Nicholas "Slug" Brodszky (russian: Николай Бродский; April 20, 1905December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs for the theatre and for films. Brodszky was born in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

, into a Jewish family, who moved to Budapest during the civil war in Russia. He spent many years studying and working in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

. In the 1920s he contributed songs to Viennese

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its ...

s. His first film was made in Vienna in 1930 and featured

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor and film actor. Early life Richard Tauber was born in Linz, Austria, to Elisabeth Seifferth (née Denemy), a widow and an actress who played soubrette roles at the local theat ...

and

Gitta Alpar Gitta may refer to: Places * Gitta, Hsawlaw, village in Burma * Gita, Israel, communal settlement in Israel People * Gitta Alpár (1903–1991), Hungarian opera singer *Gitta Bauer (1919–1990), German journalist * Gitta Connemann (born 1964), Ger ...

.Music Web International
/ref> He wrote the music for C B Cochran and A P Herbert's coronation revue ''Home and Beauty'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receivin ...

in 1937. After a decade in the film industry in Germany and Austria, always keeping one step ahead of the rising Nazi party, he emigrated to the UK at the end of the 1930s. There he had some success providing music for the

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

scripted film ''

French Without Tears ''French Without Tears'' is a comic play written by a 25-year-old Terence Rattigan in 1936. Setting It takes place in a cram school for adults needing to acquire French for business reasons. Scattered throughout are Franglais phrases and sch ...

'' (1939), and ''

The Way to the Stars ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1949), both directed by

Anthony Asquith Anthony William Landon Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among oth ...

. He emigrated once again to the United States at the end of the 1940s. In Hollywood he composed for many musical films including '' The Toast of New Orleans'' (1950); '' Rich, Young and Pretty'' (1951); ''

Because You're Mine ''Because You're Mine'' is a 1952 musical comedy film starring Mario Lanza. Directed by Alexander Hall, the film also stars Doretta Morrow, James Whitmore, and Dean Miller. Plot Opera singer superstar Renato Rossano (Mario Lanza) is drafted i ...

'' (1952); '' Small Town Girl'' (1953); ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play '' Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduri ...

'' (1954); '' Love Me or Leave Me'' (1955); and ''

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Itali ...

'' (1956). He also wrote the score for the Yiddish language film ''Der Purimspieler'' (1939).Nicholas Brodszky on IMDb
Retrieved June 29, 2012 Among the hit songs he wrote with lyricist

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

were " Be My Love" (his most popular song, from ''The Toast of New Orleans''), " I'll Never Stop Loving You," "

," "Serenade," and "My Destiny." He wrote three songs for ''The Student Prince'': "Summertime in Heidelberg," "Beloved," and "

I'll Walk with God "I'll Walk with God" is a popular song written for the motion picture ''The Student Prince'' with music by Nicholas Brodzsky and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1954. The film's title character, who was played by actor Edmund Purdom w ...

" (with lyrics by

Paul Francis Webster Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award. Life and career Webster was born in New York City, United St ...

) to supplement the

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

musical score for the 1954 filmed version. Recordings of "Be My Love" and "Because You're Mine" made by the famous 1950s tenor and movie star

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

were million-seller hits (gold records) on the RCA Victor Red Seal label. Five of Nicholas Brodszky's musical compositions were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Song: * 1950, " Be My Love" * 1951, " Wonder Why" * 1952, "Because You're Mine" * 1953, "My Flaming Heart" * 1955, "I'll Never Stop Loving You".Academy Award Nominations for Nicholas Brodszky
Retrieved June 29, 2012 Brodszky was a tunesmith who always needed the help of arrangers and assistants to turn his ideas into finished compositions. These assistants included Roy Douglas,

Philip Green Sir Philip Nigel Ross Green (born 15 March 1952) is a British businessman who was the chairman of the retail company the Arcadia Group. He owned the high street clothing retailers Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from 2002 to 2020. As of M ...

, Clive Richardson,

Mischa Spoliansky Mischa Spoliansky (28 December 1898 – 28 June 1985) was a Russian-born composer who made his name writing cabaret and revue songs in the Weimar Republic of the 1920s and early 1930s, before he was forced to emigrate to London in 1933 when Hi ...

, Albert Sendrey, Sidney Torch and Charles Williams, but they were rarely credited.

Lionel Salter Lionel Salter (8 September 1914 – 1 March 2000) was an English pianist, conductor, writer and administrator who had a long association with the British Broadcasting Corporation.Sadie, Stanley, rev. Jon Stroop. 'Salter, Lionel (Paul)' in ''Gr ...

termed Brodszky a 'near-illiterate.' He died in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1958, aged 53.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Big Attraction ''The Big Attraction'' (german: Die große Attraktion) is a 1931 German musical film directed by Max Reichmann and starring Richard Tauber, Margo Lion, and Marianne Winkelstern.Waldman p. 31 It was made by Bavaria Film at the Emelka Studios nea ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Virtuous Sinner ''The Virtuous Sinner'' (German: ''Der brave Sünder'') is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Fritz Kortner and starring Max Pallenberg, Heinz Rühmann and Dolly Haas. Production The film was made at the Babelsberg Studio in Berlin, although ...

'' (1931) * ''

Gitta Discovers Her Heart ''Gitta Discovers Her Heart'' (german: Gitta entdeckt ihr Herz) is a 1932 German musical film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Gitta Alpar, Gustav Fröhlich, and Paul Kemp. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin. The film's s ...

'' (1932) * ''

Scandal in Budapest ''Scandal in Budapest'' (german: Skandal in Budapest) is a 1933 German-Hungarian comedy film, filmed in Hungary in the German language and directed by Géza von Bolváry and Istvan Szekely and starring Franciska Gaal, Werner Pledath, and Lotte ...

'' (1933) * '' Peter'' (1934) * ''

Unripe Fruit ''Unripe Fruit'' (Italian: ''Frutto acerbo'') is a 1934 Italian comedy film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Lotte Menas, Nino Besozzi and Maria Wronska. A German-language version of the same story was made in Austria as ''A Pr ...

'' (1934) * ''

A Precocious Girl ''A Precocious Girl'' (German title: ''Csibi, der Fratz'' aka ''Früchtchen'') is a 1934 Austrian comedy film directed by Max Neufeld and Richard Eichberg and starring Franciska Gaal, Leopoldine Konstantin and Herbert Hübner. The film's sets we ...

'' (1934) * '' Little Mother'' (1935) * '' Guilty Melody'' (1936) * ''

Catherine the Last ''Catherine the Last'' (German: ''Katharina, die Letzte'') is a 1936 Austrian romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Franciska Gaal, Hans Holt and Hans Olden.Bock & Bergfelder p.257 It was made by the Austrian subsidiary of U ...

'' (1936) * ''Der Purimspieler'' (1939) * '' Quiet Wedding'' (1941) * ''

Freedom Radio ''Freedom Radio'' (a.k.a. ''A Voice in the Night'') is a 1941 British propaganda film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, Raymond Huntley and Derek Farr. It is set in Nazi Germany during the Second World Wa ...

'' (1941) * ''

The Demi-Paradise ''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...

'' (1943) * '' Tomorrow We Live'' (1943) * ''

English Without Tears ''English Without Tears'' is a 1944 British romantic comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Wilding, Penelope Dudley-Ward and Lilli Palmer. It was released in the U.S. under the title ''Her Man Gilbey'', as a reference t ...

'' (1944) * ''

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

'' (1946) * ''

A Man About the House ''A Man About the House'' is a British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama, adapted for the screen by J. B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young. A theatrical adapt ...

'' (1947) * '' While the Sun Shines'' (1947) * '' The Toast of New Orleans'' (1950) * '' Rich, Young and Pretty'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * '' Small Town Girl'' (1953) * ''

'' ( 1954 ) * '' Love Me or Leave Me'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) * '' Ten Thousand Bedrooms'' (1957)

References

External links

*
classicalarchives.com

Mario Lanza sings ''Be My Love'' (1950)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodszky, Nicholas 1905 births 1958 deaths American male songwriters American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Jewish American songwriters Jewish composers Soviet emigrants to the United States Odesa Jews Musicians from Odesa 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews