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Jean Havez

1872 – 1925

American songwriter

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About Jean Havez

Lived 1872 – 1925 (aged 52). Jean Havez was an American composer, songwriter and screenwriter.

Jean Constant Havez (December 24, 1872 – February 11, 1925) was an American lyricist, screenwriter, and vaudevillian. During his film career, Havez worked with comedians Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.

Career Joseph A. Mitchell, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Havez and Edward F. Cline in 1923. Havez was a charter member of ASCAP (1914). His novelty songs, popular in their day, include "Darktown Poker Club" and "I'm Cured", written for the great vaudevillian Bert Williams for the 1914 Ziegfeld Follies; "Everybody Works But Father", "When You Ain't Got No Money then You Needn't Come Around", "I'm Looking For an Angel", "Do Not Forget the Good Old Days", "You're On the Right Road, Sister", "He Cert'ny Was Good to Me" and the lyrics for "Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay". Concurrent with his songwriting, Havez wrote vaudeville routines and stage shows for such performers as Reine Davies, Trixie Friganza, Kolb & Dill, and Cecil Cunningham (who was his first wife).

Havez penned Keystone scenarios for Roscoe Arbuckle, among others, and co-wrote several of Keaton's most popular films, including Our Hospitality (1923), Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Navigator (1924), and Seven Chances (1925). Havez supplied the story, and theme song, for Lloyd's first comedy feature Grandma's Boy (1921), and also contributed (uncredited) to Lloyd's most famous film Safety Last! (1923). Havez died at home of a heart attack and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA. His widow, a vaudevillian turned screenwriter, married director Edward Sedgwick and remained with him until his death in 1953.

Songs "Darktown Poker Club" "I'm Cured" "The Alabama Barbecue", words

Filmography Our Hospitality (1923) Sherlock Jr. (1924) The Navigator (1924) Seven Chances (1925) Grandma's Boy (1921) Safety Last! (1923)

In popular culture One of the two detective characters in The X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose", is named after him. Just like how the title of the episode itself is named after Clyde Bruckman.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Johns Hopkins University
Also known as
Jean C. Havez, Jean Constant Havez

Family & relationships

Spouse
Cecil Cunningham

People in Jean Havez's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Jean Havez's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jean Havez?

American songwriter (1872–1925)

When was Jean Havez born?

Jean Havez was born on 24 December 1872 in Baltimore.

When did Jean Havez die?

Jean Havez died on 11 February 1925 in Beverly Hills.

What was Jean Havez's occupation?

Jean Havez was a composer, songwriter and screenwriter.

What nationality was Jean Havez?

Jean Havez was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Jean Havez

· Wikidata: Q3171076

· DBpedia: Jean Havez

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jean Havez. https://biography.guide/jean-havez/

MLA: "Jean Havez." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jean-havez/.

Chicago: "Jean Havez." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jean-havez/.

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