Harry B. Smith
Harry B. Smith is a Broadway performer known for 110 in the Shade, A China Doll, A Lonely Romeo, A Madcap Princess, Angel Face, The Bachelor Belles, Babette, The Belle of Bohemia, Betty, Be Good, The Blonde in Black, The Billionaire, The Cadet Girl, The Canary, The Casino Girl, Caroline, Cherry Blossoms, The Circus Princess, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Dancing Duchess, Countess Maritza, The Debutante, The Doll Girl, The Enchantress, Fashions of 1924, Fatinitza, Foxy Quiller (In Corsica), Gaby, The Fortune Teller, The Free Lance, The Girl from Montmartre, The Girl from Dixie, The Girl in the Train, The Golden Butterfly, Half a Widow, Gypsy Love, Hell, Hurlyburly, The Jewel of Asia, Ladies First, The Liberty Belles, Little Miss Fix-It, The Love Call, The Little Duchess, The Love Song, Little Nemo, Love o' Mike, Maid Marian, Marching By, Miss Dolly Dollars, Molly, Miss Innocence, Modest Suzanne, Ned Wayburn's Town Topics, Naughty Riquette, Natja, Nearly a Hero, The Office, Oh, I Say!, A Parisian Model, Papa's Wife, The Paradise of Mahomet, Papa's Darling, The Prima Donna, Princess Flavia, The Red Rose, The Rich Mr. Hoggenheimer, Rambler Rose, Rogues and Vagabonds, The Rogers Brothers in Washington, Rob Roy, Robin Hood, The Rose Maid, The Rounders, The Serenade, The Siren, The Silver Star, The Singing Girl, The Soul Kiss, Springtime of Youth, Stop! Look! Listen!, The Spring Maid, The Strollers, Sweethearts, Sweetheart Time, Sybil, Temptations, The Tattooed Man, Three Little Girls, The Viceroy, The Wedding Trip, The White Cat, Whirl-i-gig, White Lilacs, The Wild Rose, The Wizard of Oz, Ziegfeld Follies of 1909, Ziegfeld Follies of 1910, Ziegfeld Follies of 1907, Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, Watch Your Step, The Sambo Girl, The Belle of the West, The Begum, The Three Dragoons, Barbara Fidgetty, and Cyranose de Bric-a-Brac. Explore their Broadway credits, shows, and songs below.
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About
Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a Broadway composer, lyricist, and book writer born in Buffalo, New York to Josiah Bailey Smith (born 1837) and Elizabeth Bach (born 1838). According to his autobiography, First Nights and First Editions (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), his name at birth was Henry Bach Smith. He is credited with writing more than 300 librettos and upward of 6,000 lyrics, a volume of output that established him as the most prolific American stage writer of his era.
Among Smith's most significant professional relationships were his collaborations with composers Victor Herbert and Reginald De Koven, for whom he supplied librettos on multiple occasions. He also contributed books and lyrics to several editions of the Ziegfeld Follies. His Broadway credits include the musical The Bachelor Belles, the musical Betty, Be Good, The Enchantress, the revue Fashions of 1924, and The Girl in the Train. In 1980, a selection of his songs was featured in the Broadway revue Tintypes. His younger brother, Robert Bache Smith (June 4, 1875 – November 6, 1951), was also a working lyricist.
Smith married twice. His first marriage was to Lena Reed (born August 21, 1868), on October 12, 1887, in Chicago, Illinois. The couple had one son, Sydney Reed Smith, born July 15, 1892. Smith's second wife was the actress Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940), whom he married on November 23, 1906, in Boston, Massachusetts. Bentley had been divorced from her first husband, James Thomas Sothoron, Jr. (1867–1913), on June 12, 1906. She retired from the stage in 1910 and died at Allenhurst, New Jersey; she is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Smith died on January 1, 1936, of a heart attack in his room at the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he had been spending a brief holiday. His papers are largely held at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. A scholarly study of his career, Harry B. Smith: Dean of American Librettists by John Franceschina, was published by Routledge in 2003.
Personal Details
- Born
- December 28, 1860
- Hometown
- Buffalo, New York, USA
- Died
- January 2, 1936
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is Harry B. Smith?
- Harry B. Smith is a Broadway performer known for 110 in the Shade, A China Doll, A Lonely Romeo, A Madcap Princess, Angel Face, The Bachelor Belles, Babette, The Belle of Bohemia, Betty, Be Good, The Blonde in Black, The Billionaire, The Cadet Girl, The Canary, The Casino Girl, Caroline, Cherry Blossoms, The Circus Princess, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Dancing Duchess, Countess Maritza, The Debutante, The Doll Girl, The Enchantress, Fashions of 1924, Fatinitza, Foxy Quiller (In Corsica), Gaby, The Fortune Teller, The Free Lance, The Girl from Montmartre, The Girl from Dixie, The Girl in the Train, The Golden Butterfly, Half a Widow, Gypsy Love, Hell, Hurlyburly, The Jewel of Asia, Ladies First, The Liberty Belles, Little Miss Fix-It, The Love Call, The Little Duchess, The Love Song, Little Nemo, Love o' Mike, Maid Marian, Marching By, Miss Dolly Dollars, Molly, Miss Innocence, Modest Suzanne, Ned Wayburn's Town Topics, Naughty Riquette, Natja, Nearly a Hero, The Office, Oh, I Say!, A Parisian Model, Papa's Wife, The Paradise of Mahomet, Papa's Darling, The Prima Donna, Princess Flavia, The Red Rose, The Rich Mr. Hoggenheimer, Rambler Rose, Rogues and Vagabonds, The Rogers Brothers in Washington, Rob Roy, Robin Hood, The Rose Maid, The Rounders, The Serenade, The Siren, The Silver Star, The Singing Girl, The Soul Kiss, Springtime of Youth, Stop! Look! Listen!, The Spring Maid, The Strollers, Sweethearts, Sweetheart Time, Sybil, Temptations, The Tattooed Man, Three Little Girls, The Viceroy, The Wedding Trip, The White Cat, Whirl-i-gig, White Lilacs, The Wild Rose, The Wizard of Oz, Ziegfeld Follies of 1909, Ziegfeld Follies of 1910, Ziegfeld Follies of 1907, Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, Watch Your Step, The Sambo Girl, The Belle of the West, The Begum, The Three Dragoons, Barbara Fidgetty, and Cyranose de Bric-a-Brac. Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a Broadway composer, lyricist, and book writer born in Buffalo, New York to Josiah Bailey Smith (born 1837) and Elizabeth Bach (born 1838). According to his autobiography, First Nights and First Editions (Boston: Little, Brown, 1931), his na...
- What shows has Harry B. Smith appeared in?
- Harry B. Smith has appeared in 110 in the Shade, A China Doll, A Lonely Romeo, A Madcap Princess, Angel Face, The Bachelor Belles, Babette, The Belle of Bohemia, Betty, Be Good, The Blonde in Black, The Billionaire, The Cadet Girl, The Canary, The Casino Girl, Caroline, Cherry Blossoms, The Circus Princess, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Dancing Duchess, Countess Maritza, The Debutante, The Doll Girl, The Enchantress, Fashions of 1924, Fatinitza, Foxy Quiller (In Corsica), Gaby, The Fortune Teller, The Free Lance, The Girl from Montmartre, The Girl from Dixie, The Girl in the Train, The Golden Butterfly, Half a Widow, Gypsy Love, Hell, Hurlyburly, The Jewel of Asia, Ladies First, The Liberty Belles, Little Miss Fix-It, The Love Call, The Little Duchess, The Love Song, Little Nemo, Love o' Mike, Maid Marian, Marching By, Miss Dolly Dollars, Molly, Miss Innocence, Modest Suzanne, Ned Wayburn's Town Topics, Naughty Riquette, Natja, Nearly a Hero, The Office, Oh, I Say!, A Parisian Model, Papa's Wife, The Paradise of Mahomet, Papa's Darling, The Prima Donna, Princess Flavia, The Red Rose, The Rich Mr. Hoggenheimer, Rambler Rose, Rogues and Vagabonds, The Rogers Brothers in Washington, Rob Roy, Robin Hood, The Rose Maid, The Rounders, The Serenade, The Siren, The Silver Star, The Singing Girl, The Soul Kiss, Springtime of Youth, Stop! Look! Listen!, The Spring Maid, The Strollers, Sweethearts, Sweetheart Time, Sybil, Temptations, The Tattooed Man, Three Little Girls, The Viceroy, The Wedding Trip, The White Cat, Whirl-i-gig, White Lilacs, The Wild Rose, The Wizard of Oz, Ziegfeld Follies of 1909, Ziegfeld Follies of 1910, Ziegfeld Follies of 1907, Ziegfeld Follies of 1918, Watch Your Step, The Sambo Girl, The Belle of the West, The Begum, The Three Dragoons, Barbara Fidgetty, and Cyranose de Bric-a-Brac.
- What roles has Harry B. Smith played?
- Harry B. Smith has played roles as Writer, Source Material, Lyricist, Composer.
- Can I see Harry B. Smith at Sing with the Stars?
- Sing with the Stars hosts invite only karaoke nights with real Broadway performers in NYC. Request an invite and let us know you'd love to sing with Harry B. Smith. The more people who request someone, the more likely we are to make it happen.
Roles
Broadway Shows
Harry B. Smith has appeared in the following Broadway shows:
Characters
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Songs
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