Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s. Livingston wrote music and Evans the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

Early life and career

Livingston was born in McDonald, Pennsylvania to

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents. He had an older sister, Vera, and a younger brother, Alan W. Livingston, who became an executive with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

, and later with NBC television. Livingston studied

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

with Harry Archer in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He attended the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

, where he organized a dance band and met Evans, a fellow student in the band. Their professional collaboration began in 1937. Livingston and Evans 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 motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...

three times, in 1948 for the song " Buttons and Bows", written for the movie '' The Paleface''; in 1950 for the song "

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best kno ...

", written for the movie ''

Captain Carey, U.S.A. ''Captain Carey, U.S.A.'' is a 1949 American crime film noir directed by Mitchell Leisen and starring Alan Ladd and Wanda Hendrix. An American returns to post– World War II Italy to bring a traitor to justice. The film was based on the novel ...

''; and in 1956 for the song " Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)," featured in the movie '' The Man Who Knew Too Much''. They also wrote "Tammy" for the movie '' Tammy and the Bachelor'' in 1957. Livingston and Evans wrote popular TV themes for shows including ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' and '' Mister Ed'', which Livingston sang. They also wrote the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

song " Silver Bells" in 1951, for the film '' The Lemon Drop Kid'', initially calling it "Tinkle Bells" but changed it to "Silver" because of a common connotation of "tinkle", as well as "Never Let Me Go" for the 1956 film '' The Scarlet Hour''. Johnny Mathis sang Livingston's song " All The Time," among others. Livingston appeared as himself with Evans in the New Year's Eve party scene of the 1950 film '' Sunset Boulevard''.

Honors

Livingston is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2004, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker in McDonald, Pennsylvania, commemorating his achievements.

Death

Livingston died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and was interred there in Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery, his tombstone reading, "Que Será, Será".Sam Staggs,
Born to be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life
' (2009), p. 216. His wife, actress Shirley Mitchell, died on November 11, 2013, at 94.

Work on Broadway

*'' Oh, Captain!'' (1958) –

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

– co-

and co-

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 ...

with Ray Evans – Tony nomination for Best Musical *''

Let It Ride Let or LET may refer to: Sports * Let serve, when the served object in certain racket sports hits the net and lands in the correct service court, such as; ** Let (badminton) ** Let (pickleball) ** Let (tennis) * Ladies European Tour, the ladi ...

'' (1961) – musical – co-composer and co-lyricist with Ray Evans *'' Sugar Babies'' (1979) – revue – featured

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

with Ray Evans for "The Sugar Baby Bounce"

References

External links

Jay Livingston obituary from ''The New York Times''

* * (begins at 41:32) appearance with Chuck Schaden and members of the Gildersleeve cast: Willard Waterman, Mary Lee Robb and Shirley Mitchell. Songwriter Jay Livingston (Shirley's husband) entertains with a mini- concert featuring his many hit songs. Recorded at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Chicago. (113 minutes).
Jay Livingston Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (1995) {{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Jay 1915 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American film score composers American male film score composers American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Jewish American film score composers Jewish American songwriters Male musical theatre composers Pennsylvania state historical marker significations People from McDonald, Pennsylvania Songwriters from Pennsylvania Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni 20th-century American Jews American male songwriters