Arthur Schwartz

Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family. He taught himself harmonica and piano as a child and began playing for silent films at age 14. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University and a Master of Arts in Architecture from Columbia University. At his father's insistence, Schwartz went on to earn a Juris Doctor from NYU Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1924. During his law studies he supported himself by teaching English in New York City schools, while simultaneously pursuing songwriting. His first published song, "Baltimore, Md., You're the Only Doctor for Me," with lyrics by Eli Dawson, appeared by 1923. Encouragement from Lorenz Hart and George Gershwin helped steer him toward a full-time composing career.

Schwartz placed his first songs in a Broadway production with The New Yorkers on March 10, 1927, and by 1928 had closed his law office. That same year he persuaded Howard Dietz, an MGM publicist who had previously collaborated with Jerome Kern, to write with him after an initial refusal. Their first joint effort appeared in the Broadway revue The Little Show, which opened April 30, 1929, and included "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," introduced by Clifton Webb. The song became a hit three years later when Rudy Vallée recorded it. In 1930, Schwartz contributed songs to six productions — three in London and three in New York — the most successful being Three's a Crowd, which opened October 15, 1930, and featured the hit "Something to Remember You By." That same year he also began contributing to motion pictures, with "I'm Afraid of You," featuring lyrics by Ralph Rainger and Edward Eliscu, appearing in Queen High.

Among the Broadway musicals for which Schwartz composed the music are The Band Wagon (1931), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1951), By the Beautiful Sea (1954), The Gay Life (1961), and Jennie (1963). He also appeared on Broadway in 1901 in the play The Girl and the Judge. The Band Wagon (1931) introduced several songs with Dietz, including "Dancing in the Dark," introduced by John Barker; "Hoops" and "I Love Louisa," both introduced by Fred and Adele Astaire; and "High and Low," performed by John Barker and Roberta Robinson. The 1932 revue Flying Colors added "Alone Together," introduced by Jean Sargent, and "Louisiana Hayride," introduced by Tamara Geva, Clifton Webb, and ensemble. Additional Schwartz-Dietz collaborations included "You and the Night and the Music" from Revenge with Music (1934) and multiple songs from At Home Abroad (1935), among them "Got a Bran' New Suit," introduced by Ethel Waters. Their work together was honored in the 1972 Broadway revue That's Entertainment.

Schwartz also collaborated with lyricists beyond Dietz, including Dorothy Fields, Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Edward Heyman, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Leo Robin, and Al Stillman, among others. With Fields, he contributed "A Lady Needs a Change," performed by Ethel Merman, and "It's All Yours," performed by Jimmy Durante and Ethel Merman, both in Stars in Your Eyes (1939). With Leo Robin, he wrote "A Gal in Calico" and "A Rainy Night in Rio" for The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946). With Frank Loesser, he wrote several songs for the film Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), including "They're Either Too Young or Too Old," performed by Bette Davis.

In addition to composing, Schwartz worked as a producer for Columbia Pictures. His producing credits include the musical Cover Girl (1944) and the Cole Porter biographical film Night and Day (1946). He also composed for the MGM musical The Band Wagon (1953), with lyrics by Dietz, which included "That's Entertainment!" In 1990, that song received the ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standard.

Schwartz received two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song: the first in 1944 for "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" from Thank Your Lucky Stars, and the second in 1948 for "A Gal in Calico" from The Time, the Place and the Girl. In 1972 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1981 he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Schwartz was married to 1930s Broadway ingénue Kay Carrington until her death, when their son Jonathan Schwartz, born in 1938, was 14 years old. Jonathan went on to work as a radio personality and sometime musician, announcing his retirement from radio in 2023. Schwartz's younger son, Paul Schwartz, born in 1956 with actress and dancer Mary Schwartz, is a composer, conductor, pianist, and producer. Arthur Schwartz died on September 3, 1984, in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania.