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Edward Eliscu
Lyricist, Playwright, Actor, Producer
(1902 - 1988)
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Edward Eliscu is remembered not only as a lyricist but a playwright, actor and producer as well. His first Broadway show was 1929s Great Day, which he wrote with Billy Rose and which featured music by Vincent Youmans. Great Day featured songs such as “More Than You Know,” “Without A Song,” and the title song.
After the Wall Street crash he moved to Hollywood where he and co-lyricist Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics to 1934’s Flying Down to Rio, the first film to feature Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers together. Once again the music was composed by Vincent Youmans and featured Ginger Rogers singing “Music Makes Me.” Eliscu also wrote lyrics for the film’s “Carioca” which became a number one hit for Enric Madrigeura and His Orchestra.
Eliscu wrote scripts for numerous Hollywood movies, his most successful being 1933’s The Gay Divorcee. During the 1950s he suffered a setback as he was blacklisted because of political opinions. Between 1968 and 1973 he served as president of the American Guild of Authors & Composers.
- Ben Maycock |
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