Vinton Freedley (November 5, 1891 – June 5, 1969) was an American theater and television producer known for his productions of the works of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

and television shows such as Talent Jackpot and ''Showtime U.S.A.''.

Early life and education

Freedley was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. He graduated

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

in 1914 where he was a member of The Delphic Club and The Hasty Pudding. He later 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 earned a JD degree. He later became a member of the historic theatrical club, The Lambs in 1918

Producing

Soon after graduating college, Freedley met Alexander A. Aarons with whom he formed a long term producing partnership. Their first major hit was '' Lady Be Good!'' (1924) with music and lyrics by George and

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

and featuring

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and

Adele Astaire Adele Astaire Douglass (born Adele Marie Austerlitz, later known as Lady Charles Cavendish; September 10, 1896 – January 25, 1981), was an American dancer, stage actress, and singer. After beginning work as a dancer and vaudeville perfor ...

. Over the next ten years the pair produced some of the most important works in the Broadway musical canon, featuring some of the most famous songs ever to emerge from the tin pan alley era, part of what is commonly referred to as "The

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" i ...

." The shows that followed included '' Tip-Toes'' (1925), ''

Oh, Kay! ''Oh, Kay!'' is a musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. It is based on the play ''La Présidente'' by Maurice Hennequin and Pierre Veber. The plot revolves around the advent ...

'' (1926), and '' Funny Face'' (1927), again starring the Astaires. All the scores were written by the Gershwins. In 1928 Aarons and Freedley produced ''Here's Howe'', featuring the music of

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo ...

, Joseph Meyer, and Irving Caesar; '' Hold Everything!'', with a score by

Buddy DeSylva George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva (January 27, 1895 – July 11, 1950) was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs and, along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol Recor ...

and Lew Brown; and ''

Treasure Girl ''Treasure Girl'' is a musical with a book by Fred Thompson and Vincent Lawrence, music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The musical's best-known song is " (I've Got a) Crush on You", which has been recorded by a number of artists, ...

'', with music by the Gershwins. In 1929 followed '' Spring Is Here'' and '' Heads Up!'', both with songs by

and

Lorenz Hart Lorenz Milton Hart (May 2, 1895 – November 22, 1943) was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon", " The Lady Is a Tramp", "Manhattan", " Bewitched, B ...

. Another Gershwin hit was '' Girl Crazy'' (1930). The partnership ended in 1932. Freedley produced 30 shows total on Broadway.

Alvin Theatre

Aarons and Freedley built the Alvin Theatre, today known as the

Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...

. It is a

Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

on 52nd Street in New York City with a capacity that fluctuates between 1400 and 1500 depending on the seating configuration. The theatre was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. The original name is a portmanteau of the names of the two producers: Alex Aarons and Vinton Freedley.

Broadway productions

Television

:*''Showtime, U.S.A.'', TV Series 1950, Emcee :*''Talent Jackpot'', TV Series 1949, Emcee :*''Stage Door Canteen'', 1943 :*''A Dangerous Affair'', 1919

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedley, Vinton 1891 births 1969 deaths Television producers from Pennsylvania American theatre managers and producers University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Businesspeople from Philadelphia Hasty Pudding alumni 20th-century American businesspeople