Born: May 18th, 1902 (Iowa)
Died: June 15th, 1984 (heart failure)
Marriages: Elizabeth Wilson (1920-1948), Relina Zarova (1948-1966 Her death) & Rosemary Sullivan (1968-His death)
Children: NONE
Interesting Fact: From 1921-1923 he played the flute and piccolo in John Philip Sousa's band.
Successful Era: In the late 50's and early 60's was when "The Music Man" started on Broadway and transitioned to the screen in 1962.
Awards: He has been nominated twice for an Oscar in Best Music: "The Great Dictator" (1940) & "The Little Foxes" (1941). He was also nominated for a Golden Globe & Tony Award on "The Music Man" (1962) and received 5th place for a Laurel Award. He also has a Star on the Walk of Fame for Radio and was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.
My Favorite Film: "The Music Man" is my favorite of his. The music has so much energy and humor.
Now that I realized he composed the music in "The Great Dictator" now I can see the brassy music connection in "The Music Man." He also had one of his songs, "Till I Met You," adopted by the Beatles.
He has always had a love of music and instruments and dedicated his life to it. It was his play and film, "The Music Man," that became the capstone to his memorial of service to music. He also made the film to give appreciation to his home state of Iowa. Below is one of my favorite songs from the film. To contrast it, I have included music of his from "The Great Dictator."
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