Douglas Furber (13 May 1885 – 20 February 1961) was a British

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. Furber is best known for the lyrics to the 1937 song " The Lambeth Walk" and the libretto to the musical '' Me and My Girl'', composed by Noel Gay, from which it came. This show made broadcasting history when in 1939 it became the first full length musical to be broadcast on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. A 1986 revival went on to achieve great acclaim, and was nominated for

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s for both Best Score and Best Book. Furber made his first entry into songwriting with the Australian born composer A. Emmett Adams. Following a visit to

St. Mary's Church, Southampton St. Mary's Church, Southampton is a Church of England parish church, and the largest church in the port city of Southampton on the south coast of England. It is the mother church of this city with its forerunners spanning back to the first Saxo ...

, England in 1914, the two wrote "

The Bells of St. Mary's ''The Bells of St. Mary's'' (1945) is an American musical comedy-drama film, produced and directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Written by Dudley Nichols and based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a priest ...

". The song was published in 1917. This became a major hit in the United States despite having been originally rejected by the publishers. In 1945,

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

had a hit with "The Bells of St. Mary's" after it was used as the title song to the film of the same name. Other hits included " Limehouse Blues" from 1924, written with composer

Philip Braham Philip Braham (18 June 1881 – 2 May 1934) was an English composer of the early twentieth century, chiefly associated with theatrical work. From 1914, he composed music for such musicals and revues as ''Theodore & Co'' (1916) and '' London Calli ...

. Furber also made a few appearances on stage.

Plays

* ''

Afgar ''Afgar, or the Andalusian Leisure'' is a musical with lyrics by Douglas Furber, music by Charles Cuvillier and a book by Fred Thompson and Worton David. It is based on Cuvillier's 1909 French operetta of the same name, with words by André B ...

'', 1919 at the

London Pavilion The London Pavilion is a building on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of Piccadilly Circus in London. It is currently a shopping arcade and part of the Trocadero Centre. Early history The first build ...

, West End * '' Mr. Whittington'', 1934 at the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few s ...

, West End * ''Running Riot'', 1938–1939 at the Gaiety Theatre, Aldwych London

Selected filmography

*'' Lovers'' (1927) * '' The Lucky Number'' (1932) * '' Happy Ever After'' (1932) * ''

Soldiers of the King ''Soldiers of the Queen'' is a song written and composed by Leslie Stuart. The song is often sung and published as "Soldiers of the King" depending on the reigning monarch at the time. The tune was originally composed by Stuart as a march celebr ...

'' (1933) *''

Queen of Hearts The queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 1782 * ''The Queen of Hearts'', an 1859 novel by ...

'' (1936) * '' When Knights Were Bold'' (1936) * '' Oh Boy!'' (1938) * '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1938) * '' So This Is London'' (1939)

References

1885 births 1961 deaths British lyricists {{musical-theat-stub