In 1928 Robin went to Hollywood and collaborated on over 100 movies. He and Richard Whiting wrote “Louise” (1929) and, with Newell Chase, “My Ideal” (1930), both famously sung by Maurice Chevalier in films. They also wrote “Beyond the Blue Horizon” with W. Frank Harling, which Jeanette MacDonald introduced in Monte Carlo (1930). “Prisoner of Love,” which Robin wrote with Russ Colombo and Clarence Gaskill (1931), enjoyed a second life as a hit for Perry Como in 1946.

The 1934 film, Here Is My Heart featuring Bing Crosby, produced three winning songs: “June in January,” “With Every Breath I Take,” and “Love Is Just Around the Corner,” written with Lewis Gensler. “Love...” spent several weeks on the charts and enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the ‘50s when it was recorded by the Four Freshmen.

Robin’s songs were ten times nominated for Oscars, winning for “Thanks for the Memories” written with Ralph Rainger for The Big Broadcast of 1938. Introduced by Bob Hope, the song was adopted as his signature tune. Another of their songs, “Love in Bloom” (1934), became Jack Benny’s theme song, and Bing Crosby sang “June in January”(1934) and “Blue Hawaii” (1937) in films. “If I Should Lose You” from the 1936 film Rose of the Rancho, entered the jazz standards category as a favorite of both instrumentalists and vocalists. But the pair’s most enduring song is “Easy Living” (1937), made famous by Billie Holiday.

Robin’s other collaborations include Jerome Kern (“In Love in Vain,” 1934); Arthur Schwartz (“A Rainy Night in Rio,” 1946); Schwartz and Johnny Mercer (“A Gal in Calico,” 1947); Harold Arlen (“For Every Man There’s a Woman,” 1948); and Harry Warren (“Zing a Little Zong,” 1952).

In 1949 he and Jule Styne scored the huge Broadway success, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, with its hit song, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” sung by Carol Channing and later by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film. He retired after rewriting My Sister Eileen as a movie musical with Styne in 1955.

- Sandra Burlingame