James Frederick Hanley (February 17, 1892 – February 8, 1942) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates 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 genre and film scoring. ...

and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

Biography

Hanley was born in

Rensselaer, Indiana Rensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River (Indiana-Illinois), Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,733 at the 2 ...

on February 17, 1892. He attended Champion College and the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicag ...

. He served with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

82nd Division in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and during his military service he wrote an army musical show called ''Toot Sweet''. On his discharge Hanley became a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

accompanist. He went on to write songs for film and theater including many

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

productions. He worked with numerous artists, most notably

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 R ...

, Edward Madden,

Eddie Dowling Eddie Dowling (born Joseph Nelson Goucher; December 11, 1889Date and year of birth as per baptismal records of Precious Blood church, Woonsocket, Rhode Island, where Dowling was christened — February 18, 1976) was an American actor, director, ...

Percy Wenrich Percy Wenrich (January 23, 1880 – March 17, 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He is best known for writing the songs "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" and "When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose", along with the ...

Theodore F. Morse Theodore F. Morse (April 13, 1873 – May 25, 1924) was an American composer of popular songs. Biography Born in Washington, D.C., Morse was educated at the Maryland Military and Naval Academy. He went on to study both violin and piano. He an ...

and

Ballard MacDonald Ballard MacDonald (October 15, 1882 – November 17, 1935) was an American lyricist, who was one of the writers of Tin Pan Alley. Born in Portland, Oregon, he was a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ...

. Hanley is best remembered for the hit songs " (Back Home Again in) Indiana" (1917), " Second Hand Rose" (1921) and "

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is a 1935 popular song with words and music by James F. Hanley. It was introduced by Hal Le Roy and Eunice Healey in the Broadway revue '' Thumbs Up!.'' Notable recordings *The most notable recordings were ma ...

" (1934). For the latter song, Hanley contributed both music and lyrics but for most of his songs he wrote the music alone. He died of a heart attack at his home in Douglaston, Queens, on February 8, 1942, leaving a widow and five children. Hanley was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

in 1970.

Musical theatre credits

* ''Toot Sweet''

Broadway

* ''

Robinson Crusoe, Jr. ''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' is a musical with a book by Edgar Smith, lyrics by Harold Atteridge, and music by Sigmund Romberg and James Hanley. Production ''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' was an extravaganza that opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on 1 ...

'' (1916), co-composer with

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

* '' Ziegfeld Follies of 1917'' (1917), featured songwriter * '' The Greenwich Village Follies of 1920'' (1920), featured songwriter * ''Jim Jam Jems'' (1920), composer, lyrics by Harry Cort and George Stoddard * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1921'' (1921), featured songwriter * ''Pins and Needles of 1922'' (1922), co-composer with Frederick Chappelle, lyrics by

and

Irving Caesar Irving Caesar (born Isidor Keiser, July 4, 1895 – December 17, 1996) was an American lyricist and composer primarily for theater who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including " Swanee", " Sometimes I'm Happy", " Crazy Rhythm", ...

* ''Spice of 1922'' (1922), co-composer with J. Fred Coots and

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was a popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborat ...

, lyrics by James Stanley and McElbert Moore * '' Big Boy'' (1925), co-composer with Joseph Meyer, lyrics by

* ''No Foolin' '' (1926), featured songwriter, lyrics by Gene Buck * ''Honeymoon Lane'' (1926), composer, lyrics by

* ''Sidewalks of New York'' (1927), co-composer, co-author with Eddie Dowling * ''Keep It Clean'' (1929), co-composer * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1934'' (1934), featured songwriter * '' Thumbs Up!'' (1934), co-composer with Henry Sullivan Also contributed songs to: * ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1922'' (1922) * '' George White's Scandals of 1923'' (1923) * ''Innocent Eyes'' (1924) * ''Gay Paree of 1925'' (1925) * ''High Queen'' (1926) * ''Take the Air'' (1927)

Selected songs

* "A Cabaret 'Neath the Old Egyptian Moon" * " (Back Home Again in) Indiana" * "Breeze (Blow My Baby Back to Me)" * "Dig a Little Deeper" * "Dreaming of Home Sweet Home" – 1918. L:

* "Dreams for Sale" * "Gee, but I Hate to Go Home Alone" * "Good-Bye, My Little Lady" – 1917. L: Joe Goodwin * "Half a Moon" * " I'm a Lonesome Little Raindrop (Looking for a Place to Fall)" – 1920 * "I Wonder What He's Doing To-Night" – 1917. L: Joe Goodwin * "I've Got a Ten Day Pass for a Honeymoon (With the Girl I Left Behind)" – 1918. L:

Walter Donaldson Walter Donaldson may refer to: * Walter Donaldson (snooker player), (1907–1973) Scottish snooker player * Walter Donaldson (songwriter), (1893–1947) American songwriter {{human name disambiguation, Donaldson, Walter ...

and Ballard MacDonald * "Jersey Walk" * "Just a Cottage Small by a Waterfall" * "Last Long Flight" – 1920 * "Little Bit of Sunshine (From Home)" – 1918. L: Ballard MacDonald and Joe Goodwin * "Little Log Cabin of Dreams" * "The Little White House (At the End of Honeymoon Lane)" * "Mary Dear" * "No Foolin * "Never Forget to Write Home" – 1917. L: Ballard MacDonald * "Ragtime Volunteers Are Off to War" – 1917. L: Ballard MacDonald * "Rose of Washington Square" * " Second Hand Rose" – 1921, made popular by

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...

and later associated with

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

* "Sleepy Valley" * " Three Wonderful Letters from Home" – 1918. L: Ballard MacDonald and Joe Goodwin * "War Babies" – 1916. L: Ballard MacDonald and Edward Madden * "We'll Be There, on the Land, on the Sea, in the Air" – 1917. L: Ballard MacDonald * "Wherever You Are" * "

" – 1934, made popular by

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

; reprised throughout her career.

Selected filmography

* '' So This Is London'' (1930) * '' Under Suspicion'' (1930)

References

External links

*
James F. Hanley recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanley, James F. 1892 births 1942 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers American male songwriters People from Rensselaer, Indiana Songwriters from Indiana United States Army personnel of World War I 20th-century American songwriters