Mary Cohan (1909–1983), also known as Mary Cohan Ronkin, was an American

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 ...

composer and lyricist, and the middle daughter of

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 ...

and Broadway entertainer

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

. Following a brief career as a cabaret singer, Mary Cohan established herself as a Broadway talent in 1930, when she composed a score for her father's non-musical play ''The Tavern''. Working with writers John Pascal,

Francine Pascal Francine Paula Pascal (''née'' Rubin, May 13, 1932 – July 28, 2024) was an American author best known for her Sweet Valley series of young adult novels. ''Sweet Valley High,'' the backbone of the collection, was made into a television series, ...

, and Michael Stewart, Mary Cohan supervised the musical and lyrical revisions of her father's songs for the hit 1968 Broadway musical, ''

George M! ''George M!'' is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Franci ...

''.

Personal life

Like most of the Cohans, Mary was guarded about her private life. She married Neil Litt, an orchestra leader, in September 1927; they had one daughter; they were divorced in 1936. In 1940, she shocked her family by eloping with accordion player George Ronkin (aka Ranken), with whom she had three children. They remained married until Ronkin's death in 1967. In 1970, Mary married Eugene O. Fosdick, a native of Liberty, IN, in Florida. Fosdick died in 1976; Mary is not listed as a survivor in his various obituaries, implying they, too, divorced. Not much more is known about her personal life. What is known is that Mary Cohan was adored by her larger-than-life father. The song "Mary's a Grand Old Name," written by George M. Cohan for the Broadway musical ''Only 45 Minutes from Broadway'' and featured in the 1942 film ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical drama film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, Geo ...

'', was reportedly written by Cohan for his daughter, Mary.''Yankee Doodle Dandy (Two-Disc Special Edition)''
narrated by Rudy Behlmer, Warner Home Video, 2003 Mary Cohan Ronkin died in 1983.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohan, Mary American musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists 1909 births 1983 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

20th-century American composers