Manning Sherwin

Manning Sherwin was an American composer and book writer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 4, 1902. He attended Columbia University before beginning a career that spanned musical theatre and film on both sides of the Atlantic. He died on July 26, 1974, in Los Angeles and was buried at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Sherwin's Broadway credits include the revue Bad Habits of 1926 and Under the Counter. He relocated to Britain in 1938, a move that shaped the bulk of his professional output. That same year he contributed to George Posford's Magyar Melody. Posford, whose given name was Benjamin George Ashwell, would later collaborate with Sherwin again on Her Excellency in 1949.

Among his most recognized compositions is the music for "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," written with lyricist Eric Maschwitz for New Faces in 1940. An earlier song, "Who's Taking You Home Tonight?," with lyrics by Tommie Connor, was published in 1939 and also found wartime success. During the war years Sherwin contributed music to British cinema, including the comedy feature Miss London.

His West End output during the 1940s was substantial. Get a Load of This ran 698 performances between 1941 and 1943, followed by Something in the Air, which accumulated 336 performances from 1943 to 1944 and an additional 163 in 1944 to 1945. Under the Counter ran 665 performances from 1945 to 1947. His musical Sitting Pretty, which featured the duet "I'll Take a Little Time," closed early due to the outbreak of war. Later productions included The Kid from Stratford, which ran 235 performances from 1948 to 1949, and Her Excellency in 1949, co-composed with Posford, which achieved 252 performances. A number of his songs also appeared in British musical films of the period.