September 7, 1999
Postal Service Sings the Praises of Broadway Songwriters: Final Addition to Legends of American Music Series
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Nine world-renowned songwriters, whose Broadway music and lyrics have delighted music lovers for decades, will be commemorated this month by the U.S. Postal Service with the issuance of the Broadway Songwriters stamps.
Ira & George Gershwin, Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II, Meredith Willson, and Frank Loesser are featured on the pane of 20 (six designs) 33-cent stamps.
The stamps will be available in New York City on Sept. 21 and at post offices nationwide beginning the following day.
The ceremony will take place at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. Musical performances by some of today's brightest Broadway stars will follow the 12 p.m. unveiling ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.
Postal Service Senior Vice President for Government Relations Deborah Willhite will be the dedication speaker. Gerald Schoenfeld, Chairman of The Shubert Organization, and actress Kitty Carlisle Hart, will also make presentations. Other honored guests will include family members of some of the songwriters featured on the stamps.
Scheduled to participate in the musical tribute are: Brent Barrett, currently starring in Broadway's Chicago; Ann Hampton Callaway, starring in Swing which will open on Broadway in December; Kristen Chenoweth, 1999 Tony- Award winner and star of this season's Epic Proportions and the upcoming ABC- TV/Disney version of Annie; Christopher Fitzgerald and Jessica Stone, featured earlier this year in the Encores! Concert of Babes in Arms; Rebecca Luker, star of Broadway's recent revival of The Sound of Music; Tony winner Faith Prince, currently starring in ABC-TV's "Spin City;" Ron Raines, longtime star of CBS-TV's "Guiding Light;" and the legendary Barbara Cook, Tony-Award winning actress for her starring role in the original production of The Music Man.
"The nine men represented on these stamps created exceptional songs and lyrics which blended American music with quintessentially American themes," said Willhite. "It is appropriate that we honor them on U.S. postage stamps. Stamps capture our American history and culture in a unique way. These songwriters are a rich part of that history andculture."
Brothers Ira and George Gershwin worked together from the early 1920s until George's untimely death in 1937. George wrote the music and Ira provided the lyrics for more than a dozen shows, including Of Thee I Sing (1931), which was the first musical to win a Pulitzer Prize. They also wrote Funny Face (1927) and Girl Crazy (1930), and added immeasurably to American popular music with well-known songs such as "I Got Rhythm" and "'S Wonderful."
Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote together from 1942 until the 1970s. Their remarkable musicals include Brigadoon (1947), Paint Your Wagon (1951), My Fair Lady (1956), and Camelot (1960). Song favorites from their shows include "I Could Have Danced All Night," "Almost Like Being in Love," and "If Ever I Would Leave You."
Lorenz Hart crafted clever lyrics that often employed untraditional rhymes and memorable turns of phrase. He is best remembered for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers, which include "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "I Could Write a Book" from the musical Pal Joey (1940), and "My Funny Valentine" from Babes In Arms (1937).
Richard Rodgers also collaborated with Oscar Hammerstein II. Together they ushered in a new era of the Broadway musical with an innovative integration of music and plot. Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), the Pulitzer Prize-winning South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959) are examples of some of their masterful gifts to the stage. Many of their songs, including "Some Enchanted Evening," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," are still frequently sung to appreciative au diences.
Meredith Willson wrote several Broadway musicals, including The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1960) and Here's Love (1963). His greatest success was The Music Man (1957), his affectionate portrayal of small-town America, which ran for 1,375 performances and included the songs "Seventy-Six Trombones" and "Till There Was You."
Frank Loesser wrote music and lyrics for movies before devoting his time and talent to the musical theater. He delighted audiences in 1950 with Guys and Dolls, and his other successes include The Most Happy Fella (1956) and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962.
The 33-cent Broadway Songwriters stamps were designed by veteran stamp director Howard Paine of Delaplane, Va., and illustrated by Drew Struzan of Pasadena, Calif.
The Postal Service began the Legends of American Music Series in 1993 with the issuance of 15 stamps in three categories: Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues, featuring Elvis Presley, Country & Western, and Broadway Musicals. In 1994, five Popular Singers and eight Jazz & Blues Singers stamps were dedicated. Jazz Musicians represented the series in 1995 with ten stamps. In 1996, eight stamps were dedicated; four for Big Band Leaders and four for Songwriters. Four Opera Singers and eight Classical Composers & Conductors stamps were introduced in 1997, and last year four Gospel Singers and four Folk Musicians joined the series.
Broadway Songwriters, along with the Hollywood Composers stamps that will be issued Sept. 16 in Hollywood, mark the final additions to the Legends of American Music Series.
For more information on stamps, visit the Postal Service Website at www.usps.com and click "Stamps." To order stamps or stamp products, go directly to www.stampsonline.com. SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
CONTACT: Cathy Yarosky, 202-268-2126, or e-mail, cyarosk-@email.usps.gov, or Patricia McGovern, 212-330-3307, both of U.S. Postal Service
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