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Clifford Grey
Clifford Grey (5 January 1887 – 25 September 1941) was an English songwriter, librettist, actor and screenwriter. His birth name was Percival Davis, and he was also known as Clifford Gray. Grey contributed prolifically to West End and Broadway shows, as librettist and lyricist for composers including Ivor Novello, Jerome Kern, Howard Talbot, Ivan Caryll and George Gershwin. Among his best-remembered songs are two from early in his career, in 1916: " If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)" and "Another Little Drink Wouldn't Do Us Any Harm". His later hits include "Got a Date with an Angel" and "Spread a Little Happiness". For 35 years after 1979 it was widely believed that Grey secretly competed as an American bobsleigher, under the name Clifford "Tippy" Gray, in two Winter Olympics, in 1928 and 1932, winning gold medals, but it was finally shown that the sportsman was a different person. Life and career Early years Grey was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bing Boys Are Here
''The Bing Boys Are Here'', styled "A Picture of London Life, in a Prologue and Six Panels," is the first of a series of revues which played at the Alhambra Theatre, London during the last two years of World War I. The series included ''The Bing Boys on Broadway'' and ''The Bing Girls Are There''. The music for them was written by Nat D. Ayer with lyrics by Clifford Grey, who also contributed to ''Yes, Uncle!'', and the text was by George Grossmith, Jr. and Fred Thompson (writer), Fred Thompson based on Rip and Bousquet's ''Le Fils Touffe''. Other material was contributed by Eustace Ponsonby, Philip Braham and Ivor Novello. ''The Bing Boys Are Here'' opened in 1916 in the West End and ran for 378 performances. It was one of the three most important musical hits of the London stage during World War I (the other two being ''The Maid of the Mountains'' and ''Chu Chin Chow''); music or scenes from all of these have been included as background in many films set in this period, and they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phi-Phi
''Phi-Phi'' is an opérette légère in three acts with music by Henri Christiné and a French libretto by Albert Willemetz and Fabien Solar. The piece was one which founded the new style of French comédie musicale, the first to really use the latest rhythms of jazz ( one-step, fox trot) along with a plot which emphasised comedy – with risqué dialogue of puns and anachronisms – more than the romantic style, which had predominated before. The success of the piece prompted imitators in Paris such as ''Le petit Phi-Phi'' (3 March 1922) and ''Les amants de Phi-Phi'' (13 March 1923). It also led to a spate of similarly titled stage works: ''Clo-Clo'', '' Dédé'', ''You-You'', ''Pan Pan''...Brinde-Jont-Offenbach J. L'opérette. In: ''Cinquante Ans de Musique Française de 1874 à 1925.'' Les Éditions Musicales de la Librairie de France, Paris, 1925. A 1922 London production, in English, was very successful. Performance history ''Phi-Phi'' opened on 12 November 1918, directly aft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sally (musical)
''Sally'' is a musical comedy with music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Clifford Grey and book by Guy Bolton (inspired by the 19th century show, ''Sally in our Alley''), with additional lyrics by Buddy De Sylva, Anne Caldwell and P. G. Wodehouse. The plot hinges on a mistaken identity: Sally, a waif, is a dishwasher at the Alley Inn. She poses as a famous foreign ballerina and rises to fame (and finds love) through joining the Ziegfeld Follies. There is a rags to riches story, a ballet as a centrepiece, and a wedding as a finale. " Look for the Silver Lining" continues to be one of Kern's most familiar songs. The song is lampooned by another song, "Look for a Sky of Blue," in Rick Besoyan's satirical 1959 musical ''Little Mary Sunshine''. The piece was first produced in 1920 on Broadway by Florenz Ziegfeld, and ran for 570 performances, one of the longest runs on Broadway up to that time. The show was designed as a debut star vehicle for Marilyn Miller. It had a successful London ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
