Michael Paul Grace ll (August 6, 1917– April 1, 1995) was the producer of the

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 ...

shows '' King of Friday's Men'' (1951) and ''

John Murray Anderson's Almanac ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac'' is a musical revue, featuring the music of the songwriting team of Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, as well as other composers. It was conceived by John Murray Anderson. An earlier version of the show had ...

'' (1953). He was the

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

and composer of some of the music for the ''Almanac'' show and was the author/co-author of a variety of

copyrighted A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, e ...

music in the

recording industry A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

. In the 1950s, he was the assignor for a variety of patented technologies. He later became an oil and gas producer as well as becoming involved in mining industry applications of oil and gas technology by means of what is called solutions mining. He made

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

donations to create several professorships at

Notre Dame University The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Catholic religious order o ...

Early life

Michael P. Grace II was born on August 6, 1917. His father was Joseph P. Grace, the former chairman of

W. R. Grace and Company Grace is an American chemical business based in Columbia, Maryland. It produces specialty chemicals and specialty materials in two divisions: Grace Catalysts Technologies, which makes polyethylene and polypropylene catalysts and related products ...

. His siblings were Janet Maureen Grace, Charles M. Grace and

J. Peter Grace Joseph Peter Grace Jr. (May 25, 1913 – April 19, 1995) was an American industrialist who was president of the diversified chemical company, W. R. Grace & Co., for 48 years, making him the longest serving CEO of a public company. Born in Manhas ...

, who was also the former chairman of W. R. Grace and Company. His grandfather was

William Russell Grace William Russell Grace (May 10, 1832 – March 21, 1904) was an American politician, the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City, and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. Early life Grace was born in Ireland in Riverstown near the Cove ...

, the first

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and the founder of W. R. Grace and Company. His great uncle was an industrialist and chairman of the board of the directors of W. R. Grace, Michael P. Grace. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, and

Fordham School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. According to Fordham University School of Law's ABA- ...

Theatre and music career

Sean McClory Nan Leslie The Californians

King of Friday's Men

He first produced '' King of Friday's Men'' in 1951 on Broadway in New York City. It was a comedy set in the 18th century Ireland by Irish playwright Michael Joseph Molloy, and had been directed by David Alexander. The cast members for the show were:

Sean McClory Séan Joseph McClory (8 March 1924 – 10 December 2003) was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series. He was sometimes billed as Shawn McGlory or Sean McGlory. Early years Mc ...

: Rory Commons

Maggie McNamara Marguerite McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actress and model from the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', March 22, 1978, page 46. McNamara began her career as a teenage fashion model. ...

: Una Brehony

Walter Macken Walter Macken (3 May 1915 – 22 April 1967; Irish: ), was born in Galway, Ireland. He was a writer of short stories, novels and plays. Biography Walter Macken was originally an actor, principally with the Taibhdhearc (where he met his wife, ...

: Bartley Dowd Both his grandfather, William R. Grace, and his great uncle, Michael P. Grace, had been born in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. However, the show closed after two days and four performances.

John Murray Anderson's Almanac

He then produced with Stanley Gilky and Harry Rigby the Broadway production of the musical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

'', which opened on December 10, 1953, and continued until June 26, 1954. The show ran for 229 performances. ''John Murray Anderson's Almanac'' was a music and comedy

and consisted of casts members

Billy De Wolfe William Andrew Jones (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974), better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974. Early life and early stage career Born William Andrew ...

Orson Bean Orson Bean (born Dallas Frederick Burrows; July 22, 1928 – February 7, 2020) was an American film, television, and stage actor and comedian. He was a game show and talk show host and a "mainstay of Los Angeles’ small theater scene." He ...

Tina Louise Tina Louise (née Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her career on stage, film and television, including her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the popular television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island'' ...

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and ea ...

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte ( ; born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte ...

Polly Bergen Polly Bergen (born Nellie Paulina Burgin; July 14, 1930 – September 20, 2014) was an American actress, singer, television host, writer, and entrepreneur. She won an Emmy Award in 1958 for her performance as Helen Morgan (singer), Helen ...

Carleton Carpenter Carleton Upham Carpenter Jr. (July 10, 1926 – January 31, 2022) was an American film, television and stage actor, magician, songwriter, and novelist. Early and personal life Carpenter was born in Bennington, Vermont, where he attended Benni ...

, and Monique van Mooren. The show was conceived and staged by

John Murray Anderson John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 – January 30, 1954) was a Canadian theatre director and theatre producer, producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, dancer and lighting designer, who made his career in the United States, primarily in ...

, and Henry Sullivan was one of the composers. Both had worked together in

Murray Anderson's Almanac ''Murray Anderson's Almanac: A Revusical Comedy of Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow (1880–1930)'' was a Broadway show from 1929. It was produced by the Almanack Theatrical Corporation with John Murray Anderson and Gil Boag as directors. It was based o ...

(1929) as well as on part of the soundtrack for The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Michael P. Grace II, along with being one of the producers, wrote some of the music and lyrics for the show as well.

Richard Adler Richard Adler (August 3, 1921 – June 21, 2012) was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows. He is best known for his work with Jerry Ross (composer), Jerry Ross on the musicals ''The Pajama Game'' (1954) a ...

and Jerry Ross, who wrote most of the music and lyrics, started their careers in Broadway theatre with this show, going on to write songs for ''

The Pajama Game ''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel '' 7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell. The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his chor ...

'' and ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'' over the course of the next two years (1954–1955). Singer and actress

, originally from England, started her Broadway career as well with this show. She and fellow cast member

Billy de Wolfe William Andrew Jones (February 18, 1907 – March 5, 1974), better known as Billy De Wolfe, was an American character actor. He was active in films from the mid-1940s until his death in 1974. Early life and early stage career Born William Andrew ...

would go on to win the 1954 Donaldson Award for Male and Female Debut in a Musical. In the same award ceremony, Harry Belafonte won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

Concert producer

In 1957, Grace and Chris F. Anderson presented ''Jazz Under the Stars'' at the Wollman Memorial Theatre in New York City's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

. It was produced by Grace in association with

Monte Kay Monte Kay (September 18, 1924 – May 25, 1988)The New York Timesbr>obituary/ref> was an American music agent and record producer. Kay acted as a talent scout and musical director of several night clubs on the New York jazz scene in the late ...

and Pete Kameron. Kay and Kameron would later go on to create

FM Records Revolver Music was a British record label. It was created by Paul Birch in 1979 as a guitar music label. Its sister labels are FM Records and Heavy Metal Records. History Revolver is best known for signing the Manchester band, The Stone Rose ...

. The show starred

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

, the

Jerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, pianist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing t ...

Quartet,

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

, and

Jo Jones Jonathan David Samuel Jones (October 7, 1911 – September 3, 1985) was an American jazz drummer. A band leader and pioneer in jazz percussion, Jones anchored the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section from 1934 to 1948. He was sometimes k ...

. Commentary was provided by

Al "Jazzbo" Collins Albert Richard "Jazzbo" Collins (January 4, 1919 – September 30, 1997) was an American disc jockey and musician who hosted ''The Tonight Show'' in 1957. Career Born in Rochester, New York, in 1919, Collins grew up on Long Island. In 1941, whil ...

and Sean Shepherd.

Composer and lyricist

Grace, along with having created some of the music and lyrics to his Broadway production, had written a variety of copyrighted songs for the recording industry as well. He wrote/co-wrote the music for ''Teeny, Weeny Martini'' (1953) and ''Cradled in the Arms of Love'' (1953) with Sammy Gallup and

Helmy Kresa Helmy Kresa, (born in Meissen, Germany on November 7, 1904, died 1991, Long Island, New York) was a songwriter and the principal arranger and orchestrator for Irving Berlin. In 1931, Kresa wrote "That's My Desire", which Frankie Laine, Louis Armstr ...

. He and

John Rox John Jefferson Rox (July 21, 1902 – August 5, 1957) was an American composer and lyricist. He wrote music for Broadway shows and the recording industry. His song " It's a Big Wide Wonderful World" (1939) was used in the soundtrack of multiple ...

, a fellow lyricist and composer from the ''Almanac'' show, wrote ''Let a Little Time Go By'' (1954). He also did musical collaborations with

Clay Boland Clay Boland (October 25, 1903 – July 23, 1963) was a composer. He was born in Olyphant, Pennsylvania, United States. He studied dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1924, he won a university competition for a prom song with a compos ...

and

Alfonso D'Artega Alfonso D'Artega (June 5, 1907 – January 20, 1998), often known simply as D'Artega, was a songwriter, conductor, arranger and actor. His song " In the Blue of Evening", co-written with Tom Adair, was a number one hit for the Tommy Dorsey O ...

. (Please See Discography Below).

Discography

Assignor of Various Patented Technologies

Oil industry

In 1965, he started a new career as an oil and gas producer. He operated wells mostly in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and was based in

Carlsbad, New Mexico Carlsbad ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 32,238. Carlsbad is centered at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62/ 180 and 285, and is the principal city ...

. Wells produced or with participatory interest by Michael P. Grace in New Mexico * Humble Grace (1970) * Tracy B(1974) * Grace Atlantic #001(1973) * Airport Grace(1973)

Philanthropy

According to the

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

(National Public Radio) article about

, ''Billie Full Of Grace: How Billie Holiday Learned to Sing at the House of the Good Shepherd,'' Grace, a fellow Catholic, stepped up to pay for her funeral in 1959. He provided the charitable contributions for the Michael P. Grace Chair in Medieval Studies at the

in the US. The professorship is a part of scholarly work in medieval research. A good example of the professorship's success was its encouragement for the writing of the book ''

Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

on Human Action: A Theory of Practice'' by

Ralph McInerny Ralph Matthew McInerny (February 24, 1929 – January 29, 2010) was an American author and philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame. McInerny's most popular mystery novels featured Father Dowling, and was later adapted into the '' ...

, Michael P. Grace Professor of

medieval studies Medieval studies is the academic interdisciplinary study of the Middle Ages. A historian who studies medieval studies is called a medievalist. Institutional development The term 'medieval studies' began to be adopted by academics in the opening ...

in the department of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. His charitable contribution also created a professorship and assistant professorship in economics at the university.

Personal life

While his Almanac musical was on stage on Broadway, Michael Grace married Corinne Bissette, an actress and graduate from the Women's College at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. The wedding was held at Michael Grace's alma mater, the

at the university's chapel of the Sacred Heart. The wedding took place on April 26, 1954. At the time of the wedding, he was president of

Fatima Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia imam. ...

Charities in New York City.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grace, Michael 1917 births 1995 deaths American theatre managers and producers Broadway composers and lyricists American people of Irish descent Oil and gas companies of the United States American musical theatre composers American male musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists Harvard University alumni University of Notre Dame alumni Fordham University School of Law alumni