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Mary Rodgers (January 11, 1931 – June 26, 2014) was an American composer, screenwriter, and author who wrote the novel ''
Freaky Friday ''Freaky Friday'' is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018, and was reinterpreted as a horror film f ...
'', which served as the basis of a
1976 film The year 1976 in film involved some significant events. Highest-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1976 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January – Paramount Pictures sets up a separate motion pict ...
starring
Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the ho ...
, for which she wrote the screenplay, as well as three other versions. Her best-known musicals were ''
Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was written ...
'' and ''
The Mad Show ''The Mad Show'' is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on ''Mad Magazine''. The music is by Mary Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vina ...
'', and she contributed songs to
Marlo Thomas Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom ''That Girl'' (1966–1971) and her children's franchise '' Free to Be... You and ...
' successful children's album '' Free to Be... You and Me''.


Early life

Rodgers was born in New York City. She was a daughter of composer
Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most ...
and his wife, Dorothy Belle (née Feiner). She had a sister, Mrs. Linda Emory. She attended the
Brearley School The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, located on the Upper East Side neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan. The school is divided into lower (kindergarten – grade 4), middle (grades 5–8) and upper (grades 9 ...
in Manhattan, and majored in music at
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
.Eby, Douglas
"Mary Rodgers Guettel interview by Douglas Eby"
TalentDevelop.com. Retrieved 2010-01-06. Quote: "At age 66, she is also a board member of ASCAP ..." mplies 1997
  This is not an interview transcript, but three paragraphs presumably by Eby over about 30 paragraphs in the first person by Rodgers Guettel.
She began writing music at the age of 16 and her professional career began with writing songs for
Little Golden Records Golden Records was a Simon & Schuster record label based in New York City. It was conceived and founded in 1948 by the Grammy Award-winning children's music producer, Arthur Shimkin, then a new recruit in the S&S business department. Shimkin ...
, which were albums for children with three-minute songs. One of these recordings, "
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" ( ar, علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale from the ''One Thousand and One Nights''. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who heard ...
", which was released in 1957, featured performances by
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
of songs Mary Rodgers wrote with lyricist
Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...
. She also composed music for television, including the jingle for the Prince Spaghetti commercial.Chapin, Ted
"Mary Rodgers (1931–2014): A Woman of Many Talents"
''
NewMusicBox ''NewMusicBox'' is an e-zine launched by the American Music Center on May 1, 1999. The magazine includes interviews and articles concerning American contemporary music, composers, improvisers, and musicians. A few interviews include renowned A ...
'', July 8, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.


Career

Her first full-length musical ''
Once Upon a Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was written ...
'', which was also her first collaboration with lyricist Marshall Barer with whom she continued to write songs for nearly a decade, opened Off Broadway in May 1959 and moved to Broadway later in the year. Following the show's initial run of 244 performances, there was a US tour (in 1960), a production in London's West End (also 1960), three televised productions (in 1964, 1972, and 2005), and a Broadway revival (1996). Cast albums were released for the original Broadway production, the original London production, and the Broadway revival. To this day, the show is frequently performed by community and school groups across the United States. Another significant compositional project for her was ''
The Mad Show ''The Mad Show'' is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on ''Mad Magazine''. The music is by Mary Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vina ...
,'' a musical revue based on ''Mad'' magazine which opened on Off Broadway in January 1966 and ran for a total of 871 performances. An original cast album, produced by
Goddard Lieberson Goddard Lieberson (April 5, 1911 – May 29, 1977) was the president of Columbia Records from 1956 to 1971, and again from 1973 to 1975. He became president of the Recording Industry Association of America in 1964. He was also a composer, and ...
, was released on Columbia Masterworks. Although the show also began as a collaboration with Marshall Barer, he quit before the project was completed and the show's remaining songs feature lyrics by Larry Siegel (co-author of the show's book), Steven Vinaver, and
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
, who contributed the lyrics to a parody of "
The Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Por ...
" called " The Boy From..." under the pseudonym Esteban Ria Nido."'Mad Show'"
Sondheim Guide. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
None of her other shows had the same level of success, but she also wrote music for
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
and
revues A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
, the first on Broadway being ''
Davy Jones' Locker Davy Jones's locker is a metaphor for the oceanic abyss, the final resting place of drowned sailors and travellers. It is a euphemism for drowning or shipwrecks in which the sailors' and ships' remains are consigned to the depths of the ocean ...
'' with
Bil Baird William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he and his puppets performed for millions of adults and children. One of his be ...
's marionettes, which had a two-week run at the
Morosco Theatre The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial. History Located at 217 West 45th Stree ...
from March 28 to April 11, 1959. (She also wrote the lyrics.) Others included ''
From A to Z ''From A to Z'' is a musical revue with a book by Woody Allen, Herbert Farjeon, and Nina Warner Hook and songs by Jerry Herman, Fred Ebb, Mary Rodgers, Everett Sloane, Jay Thompson, Dickson Hughes, Jack Holmes, Paul Klein, Norman Martin, William Dy ...
'' (1960), '' Hot Spot'' (1963), ''
Working Working may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community Arts and media * Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical * Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...
'' (1978), and
Phyllis Newman Phyllis Newman (March 19, 1933 – September 15, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Martha Vail in the musical ''Subways Are for Sleeping'' on Broadway, ...
's one-woman show ''
The Madwoman of Central Park West ''The Madwoman of Central Park West'' is a semi-autobiographical one-woman musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and Phyllis Newman and songs by various composers and lyricists. It focuses on the difficulties faced by an older actress who tries ...
'' (1979). A revue of Rodgers's music titled ''Hey, Love'', conceived and directed by
Richard Maltby Jr. Richard Eldridge Maltby Jr. (born October 6, 1937) is an American theatre director and producer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He conceived and directed the only two musical revues to win the Tony Award for Best Musical: '' Ain't Misbehavin (1 ...
ran in June 1993 at Eighty-Eight's in New York City."Mary Rodgers"
IBDb.com.
She eventually transitioned into writing children's books, most notably ''
Freaky Friday ''Freaky Friday'' is a comedic children's novel written by Mary Rodgers, first published by Harper & Row in 1972. It has been adapted for several films, including versions in 1976, 1995, 2003, and 2018, and was reinterpreted as a horror film f ...
'' (1972), which was made into a feature film (released 1976) for which Rodgers wrote the screenplay, and was remade for television in 1995, and again for cinemas in 2003."Mary Rodgers"
Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
(IMDb.com).
Rodgers' other children's books include ''The Rotten Book'' (1969), ''A Billion for Boris'' (1974, later republished under the title ''ESP TV''), and ''Summer Switch'' (1982), and she contributed songs to the landmark children's album '' Free to Be... You and Me''. She made a few brief forays back into writing for musical theater, including an adaptation of her book ''Freaky Friday'' (featuring music and lyrics by John Forster), which was presented by Theatreworks/USA in 1991, and ''The Griffin and the Minor Canon'', which was produced by Music Theatre Group, but after the latter show she never composed another note of music and never even played the piano again. She later explained, "I had a pleasant talent but not an incredible talent ... I was not my father or my son. And you have to abandon all kinds of things."


Personal life

Her first husband, whom she married in December 1951, was lawyer Julian B. Beaty, Jr.; they had three children. This marriage ended in 1957. She and her second husband, film executive Henry Guettel, had three sons, including
Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
, a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
-winning musical theater composer. Henry died in October 2013 at the age of 85. Mary Rodgers was a director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization and a board member of
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
. She also served for several years as chairman of the
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
. She died from
heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
at her home in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
on June 26, 2014.


References


External links

*
Mary Rodgers
at the
Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Mary 1931 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians American women children's writers American children's writers American musical theatre composers American people of German-Jewish descent American women composers Brearley School alumni Broadway composers and lyricists Jewish women writers Jewish women musicians Jewish American composers Jewish American songwriters Juilliard School people Writers from Manhattan Wellesley College alumni Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century women composers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women