Arthur Schwartz

Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz.

Biography

Early life Schwartz was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, on November 25, 1900. He taught himself to play the harmonica and piano as a child, and began playing for silent films at age 14. He earned a B.A. in English at New York University and an M.A. in Architecture at Columbia. Forced by his father, an attorney, to study law, Schwartz graduated from NYU Law School with a Juris Doctor and was admitted to the bar in 1924.

Career While studying law, he supported himself by teaching English in the New York school system. He also worked on songwriting concurrently with his studies and published his first song ("Baltimore, Md., You're the Only Doctor for Me", with lyrics by Eli Dawson) by 1923.

Schwartz also worked as a producer, for Columbia Pictures. His work includes the musical Cover Girl (1944) and the Cole Porter biographical film Night and Day (1946). he announced he would retire from radio in 2023. Schwartz's younger son, Paul Schwartz (born 1956), with actress/dancer Mary Schwartz, is a composer, conductor, pianist, and producer.

Death Arthur Schwartz died September 3, 1984, in Kintnersville, Pennsylvania.

Awards Schwartz received two Academy Award nominations for Best Song: the first in 1944 for "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" in the film Thank Your Lucky Stars; the second in 1948 for "A Gal in Calico" from the film The Time, the Place and the Girl.

In 1990, Schwartz's hit, "That's Entertainment" from the film The Band Wagon, was awarded the ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standard. "It's All Yours" (words by Dorothy Fields), performed by Jimmy Durante and Ethel Merman in Stars in Your Eyes (1939) (all to words by Frank Loesser), in the film Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) "A Gal in Calico" (words by Leo Robin), introduced in the film The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946) by Jack Carson, Martha Vickers and Dennis Morgan "A Rainy Night in Rio" (words by Leo Robin), introduced in the film The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946) by Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, Janis Paige, and Martha Vickers "Alone Too Long" (words by Dorothy Fields), introduced by Shirley Booth and Wilbur Evans in the musical By the Beautiful Sea (1954) "Simpatico" recorded by Dean Martin (April 25, 1955)