Samuel Lerner(1903-1989)
- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Composer ("I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", "Is It True What They Say About
Dixie?"), author, songwriter and publisher, he emigrated to the US in
1910 and was educated at Wayne University. He wrote special material
for vaudeville singers including Sophie Tucker, and from 1928 was a
music-publishing executive. Moving to London in 1936, he wrote the
London stage scores for 'Going Greek' and 'Hide and Seek', plus songs
for British films. In 1938, he returned to America and joined the
Dramatists Guild, where he served on the executive council. He was a
member of the Hollywood Writers Mobilization and the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts & Sciences. He joined ASCAP in 1931, and his chief musical
collaborators include Hoagy Carmichael, Jay Gorney, Al Hoffman, and Al
Goodhart. His popular songs, besides the two mentioned earlier, include
"Oh Susanna Dust Off that Old Pianna"; "The Pump Song"; "I Promise
You"; "Judy"; "Gangway"; "Lord and Lady Whoozis"; "The Rhyming Song";
"Y'Had It Comin' to You"; "In a Fanciful Mood"; "But Me No Buts";
"Intrigue"; and "You Never Lose What You Never Had".