Gustave Edwards (August 18, 1878 – November 7, 1945) was an American composer, songwriter and film director. He also was a vaudevillian , organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.
31-612: Edwards was the son of Morris and Johanna Simon. He was born Gustav Schmelowsky in Inowrazlaw, German Empire (present-day Inowrocław, Poland). His family boarded the steamship Spaarndam as steerage passengers; they arrived at the Port of New York on 29 July 1891 ending up in Williamsburg . During the day, he worked in the family cigar store, and in the evenings, he wandered looking for any sort of show business job. He found work as
62-520: A forced labour camp in the city. Inowrocław returned to Poland and its original name following the arrival of the Soviet Red Army on January 21, 1945. The last German air raid occurred on April 4, 1945, when a single aircraft dropped four fragmentation bombs and fired on travelers waiting at the Inowrocław train platform. Between 1950 and 1998, the town was part of Bydgoszcz Voivodeship , but
93-582: A headquarters for Napoleon Bonaparte during his 1812 invasion of Russia . Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Inowrocław (as first Inowraclaw and later Inowrazlaw) was transferred back to Prussia as part of the Grand Duchy of Posen . Initially, until 1838 the mayors were still Poles , then Germans . Despite Germanisation attempts, the city was an important center of the Polish resistance during
124-596: A large massacre, on the night of October 22–23, 1939, the Germans murdered 56 Poles in the prison, including numerous teachers. Families of the victims were expelled , alike local Polish activists and craftsmen, whose workshops were handed over to German colonists in accordance to the Nazi Lebensraum policy. In total, the Germans expelled a few thousand Poles from the city, including over 2,900 already in 1939. Several Poles from Inowrocław were also murdered by
155-474: A singer at various lodge halls, on ferry boat lounges, in saloons, and even between bouts at the athletic clubs. As a very young boy, Edwards worked as a song plugger at Koster and Bial's , at Tony Pastor 's theatre, and at the Bowery Theatre . In those old vaudeville days, song publishers would often hire a very young boy to sit in the theatre, and immediately after a vaudeville star had sung one of
186-467: A vaudeville agent, saw him performing. He booked a tour for Edwards and four other boys as The Newsboys Quintet act. In 1898, while performing in this act, Edwards wrote his first song, to a lyric by Tom Daly , "All I Want is My Black Baby Back". Edwards could not write music at that time, so he hired Charles Previn to write down the notes. May Irwin sang the song in her act, and helped to popularize it. While entertaining soldiers at Camp Black, during
217-493: Is a city in central Poland with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship . It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic region of Kuyavia . Inowrocław is an industrial town located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Bydgoszcz known for its saltwater baths and salt mines . The town
248-489: Is the 5th largest agglomeration in its voivodeship, and is a major railway junction, where the west–east line ( Poznań – Toruń ) crosses the Polish Coal Trunk-Line from Chorzów to Gdynia . The town was first mentioned in 1185 as Novo Wladislaw, possibly in honor of Władysław I Herman or after the settlers from Włocławek . Many inhabitants of Włocławek settled in Inowrocław fleeing flooding. In 1236,
279-571: The Reichsgau of Posen (1939) and then as part of Reichsgau Wartheland (1939–1945). The Einsatzgruppe IV entered the city on September 12–15, 1939, to commit various atrocities against Poles . Poles arrested during the Intelligenzaktion were held in the local prison and in a transit camp, and afterwards mostly murdered in the prison or in the nearby Gniewkowo forest, while some were deported to Nazi concentration camps . In
310-612: The Dobrzyń Land . The voivodeship later also formed part of the larger Greater Poland Province . Inowrocław was a royal city of the Kingdom of Poland . The town's development was aided by the discovery of extensive salt deposits in the vicinity during the 15th century. It was an important city of late medieval Poland. In 1321, a Polish-Teutonic trial was held in Inowrocław regarding the Teutonic occupation of Gdańsk Pomerania , while
341-833: The Lane Sisters , and Ina Ray Hutton . He wrote the Broadway stage scores for "When We Were Forty-One", "Hip Hip Hooray", "The Merry-Go-Round", " School Days ", "Ziegfeld Follies of 1910", "Sunbonnet Sue", and "Show Window". He founded the Gus Edwards Music Hall in New York, and also his own publishing company, then produced special subjects for films, and returned to vaudeville between 1930 and 1937, finally retiring in 1939. His chief musical collaborators included Edward Madden , Will Cobb , and Robert B. Smith . His other popular-song compositions include "Meet Me Under
SECTION 10
#1732783361849372-641: The Nazis seized Inowroclaw. The synagogue was plundered and set on fire. The next day, the Jews were ordered to stand in the synagogue, where Leopold Levy was executed. Both the old and new Jewish cemeteries were destroyed. The Inowroclaw Jews went through a selection process. The people chosen for extermination were sent to the Inowroclaw prison. In October, they were taken to the forest in Gniekowo and shot dead. By
403-593: The 1930s, Edwards had a weekly program, School Days of the Air , on KFWB in Los Angeles, California. Edwards was the brother of composer Leo Edwards , music publisher and talent agent Ben Edwards , and vaudeville songstress Dorothea Edwards. He was the uncle of Joan Edwards and Jack Edwards. Bing Crosby played Edwards in a fictionalized version of his life in the 1939 film The Star Maker , directed by Roy Del Ruth . Edwards himself made few screen appearances,
434-434: The 1999 reforms left it part of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship . The first recorded instance of Jews in Inowroclaw was in 1447. By the end of the 16th century, there was an established Jewish community with a rabbi . However, by the end of the 16th century, many of these Jews were murdered by Stefan Czarniecki's army in 1656. In 1680, John III Sobieski restored the rights of Jews in Inowroclaw that had been lost during
465-481: The Municipal Council. In the 1830s, illiteracy was abolished amongst Jewish boys in Inowroclaw as they were made to take German classes. However, there was a disparity between the young and old Jewish generations as many older Jews were interested in staying true to their traditions and did not want to be Germanized . A synagogue was created on 9 September 1836. However, in 1908, this synagogue closed and
496-581: The Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. Multiple local members of the Home Army , a major Polish resistance organization , were imprisoned and murdered by the Germans in the prison camp in Żabikowo in 1944–1945. Between 1940 and 1945, Hohensalza was used as a resettlement camp for Poles and an internment camp for Soviet, French and British prisoners of war . Germany also operated
527-483: The Spanish–American War, Edwards met lyricist Will Cobb , and they formed "Words and Music", a partnership that lasted for many years. He was a vaudeville singer, and later had his own vaudeville company. He discovered Walter Winchell , Elsie Janis , George Jessel , Eddie Cantor , Groucho Marx , Phil Silvers , Lila Lee , Georgie Price, Eleanor Powell , Hildegarde , Ray Bolger , Sally Rand , Jack Pearl ,
558-941: The Wisteria", " By the Light of the Silvery Moon ", "I Can't Tell You Why I Love You but I Do", "Goodbye, Little Girl, Goodbye", "I Just Can't Make My Eyes Behave", "I'll Be With You When the Roses Bloom Again", "He's My Pal", "Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield", "In Zanzibar", "If a Girl Like You Loved a Boy Like Me", "Jimmy Valentine", "If I Were a Millionaire", "Laddie Boy" and " In My Merry Oldsmobile ". Some other songs include "America Never Took Water and America Never Will", "Au Revoir", "Good Bye and Luck Be with You Laddie Boy", "He Long and Lean and Lanky", "Keep on A-Going", "Mothers of Men" and "My Rainbow Ribbon Girl". In
589-655: The city itself was occupied by the Teutonic Knights from 1332 to 1337. King Casimir III the Great often stayed in the city, and in 1337 he held a meeting with King John of Bohemia in the local castle. A strong garrison was located in the city during the Polish-Teutonic War (1409–1411) , and it was the main base of King Władysław II Jagiełło after his victory in the Battle of Grunwald . Inowrocław
620-647: The end of 1940, there were no Jews left in Inowroclaw, with few surviving the war. The few Jews who survived came back to Inowroclaw after the war; however, there was no attempt to re-establish a Jewish community. The most popular sports in the city are basketball and football . Notable teams: Ben Edwards (music publisher) Ben Edwards (c. 1884 – June 17, 1954) was an American music publisher and long-time vaudeville talent agent of German birth. Born Benjamin Schmelowsky in Posen , Germany, Ben Edwards
651-484: The most notable being The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , in which he performs as part of a vaudeville act. He also wrote all the music for The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , as credited in the closing credits of the production, with the exception of " Singin' in the Rain " with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown . He also performs a specialty number: " Lon Chaney 's Gonna Get You If You Don't Watch Out". Edwards
SECTION 20
#1732783361849682-592: The partitions . It flourished after the establishment of a railway junction in 1872 and a spa in 1875. The city and the region were given the Germanized name Hohensalza on December 5, 1904. It was electrified in 1908. After the end of World War I , in November 1918, Poland regained independence and Polish insurgents re-captured the city in January 1919. Restoration to the re-established sovereign Polish state
713-434: The previous siege. By 1765, there were 980 Jews living in Inowroclaw, but in 1774 there was a fire that destroyed many Jewish homes, causing many to flee elsewhere. The ongoing emancipation of Jews in the 18th and 19th centuries lifted restrictions on Jews. Nevertheless, the Jews of Inowroclaw remained devoted to their traditions. They were increasingly allowed into public life, and Jews were even allowed to run for seats in
744-540: The publisher's songs, the youngster would stand up in the audience, and pretending to be completely overcome by the song, break out in an "extemporaneous" solo of the same tune. In this way, the young Edwards would often sit in a balcony seat, and then stand and repeat a song that vaudeville stars such as Maggie Cline , Lottie Gilson or Emma Carus had just sung. In 1896, Edwards was 17 years old and appearing at Johnny Palmer's Gaiety Saloon in Brooklyn , when James Hyde,
775-600: The settlement was renamed Juveni Wladislawia. It was incorporated two years later by Casimir Konradowic . In medieval Latin records, the town was recorded as Juniwladislavia . As a result of the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, after 1230 Inowrocław was the capital of the Duchy of Kuyavia, and from 1267 to 1364 it was the capital of the Duchy of Inowrocław , before it became part and capital of Poland's Inowrocław Voivodeship , which covered northern Kuyavia along with
806-882: Was a founding member of ASCAP in 1914 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Edwards was married to the former Lillian Boulanger, who worked with him in putting on revues and cultivating performers. He died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California, on November 7, 1945, aged 66. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. Note: All shows are musicals unless otherwise stated. Posthumously : Inowroc%C5%82aw Inowrocław ( Polish pronunciation: [inɔˈvrɔtswaf] ; German : Hohensalza; before 1904: Inowrazlaw; archaic: Jungleslau, Junges Leslau, Junge Leszlaw , Yiddish : לעסלא , romanized : Lesle or Lessle )
837-456: Was briefly assigned to Great Pomerania during the reform of Polish regional administration just before World War II . Captured by the German 4th Army during the invasion of Poland on September 11, 1939, Inowrocław was again renamed Hohensalza and initially administered under the military district ( Militärbezirk ) of Posen before being incorporated into Nazi Germany first as part of
868-460: Was confirmed in the Treaty of Versailles (which came into effect on January 10, 1920), and the historic name Inowrocław was restored. High unemployment resulting from trade embargoes led to violent confrontations between workers and the police in 1926 and hunger strikes killed 20 in 1930. Inowrocław was part of Poznań Voivodeship until 1925, when it became an independent urban district. This district
899-822: Was occupied and plundered by Swedish troops during the Deluge in the 1650s, and was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia in February 1772 during the First Partition of Poland and added to the Netze District . Following the Franco-Prussian Treaty in July 1807, Inowrocław was transferred to the newly created Duchy of Warsaw , which was a client state of the French Empire . The city was
930-665: Was the brother of songwriters Leo Edwards and Gus Edwards , and vaudeville songstress Dorothea Edwards. In 1891 he traveled to the United States with his family on the steamship Spaarndam , arriving at the Port of New York on 29 July 1891. The family settled in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn . Ben Edwards served as his older brother Gus's agent and publisher; managing the Gus Edwards Music Company for fourteen years and booking his brother for vaudeville performances. He expanded into managing
961-411: Was turned into a beth midrash, house of prayer, and the seat of the community administration. A new synagogue , funded by Leopold Levy , one of the wealthiest Jews in the town, was created in its place. The community steadily lost its population in second half of the 19th century as many moved to Germany and the United States. In 1921, there were only 252 Jews left in the town. On 14 September 1939,