72-458: Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist . In collaboration with Frederick Loewe , and later Burton Lane , he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre both for the stage and on film. Lerner won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards , among other honors. Born in New York City , he was
144-566: A recording or sheet music . However, before a song is published or made public, its author or publisher should register it with the Copyright Office at the United States Library of Congress to better protect against copyright infringement . Songwriting collaborations can take different forms. Some composers and lyricists work closely together on a song, with each having an input into both words and tune. Usually
216-486: A banquet for the eyes, thanks to the visual wonder of the Minnelli-Beaton teaming... Caron...leads the cast in a contest to see who can be the most French. The winner is Chevalier, in a performance that makes one feel as if you're gagging on pastry... Perhaps if the sweetness of Gigi was contrasted with elements of honest vulgarity, the picture could balance itself out... Ten minutes into the movie, you've resolved
288-439: A cast to give a set of performances that, for quality and harmony, are superb." Abel Green of Variety called the film "100% escapist fare" and predicted it "is destined for a global box-office mop-up". He added, "Alan Jay Lerner's libretto is tailor-made for an inspired casting job for all principals, and Fritz Loewe's tunes (to Lerner's lyrics) already vie with and suggest their memorable My Fair Lady score... Miss Caron
360-901: A film version of the 1954 stage adaptation by Anita Loos . It cost Freed more than $ 87,000 to purchase the rights from Miller and Loos. Lerner's songwriting partner Frederick Loewe had expressed no interest in working in Hollywood, so Lerner agreed to write the screenplay only. He and Freed discussed casting; Lerner favored Audrey Hepburn , who had starred in the Broadway production written by Loos, but Freed preferred MGM contract star Leslie Caron , who had co-starred in An American in Paris for him. Both agreed Maurice Chevalier would be ideal for aging boulevardier Honoré Lachaille, and Lerner proposed Dirk Bogarde for Gaston. Lerner agreed to write
432-417: A low-light visual scheme so that the location could be used without covering up the iconic mirrors. Ruttenberg even managed to cut down on the need for lighting stands and securing lights in corners by attaching lights with suction cups. By mid-July, the composers had completed most of the score, but still were missing the title tune. Loewe was at the piano while Lerner was indisposed in the bathroom, and when
504-502: A lyricist fills in the words to a tune already fully written out. Dorothy Fields worked in this way. Lyricists have often added words to an established tune, as Johnny Burke did with the Erroll Garner jazz standard " Misty ". Some partnerships work almost totally independently, for example, Bernie Taupin would write lyrics and hand them over to Elton John , who composed the music to go with it, with minimum interaction between
576-487: A man... who expresses his opinions in a forthright, warm and personal manner." A book of Lerner's lyrics entitled A Hymn To Him , edited by a British writer Benny Green , was published in 1987. At the time of Lerner's death, he had been working with Gerard Kenny and Kristi Kane in London on a musical version of the film My Man Godfrey . He had also received an urgent call from Andrew Lloyd Webber , asking him to write
648-496: A meal consisting of cheesecake, and one quickly longs for something solid and vulgar to weigh things down. No doubt inspired by the finicky, claustrophobic sets and bric-à-brac, the cast tries (with unfortunate success) to be more French than the French, especially Chevalier. The exception is Gingold, who inhabits, as always, a world of her own." TV Guide rated the film 3½ out of five stars, calling it "Overbaked but enjoyable, and
720-462: A mistress's uncertain life. She later sends for Gaston and tells him that she would rather be miserable with him than without him, and agrees to the arrangement. The couple go to Maxim's restaurant. Gigi performs perfectly as his courtesan, which upsets Gaston. After presenting her with an expensive emerald bracelet, he grows uneasy with the unrelenting scrutiny being heaped on them. Honoré congratulates Gaston on his new courtesan and remarks that Gigi
792-408: A musical film version of The Little Prince , based on the classic children's tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry . This film was a critical and box office failure, but it has gained a modern following. Lerner's autobiography, The Street Where I Live (1978), was an account of three of his and Loewe's successful collaborations, My Fair Lady , Gigi , and Camelot , along with personal information. In
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#1732794091749864-468: A musical number by Jourdan. Lerner was unhappy with the look of the scene as it had been shot by Minnelli, so, at considerable expense, the restaurant was recreated on a soundstage and the scene was reshot by director Charles Walters , since Minnelli was overseas working on a new project. The film title design uses the artwork of Sem 's work from the Belle Époque . The principal credited orchestrator
936-523: A musical, you select even fewer than that. First, we decide where a song is needed in a play. Second, what is it going to be about? Third, we discuss the mood of the song. Fourth, I give (Loewe) a title. Then he writes the music to the title and the general feeling of the song is established. After he's written the melody, then I write the lyrics. In a 1979 interview on NPR 's All Things Considered , Lerner went into some depth about his lyrics for My Fair Lady . Professor Henry Higgins sings, "Look at her,
1008-608: A musical. Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz first tried, and then Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II attempted, but gave up and Hammerstein told Lerner, " Pygmalion had no subplot". Lerner and Loewe's adaptation of George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion retained his social commentary and added appropriate songs for the characters of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, played originally by Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews . It set box-office records in New York and London. When brought to
1080-582: A musicalization of the Colette novella to Alan Jay Lerner during the Philadelphia tryout of My Fair Lady in 1954. When Lerner arrived in Hollywood two years later, Freed was battling the Hays Code to bring his tale of a courtesan-in-training to the screen. Another roadblock to the project was the fact Colette's widower had sold the rights to her novella to Gilbert Miller , who planned to produce
1152-477: A nine-week run and encouraged the duo to join forces with Arthur Pierson for What's Up? , which opened on Broadway in 1943. It ran for 63 performances and was followed two years later by The Day Before Spring . Their first hit was Brigadoon (1947), a romantic fantasy set in a mystical Scottish village, directed by Robert Lewis . It was followed in 1951 by the Gold Rush story Paint Your Wagon . While
1224-573: A partner, in 1942 at the Lamb's Club . While at the Lamb's, he also met Lorenz Hart , with whom he would also collaborate. Lerner and Loewe 's first collaboration was a musical adaptation of Barry Conners's farce The Patsy called Life of the Party for a Detroit stock company . The lyrics were mostly written by Earle Crooker, but he had left the project, with the score needing vast improvement. It enjoyed
1296-474: A prisoner of the gutters / Condemned by every syllable she utters / By right she should be taken out and hung / For the cold-blooded murder of the English tongue." Lerner said he knew the lyric used incorrect grammar for the sake of a rhyme. He was later approached about it by another lyricist: I thought, oh well, maybe nobody will notice it, but not at all. Two nights after it opened, I ran into Noël Coward in
1368-510: A record-breaking nine Academy Awards (at the 1959 Oscars ceremony ); however, this record only lasted for one year, as Ben-Hur broke this record the following year with 11 Oscars. In tribute to Gigi ' s domination of the Oscars, the MGM switchboard answered calls the following day with "M-Gigi-M". Gigi , eventually along with 1987's The Last Emperor , held the record as the film(s) with
1440-489: A restaurant, and he walked over and he said, "Dear boy, it is hanged , not hung ." I said, "Oh, Noel, I know it, I know it! You know, shut up!" So, and there's another, "Than to ever let a woman in my life." It should be, "as to ever let a woman in my life," but it just didn't sing well. Alan Jay Lerner was an advocate for writers' rights in theatre. He was a member of the Dramatists Guild of America . In 1960, he
1512-525: A romantic desire for her. Although hesitant due to her young age, Gaston realizes that he loves Gigi. He proposes a generous "business arrangement" to Madame Alvarez and Aunt Alicia for Gigi to become his mistress. Gigi refuses, telling Gaston she does not seek celebrity status, only to eventually be abandoned by him and become another man's mistress. She wants their relationship to remain platonic, but when Gaston reveals that he loves her, Gigi chastises him, saying if he truly loved her, he would never expose her to
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#17327940917491584-449: A series of musicals—some successful, some not—with such composers as André Previn ( Coco ), John Barry ( Lolita, My Love ), Leonard Bernstein ( 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ), Burton Lane ( Carmelina ) and Charles Strouse ( Dance a Little Closer , based on the film, Idiot's Delight , nicknamed Close A Little Faster by Broadway humorists because it closed on opening night). Most biographers blame Lerner's professional decline on
1656-541: A special Oscar for co-star Maurice Chevalier. The Lerner-Loewe partnership cracked under the stress of producing the Arthurian Camelot in 1960, with Loewe resisting Lerner's desire to direct as well as write when original director Moss Hart experienced a heart attack in the last few months of rehearsals and died about a year after the show's Broadway premiere. Lerner was hospitalized with bleeding ulcers while Loewe continued to have heart troubles. Camelot
1728-542: A treatment for an upcoming film project, Doctor Dolittle , but Lerner abrogated his contract after several non-productive months of non-communicative procrastination and was replaced with Leslie Bricusse . Lerner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971. In 1973, Lerner coaxed Loewe out of retirement to augment the Gigi score for a musical stage adaptation . The following year they collaborated on
1800-509: Is a writer 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. A lyricist's income derives from royalties received from original songs. Royalties may range from 50 percent of the song, if it was written primarily with the composer, or less if they wrote the song in collaboration. Songs are automatically copyrighted as soon as they are in tangible forms, such as
1872-444: Is a 1958 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli and processed using Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's Eastmancolor film process Metrocolor . The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is based on the 1944 novella by Colette . The film features songs with lyrics by Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe , arranged and conducted by André Previn . Costume design was done by Cecil Beaton (hats by Madame Paulette). At
1944-399: Is completely captivating and convincing in the title role... Skillful casting, performance and presentation have endowed realism to the sum total... Director Minnelli's good taste in keeping it in bounds and the general sound judgment of all concerned...distinguishes this Arthur Freed independent production. The Metrocolor rates recognition for its soft pastels under Joseph Ruttenberg's lensing;
2016-530: Is discomfited when Gigi shows off her new womanly gown. Gaston insults the dress, preferring her juvenile outfits; Gigi mocks his taste in clothes. Offended, Gaston storms out, then realizes his folly and returns to apologize. He offers to take Gigi to tea at the Reservoir, but Madame Alvarez tells him that an unchaperoned Gigi being seen in public with him could damage her reputation. Angered, Gaston storms out again. He reflects on Gigi, realizing he has developed
2088-419: Is everywhere apparent". He summarizes that "while Gigi does not represent a revival of the MGM musical in its heyday, it is a welcome extension of latter-day musical style in its adult subject-matter and its avoidance of spectacle made vulgar by emphasis on size." He praises Minnelli's talent for "the delicious amorality of the anecdote, but also the honesty and irony of its telling [which] have become foreign to
2160-536: Is so delightful that she will likely keep him amused for months. Gaston, too in love with Gigi to subject her to uncertainty and social judgment, insists they leave. Realizing the depth of his love, he asks Madame Alvarez for Gigi's hand in marriage. The final sequence returns to Honoré Lachaille, who proudly points out Gaston and Gigi getting into a carriage in the Bois de Boulogne : elegant, beautiful, and happily married. Hollywood producer Arthur Freed first proposed
2232-528: The 31st Academy Awards , the film won all nine of its nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Minnelli. It held the record for the highest clean sweep of nominations (later shared with The Last Emperor ) until The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won all eleven of its nominations at the 76th Academy Awards in 2004. In 1991, Gigi was selected for preservation in
Alan Jay Lerner - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-535: The Belle Époque at the turn of the 20th century. While in Bois de Boulogne , Honoré Lachaille remarks that in Paris, marriage is not the sole option for wealthy young bon vivants like his nephew Gaston, who is bored with life. Gaston does enjoy spending time with Madame Alvarez and her granddaughter, precocious, carefree Gilberte, affectionately known as Gigi. Gigi's mother (a singer who is heard but never seen onscreen) leaves her care mostly to Madame Alvarez. Following
2376-542: The Herbst Theatre in San Francisco . Lerner often struggled with writing his lyrics. He was uncharacteristically able to complete " I Could Have Danced All Night " from My Fair Lady in one 24-hour period. He usually spent months on each song and was constantly rewriting them. Lerner was said to have insecurity about his talent. He would sometimes write songs with someone in mind. For instance, he changed
2448-560: The Oscar-winning original screenplay for An American in Paris , produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Vincente Minnelli . This was the same team who would later join with Lerner and Loewe to create Gigi . In 1956, Lerner and Loewe unveiled My Fair Lady . By this time, too, Lerner and Burton Lane were already working on a musical about Li'l Abner . Gabriel Pascal owned the rights to Pygmalion , which had been unsuccessful with other composers who tried to adapt it into
2520-664: The "family tradition", Madame Alvarez regularly sends Gigi to her sister, Gigi's Great-Aunt Alicia to be groomed as a courtesan , a kept mistress of wealthy men. Gigi learns proper etiquette and charm but disdains the trivial love between a man and his mistress. She prefers to have fun with Gaston, whom she regards as an older brother or a young uncle. Like his uncle, Gaston is a known wealthy womanizer in Parisian high society. When his latest mistress has an affair with her ice-skating instructor, Gaston publicly humiliates her, resulting in her faux-attempted suicide. Gaston plans to retreat to
2592-492: The American cinema." Vaughan points out "Chevalier's practiced but irresistible charm [as] one of the film's greatest assets" as well as "the brilliant high-comedy playing of Isabel Jeans, who as Aunt Alicia consummately portrays the distinction and beauty of a retired aristocrat of the demimonde ." Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it "a musical film that bears such a basic resemblance to My Fair Lady that
2664-468: The Beaton costumes, sets and general production design are vivid physical assets at first sight. The skillful integration of words-and-music with the plot motivation makes this Gigi a very fair lady indeed as a boxoffice entry." Time Out New York said, "The dominating creative contribution comes from Minnelli and Cecil Beaton ... The combination of these two visual elitists is really too much—it's like
2736-661: The United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The American Film Institute ranked it number 35 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions . The film is considered the last great Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical and the final great achievement of the Freed Unit, headed by producer Arthur Freed . The film is set during
2808-409: The authors may want to sue themselves". He added, "But don't think this point of resemblance is made in criticism of the film, for Gigi is a charming entertainment that can stand on its own two legs. It is not only a charming comprehension of the spicy confection of Colette, but it is also a lovely and lyrical enlargement upon that story's flavored mood and atmosphere ... Vincente Minnelli has marshaled
2880-460: The boxing ring. In 1957, Lerner and Leonard Bernstein , another of Lerner's college classmates, collaborated on "Lonely Men of Harvard", a tongue-in-cheek salute to their alma mater. Owing to his eye injury, Lerner could not serve in World War II . Instead he wrote radio scripts, including Your Hit Parade , until he was introduced to German- Austrian composer Frederick Loewe , who needed
2952-702: The country, but his uncle insists that he remain in Paris and attend even more parties. While playing cards with Gaston, Gigi wagers that if he loses, he must take her and her grandmother to the seaside for the weekend. Gaston loses the bet, and the three travel to Trouville . While Gaston and Gigi have fun together, Honoré and Madame Alvarez unexpectedly reunite and reminisce about their once-passionate affair. When Gaston goes to Monte Carlo, Great-Aunt Alicia and Madame Alvarez scheme to turn Gigi into Gaston's mistress. Though initially dubious, Madame Alvarez agrees to Gigi being intensively trained before Gaston's return. Gigi accepts this as pre-destined. When Gaston returns, he
Alan Jay Lerner - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-499: The creation of another tune for his character, "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore". The lyrics for another of his songs, the duet "I Remember It Well", performed with Hermione Gingold as his former love Madame Alvarez, were adapted from words Lerner had written for Love Life , a 1948 collaboration with Kurt Weill . "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight", a solo performed by Gigi, had been written for Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady but
3096-531: The film as "incredibly sexist and kind of hateful". On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a score of 88% from 76 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "It may not be one of Vincente Minnelli's best, but the charming and flawlessly acted Gigi still offers enough visual and musical treats to satisfy." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". With all 9 nominations, Gigi won
3168-477: The film earned $ 6.5 million in the US and Canada and $ 3.2 million elsewhere during its initial theatrical release, resulting in a profit of $ 1,983,000. It was Freed's last and largest grossing success. In total, the film grossed $ 13,208,725 in its initial release and later 1966 re-release. In the 1959 review for Sight & Sound , David Vaughan calls Gigi "an elegant film" with a "cultivated visual taste [which]
3240-602: The film finally was ready for release. It premiered at the Royale Theatre , a legitimate theatrical venue in New York City, on May 15, 1958. The film had 10 reserved seat engagements in the United States before opening in selected cities on a continuous run basis from October 2, 1958. The film entered saturation release in the United States with 450 prints on April 1, 1959. According to MGM records,
3312-460: The focus on Gigi's relationship with her grandmother. A signature scene was filmed on location at Maxim's, the famous Belle Epoque restaurant with its ornate Art Nouveau mirrored walls. Shooting at the restaurant was a logistical nightmare, as the mirrors reflected lighting equipment, the camera, and other undesirable behind-the-scenes artifacts. Minelli and cinematographer Joseph Ruttenberg worked together to come up with careful camera placements and
3384-460: The former began playing a melody the latter liked, he later recalled he jumped up, "[his] trousers still clinging to [his] ankles, and made his way to the living room. 'Play that again,' he said. And that melody ended up being the title song for Gigi ." In September, the cast and crew flew to California, where several interior scenes were filmed, among them the entire scene in Maxim's, which included
3456-450: The lack of a strong director with whom Lerner could collaborate, as Neil Simon did with Mike Nichols or Stephen Sondheim with Harold Prince . (Moss Hart, who had directed My Fair Lady, died shortly after Camelot opened.) In 1965 Lerner collaborated again with Burton Lane on the musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever , which was adapted for film in 1970. At this time, Lerner was hired by film producer Arthur P. Jacobs to write
3528-404: The last year of his life, he published The Musical Theatre: A Celebration , a well-reviewed history of the theatre, with personal anecdotes and humor. The Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote: "There are several reasons why this book makes a fine introduction to musical theater. One is that Lerner knows exactly what was new, and when and why....In "The Musical Theatre," one is privy to the judgment of
3600-521: The lyrics if Freed could convince Bogarde and designer Cecil Beaton to join the project. He decided to approach Loewe once again, and when he suggested they compose the score in Paris, Loewe agreed. In March 1957, the duo began working in Paris. When Chevalier, who already had agreed to appear in the film, first heard " Thank Heaven for Little Girls ", he was delighted. When he discussed his waning interest in wine and women in favor of performing for an audience in cabarets , Chevalier inadvertently inspired
3672-698: The lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera . He wrote " Masquerade ", but he then informed Webber that he wanted to leave the project because he was losing his memory (he had developed metastatic lung cancer) and Charles Hart replaced him. He had turned down an invitation to write the English-language lyrics for the musical version of Les Misérables . After Lerner's death, Paul Blake made a musical revue based on Lerner's lyrics and life entitled Almost Like Being In Love , which featured music by Loewe, Lane, Previn, Strouse, and Weill. The show ran for 10 days at
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#17327940917493744-556: The plot and are left to wallow in lovely frou-frou. [The film] makes wonderful use of the usual Parisian landmarks, and benefits from extraordinary period costumes and sets." Some contemporary reviewers have criticized the film for its subject matter. In 2019, BuzzFeed News reporter Kate Aurthur ranked Gigi worst out of all Best Picture winners, calling it "the most creepy, pedophiliac movie to ever win Best Picture". Filmmaker magazine managing editor Vadim Rizov referred to
3816-521: The popular pieces have words written to fit existing melodies. The Christmas carol " What Child Is This? " had its words set to an old English folk tune that had been a lover's lament, " Greensleeves ". The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams set existing poems, such as those by William Cowper and Charles Wesley , to traditional folk tunes to create hymns, many of which he published in The English Hymnal . A different way this happened
3888-489: The result of Jacobson's practice. Lerner married eight times: Ruth Boyd (1940–1947), singer Marion Bell (1947–1949), actress Nancy Olson (1950–1957), lawyer Micheline Muselli Pozzo di Borgo (1957–1965), editor Karen Gundersen (1966–1974), Sandra Payne (1974–1976), Nina Bushkin (1977–1981) and Liz Robertson (1981–1986 [his death]). Four of his eight wives — Olson, Payne, Bushkin, and Robertson — were actresses. His seventh wife, Nina Bushkin, whom he married on May 30, 1977,
3960-473: The rhymes in some lines of " I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face " to ones that Rex Harrison was more comfortable with. Lerner said of writing: You have to keep in mind that there is no such thing as realism or naturalism in the theater. That is a myth. If there was realism in the theater, there would never be a third act. Nothing ends that way. A man's life is made up of thousands and thousands of little pieces. In writing fiction, you select 20 or 30 of them. In
4032-450: The role. The producer then asked him to fly to London to speak to Leslie Caron, who was living there with her husband Peter Hall . Lerner was surprised to discover the star had become anglicized to the point of losing her French accent. She had recently starred in an unsuccessful stage production of Gigi , but when she heard Lerner's interpretation of the story greatly differed from that of the play, she accepted his offer. Her singing voice
4104-490: The screen in 1964, the movie version won eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rex Harrison. Lerner and Loewe's run of success continued with their next project, a film adaptation of stories from Colette , the Academy Award-winning film musical Gigi , starring Leslie Caron , Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier . The film won all of its nine Oscar nominations, a record at that time, and
4176-479: The show ran for nearly a year and included songs that later became pop standards, such as " They Call the Wind Maria ", it was less successful than Lerner's previous work. He later said of Paint Your Wagon , it was "a success but not a hit." Lerner worked with Kurt Weill on the stage musical Love Life (1948) and Burton Lane on the movie musical Royal Wedding (1951). In that same year Lerner also wrote
4248-718: The son of Edith Adelson Lerner and Joseph Jay Lerner, whose brother, Samuel Alexander Lerner, was founder and owner of the Lerner Stores , a chain of dress shops. One of Lerner's cousins was the radio comedian and television game show panelist Henry Morgan . Lerner was educated at Bedales School in England, The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut, (where he wrote "The Choate Marching Song") and Harvard . He attended both Camp Androscoggin and Camp Greylock . At both Choate and Harvard, Lerner
4320-566: The two writers. The collaboration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney is widely considered the most successful songwriting partnership in history, with their songs making up the majority of The Beatles' catalog. Other famous collaborations include Leiber and Stoller , the Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger with Keith Richards , and Richard Carpenter with John Bettis . In the Christian hymn -singing tradition, many of
4392-523: Was Conrad Salinger with vocal arrangements supervised by Robert Tucker. The conductor and general music supervisor was André Previn . Following completion of the film, it was previewed in Santa Barbara . Audience reaction was overwhelmingly favorable, but Lerner and Loewe were dissatisfied with the result. Lerner felt it was twenty minutes too long and most of the action too slow. The changes he proposed would cost an additional $ 300,000, money Freed
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#17327940917494464-518: Was a classmate of John F. Kennedy ; at Choate they had worked together on the yearbook staff. Like Cole Porter at Yale and Richard Rodgers at Columbia , his career in musical theater began with his collegiate contributions, in Lerner's case to the annual Harvard Hasty Pudding musicals. During the summers of 1936 and 1937, Lerner studied music composition at Juilliard . While attending Harvard, he lost his sight in his left eye due to an accident in
4536-491: Was a hit nonetheless, and immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, his widow told reporter Theodore H. White that JFK's administration reminded her of the "one brief shining moment" of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot . As of the early 21st century, Camelot was still invoked to describe the idealism, romance, and tragedy of the Kennedy years. Loewe retired to Palm Springs, California , while Lerner went through
4608-668: Was dubbed by Betty Wand , though Caron filmed mainly to her own tracks (a brief clip of Caron's voice is heard in the DVD extras). Dirk Bogarde expressed interest, as well, but ultimately was unable to free himself from his contract with J. Arthur Rank . Recalling Louis Jourdan from his performance in the 1954 film Three Coins in the Fountain , Freed offered him the role of Gaston. In late April, Freed and Minnelli and their entourages arrived in Paris. The weather had become unseasonably hot, and working in hotel rooms without air-conditioning
4680-467: Was elected as the twelfth president of the non-profit organization. He continued to serve as the Guild's president until 1964. For nearly twenty years, Lerner was addicted to amphetamines ; during the 1960s he was a patient of Max Jacobson , known as "Dr. Feelgood", who administered injections of "vitamins with enzymes" that were in fact laced with amphetamines. Lerner's addiction is believed to have been
4752-457: Was loath to spend. The songwriting team offered to buy 10% of the film for $ 300,000, then offered $ 3 million for the print. Impressed with their belief in the film, MGM executives agreed to the changes, which included eleven days of considerable reshooting, putting the project at $ 400,000 over budget. At a preview in Encino , audience reaction changed from "appreciation to affection", and Lerner felt
4824-492: Was primarily responsible for his financial ups and downs and was less than truthful about his financial fecklessness. It was claimed that his divorce settlement from Micheline Muselli Pozzo di Borgo (his fourth wife) cost him an estimated $ 1 million in 1965. This was untrue. Lerner's pattern of financial mismanagement continued until his death from cancer in 1986 when he reportedly owed the U.S. Internal Revenue Service over US$ 1 million ($ 2.78 million in 2023) in back taxes and
4896-457: Was removed during the pre-Broadway run. Lerner disliked the melody, but Loewe, Freed, and Minnelli voted to include it in the film. Lerner recalls that for the film Gigi , "The casting was so haphazard, I don't know how they ever got it on." He wrote the part of Honoré Lachaille for Chevalier, but the rest of the casting was still undecided. Having second thoughts about Audrey Hepburn, Freed asked Lerner to meet with her in Paris, but she declined
4968-432: Was the combination of unrelated words and tune, such as " The Star-Spangled Banner ", the national anthem of the United States, with words written by Francis Scott Key strictly as a poem, later set to the tune of an old drinking song. In opera, the librettist is responsible for all text, whether spoken or sung in recitative or aria . Gigi (1958 film) Gigi ( French pronunciation: [ʒiʒi] )
5040-613: Was the director of development at Mannes College of Music and the daughter of composer and musician Joey Bushkin . After their divorce in 1981, Lerner was ordered to pay her a settlement of $ 50,000. Lerner wrote in his autobiography (as quoted by The New York Times ): "All I can say is that if I had no flair for marriage, I also had no flair for bachelorhood." Lerner had four children — three daughters, Susan (by Boyd), Liza, and Jennifer (by Olson), and one son, screenwriter and journalist Michael Alan Lerner (by di Borgo). Lerner's multiple divorces cost him much of his wealth. Still, he
5112-702: Was unable to pay for his final medical expenses. On June 14, 1986, Lerner died of lung cancer in Manhattan at the age of 67. At the time of his death he was married to actress Liz Robertson , who was 36 years his junior. He lived in Center Island, New York . He has a memorial plaque in St Paul's Church , the Actors' Church in Covent Garden in London. Source: TCM Lyricist A lyricist
5184-464: Was uncomfortable. Minnelli began scouting locations while Freed and Lerner discussed the still incomplete script. Lerner had taken liberties with Colette's novella; the character of Honoré, nonexistent in the original book and very minor in the Loos play, was now a major figure. Gigi's mother, originally a significant character, was reduced to a few lines of dialogue delivered off-screen. Lerner also expanded
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