Johnny Green(1908-1989)
- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Composer-pianist-arranger Johnny Green was born in Far Rockaway, New
York. The son of musical parents, Green was accepted by Harvard at the
age of 15, and entered the University in 1924. Between semesters,
bandleader Guy Lombardo heard his Harvard
Gold Coast Orchestra and hired him to create dance arrangements for his
nationally famous orchestra. He gained a thorough education in music,
history, economics, and government before returning to pursue a
master's degree in the field of English literature. His father
interrupted Johnny's education and forced him to become a stockbroker,
and with great unhappiness, Johnny tried it for six months. His young
bride Carol (to whom he dedicated Out of Nowhere) encouraged him to
leave Wall Street and cultivate his many musical talents. She remarked,
"We didn't have children, we had songs" (indeed, it was during his
first marriage that most of his hit standards were composed, including
"I Cover the Waterfront," You're Mine, You," "Easy Come, Easy Go,"
"Rain Rain Go Away" and "I Wanna Be Loved."). During the lean years, he
arranged for dance orchestras, most notably Jean Goldkette on NBC. He
was accompanist/arranger to stars such as
James Melton,
Libby Holman and
Ethel Merman. It was while writing material
for Gertrude Lawrence that he composed
Body and Soul, the first recording of which was made by
Jack Hylton and His Orchestra,
eleven days before the song was copyrighted.
'Nathaniel
Shilkret' and
Paul Whiteman commissioned him to
write larger works for orchestra, and he scored numerous films at
Paramount's Astoria Studios. He conducted in East Coast theatres and
toured vaudeville as musical director for
Buddy Rogers. During his two-and-a-half
years at Paramount Studios, he was able to learn more about arranging
from veterans Adolph Deutsch and
Frank Tours. In 1934, he returned from
London, where he had composed a musical comedy for
Jack Buchanan. At the age of 25,
he had several hit songs under his belt.
William Paley, the president of
the Columbia Broadcasting System and an investor in New York's St.
Regis Hotel, encouraged John W. Green to form what became known as
Johnny Green, His Piano and Orchestra. (Green added, "My arm didn't
need much twisting.") His orchestra made dance records for the Columbia
and Brunswick companies, in a depressed era when record sales were
inconsequential to a song's popularity. In 1935, Green starred on the
Socony Sketchbook, sponsored by Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. He lured the
young California songstress
Virginia Verrill to headline with him
on the Friday evening broadcasts. His "regular" cast of vocalists
included former débutante Marjory Logan,
Jimmy Farrell, and the four
Eton Boys, all of whom appeared in films and
on stage. Green's piano playing is intricate, and his musical ideas are
exceedingly clever. Green was at the top of his field in New York, and
he continued conducting on radio and in theatres into the 1940s, until
he decided to move to Hollywood and make his mark in the film business.
His credits as musical executive, arranger, conductor and composer are
lengthy, but include such highlights as
Raintree County (1957),
Bathing Beauty (1944),
Something in the Wind (1947),
Easter Parade (1948) (Academy
Award), Summer Stock (1950),
An American in Paris (1951)
(Academy Award),
Royal Wedding (1951),
High Society (1956) and
West Side Story (1961) (Academy
Award). Married three times, he had a daughter with actress
Betty Furness and two daughters with MGM
"Glamazon" Bunny Waters. He was a respected
board member of ASCAP and guest conductor with symphonies around the
globe, including the Hollywood Bowl, Denver Symphony, the Philadelphia
Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and more. He was a chairman of the
music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and a
producer of television specials.
