Leon De Costa

Leon De Costa was a composer, lyricist, and playwright born in Barcelona, Spain, who emigrated to the United States and went on to build a career in American theater and popular music. His father held a position as a minister of the Spanish Regency. During World War I, De Costa served in the U.S. Army. He died on May 10, 1951, at the age of 68, and was buried at Long Island National Cemetery.

De Costa's Broadway career spanned the late 1910s and 1920s. He served as musical director and songwriter for the musical You Know Me Al!, which ran from April 11 to April 27, 1918. He contributed music and lyrics to Fifty-Fifty, Ltd., which played from October 27 to November 29, 1919. His musical Kosher Kitty Kelly ran from June 15 to December 10, 1925, and his play The Blonde Sinner followed, running from July 14 through December 1926.

His work extended beyond the stage into film. The 1926 film Kosher Kitty Kelly was based on his play of the same name, and the 1928 film San Francisco Nights was adapted from his play The Fruits of Divorce. De Costa was also a deponent in a court case concerning rights to the Kitty Kelly play. Performers recorded two of his songs, "I'm Neutral" and "Kosher Kitty Kelly."

Among his published songs, "To the Skies," written in 1917, was dedicated to Frederick Handley Page. He wrote both words and music for "One Happy Day" in 1917 and "Honey Bunch" in 1919. Later compositions included "Circus Days" in 1923, "Come Along Mandy" in 1924, and a group of songs from 1934: "Life's Sea and You," "The Life Time Prisoner," "Lifeless Life," "A Little Farm in Old Vermont," and "Lilac Time Lullaby." In 1925, De Costa was recovering from cuts and other injuries sustained in a taxicab accident.