Yip Yip Hooray! Three Cheers for Yip Harburg As He Gets His Own Postage Stamp

Sure, we all have our gripes with the US Postal Service. But once in a while they do a beautiful thing – they do the world a service by putting someone's image on a stamp, someone so deserving of recognition that little children will ask, "Who is this person? Why is he so important that they made a stamp for him?"

Thursday, April 28, the US Postal Service unveiled a postage stamp bearing the image of renowned lyricist Yip Harburg, recognizing him for the indelible mark he left on us. The ceremony fittingly took place at the 92nd Street Y, where Yip Harburg himself helped launch the institution's very first Lyrics & Lyricists series in 1970.

His name might not be familiar to many but his songs are sung by millions around the world. Embracing his love for musical theater, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg began writing songs with composer Jay Gorney in 1929. In 1932, they produced a hit, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" written for a Broadway revue, which was immediately recognized as a classic and became a new anthem for many Americans during the Great Depression. After furnishing lyrics for two more Broadway shows, Harburg teamed with composer Harold Arlen, and together they went on to collaborate on several classics of stage and screen, including Cabin in the Sky (1943), Bloomer Girl (1944) and Jamaica (1956).

But of course the duo is best known for "Over the Rainbow" which won the Academy Award for Best Song for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. One of the probable reasons for the song's success was Harburg's ability to capture the immigrant experience and encourage people to "dare to dream."

In 1947 Harburg joined forces with Burton Lane for the masterpiece Finian's Rainbow, in which the lyricist expressed his opinions on racism, social injustice and crimes against humanity. Happily, this show gave us lasting favorites laced with the most definitive statement of Harburg's personal values, combining skepticism and hope. During the 1950s, Harburg's liberal political views led to his being blacklisted by the movie industry, so he wrote for the stage until he was invited back to Hollywood for the 1962 animated film Gay Purr-ee.

In 2001, "Over the Rainbow" was named top song of the 20th Century in a poll conducted by the Recording Industry Association of America, and in 2004 the song was declared the greatest film song of all time by the American Film Institute. How can we argue with that?

Unfortunately, the evening's two biggest draws – Michael Feinstein and Joel Grey, who after his stint as the Wizard in Wicked was scheduled to lead a medley of tunes from The Wizard of Oz – were both no-shows. Still, this didn't deter the evening from being a lovely tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of our time.

It was a virtual Harburg family reunion as the songwriter's children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews were on hand for the festivities, as well as luminaries Sheldon Harnick and Burton Lane's wife, Lynn Lane. Eldest son Ernie Harburg, author of the book Who Put the Rainbow in the Wizard of Oz? and president of The Yip Harburg Foundation, gave a moving introduction about the man who was his father.

Ernie Harburg expounded on his father's attraction to words and his impeccable ear for music. The songwriter once stated, "Words make you think thoughts, music makes you feel a feeling, but a song makes you feel a thought." The younger Harburg also shared his father's keenness for witticisms, known lovingly as "Yip's Quips". In fact, when their father was dying, the Harburg children sought out lawyers to create The Yip Harburg Foundation, to preserve his legacy and ensure the continued influence of his work and social outlook, whose proceeds would be used to provide assistance to individuals and institutions in arts, education and related areas (http://www.choreographics.com/harburg/fdation.htm) As Ernie Harburg put it, when they told their father and handed him the official documents, he was so filled with joy and disbelief he said with a tear and a twinkle, "'Come now, you're pulling my legacy!' That was Yip," said his son to a chuckling audience.

Maureen McGovern then lavished the audience with a stirring – a cappella – and unmiked – rendition of "Over the Rainbow". What a treat!

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson recited many of Harburg's irreverent, thoughtful poems, which covered a gamut of topics from war, love, old age, politics, crimes against humanity, capitalism, death, life's folly and more. Here was truly a glimpse into the genius of this man, whose poetry was filled with rich imagery, alliteration, poignancy and humor. ("In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, and in Summer – and in Autumn – and in Winter – see above.")

Other Harburg favorites were celebrated. After Stephen Bogardus sweetly sang a breezy "April in Paris" and Diane Sutherland's bright voice sparkled with "Fun to Be Fooled", the pair joined for a gentle, jazzy duet of "If I Only Had A Brain/Heart." Catherine Russell, whose powerful voice blew the audience away during the requisite Star-Spangled Banner at the top of the hour, belted out a fervent rendition of "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" Then an enthusiastic audience was led through a rousing sing-along of "Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead," Harburg's statement against tyranny.

Sprinkled throughout the event were film clips, each a sheer delight. Groucho Marx in At The Circus sang "Lydia the Tattooed Lady", a song that showcases Harburg's brilliant lyrical stylings ("Here's Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon, here's Godiva, but with her pajamas on.") Clips of a young Judy Garland are always breathtaking, interspersed with clips of Harburg himself, singing "Look to the Rainbow" and offering some philosophies on life.

On that note, Harburg had once said about love, with almost a cosmic romanticism, "I think everybody…is confronted with two things in his life, his drive to be related to the universe, but that's a hard thing because there are so many stars and it very hard to grasp that relationship, so the next best thing is to be related to humanity, but there are lot of people and that's hard too…but if he can really relate with one other person, he will relate with all of humanity and he will relate to all of the universe." That sentiment was best captured in his old standard "Its Only A Paper Moon," sung by Ben Harburg who came onstage to pay homage to his grandfather with that tune. Clearly not a singer, Ben was more than a little off, but it came from such a heartfelt place I couldn't help but be moved by Ben's sincerity and the love for his grandfather's legacy.

"Finian's Rainbow" is certainly one of the most beloved and poignant musicals of all-time, and its memorable score could not be omitted on a night like this. Bogardus, Sutherland and Russell were joined by more cast members from the Irish Repertory's recent hit revival of the show - Kerry O'Malley and A.J. Irvin - and all sang several stand-out songs, including "Look to the Rainbow," "Old Devil Moon," "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich" and "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?"

What else would be an apropos finale for such a tribute? Everyone involved came onstage and sang another round of "Over the Rainbow." You know, after so many times hearing it throughout one's lifetime it is easy to become immune to its message, but when I looked up and saw the gorgeous stamp hanging overhead, with Harburg smiling down on the audience, the song brought tears to my eyes as I realized, they just don't write songs like this anymore.