Gladys Shelley

Gladys Shelley, born Gladys Shaskan on December 15, 1911, in Lawrence, New York, was an American lyricist, composer, and performer whose career encompassed more than 300 songs. She was the daughter of George Fried and Fannie Shaskan. Before finishing high school, she had placed light verse with newspaper columnists including Walter Winchell. After graduation, she relocated to Manhattan, enrolled at Columbia University, and worked as an actress and dancer before turning her focus to songwriting in the late 1930s.

Shelley's Broadway performing career ran from 1934 to 1937. She appeared in Baby Pompadour, which opened December 27, 1934, followed by Moon Over Mulberry Street, which ran from September 4, 1935, into May 1936. Her final performing credit was Money Mad on May 24, 1937. She later returned to Broadway as a writer: The Duchess Misbehaves, for which she wrote the book and lyrics, opened at the Adelphi Theater on February 13, 1946, and closed after three performances on February 16, 1946.

Her songwriting partnership with Abner Silver produced her most enduring work. Their 1940 composition "How Did He Look?" was first recorded in 1941 by Joan Merrill and went on to be covered by more than 100 artists, among them Carmen McRae, Eydie Gorme, Dakota Staton, Connie Francis, Vic Damone, Arthur Prysock, Kevin Mahogany, and Mel Torme. The ballad became a signature song for cabaret performer Mabel Mercer and remained a New York cabaret staple for more than six decades. A second Silver collaboration, "There Shall Be No Night," drew its title from a then-current anti-Nazi play and was recorded by the orchestras of Duke Ellington, Bob Chester, and Dick Jurgens.

Beyond her work with Silver, Shelley collaborated with composers including Morton Gould, Frank Black, and Fred Astaire. Her partnership with Astaire produced "Just Like Taking Candy From a Baby" and "Sweet Sorrow," both of which served as opening and closing numbers in Tommy Tune's nightclub act, with "Just Like Taking Candy From a Baby" also recorded by Astaire himself. During World War II she wrote "Bundles for Britain," recorded by Gertrude Lawrence. Nat King Cole recorded her song "Make It Last," and Robert Merrill recorded and introduced "My Country Has Been Good to Me" at the opening of a Yankees game. In 1961, "Oliver Twist," co-written with Rod McKuen, reached number 76 on the Billboard pop chart on the Spiral label. Shelley also wrote a presidential campaign song, "Leave It to the Girls," for Margaret Chase Smith's 1964 run for president; it was performed by Hildegarde.

Shelley married Irving Rosenthal, owner of New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park. In 1960 she wrote the music and lyrics for the park's radio and television jingle "Come on Over," which remained in use until the park closed in 1971. She also composed the theme song for the Little Miss America pageant, a children's competition for girls aged 5 to 10 that debuted at Palisades Park in 1961. Among her other works, "Christmas is Christmas" was recorded by Arthur Godfrey and used internationally, General Motors incorporated "No Man is Going to Change Me" in its cassette releases, and the U.S. Air Force adopted "Flying Can Be Fun" as a theme song. Her song "Peace and Harmony" is held in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

Shelley received recognition from several organizations over the course of her career. These included the Laymen's National Bible Committee Award, the Brotherhood in Action award for "Peace and Harmony," a Gold Award from the U.S. Army Recruiting Service, and honorary nurse status in the U.S. Army for "A Nurse in the U.S. Army Corps." The U.S. Committee for UNICEF credited her radio appeal work in connection with UNICEF's Nobel Peace Prize. She was a distinguished member of ASCAP, which announced her death on December 9, 2003, at her Manhattan home. She was 91 years old.