Alan Jay Lerner

Alan Jay Lerner ( August 31, 1918 in New York City; † June 14, 1986 ) was an American author and songwriter from the Great American Songbook. He collaborated with Frederick Loewe.

Life and work

A Boxunfall, in which he lost his left eye, saved him during the Second World War before the war service. After attending the Juilliard School of Music and a successful Harvard study Lerner worked as a radio producer. At the same time, he also wrote songs for various radio shows. In 1942, his sympathetic cooperation with the musical composer Frederick Loewe, whose previous partner had been drafted into the Navy began. Their first collaboration was a show in Detroit, Life of the Party. Although their personal relationship was always difficult, they wrote together for several years a number of songs for Broadway. Lerner also worked briefly in 1948 with Kurt Weill for the LoveLife project together, from which came the song " Green- Up Time ". In 1951 he wrote the screenplay for the film An American in Paris, which was equipped with music by George Gershwin; Lerner was awarded an Oscar in 1952. After that he wrote with the Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon ( 1951); to its greatest achievement was finally My Fair Lady (1956). For the musical film Gigi (1958 ) Lerner received another two Oscar; for the best ( adapted ) screenplay and together with Loewe for best song, "Gigi".

After the difficulties with the common Camelot project in 1960, Loewe retired from show business, Lerner refused even to cooperation, as this would make 1973 the film Gigi a stage show.

Lerner tried to connect these successes after 1960, but the pieces as Coco (1969, music by André Previn ) and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (music by Leonard Bernstein) was not a success granted. Only the piece of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever with Burton Lane from 1965 came at the audience.

Alan Jay Lerner was married from 1950 to 1957 to actress Nancy Olson.

Musicals

Filmography

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