Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American

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 ...

and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became successful films: ''

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with si ...

,'' '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,'' and '' Funny Girl.''

Early life

Styne was born to a

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 ...

family in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. His parents, Anna Kertman and Isadore Stein, were emigrants from Ukraine, the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, 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 th ...

, and ran a small grocery. Even before his family left Britain, he did impressions on the stage of well-known singers, including

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

, who saw him perform and advised him to take up the piano. At the age of eight, he moved with his family to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, where he began taking

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 musica ...

lessons. He proved to be a

prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

and performed with the Chicago, St. Louis, and

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Symphonies before he was ten years old.

Career

Before Styne attended

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

, he had already attracted the attention of another teenager,

Mike Todd Michael Todd (born Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen; June 22, 1909 – March 22, 1958) was an American theater and film producer, best known for his 1956 production of '' Around the World in 80 Days'', which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Act ...

, later a successful film producer, who commissioned him to write a song for a musical act that he was creating. It was the first of over 1,500 published songs Styne composed in his career. His first hit, "Sunday", was written in 1926. In 1929, Styne was playing with the

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

band. Styne was a vocal coach for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

until Darryl F. Zanuck fired him because vocal coaching was "a luxury, and we're cutting out those luxuries." Zanuck told him he should write songs because "that's forever." Styne established his own dance band, which got him noticed in Hollywood, where he was championed by Frank Sinatra and began a collaboration 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 ...

. He and Cahn wrote many songs for the movies, including "It's Been a Long, Long Time" (No. 1 for three weeks for

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

and His Orchestra in 1945), "Five Minutes More", and the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-winning title song for '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (1954). Ten of his songs were Oscar-nominated, many of them written with Cahn, including " I've Heard That Song Before" (No. 1 for 13 weeks for Harry James and His Orchestra in 1943), " I'll Walk Alone", " It's Magic" (a No. 2 hit for

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

in 1948), and " I Fall In Love Too Easily". He collaborated with

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and ...

on the score for the 1955 musical film ''

My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a play, a musical, a radio play (an ...

.'' In 1947, Styne wrote his first score for a Broadway musical, ''

High Button Shoes ''High Button Shoes'' is a 1947 musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Sammy Cahn and book by George Abbott and Stephen Longstreet. It was based on the semi-autobiographical 1946 novel ''The Sisters Liked Them Handsome'' by Stephen Longst ...

,'' with Cahn, and over the next several decades wrote the scores for many Broadway shows, most notably '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,'' ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' (additional music), '' Bells Are Ringing,'' ''

,'' '' Do Re Mi,'' '' Funny Girl,'' ''

Lorelei The Lorelei ( ; ), spelled Loreley in German, is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th ...

,'' '' Sugar'' (with a story based on the movie ''

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitne ...

,'' but all new music), and the Tony-winning '' Hallelujah, Baby!.'' Styne wrote original music for the short-lived themed

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Freedomland U.S.A. Freedomland U.S.A. (usually called Freedomland) was a theme park dedicated to American history in the Baychester section of the northeastern Bronx in New York City. Operating from 1960 to 1964, Freedomland was built on marshland owned by the W ...

that opened on June 19, 1960. His collaborators included

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

and

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

, Stephen Sondheim,

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: " Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gent ...

, and

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

. He wrote career-altering Broadway scores for a wide variety of major stars, including

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway theatre, Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily id ...

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific'' (194 ...

Judy Holliday Judy Holliday (born Judith Tuvim, June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965) was an American actress, comedian and singer.Obituary '' Variety'', June 9, 1965, p. 71. She began her career as part of a nightclub act before working in Broadway plays and mus ...

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

, and an up-and-coming

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

. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' for British television in 1978 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

in New York's Time Square. Styne died of heart failure in New York City at the age of 88. His archiveincluding original hand-written compositions, letters, and production materialsis housed at the

Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pu ...

Awards

Styne was elected to 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 he ...

in 1972 and the

American Theatre Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

in 1981, and he was a recipient of a Drama Desk Special Award and the

Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...

in 1990. Additionally, Styne won the 1955 Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for " Three Coins in the Fountain", and "Hallelujah, Baby!" won the 1968 Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Songs

A selection of the many songs that Styne wrote: * " The Christmas Waltz" * "

Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita Lopez "Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita Lopez" is a 1942 novelty song recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra; Bing Crosby with the Vic Schoen Orchestra; Dinah Shore; The Four King Sisters; Tommy Tucker and his Orchestra; and the Roya ...

" * " Don't Rain on My Parade" (from '' Funny Girl'') * " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" (from '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'') * "

Everything's Coming Up Roses "Everything's Coming Up Roses" is a song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written initially for the 1959 Broadway musical ''Gypsy.'' Introduced in the show's inaugural production by Ethel Merman, "Everything's Coming Up R ...

" (from ''

'') * "

Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York Every may refer to: People * Every (surname), including a list of people surnamed Every or Van Every * Every Maclean, New Zealand politician in sunda 19th century * Every baronets, a title in the Baronetage of England Other * Suzuki Every, a ke ...

" (from ''

Hazel Flagg ''Hazel Flagg'' is a 1953 musical, book by Ben Hecht, based on a story by James H. Street. The lyrics are by Bob Hilliard, and music by Jule Styne. The musical is based on the 1937 screwball comedy film '' Nothing Sacred'', the primary screenwrit ...

'') * "Fiddle Dee Dee" * " Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" * "How Do You Speak to an Angel" * " I Don't Want to Walk Without You" * " I Fall in Love Too Easily" (from ''

Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zimm ...

'') * "I Still Get Jealous" (High Button Shoes) * " I'll Walk Alone" * " It's Been a Long, Long Time" * " It's Magic" (from '' Romance on the High Seas'') * "

It's You or No One ''It's You or No One'' is an album by American singer Bobby Darin, released in 1963. Darin had left Atco for Capitol records, but left this album unreleased since 1960. The first side was arranged by Torrie Zito, with the second arranged by ...

" * " I've Heard That Song Before" * " Just in Time" (from '' Bells Are Ringing'') * "Let Me Entertain You" (from ''Gypsy'') * "

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heat wave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler condition ...

" * "Long Before I Knew You" * " Make Someone Happy" (from '' Do Re Mi'') * "Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket" (from ''

Living It Up ''Living It Up'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis which was released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Paul Jones. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavel ...

'') * "Neverland" * "Papa, Wont You Dance with Me?" * " The Party's Over" (from '' Bells Are Ringing'') * "

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...

" (from '' Funny Girl'') * " Pico and Sepulveda" * " Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" sung by Frank Sinatra * "Small World", from ''Gypsy'', which became a moderate hit when sung by

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

in 1959 * "

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

" with Ned Miller * " The Things We Did Last Summer" * " Time After Time" (from '' It Happened in Brooklyn'') * " Three Coins in the Fountain", Oscar-winning song from the film of the same name * "

Together (Wherever We Go) "Together (Wherever We Go)" is a song, now considered a standard, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, written for the musical play '' Gypsy'' in 1959. It was introduced by Ethel Merman, Jack Klugman, and Sandra Church. Reco ...

" (from ''Gypsy'') * "Winter Was Warm" (from '' Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol'')

Credits

* ''

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Winter Olympic Games, Olympic and United States Figure Skating Championships, US National Champion figure skating, figur ...

of 1943'' (1942) - Styne contributed one song * ''

Glad to See You! Glad may refer to: * Glad (Norse mythology), a horse ridden by the gods in Norse mythology People * Emil Glad (1929–2009), Croatian actor * Ingrid Kristine Glad (born 1965), Norwegian statistician * John Glad (1941–2015), an American acade ...

'' (1944) - closed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during tryout * ''

'' (1947) * '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949) * '' Michael Todd's Peep Show'' (1950) - Styne contributed 2 numbers * '' Two on the Aisle'' (1951) * ''

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1954) (additional music) * ''

'' (1955) * '' Bells Are Ringing'' (1956) * '' Say, Darling'' (1958) * '' A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green'' (1958) * '' First Impressions'' (1959) (produced by) * ''

'' (1959) * '' Do Re Mi'' (1960) * '' Subways Are for Sleeping'' (1961) * '' Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol'' (1962) * '' Arturo Ui'' (1963) - Styne contributed incidental music to this

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a ...

play * '' Funny Girl'' (1964) * '' Wonderworld'' (1964) - lyrics by Styne's son, Stanley * '' Fade Out – Fade In'' (1964) * '' Something More!'' (1964) -directed by Styne * ''

The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (1965) * '' Hallelujah, Baby!'' (1967) * '' Darling of the Day'' (1968) * ''

Look to the Lilies ''Look to the Lilies'' was a short-lived Broadway musical with a book by Leonard Spigelgass, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, and music by Jule Styne. Based on both the 1962 novel and film versions of '' Lilies of the Field'', it tells the story of a gro ...

'' (1970) * '' The Night the Animals Talked'' (1970) * '' Prettybelle'' (1971) - closed in Boston * '' Sugar'' (1972) (revised as ''Some Like It Hot: The Musical'' for a 2002-03 national USA tour starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

as Osgood Fielding, Jr.) * ''

'' (1974) - essentially a sequel/revival of ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' * ''Hellzapoppin'!'' (1976) - closed in Baltimore during pre-Broadway tryout * '' Side by Side by Sondheim'' (1976) * ''

Bar Mitzvah Boy "Bar Mitzvah Boy" is the first episode of seventh season of the British BBC anthology TV series ''Play for Today''. The television play was originally broadcast on 14 September 1976. It was written by Jack Rosenthal, directed by Michael Tuchn ...

'' (1978) * ''

One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

'' (1980) - closed during preview period * ''

Pieces of Eight The Spanish dollar, also known as the piece of eight ( es, Real de a ocho, , , or ), is a silver coin of approximately diameter worth eight Spanish reales. It was minted in the Spanish Empire following a monetary reform in 1497 with content ...

'' (1985) * '' The Red Shoes'' (1993)

References

External links

*
Jule Styne Papers
at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

* * *
Jule Styne
at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Styne, Jule 1905 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American musicians 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century English musicians American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters British emigrants to the United States British musical theatre composers British songwriters Broadway composers and lyricists English Jews English people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Grammy Award winners Jewish American classical musicians Jewish American songwriters Kennedy Center honorees Male musical theatre composers Musicians from London Tony Award winners