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THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY: Going Gaga For Ira Gershwin

By: Dec. 11, 2014
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Today we salute one of Broadway's most influential artists in honor of his birthday this week, the one and only Ira Gershwin.

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They All Laughed

Born on December 6, 1896, Ira Gershwin and his younger brother George were first given the family name Gershowitz before it was shortened to Gershvin and later Gershwin, rising up the ranks of Tin Pan Alley in the 1920s. Their list of hits is astounding and their contributions to American musical theatre are just as impressive, if not more - and, as time has proven, their trademark lyrical wit and way with a winning melody has endured for nearly a century since their first song cracked the charts and ingratiated itself in the minds and ears of listeners around the world. Intriguingly, Ira did not immediately pursue a career as a songwriter as his brother did, vying instead to work for their father at his Turkish baths establishment and at other odd jobs while his brother feverishly composed throughout his teens and twenties. Then, in 1918, the brothers broke through with their first popular song, "The Real American Folk Song", for the musical LADIES FIRST. At the age of 21, Ira was fortuitously signed to compose lyrics for a new musical along with Vincent Youmans and Paul Lannin titled TWO LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE and the success of his work in the show snowballed into Ira collaborating with his own brother yet again on their next project, A DANGEROUS MAID, which toured the country following an Atlantic City sit-down premiere in 1921. I'LL BUILD A STAIRWAY TO PARADISE came next, and, in 1924, came LADY, BE GOOD. It would prove to be more than merely worth the wait. While LADY, BE GOOD contained a multitude of infectious tunes, a few selections would also go on to become standards to stand alongside the masterworks of Ira and George Gershwin's career when considered as a whole that still remain popular today - the electrifying "Fascinating Rhythm" and the rapturous "The Man I Love". Many more musicals followed.

Following their many Broadway successes in the early 1920s, Ira and George teamed up several more times - with many of their musicals of the era becoming big hits, such as OH, KAY! and OF THEE I SING, the latter which would become the first musical to receive the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for Drama - with their partnership reaching its apotheosis in the innovative American folk opera PORGY & BESS in 1935, written with DuBose Heyward and based on his novel of the same name. Unfortunately, the fraternal partnership was relatively short-lived, with George unexpectedly dying from complications related to a brain tumor in 1937 and the promise of another half a lifetime of hits dashed along with him. As a result, Ira did not write any lyrics for three years following his brother's death, though he eventually would famously team up with a trio of other iconic Golden Age composers for some notable projects in the 1940s and 1950s, namely COVER GIRL with Jerome Kern, A STAR IS BORN onscreen and LIFE BEGINS AT 8:40 onstage with Harold Arlen and both LADY IN THE DARK and WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? with Kurt Weill. Additionally, Ira Gershwin received three Academy Award nominations for his film work - "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Long Ago (And Far Away)" and "The Man That Got Away", though none won the top honor. He spent his final years curating the Gershwin estate along with noted performer and historian Michael Feinstein.

Proving the indescribable power of Ira's words and George's music, an outspoken champion of the Great American Songbook and a prime interpreter of Gershwin herself, international pop star Lady Gaga has memorably covered a handful of Gershwin standouts over the years, with "They All Laughed" among the many highlights of her chart-topping new duets album with recording industry icon Tony Bennett, CHEEK TO CHEEK. Gaga also famously performed the romantic Gershwin staple "Someone To Watch Over Me" as part of a TODAY appearance a few years back as well as treated fans to the sexy "I've Got A Crush On You" as part of her international ARTRAVE tour earlier this year.

So, now, see why the words of Ira Gershwin cross generational lines with a triptych of terrific tunes as performed by Lady Gaga.

"Someone To Watch Over Me"

"I've Got A Crush On You"

"They All Laughed"

What precisely is it about Ira Gershwin's urbane wit and delicate wording that makes his songs so timeless, nearly 100 years after many of them were first written? Furthermore, what is your absolute favorite tune composed by Ira along with his brother, George? What about your prime pick out of his many successful pairings with other collaborators? With a songstack this special and strong, it seems that the lyrics of Ira Gershwin are destined to live on past his next several birthdays and far, far beyond.




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