Hugh Durham Prince, also known as Hughie Prince, (9 August 1906 – 15 January 1960) was an American film composer and songwriter. He composed "

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" is a World War II jump blues song written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince which was introduced by The Andrews Sisters in the Abbott and Costello comedy film, '' Buck Privates'' (1941). The Andrews Sisters' Decca recording r ...

" with lyricist

Don Raye Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", " The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Th ...

for the movie comedy, ''

Buck Privates ''Buck Privates'' is a 1941 musical film, musical military comedy film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, peacetime draft o ...

'', which was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Song in 1942.

Biography

Hugh Prince was born in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the county seat, seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenvil ...

, United States. In 1920 he was living with his parents on Westover Avenue in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

. His father died in 1921 and by the 1930s Prince was living with his mother in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

in New York where he worked as a stage actor. During the 1940s, Prince and his mother were living in New York City where he worked as a songwriter in the music industry. His music was used in more than 56 film and television productions. From 1940, he composed film music, starting with "Hit the Road" and "Rhumboogie" for the film ''

Argentine Nights ''Argentine Nights'' is a 1940 musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring The Andrews Sisters. It was their first film. Premise Three conmen go to Argentina to escape their creditors. Production The Ritz Brothers appeared in the fil ...

''. In 1940, Prince and

wrote the song "

", sung by

the Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

, in the 1941 film comedy, ''

'', with

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New J ...

and

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

in the lead roles and gaining as Oscar nomination in the Best Song category. However, the statue went to

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

and

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight ...

for their song "

The Last Time I Saw Paris ''The Last Time I Saw Paris'' is a 1954 American Technicolor romantic drama made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited." It was directed by Richard Brooks, produced by Jack Cummings ...

" from the film musical '' Lady Be Good''. Prince had a small role as Henry in ''Buck Privates''. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" remained the most successful song by Prince and, even after his death, it was used in feature films, television productions and shows. He wrote additional music for '' The Girl from Nantucket'', and composed the score, wrote the lyrics and the script and directed the film drama ''The Strip Tease Murder Case'' in 1950. Prince died in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States in 1960, aged 53, and was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in

Rutland County Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,572, making it the second-most populous county in Vermont. Its county seat and most populous municipality is the city of Rutland ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

Songs (selection)

*1939 " She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – with

*1941: "

", "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four", "When Private Brown Becomes a Captain", "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith", "I Wish You Were Here"—composed with Don Raye for the movie ''

'' *1941: "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith" used in the movie '' In the Navy'' *1941: "

Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" is a song written in 1940 by Don Raye, Hughie Prince, and Ray McKinley. It follows the American boogie-woogie tradition of syncopated piano music. Background The title adopts 1940s' hipster slang coined by Raye's ...

" used in the short film ''In the Groove'' *1944: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in '' Follow the Boys'' *1944: "Sing" from the movie '' Moonlight and Cactus'' *1944: "Let's Have Another One" from the movie '' Dreaming'' *1946: "Solid Potato Salad" from the movie '' Breakfast in Hollywood'' *1946: "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four" used in ''

One Exciting Week ''One Exciting Week'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine and written by Jack Townley and John K. Butler. The film stars Al Pearce, Pinky Lee, Jerome Cowan, Shemp Howard, Arlene Harris and Mary Treen. It was released on ...

'' *1947: "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four" used in '' The Egg and I'' *1953 "Pour Me a Glass of Teardrops" – with

Dick Rogers Dick Rogers (1912—1970) was a singer, comedian, songwriter and pianist, who wrote the lyrics for " Harlem Nocturne". He was a member of the Ray Noble orchestra and the Will Osborne band. Rogers was associated with Will Osborne, a "star cr ...

*1962: "Rhumboogie" used in '' Term of Trial'' *1976: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", used in the

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...

Show *1986: "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", used in the 40th Annual Tony Awards *1988: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in the television mini-series ''War and Remembrance'' *1992: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'' starring

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

*1995: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''Beautiful Is the Youth'' (''Lust och fägring stor'') *1997: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in the television mini-series '' The Shining'' *2004: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''

Something the Lord Made ''Something the Lord Made'' is a 2004 American made-for-television biographical drama film about the black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock (1899–1964), th ...

'' *2009: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''The Land of the Lost'' *2012: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''

Red Tails ''Red Tails'' is a 2012 American war film directed by Anthony Hemingway in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. The film is about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American United States ...

'' *2015: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in ''

Pitch Perfect 2 ''Pitch Perfect 2'' is a 2015 American musical comedy film directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks (in her feature directorial debut) and written by Kay Cannon. It is a sequel to the 2012 film ''Pitch Perfect'' and the second installment in th ...

References

External links

Prince
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Songs written or co-written by Hugh Durham Prince - dbopm: the database of popular music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Hughie 1906 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American composers American male composers American male songwriters Musicians from Greenville, South Carolina Musicians from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American male musicians