Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer,

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

, and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote musicals for the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

stage, including ''

Carnival! ''Carnival'' is a musical, originally produced by David Merrick on Broadway in 1961, with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film ''Lili'', which again was based on the short story ...

'' (music and lyrics) and '' Funny Girl'' (lyrics).

Life and career

Merrill played an important role in American popular music; though not able to play a musical instrument, he tapped out many of the hit parade songs of the 1950s on a toy xylophone,Haun, Harry
"Bob Merrill: The Music That Made Him"
playbill, August 25, 2011 including " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", " Mambo Italiano" and "

If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake" is a popular song written by Al Hoffman, Bob Merrill, and Clem Watts and published in 1950. In the U.S, the best known version of the song was recorded by Eileen Barton in January 1950. Joe Lipman ...

""Bob Merrill"
songhall.org, accessed March 24, 2019 as well as writing music and lyrics for several Broadway shows including '' Funny Girl''. Merrill was born in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

and raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

over his family's candy factory and soda fountain. As a teenager, he wanted to be a singer and performed in all local talent contests, and even worked as an impressionist-emcee at a local burlesque house. His plans for a career in show business were cut short by the advent of World War II when he was drafted into the Horse Cavalry Division of the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. After the war, Merrill moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a dialogue director for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and while on location for a film, he was asked to write some songs for the actress in the film, Dorothy Shay, who was recording an album at the time. Shay's album ''Park Avenue Hillbilly'' became a hit which launched his career. Soon he was invited to collaborate with

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 ...

and

Clem Watts Albert J. Trace ''(aka'' Albert Joseph Trace; ''né'' Feinberg; 25 December 1900 – 31 August 1993) was an American songwriter and orchestra leader of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. His popularity peaked in the Chicago area during the height of t ...

to write some songs. They came up with a

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

", recorded in 1948 by

Eileen Barton Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an American singer best known for her 1950 hit song, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake." Early years Barton was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as 1 ...

. He also co-wrote the

Moon Mullican Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with t ...

song " You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry". The other Top Ten songs for which he is best known includeVallance, Tom
"Obituary: Bob Merrill"
''Independent'', 20 February 1998 *"

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

" -

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

*" (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" -

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

" -

Honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal prismatic wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. Beekeepers may remove the entire honeycomb to harvest honey. Honey bees consume about of honey ...

" - Jimmie Rodgers *" Mambo Italiano" -

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

" -

Guy Mitchell Guy Mitchell (born Albert George Cernik; February 22, 1927 – July 1, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor, successful in his homeland, the UK, and Australia. He sold 44 million records, including six million-selling singles. In the fa ...

*" Love Makes the World Go 'Round" - Jane Morgan *"

The Kid's Last Fight "The Kid's Last Fight" is a song written by Bob Merrill and first recorded by Frankie Laine in December 1953 at Columbia Records. The recording by Laine reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was covered by The Statler Brothe ...

" -

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final ...

Tina Marie "Tina Marie" is a popular song. It was written by Bob Merrill and was published in 1955, and performed by Perry Como with an accompaniment with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra with The Ray Charles Singers. Recordings On June 21, 1955, Perry Co ...

" -

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

*"Make Yourself Comfortable" -

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

Guy Mitchell recorded many of Merrill's songs including " Sparrow in the Treetop", " She Wears Red Feathers", and " My Truly, Truly Fair". Merrill made his

debut in 1957 with '' New Girl in Town'', a musical adaptation of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

's ''

Anna Christie ''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the ...

''. The musical was nominated for the

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 c ...

for Best Musical. ''

Take Me Along ''Take Me Along'' is a 1959 musical based on the 1933 Eugene O'Neill play '' Ah, Wilderness'', with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.Mandelbaum, Ke"Ken Mandelbaum's Musicals On Disc: Remembering Bob Me ...

'' followed in 1959, with music and lyrics by Merrill, starring

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

and Walter Pidgeon. The musical was nominated for the 1960 Tony Award for Best Musical. In 1961, the film ''Lili'' was made into the Broadway musical ''

'', starring Anna Maria Alberghetti with words and music by Merrill. The musical was nominated for the 1962 Tony Award for Best Musical. He had theatrical success with the

musical '' Funny Girl'', (1964) which introduced the standards "People" and "

Don't Rain on My Parade "Don't Rain on My Parade" is a popular song from the 1964 musical '' Funny Girl''. It was also featured in the 1968 movie version of the musical. The song was written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne. Both the movie and stage versions feature Barbra ...

". Merrill and Jule Styne were nominated for the 1964 Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist. When the stage show was adapted for film, he and songwriting partner

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also becam ...

were asked to write a title tune, which was nominated for the 1968

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Song. Producer

David Merrick David Merrick (born David Lee Margoulis; November 27, 1911 – April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer who won a number of Tony Awards. Life and career Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick gra ...

hired Merrill to write additional songs for the musical '' Hello, Dolly!''. Merrill contributed two songs, "Motherhood March" and "Elegance", and some additional lyrics to

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyrici ...

's "It Takes a Woman". Merrill did not accept billing or credit for his additions to the score. He is also the lyricist of the theme song "Loss Of Love", from the 1970 Italian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

''Sunflower'' and composed by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

. Merrill's other Broadway credits include '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1966), '' Henry, Sweet Henry'' (1967), ''

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

'' (1972) (reworked as ''Some Like It Hot'' for a 1992 production in London's West End starring Tommy Steele and a 2002-2003 United States national tour starring Tony Curtis as Osgood Fielding, Jr.), and '' The Red Shoes'' (1993). He wrote the book and lyrics for the musical ''

Prettybelle ''Prettybelle'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne. It was adapted from Jean Arnold's darkly comic novel ''Prettybelle: A Lively Tale of Rape and Resurrection'' (Dial Press, 1970). It starred Angela Lansbury ...

'' (1971), which closed in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

during tryouts.

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

starred, with direction by

Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Car ...

. He wrote the music and lyrics for the musical ''The Prince of Grand Street'' (1978), which closed during its Boston tryouts. The musical starred Robert Preston and was directed by

Gene Saks Gene Saks (born Jean Michael Saks; November 8, 1921 – March 28, 2015) was an American director and actor. An inductee of the American Theater Hall of Fame, his acting career began with a Broadway debut in 1949. As a director, he was nominated ...

. Because of reviews during the Philadelphia tryout, an entire new first act was written for Boston. He was nominated for the

five times, but never won. However, in 1961 he won the New York Drama Critics Award for his work on ''Carnival!''. Merrill's screenwriting credits include ''

W. C. Fields and Me ''W. C. Fields and Me'' is a 1976 American biographical film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Rod Steiger and Valerie Perrine. The screenplay by Bob Merrill is based on a memoir by Carlotta Monti, mistress of actor W. C. Fields during the l ...

'' (1976), and the

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s ''Portrait of a Showgirl'' (1982) and ''The Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1998). Among Merrill's television credits were two holiday specials, ''

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol ''Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol'' is a 1962 animated musical holiday television special produced by UPA. It is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', and it features UPA's character Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge. ...

'' (1962) and ''The Dangerous Christmas of Red Riding Hood'' (1965), written for

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Personal life and death

Merrill was married to Dolores Marquez in 1964; they divorced and he married Suzanne Reynolds in 1976. Merrill became ill with various ailments in the mid-1990s; suffering from depression, he killed himself on February 17, 1998.

Stage musicals

* '' New Girl In Town'' (1957) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1961) * '' Funny Girl'' (1964) * '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (1966) * '' Henry, Sweet Henry'' (1967) * ''

'' (1971) * ''

'' (1972) * ''The Prince of Grand Street'' (1978) * ''We're Home'' (1984) - Off-Broadway * ''Hannah... 1939'' (1990) - Off-Broadway * '' The Red Shoes'' (1993) (credited as Paul Stryker) Source: PlaybillMandelbaum, Ken
"Ken Mandelbaum's MUSICALS ON DISC: Remembering Bob Merrill"
playbill, March 1, 1998

Merrill compositions recorded by Guy Mitchell

Source: AllMusic"Guy Mitchell Songs"
allmusic.com, accessed March 24, 2019 *"

Chicka Boom "Chicka Boom" is a popular song written by Bob Merrill. The song was published in 1953 and appeared in the 1953 film, ''Those Redheads From Seattle.'' This was one of a number of Merrill's songs recorded by Guy Mitchell which were hits for hi ...

" *" Feet Up (Pat Him on the Po-Po)" *" Look at That Girl" *" My Truly, Truly Fair" *"

" *" She Wears Red Feathers" *" Sparrow in the Treetop"

References

External links

*
Internet Broadway DatabaseBob Merrill at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrill, Bob 1921 births 1998 deaths Musicians from Atlantic City, New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey American male composers American musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists Broadway composers and lyricists Grammy Award winners 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters