Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist.

Life and career

Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he composed his first score for a college musical. He moved to New York City in the 1930s, initially working as a pianist for dance orchestras. Livingston served in the Army's Special Services division during World War II.Biography of Hy Zaret
www.argosymusiccorp.com. Retrieved August 12, 2021. Among the popular songs Livingston helped write are "

It's the Talk of the Town "It's the Talk of the Town" is a popular song written by Jerry Livingston, the lyrics by Al J. Neiburg and Marty Symes. The song was published in 1933. The song is a pop standard, with many versions recorded by many artists. A recording by Glen Gr ...

", "

Under a Blanket of Blue "Under a Blanket of Blue" is an American popular song composed by Jerry Livingston (as Jerry Levinson), with lyrics by Marty Symes and Al J. Neiburg. It was published by Santly Bros., Inc. in 1933, one of four hits by the songwriting trio that yea ...

", " Blue and Sentimental", " Close to You", " Mairzy Doats", "

Wake the Town and Tell the People "Wake the Town and Tell the People" is a popular song with music by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Sammy Gallop, published in 1955. This song is a wedding day number complete with the chorus imitating the sound of wedding bells, as well as the sou ...

", "

The Twelfth of Never "The Twelfth of Never" is a popular song written in 1956 and first recorded by Johnny Mathis the following year. The title is a popular expression, which is used as the date of a future occurrence that will never come to pass. In the case of t ...

", and " Young Emotions". From the 1940s to the 1960s he wrote songs for numerous films and television series, including '' Cinderella'' (1950), '' Bronco'' (1958), '' 77 Sunset Strip'' (television series, 1958), ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian partner, Tom Lopaka (Robert Con ...

'' (television series, 1959), ''

Bourbon Street Beat ''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, with Arlene Howell as detective agency s ...

'' (television series, 1959), '' Surfside 6'' (television series, 1960), and the song "This is It" (for the 1960s ''

The Bugs Bunny Show ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 196 ...

''). He worked on Tin Pan Alley and co-wrote with Mack David the theme song to '' Casper the Friendly Ghost'', and co-wrote "The Unbirthday Song" for ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

'' and "Trick or Treat For Halloween" for '' Trick or Treat'' with David and

Al Hoffman Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of wh ...

. Livingston's Broadway compositions included the musical '' Molly'' and the musical revue ''

Bright Lights of 1944 ''Bright Lights of 1944'' was a 1943 Broadway musical revue with music composed by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Mack David. It opened at the Forrest Theatre where it played for a total of four performances. The cast featured James Barton, Bud ...

'', both with Mack David. With Mack David, he was nominated three times for the Academy Awards, the first time in 1951 for the song " Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" from ''Cinderella'' (1950) with Al Hoffman, again in 1960 for the song " The Hanging Tree" from the film of the same name (1959), and the last time for "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" (from the 1965 film '' Cat Ballou'') in 1966. In 1965, he and his wife, Ruth, were shot by their son, Gary, for "bugging him about getting out of bed at 1 PM", after his attempted suicide the previous night. He died of a heart condition at his home in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

, at the age of 78.

References

External links

* * 1909 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American composers American musical theatre composers Broadway composers and lyricists Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Musicians from Denver Songwriters from Colorado University of Arizona alumni Walt Disney Animation Studios people {{US-songwriter-stub