Christmas Holiday'' (1944) * " Inch Worm", "
Thumbelina Thumbelina (; ) is a literary fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in the se ...
", "The Ugly Duckling" and " Wonderful Copenhagen" from the Samuel Goldwyn picture ''
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
'' (1952) * " Two Sleepy People" (music by
Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...
) from the Paramount picture '' Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) * " What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" (written in 1947)


Awards and legacy

Loesser received the 1951
Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The award goes to the ...
for his '' Guys and Dolls'' music and lyrics. He was nominated for the Tony Award for book, music and lyrics for '' The Most Happy Fella'' and as Best Composer for '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying''. Loesser was awarded a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
in 1962 for Best Original Cast Show Album for ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying''. Loesser is regarded as one of the more talented writers of his era, noted for writing witty lyrics and clever musical devices. He also introduced a complex artistic style that challenged shaped the compositional approach of Broadway musicals. He was also noted for using classical forms, such as imitative counterpoint ( Fugue for Tinhorns in ''Guys and Dolls''). Loesser won the 1950
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 ...
for " Baby, It's Cold Outside." He was nominated four more times: : "Dolores" from '' Las Vegas Nights'' (1941) : "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" from '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1943) : " I Wish I Didn't Love You So" from '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1947) (a hit that year for both
Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...
and the film's star
Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 12, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. She rose to fame in the 1940s as a contract player for Paramount Pictures, appea ...
) : "
Thumbelina Thumbelina (; ) is a literary fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark, with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Travelling Companion" in the se ...
" from the movie musical ''
Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...
'' (1953) The PBS documentary '' Heart & Soul: The Life and Music of Frank Loesser'' was released in 2006. 42nd Street Moon artistic director Greg MacKellan developed ''Once in Love with Loesser'' in 2013 as one of his musical tributes dedicated to exploring and celebrating the work of some of Broadway's great songwriters. The performance was built around the three stages of Loesser's career: Tin Pan Alley, Hollywood, and Broadway.
Jason Graae Jason Graae (pronounced "grah" or "graw", but not "gray") (born 15 May 1958) is an American musical theater actor, best known for his musical theater performances but with a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. He has ...
performed "Once in Love with Amy" and ''The King's New Clothes;'' Emily Skinner sang Cleo's "Ooh! My Feet", and Rosabella's " Somebody, Somewhere" (from '' The Most Happy Fella''); Ashley Jarrett performed " If I Were a Bell"; and Ian Leonard provided a tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Sing a Tropical Song". Loesser, contrasted to his brother
Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
(1894-1969) in a humorous wordplay on the principle of " the lesser of two evils", was reportedly once referred to as " the evil of two Loessers". The two half-brothers died less than seven months apart in 1969. Note: Michael McDowell was comparing Gay Mitchell to his brother Jim.


References


Sources

* *


External links

* * * *
Interview with daughter Susan LoesserFrank Loesser entry
at 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 ...

A Centennial Tribute to Frank Loesser

Harold Fielding, Ltd. contracts and correspondence for productions of Frank Loesser's Hans Andersen, 1974-1978
a
Isham Memorial Library, Harvard University
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loesser, Frank 1910 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American Jews American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers American musical theatre librettists American musical theatre lyricists American people of German-Jewish descent Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state) Grammy Award winners Jewish American military personnel Jewish American songwriters Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from New York (state) Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Songwriters from New York (state) Tony Award winners Townsend Harris High School alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II