Ray Evans

Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter best known for being a half of a composing-songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, specializing himself in writing lyrics for film songs. On music Livingston composed, Evans wrote the lyrics.

Biography Early life and family Ray Evans was born on February 4, 1915, to a Jewish family in Salamanca, New York, United States.

Career Evans was valedictorian of his high school class, where he played clarinet in the band. The Salamanca High School yearbook from 1931 states: "His original themes and brilliant oral talks are the despair of his classmates. Ray's quite a humorist, too. At times, his satire is positively killing." He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1936, writing a senior thesis on "The relation between the central bank, member banks and the money market". Together they played in the university's college dance orchestra, "The Continentals". During school vacations the orchestra was engaged to play on several international cruises. After graduation the duo continued their partnership, seeking a career as a song-writing team in New York and later Hollywood. Their first big break came after auditioning for comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson in 1939. Their song "G'bye Now" made it into Olsen and Johnson's Broadway revue Hellzapoppin. In 1946, Livingston and Evans signed a contract with Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

Livingston and Evans did not hit the top until 1946, when they set the music publishing business on fire with "To Each His Own", which reached number one on the Billboard charts for three different artists, and occupied the top five positions on the "Most Played On the Air" chart for four different weeks (August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten). "Buttons and Bows" (1947) was their next multi-million seller, written for the movie The Paleface, with four artists reaching the top ten in 1948. For that song, the duo earned their first major award, the Academy Award for Best Song. They finished off the decade with 1949's "Mona Lisa", written for the movie Captain Carey, U.S.A., in which it was performed by Sergio de Karlo. "Mona Lisa" was a chart hit for seven popular and two country artists in 1950, sold a million for Nat King Cole, and won the pair another Oscar for Best Song.

Livingston and Evans, both members of ASCAP, won their third Academy Award for the song "Que Sera Sera", featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much and sung by Doris Day. Another popular song that he and Livingston wrote for a film was the song "Tammy", written for the 1957 movie Tammy and the Bachelor. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. Livingston and Evans also wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mr. Ed.

Despite initial doubt on their part that the song would be commercially successful, their Christmas song "Silver Bells", intended for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid, has become a Christmas standard.

Evans appeared as himself with Livingston in the film Sunset Boulevard in the New Year's Eve party scene.

In 1958, the song-writing team was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical Oh, Captain!. Evans also collaborated separately with Michael Feinstein, Henry Mancini, Max Steiner, and Victor Young. The song "Dear Heart" from the 1964 film of the same name was written by Livingston and Evans with Henry Mancini; it was nominated for an Oscar and for the Song of the Year Grammy Award, and was recorded multiple times, charting for Andy Williams, Jack Jones, and Henry Mancini.

Death He died aged 92 in Los Angeles, California, on the 42nd anniversary of the death of Nat King Cole, who had made "Mona Lisa" so famous. Evans was married for nearly 56 years to actress, writer, and playwright Wyn Ritchie Evans. His legacy is maintained and developed by the Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation in Culver City, California. The Ray Evans Seneca Theater in his hometown of Salamanca, NY, is named after him.

Legacy Evans is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He and Livingston have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Works

Ray Evans wrote more than 700 songs for screen, stage, and television. Most were composed with writing partner Jay Livingston.

Works on Screen DateMovieProductionSong 1941 Secrets of a Co-Ed Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) Brazilly Willy 1944 I Accuse My Parents Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) 1944 Swing Hostess Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) 1944 Why Girls Leave Home Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) 1945 Crime, Inc. Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) 1945 Kitty Paramount Pictures Kitty 1945 People Are Funny Paramount Pictures Hey Jose 1945 The Stork Club Paramount Pictures A Square In The Social Circle 1946 Double Rhythm Paramount Pictures Have The Last Kiss On Me 1946 Monsieur Beaucaire Paramount Pictures 1946 My Favorite Brunette Paramount Pictures 1946 To Each His Own Paramount Pictures To Each His Own 1947 Champagne For Two Paramount Pictures Ho! Ho! Jose! 1947 Dream Girl Paramount Pictures 1947 Easy Come, Easy Go Paramount Pictures Easy Come, Easy Go 1947 Golden Earrings Paramount Pictures Golden Earrings 1947 Paris In The Spring Paramount Pictures At The Carnival 1947 Smooth Sailing Paramount Pictures Great Feeling 1947 The Big Clock Paramount Pictures The Big Clock 1947 The Imperfect Lady Paramount Pictures Piccadilly Tilly 1947 Whispering Smith Paramount Pictures Laramie 1948 Beyond Glory Paramount Pictures Beyond Glory 1948 Catalina Interlude Paramount Pictures Catalina 1948 Isn't It Romantic? Paramount Pictures 1948 Sorrowful Jones Paramount Pictures 1948 Speed to Spare Pine-Thomas Productions-Paramount Pictures Golden Earrings 1948 The Paleface Paramount Pictures 1949 Bride of Vengeance Paramount Pictures 1949 Copper Canyon Paramount Pictures Copper Canyon 1949 Dear Wife Paramount Pictures 1949 My Friend Irma Paramount Pictures 1949 Paid In Full Paramount Pictures You're Wonderful 1949 Song of Surrender Paramount Pictures Song of Surrender 1949 Streets of Laredo Paramount Pictures The Streets of Laredo 1949 Sunset Blvd. Paramount Pictures 1949 The Great Lover Paramount Pictures 1949 The Heiress Paramount Pictures My Love Loves Me 1950 Ace In The Hole Paramount Pictures We're Coming Leo 1950 Captain Carey, U.S.A. Paramount Pictures Mona Lisa 1950 Fancy Pants Paramount Pictures 1950 Lucy Gallant Paramount Pictures How Can I Tell Her? 1950 My Friend Irma Goes West Paramount Pictures 1950 No Man of Her Own Paramount Pictures The Lie 1950 Samson and Delilah Paramount Pictures The Song of Delilah 1950 The Furies Paramount Pictures T.C. Round-Up Time 1950 The Redhead and the Cowboy Paramount Pictures Trav'lin' Free 1951 Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick Paramount Pictures 1951 Anything Can Happen Paramount Pictures Love Laughs At Kings 1951 Crosswinds Paramount Pictures Crosswinds 1951 Here Comes The Groom Paramount Pictures 1951 My Favorite Spy Paramount Pictures Just A Moment More 1951 Rhubarb Paramount Pictures 1951 Sangaree Pine Thomas Productions-Paramount Pictures Sangaree 1951 Somebody Loves Me Paramount Pictures 1951 Son of Paleface Paramount Pictures 1951 That's My Boy Paramount Pictures Ridgeville Fight Song 1951 The Lemon Drop Kid Paramount Pictures 1951 When Worlds Collide Paramount Pictures When Worlds Collide 1952 Houdini Paramount Pictures The Golden Years 1952 Off Limits Paramount Pictures 1952 The Stars Are Singing Paramount Pictures 1952 Those Redheads from Seattle Paramount Pictures Mister Banjo Man 1952 Thunder In The East Paramount Pictures The Ruby and the Pearl 1952 What Price Glory 20th Century Fox 1953 Here Come The Girls Paramount Pictures 1953 Red Garters Paramount Pictures 1954 Casanova's Big Night Paramount Pictures Pretty Mandolin 1954 Mister Roberts Warner Bros. Let Me Hear You Whisper 1954 Sabrina Paramount Pictures Dream Girl 1954 Three Ring Circus Paramount Pictures Hey, Punchinello 1955 Raw Wind in Eden Universal International Pictures The Magic Touch 1955 The Man Who Knew Too Much Paramount Pictures 1955 The Second Greatest Sex Universal International Pictures The Second Greatest Sex 1956 Istanbul Universal International Pictures I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) 1956 Tammy and the Bachelor Universal International Pictures 1956 The Mole People Universal International Pictures The Mole People 1956 The Scarlet Hour Paramount Pictures Never Let Me Go 1957 Omar Khayyam Paramount Pictures 1957 Saddle the Wind MGM Saddle the Wind 1957 The James Dean Story Warner Bros. Let Me Be Loved 1957 This Happy Feeling Universal International Pictures This Happy Feeling 1958 Another Time Another Place Paramount Pictures Another Time Another Place 1958 Girls On The Loose Universal Pictures I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) 1958 Houseboat Paramount Pictures 1958 Once Upon A Horse Universal International Pictures Once Upon A Horse 1958 The Big Beat Universal International Pictures As I Love You 1958 Vertigo Paramount Pictures Vertigo 1959 A Private's Affair 20th Century Fox 1959 The Blue Angel 20th Century Fox Lola-Lola 1959 Take a Giant Step United Artists Take a Giant Step 1960 All Hands On Deck 20th Century Fox 1961 The Two Little Bears 20th Century Fox Honey Bear 1961 Too Late Blues Paramount Pictures 1962 Krazy Kat King Features-Paramount 1962 Wait Until Dark Warner Bros. Wait Until Dark 1964 Dear Heart Warner Bros. Dear Heart 1964 Tammy and the Doctor Universal Pictures Tammy 1964 Those Calloways Walt Disney Angel 1964 Youngblood Hawke Warner Bros. On My Way (The Youngblood Hawke theme) 1965 Charade Universal Pictures Punch and Judy 1965 Harlow Paramount Pictures Lonely Girl 1965 Never Too Late Paramount Pictures Never Too Late 1965 The Night of the Grizzly Paramount Pictures Angela 1965 The Third Day Warner Bros. Love Me Now 1966 Arabesque Universal Pictures We've Loved Before 1966 Is Paris Burning? Paramount Pictures Paris Smiles 1966 The Oscar Embassy Pictures 1966 This Property is Condemned Paramount Pictures Wish Me A Rainbow 1966 Torn Curtain Universal International Pictures The Green Years 1966 What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? United Artists In the Arms of Love 1976 The Far Side of Paradise New World Pictures Foxtrot 1976 W.C. Fields and Me Universal International Pictures The Joke's On Me 1984 The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud 20th Century Fox Angel In The Night 1986 Mona Lisa Handmade Film and Palace Productions Mona Lisa

Works on Stage Date Musical Production Song 1940 Hellzapoppin' Olsen and Johnson 1941 Sons o' Fun Olsen and Johnson Additional Music by Jay Levinson and Ray Evans 1942 New Hellzapoppin' of 1943 Olsen and Johnson Hellzapoppin' Polka 1951 I Love Lydia Players Ring, Hollywood, California 1954 Oh, Captain! Alvin Theatre 1954 That's Life Los Angeles Revue 1961 Let It Ride Eugene O'Neill Theater 1976 Kentucky Lucky Unproduced 1979 Sugar Babies Mark Hellinger Theatre 1984 The Italian Look Unproduced 1984 West of East Unproduced 1987 The Red Parasol Unproduced 1987 What Fools These Mortals Be Unproduced 1988 The Odyssey of Runyon Jones Valley Music Theater 1990 The Passions of Perichole Unproduced

Works on Television DateShowProductionSong 1954 Satins And Spurs NBC 1956 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show NBC Anniversary Rose 1958 Peter Gunn NBC 1959 Bonanza NBC 1959 Mr. Lucky CBS Mr. Lucky 1959 The Chevy Show NBC That Ain't Right 1959 General Electric Theater MCA-TV 1960 Mister Ed CBS 1965 Tammy ABC Tammy 1970 To Rome With Love CBS To Rome With Love 1977 The Busters: Ransom for Alice NBC A Dude And A Doll 1979 A Family Circus Christmas Cullen-Kasdan Productions The Dreamer 1988 Bonanza: The Next Generation NBC Bonanza 1993 Bonanza: The Return NBC Bonanza 1995 Bonanza: Under Attack NBC Bonanza