Lewine, Richard R. J.

Richard Lewine (1910-2005) was a successful television producer, who got his start as a composer for musical theater, and, who later co-authored several works on musical theater.

Lewine, who studied music at Columbia University, launched his composing career writing songs with lyricist June Sillman (later June Carroll) for the Broadway revue, Fools Rush In (1934, produced by Leonard Sillman) and with lyricist John Latouche for the Off-Broadway play, Murder in the Old Red Barn (1936). He then he wrote the music for three parodies of Victorian melodrama, presented at the American Music Hall and other venues, with lyricist Ted Fetter and librettist John Van Antwerp (possibly a pseudonym for playwright Owen Davis). A four year stint as an officer in the Army Signal Corps during World War II, interrupted Lewine's career in musical theater. Following the war, he collaborated with lyricist/librettist Arnold B. Horwitt on the hit revue, Make Mine Manhattan (1948). Though Lewine primarily focused on television work from the 1950s on, he occasionally returned to theater. For example, he reunited with Horwitt for the Broadway musical, The Girls Against the Boys (1959). He also produced a few shows, including the unsuccessful Look to the Lilies (1970), as well as the revue, Rodgers & Hart (1975). From 1953 through 1961, however, Lewine worked at CBS television in many capacities. At CBS, he was able to bring theater to a wider audience, producing television versions of many plays and musicals. Lewine also produced original television musicals, including Cole Porter's Aladdin (1957) and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957). He also served as the executive producer for the first four seasons of the acclaimed series, The New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein (1957-1962). After Lewine left CBS in 1961, he worked as an independent producer, with shows such as Hootenanny (1963-1964) on ABC, and various specials, including My Name is Barbra (1965). Lewine also was an author of several scholarly works on musical theater. His books, written in collaboration with Alfred Simon, include Encyclopedia of Theatre Music (1962), Songs of the American Theatre (1973) and Songs of the Theatre (1984.) Lewine was involved in many professional organizations, including the Dramatists Guild and the Author's League Fund. After the death of Richard Rodgers in 1979, Lewine took over the running of The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization for two years. In later years, Lewine continued to compose orchestral pieces, such as A Little Theatre Music (1981) and A Walk in the City (1982) for clarinet and piano.