Harold Richard Atteridge (July 9, 1886 – January 15, 1938) was an American composer,

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

and

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 ...

primarily for musicals and

revues A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own durin ...

. He wrote the book and lyrics for over 20 musicals and revues for the

Shubert family The Shubert family was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theater industry in the United States. They dominated the legitimate theater and vaudeville in the first half of the 20th cen ...

, including several iterations of ''

The Passing Show ''The Passing Show'' was a musical revue in three acts, billed as a "topical extravaganza", with a book and lyrics by Sydney Rosenfeld and music by Ludwig Engländer and various other composers. It featured spoofs of theatrical productions of ...

''.

Biography

Atteridge was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, the only child of Richard H. Atteridge and Ann T. O'Neill."Harold Atteridge, Broadway Author," ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', January 17, 1938, p. 19. He attended North Division High School,"Harold Atteridge a Rapid-Fire Librettist," ''New York Times'', June 14, 1914, p. X8. followed by college at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...

fraternity. In 1907 he wrote the Varsity show for the Black Friar's Club, and graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree. His obituary quoted him on experience: "If my success at this work illustrates anything it marks the importance of making an early start at one's profession. ... All during college I was developing a revue and musical show technique in my work for a college organization called the Black Friars. By the time I received my Bachelor of Philosophy degree I was a fairly proficient librettist." His professional career began in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

as a lyricist for a music publishing firm. He first gained attention by writing the lyrics for two songs in the Chicago production of ''Madame Sherry''. Producer

George Lederer George Washington Lederer (c. 1862, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania − October 8, 1938) was an American producer and director on Broadway from 1894 to 1931. He was the husband of actresses Reine Davies and Jessie Lewis and the father of Charles Leder ...

showed enthusiasm and advised Atteridge to move to New York. He did so in September 1910. He met with Jesse Louis Lasky who engaged him for a show at the New York

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

. When that venue closed, and with a letter of introduction to J. J. Shubert, Atteridge auditioned some of his songs and was engaged to write for the Shuberts' productions. Over the next two decades, he wrote dozens of shows, often writing both book and lyrics, for Broadway, including many starring

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

, and several reviews in the successful series called ''

''. Atteridge married his first wife, Laura, in 1912. He married his second wife, Mary Teresa Corless, on May 1, 1923. By 1930 he was working in Hollywood, writing film continuities.The 1930 United States Federal Census, available on Ancestry.com, shows he was living at 257 South Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Later he wrote radio continuities for

and

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

. Atteridge died on January 15, 1938, of cirrhosis of the liver in

Lynbrook, New York Lynbrook is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,427 at the 2010 census. History The area currently known as Lynbrook has had other names, in ...

. He was survived by his wife.

Working methods

In published interviews, Atteridge spoke of the process of writing a revue. Recalling the composition of one of the songs for which he is best known, he said, "Coming downtown on the subway the other evening I scribbled on the back of an envelope the lyrics of a one-step, ' By the Beautiful Sea,' and handed them that night to Harry Carroll. ... Carroll immediately wrote a melody for the words and now the tune is proving a favorite at local dance palaces, cabarets, and restaurants. Which goes to show that one can accomplish things of real value during otherwise idle moments."

List of works

Stage works for Broadway

* ''

The Orchid ''The Orchid'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, a book by James T. Tanner, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and additional numbers by Paul Rubens. The story concerns marital ...

'' (1907) additional lyrics contributed for Broadway production * ''Madame Sherry'' (1910) lyrics * ''The Happiest Night of His Life'' (1911) lyrics * ''Vera Violetta'' (1911) book and lyrics * ''A Night with the Pierrots / Sesostra / The Whirl of Society'' (1912) lyrics * '' Two Little Brides'' (1912) lyrics * ''(From) Broadway to Paris'' (1912) book and lyrics * ''The Man with Three Wives'' (1913) book and lyrics * ''The Honeymoon Express'' (1913) lyrics * ''

of 1913'' (1913) book and lyrics * ''The Whirl of the World'' (1914) book and lyrics * ''

of 1914'' (1914) book and lyrics * ''Dancing Around'' (1914) book and lyrics * ''Maid in America'' (1915) book and lyrics * ''The Peasant Girl'' (1915) lyrics * ''

of 1915'' (1915) book and lyrics * ''Hands Up'' (1915) additional lyrics * ''

The Blue Paradise ''The Blue Paradise'' is a musical in a prologue and two acts, with music by Edmund Eysler, Sigmund Romberg and Leo Edwards, lyrics primarily by Herbert Reynolds, and a book by Edgar Smith, based on the operetta ''Ein Tag im Paradies'' (''A D ...

'' (1915) additional lyrics * ''A World of Pleasure'' (1915) book and lyrics * ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' (1915) lyrics * '' Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' (1916) lyrics * ''

The Passing Show of 1916 ''The Passing Show of 1916'' is a revue featuring the music of Sigmund Romberg and Otto Motzan, with book and lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge. It included the first George Gershwin songs introduced in a Broadway show. It opened in the Winter ...

'' (1916) book and lyrics * ''The Show of Wonders'' (1916) book and lyrics * ''

of 1917'' (1917) book and lyrics * ''Doing Our Bit'' (1917) book and lyrics * ''Over the Top'' (1917) book * '' Sinbad '' (1918) book and lyrics * ''Follow the Girl'' (1918) additional lyrics * ''

The Passing Show of 1918 ''The Passing Show of 1918'' is a Broadway musical revue featuring music of Sigmund Romberg and Jean Schwartz (and other songwriters), with book and lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge. The show introduced the hit songs "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles ...

'' (1918) book and lyrics * ''

Monte Cristo Jr. ''Monte Cristo Jr.'' was a Victorian burlesque with a libretto written by Richard Henry, a pseudonym for the writers Richard Butler and Henry Chance Newton. The score was composed by Meyer Lutz, Ivan Caryll, Hamilton Clarke, Tito Mattei, G. ...

'' (1919) book and lyrics * ''Shubert Gaieties of 1919'' (1919) book * ''

of 1919'' (1919) book and lyrics * ''The Little Blue Devil'' (1919) book and lyrics * ''Cinderella on Broadway'' (1920) book and lyrics * ''

of 1921'' (1920) book and lyrics * ''The Midnight Rounders of 1921'' (1921) book * ''

The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert a ...

'' (1921) book and lyrics'' (English version) * ''The Mimic World'' (1921) book and lyrics * ''

Bombo Bombo may refer to: Music * ''Bombo'' (musical), a 1921 Broadway production starring Al Jolson * "Bombo" (song), by Norwegian singer Adelén *Bombo criollo or just bombo, a family of Latin American drums *Bombo legüero, an Argentine drum *An 18th ...

'' (1921) book and lyrics * ''The Rose of Stamboul'' (1922) book and lyrics * ''

Make It Snappy ''Make It Snappy'' was a musical revue that ran for 96 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre in the 1922–23 Broadway season. It ran from 13 April to 1 July 1922. It starred Eddie Cantor, who introduced the hit songs " Yes! We Have No Bananas ...

'' (1922) book and lyrics * ''

of 1922'' (1922) book and lyrics * ''The Dancing Girl'' (1923) book and lyrics * ''

of 1923'' (1923) book and lyrics * ''Topics of 1923'' (1923) book and lyrics * ''Innocent Eyes'' (1924) book and lyrics * ''Marjorie'' (1924) book and lyrics * '' The Dream Girl'' (1924) book and additional lyrics * ''

of 1924'' (1924) book and lyrics * ''Big Boy'' (1925) book * ''Sky High'' (1925) book and lyrics * ''Artists and Models'' (1925) book * ''Gay Paree'' (1925) book and additional lyrics * ''A Night in Paris'' (1926) book * ''The Great Temptations'' (1926) book * ''A Night in Spain'' (1927) book * ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

of 1927'' (1927) book * ''The Greenwich Village Follies'' (1928) book, additional lyrics * ''Pleasure Bound'' (1929) book and lyrics * '' Thumbs Up!'' (1934) book

Film work

* ''The Ladies Man'' (1928) story * '' Her Golden Calf'' (1930) dialogue * ''Big Boy'' (1930) play * ''Poppin' the Cork'' (1933) dialogue

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Atteridge, Harold R. 1886 births 1938 deaths American musical theatre librettists American musical theatre lyricists People from Lake Forest, Illinois University of Chicago alumni People from Lynbrook, New York Deaths from cirrhosis 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male dramatists and playwrights Songwriters from Illinois 20th-century American male writers