Warren, Harry

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"Harry Warren, was born Salvatore Guaragna Warren, on December 24th, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York (died 22 September 1981, Los Angeles, California, USA.) One of the most important of all the popular film composers, Warren is probably best remembered for the innovative 30s film musicals he scored with lyricist Al Dubin. A son of Italian immigrants, from a family of 12, Warren taught himself to play accordion and piano, and joined a touring carnival show in his teens. Later, he worked in a variety of jobs at the Vitagraph film studios, and played piano in silent-movie houses. After serving in the US Navy in World War I, he started writing songs. The first, I Learned To Love You When I Learned My ABCs, gained him a job as a song-plugger for publishers Stark and Cowan, and in 1922 they published his Rose Of The Rio Grande, written with Edgar Leslie and Ross Gorman, which became a hit for popular vocalist Marion Harris. In the early 30s Warren contributed songs to several Broadway shows including Billy Roses revue Sweet And Low. Between 1929 and 1932, Warren wrote for a few minor movies, but made Hollywood his permanent home in 1933, when hired by Darryl F. Zanuck to work with Al Dubin on Warner Brothers first movie-musical, 42nd Street. During the 30s, Warren and Dubin wrote songs for some 20 films, including several starring Dick Powell, such as Gold Diggers of 1933. Shortly before taking his leave of Warners and Dubin in 1939, Warren teamed with Johnny Mercer to write songs for two more Dick Powell films, Going Places (1938) with Louis Armstrong and Maxine Sullivan singing the Academy Award nominee, Jeepers Creepers, and Hard To Get (1938), You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby). Warren's move to 20th Century-Fox led him to work with lyricist Mack Gordon, whose main collaborator was Harry Revel. During the 40s, Warren and Gordon wrote some of World War II's most evocative songs. They composed for films such as Down Argentine Way, Tin Pan Alley, two films starring Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives. While at Fox Warren also wrote the songs for another Alice Faye movie, in partnership with Leo Robin. From 1945-52 Warren worked for MGM Pictures, and won his third Oscar, in partnership with Johnny Mercer, for On The Atchison, Topeka, And The Santa Fe, from the Judy Garland /Ray Bolger film, The Harvey Girls (1946). Warren and Mercer also provided songs for the Fred Astaire /Vera-Ellen movie The Belle Of New York, which included Baby Doll, Seeings Believing, I Wanna Be A Dancin Man and Bachelor Dinner Song. In 1949, after 10 years apart, MGM reunited Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, for their last musical together, The Barkleys Of Broadway. The musical score, by Warren and Ira Gershwin included the ballad, You'd Be Hard To Replace, the novelty, My One And Only Highland Fling and the danceable Shoes With Wings On. Other Warren collaborators while he was at MGM included Dorothy Fields, Arthur Freed and Mack Gordon, the latter for some songs to the Judy Garland /Gene Kelly film Summer Stock (1950), including If You Feel Like Singing and You, Wonderful You. In 1952, Warren teamed with lyricist Leo Robin for Paramount's Just For You, starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. In the following year, together with Jack Brooks, he provided Dean Martin with one of his biggest hits, That's Amore, from the film The Caddy (1953), which sold over three million copies. Warren remained under contract to Paramount until 1961, writing mostly scores for dramatic films such as The Rose Tattoo (1955) and An Affair To Remember (1957). In the early 50s he went into semi-retirement. On his 80th birthday he was elected to the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Warren was one of the most respected and energetic of the songwriters from the 30s, and a year before his death in 1981, many of those hits that he wrote with Al Dubin were celebrated again in Broadway and London stage versions of the movie 42nd Street." Source used: _Grove Music Online_.

From the description of Papers, ca. 1930-1981. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 320046497

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Moss, George H. George Moss collection, 1885-1935 (bulk 1900-1925). Library of Congress
creatorOf NCSA Jazz Ensemble. Jazz Ensemble [sound recording]. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
creatorOf Rocco, Robert. Robert Rocco, piano [sound recording]. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
referencedIn Jan Peerce collection of sound recordings, 1932-1983 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
referencedIn Michael Stewart Papers, 1948-1987 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Stewart, Michael, 1929-1987. Michael Stewart Papers, 1948-1987. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn The Railroad hour, radio program [sound recording], 1948-1954 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. [Shangri-La. Vocal score. / Harry Warren]. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. Shangri-La / [Henry Warren]. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Papers of Florynce Kennedy, (inclusive), (bulk), 1915-2004, 1947-1993 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. 42nd Street ; the song and dance fable of Broadway / music by Harry Warren : lyrics by Al Dubin ; book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble ; based on the novel by Bradford Ropes, 2001. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf Smith, R. Grant, 1931-. R. Grant Smith sheet music collection, 1876-1981. Public Libraries of Saginaw
referencedIn The Bell Telephone Hour collection of sound recordings [sound recording], 1940-1968 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
referencedIn Nicolas Slonimsky Collection, 1873-1997, (bulk 1920-1990) Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf Amsden, Arthur. Hoyt Public Library sheet music collection, ca. 1893-1942. Public Libraries of Saginaw
creatorOf NCSA Jazz Ensemble. NCSA Jazz Ensemble [sound recording] University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
referencedIn Michael Stewart scores, 1870-1984 The New York Public Library. Music Division.
referencedIn Charles Mingus Collection, 1939-1979 Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf NCSA Jazz Ensemble. NCSA Jazz Ensemble [sound recording]. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. It Happened in Sun Valley : musical score, 1941. The Community Library
referencedIn Leo Reisman collection of sound recordings [sound recording], 1932-1948 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. Papers, ca. 1930-1981. University of California, Los Angeles
referencedIn Johnny Green papers, 1920-1991. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. [Sweet and low / Harry Warren]. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Johnny Green additional papers, 1923-1989. Harvard Theater Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard University
creatorOf Mason County Historical Society (Ludington, Mich.),. Mason County Historical Society collection, 1942. Western Michigan University, Dwight B. Waldo Library
creatorOf NCSA Jazz Ensemble. NCSA Jazz Ensemble [sound recording]. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
creatorOf Warren, Harry, 1893-1981. Whittlin' my wood / lyric by Al Dubin ; music by Harry Warren. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Bloom, Rube. Papers, 1926-1974. Univerisity of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
creatorOf Stewart, Michael, 1929-1987. Michael Stewart scores, 1870-1984. New York Public Library System, NYPL
creatorOf NCSA Jazz Ensemble. NCSA Jazz Ensemble [sound recording]. University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Semans Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bloom, Rube. person
associatedWith Bramble, Mark. person
associatedWith Dodger Productions. corporateBody
associatedWith Dubin, Al. person
associatedWith Gordon, Mack. person
associatedWith Green, Johnny, 1908-1989 person
associatedWith Hilton, James, 1900-1954. person
associatedWith Jones, Joan Warren. person
associatedWith Kennedy, Florynce person
associatedWith Lang, Philip J. (Philip Joseph), 1911-1986. person
associatedWith Lawrence, Jerome, 1915-2004. person
associatedWith Lee, Robert Edwin, 1918-1994 person
associatedWith Mason County Historical Society (Ludington, Mich.), person
associatedWith Mingus, Charles, 1922-1979 person
associatedWith Moss, George H. person
associatedWith NCSA Jazz Ensemble. corporateBody
associatedWith NCSA Jazz Ensemble. corporateBody
associatedWith NCSA Jazz Ensemble. corporateBody
associatedWith NCSA Jazz Ensemble. corporateBody
associatedWith NCSA Jazz Ensemble. corporateBody
associatedWith New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Billy Rose Theatre Division. Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. corporateBody
associatedWith Peerce, Jan, 1904-1984 person
associatedWith Railroad Hour Radio Program corporateBody
associatedWith Reisman, Leo, 1897-1961 person
associatedWith Rocco, Robert. person
associatedWith Ropes, Bradford person
associatedWith Rose, Billy, 1899-1966. person
associatedWith Slonimsky, Nicolas, 1894-1995 person
associatedWith Smith, R. Grant, 1931- person
associatedWith Stewart, Michael, 1929-1987. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
New York (State)--New York
United States
United States
Idaho--Sun Valley
Subject
Composers
Motion picture music
Music
Musical revues, comedies, etc.
Musical revues, comedies, etc.
Musical theater
Popular music
Television music
Television music
Theatrical producers and directors
Occupation
Arrangers
Composers
Activity

Person

Birth 1893-12-24

Death 1981-09-22

Americans

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