The Best Songwriters from the Golden Age of Hollywood – Part One – The Great Composers.

1933-1959

42 composers are listed, from Harold Arlin to Victor Young. Clockwise from top left: Irving Berlin, Jimmy Van Heusen, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, Jule Stein (with Barbra), Jay Livingston, Sammy Fain, Frank Loesser

The 167 songs are classified based on the song’s Composer with the song’s lyricist listed in the accompanying table along with the film’s title, the film’s director, the actor or singer or actor dubbed by a singer who first sang the song, and whether the song was nominated or won the Oscar outright.

A mirror image post where the same 167 songs (plus eight others) are classified based on the Lyricist is also fun to read.

The list is notable for the classics that were NOT nominated for an Oscar and reminds us of what an unjust place Hollywood can be. So here are:

HERE ARE 22 CLASSIC SONGS FROM HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE THAT WERE WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN BUT WERE NOT NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR BY THE MUSIC BRANCH OF THE ACADEMY.

I Only Have Eyes for You (1934): Harry Warren and Al Dubin (Dames)

My Old Flame (1934): Arthur Johnson and Sam Coslow (Belle of the Nineties)

I’m in the Mood for Love (1935): Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields (Roberta)

Let’s Face the Music and Dance (1936): Irving Berlin (Follow the Fleet)

Pick Yourself Up (1936): Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields (Swing Time)

Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off (1937) George and Ira Gershwin (Shall We Dance)

The Folks Who Live on the Hill (1937): Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II (High, Wide, and Handsome)

Heigh-Ho (1937): Frank Churchill and Larry Morley (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Someday My Prince Will Come (1937): Frank Churchill and Larry Morey (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Whistle While You Work (1937): Frank Churchill and Larry Morley (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Hooray for Hollywood (1938): Richard Whiting and Johnny Mercer (Hollywood Hotel)

At Last (1941): Harry Warren and Mack Gordon (Sun Valley Serenade)

I’ll Remember April (1941): Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnson, and Don Raye (Ride ‘Em Cowboy)

You Don’t Know What Love Is (1942): Gene de Paul and Don Raye (Keep ‘Em Flying)

Let’s Get Lost (1943): Jimmy McHugh and Frank Loesser (Happy Go Lucky)

One for My Baby (and One More for the Road (1943): Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer (The Sky’s the Limit)

The Boy Next Door (1944): Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin (Meet Me in St. Louis)

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (1944): Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin (Meet Me in St. Louis)

Like Someone in Love (1944): Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke (Belle of the Yukon)

But Beautiful (1947): Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke (The Road to Rio)

Steppin’ Out With My Baby (1948): Irving Berlin (Easter Parade)

That’s Entertainment (1953): Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz (The Bandwagon)

SOME GREAT SONGWRITERS, LIKE HARRY WARREN, WROTE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE MOVIES, WHILE OTHERS, SUCH AS RODGERS AND HART, PREFERRED TO DEBUT THEIR SONGS ON THE BROADWAY STAGE. MEANWHILE, THE MAJORITY OF SONGWRITERS DURING THIS PERIOD WENT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO MEDIUMS.

Several great songwriters or songwriting teams did minimal or no writing for the movies preferring, instead, to debut their work on the Broadway stage. As a result, there isn’t a single song from Burton Lane, Lerner & Loewe, or Rodgers and Hart on my list, and only one song from Rodgers and Hammerstein II (Hammerstein himself, however, gets numerous mentions from this collaboration with other composers). George Gershwin and Cole Porter were a bit more adventurous, and each has three and four of their best-known songs represented, respectively – one feels that if George Gershwin’s life had not been cut short at such an early age, there would be many more songs by George and his brother Ira on the list.

Appropriately, Harry Warren leads with nineteen songs, followed closely by Irving Berlin, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Harold Arlen with eighteen songs apiece.

Warren pioneered writing songs directly for the movies at Warner Bros. in the early thirties (with his then-partner lyricist Al Dubin).

Many of Berlin’s greatest songs debuted in the classic Astaire-Rogers RKO movies of the 1930s.

With his lyricists, Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn, Van Heusen played a huge part in creating the personas of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, respectively.

Arlen is arguably the greatest songwriter of Hollywood’s Golden Era. The son of a cantor, Arlen became the musical director and, with his lyricist Ted Kohler, the house composer for Harlem’s famed Cotton Club during its peak years in the late nineteen twenties and early thirties. Moving to Hollywood, he wrote a string of classics for the movies with lyricists Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin, and Kohler, and with lyricist Yip Harburg, he composed his most lasting contribution to film, the soundtrack to “The Wizard of Oz“. It made Judy Garland a star, and she got to sing Arlen/Harburg’s Oscar-winning “Over the Rainbow,” the greatest movie song ever written. In fact, together with songwriters Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin. Arlen played a major role, if not the major role, in the creation of the phenomenon that was Judy Garland.

Composers Frank Churchill and Jule Stein also have a strong presence here, like lyricists Ned Washington, Johnny Mercer, Paul Francis Webster, Mack Gordon, Yip Harburg, and Dorothy Fields.

THE CLASSIC MOVIE SONG ARRIVED COURTESY OF THE ASTAIRE – ROGERS MOVIES AT RKO.

We also cannot underestimate the influence of director Mark Sandrich and the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musicals at RKO in the thirties. They started the ball rolling, introducing one Oscar-winning or Oscar-nominated song after another, including the very first Oscar-winner, “The Continental” by Con Conrad and Herb Magidson. They also introduced movie audiences to the genius of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and George Gershwin.

If the RKO musicals reeked of class and sophistication, over at Warner Bros., it was a far grittier affair as pre-code guys and dames started to put on a show at every opportunity. Thanks to the talents of Harry Warren and his partner Al Dubin, the first songwriters to write songs exclusively for the silver screen, director Lloyd Bacon and the choreographer extraordinaire Busby Berkeley delivered the first great movie musical, “42 Street,” in 1933. This was followed by “Gold Diggers of 1933” and “Gold Diggers of 1935” and many more until the decade’s end.

The Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg songs for “The Wizard of Oz,” including the all-time classic “Over the Rainbow” and the endless number of classics that Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke wrote for Paramount’s Road Movies, were also enormously influential.

THE MAJORITY OF THE GREAT SONGWRITING TEAMS HAD A DESIGNATED COMPOSER AND A DESIGNATED LYRICIST. Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin were unusual in that they both wrote the music and the lyrics to songs that were an essential part of both “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Good News.”

COLE PORTER AND IRVING BERLIN WROTE BOTH THE MUSIC AND THE LYRICS TO (ALMOST ALL) OF THEIR SONGS, WHILE FRANK LOESSER AND JOHNNY MERCER ALSO MANAGED TO ACHIEVE THIS DOUBLE WHAMMY ON A FEW

“MOVIE SONGS” THAT WERE NEVER IN A MOVIE – THE FILM SCORE WAS SO HAUNTING THAT LYRICS WERE ADDED TO THE MAIN THEME OR THE INCIDENTAL BACKGROUND SCORE AFTER THE MOVIE WAS RELEASED.

Several famous songs associated with movies were never in the movie. The most famous example is the song “Laura” from the 1944 movie of the same name. David Raksin’s main theme was so popular that Johnny Mercer added lyrics, and a hit song was born.

“Easy Living,” the song by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, was not in the movie “Easy Living.” After the film’s release, Robin added the lyrics to Rainger’s background score.

Victor Young (already represented here by three movie songs) had three of his main themes/instrumentals adapted to song by his favorite lyricists after the film’s release: “Stella by Starlight” from “ The Uninvited” (1944) (lyrics by Ned Washington), “When I Fall in Love” from “One Minute to Zero” (1952) (lyrics by Edward Heyman) and “Around the World” from “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956) with lyrics by Harold Adamson. All became massive hits, and, like “Love Letters” and “ My Foolish Heart,” they have entered the Great American Songbook and the jazz cannon.

Bronislaw Kaper’s main theme from the now-forgotten MGM movie “Green Dolphin Street” has also become part of the Great American Songbook and the Jazz canon, thanks to such Jazz greats as Miles Davis and Bill Evans. However, unlike the songs mentioned above, the theme is almost always played as an instrumental and rarely, if ever, performed as the song “(On) Green Dolphin Street,” for which Ned Washington wrote the lyrics – not among his best –after the movie was released in 1947.

Charlie Chaplin’s gorgeous and romantic incidental music for his 1936 movie “Modern Times“ – which was mostly silent except for some ingenious sound effects and an orchestral score soundtrack – was an instant hit with audiences from the moment the film was released. However, it was not until 1954 that lyrics were added by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, and the song “Smile” was born, which immediately became an instant smash for Nat King Cole. Chaplin did go on to win the Oscar for Best Original Score of 1972 for “Limelight” as the result of two almost inconceivable coincidences:

• The disqualification of Nino Rota’s Original Score for “The Godfather”
• The year 1972 marked the first screening of Chaplin’s 1954 film “Limelight” in LA. The Los Angeles powers that be had refused to allow a screening in ‘54 because of the great director’s perceived leftist leanings. Chaplin had already moved to Switzerland, with his family, in 1952.

WE THINK OF THEM AS “MOVIE SONGS” BUT THEY ARE NOT MOVIE SONGS. WHY NOT?

BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MOVIE IN QUESTION.

THEY WERE EITHER WRITTEN FOR THE BROADWAY STAGE OR AS A STAND-ALONE HIT RECORD

BECAUSE OF THEIR POPULARITY, THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THE FILM MONTHS TO YEARS AFTER THEIR ORIGINAL RELEASE.

One of the quintessential songs associated with the movies is Herman Hupfeld’s “As Time Goes By, “which was used to great effect when sung and “played” by Dooley Wilson in the Warner Bros. classic “Casablanca” (Michael Curtiz, 1942/1943).”However, it is not a movie song at all. Originally written for the Broadway show “Everybody’s Welcome” in 1931, it was introduced by Frances Williams. The song was reintroduced in “Casablanca,” where studio pianist Jean-Vincent Plummer played Wilson’s piano accompaniment. The song’s melody was incorporated into Max Steiner’s famous score and used as a leitmotif throughout the film. The rest is Hollywood history.

The song “I’ll Be Seeing You” was composed by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Irving Kahal in 1938 and inserted into the Broadway musical “Right This Way,” which closed after fifteen performances. The title of the 1944 film “I’ll Be Seeing You” was taken from this song at the suggestion of the film’s producer Dore Schary. The song was included in the film’s soundtrack and became a huge hit when it was re-released.

A similar story concerns Frank Sinatra’s 1953 comeback smash “Young at Heart.” With music by Johnny Richards and lyrics by Carolyn Lee, the song was such a monumental hit that an untitled 1954 movie – which Sinatra was filming at the time with director Gordon Douglas and costar Doris Day – was not only named after the song but the song was included in both the opening and closing credits of the movie.

Another famous example is “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” composed as a stand-alone song by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II in 1940. In 1941 it was included in the film “Lady Be Good” where it was sung by Ann Sothern. The song was nominated and WON the Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1941, beating such deserving true originals as “Blues in the Night”, “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Kern was so upset at winning with a song that had not been specifically written for a motion picture and that had been published and recorded before the film was even released that he petitioned AMPAS to change the rules. Since then, a nominated song has to have been written specifically for the motion picture in which it is performed.

FRED ASTAIRE. BING CROSBY. JUDY GARLAND. GINGER ROGERS. FRANK SINATRA. DORIS DAY. DICK POWELL IRENE DUNNE. THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA. THEY INTRODUCED THE MOST MOVIE SONGS.

Of the 167 songs listed here, 20 were introduced by Fred Astaire, 14 being from the Astaire-Rogers movies. Of these, six were duets WITH Rogers. Five were sung TO Rogers. One (“Change Partners”) was sung to no one in particular, although he danced with Rogers. Two were without Rogers. In addition to their six duets, Ginger Rogers got to introduce two songs of her own (“The Picolino” and “They All Laughed”) from the RKO movies. Together with her introduction of “We’re in the Money” from “Gold Diggers of 1933”, this gives Rogers the honor of introducing or co-introducing nine of the great songs from Hollywood’s golden age. Bing Crosby introduced 15 songs. 13 were introduced by Judy Garland (six of which were featured in “The Wizard of Oz”). Seven were introduced by Frank Sinatra. Doris Day introduced four. Dick Powell also introduced four. Irene Dunne introduced three. Glenn Miller and his Orchestra introduced three, two featuring The Nicholas Brothers.

HAROLD ARLEN (18)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1933	Let’s Fall in Love	Let’s Fall in Love	Harold Arlen	Ted Kohler	David Burton	Ann Sothern	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1939	Love Affair	Sing My Heart	Harold Arlen	Ted Kohler	Leo McCarey	Irene Dunne	–	–
1939	The Wizard of Oz	If I Were King of the Forest	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Bert Lahr, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley	–	–
1939	The Wizard of Oz	The Merry Old Land of Oz	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Frank Morgan, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, and the Emerald City townspeople.
1939	The Wizard of Oz	Follow the Yellow Brick Road/We’re Off to See the Wizard	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Judy Garland and the Munchkins. Judy Garland and Ray Bolger (Reprise)
1939	The Wizard of Oz	If I Only Had a Brain	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Ray Bolger and Judy Garland	–	–
1939	The Wizard of Oz	If I Only Had the Nerve	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Ray Bolger, and Judy Garland	–	–
1939	The Wizard of Oz	Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Billie Burke and the Munchkins	–	–
1939	The Wizard of Oz	Over the Rainbow	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Victor Fleming	Judy Garland	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1941	Blues in the Night	Blues in the Night	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	Anatole Litvak	William Gillespie	Oscar Nomination	–
1941	Blues in the Night	This Time the Dream’s on me	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	Anatole Litvak	Pricilla Lane	–	–
1943	Cabin in the Cotton	Happiness is a Thing Called Joe	Harold Arlen	Yip Harburg	Vincente Minnelli	Ethel Waters	Oscar Nomination	–
1943	Star Spangled Rhythm	That Old Black Magic	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	George Marshall	Johnny Johnson	Oscar Nomination	–
1943	The Sky’s the Limit	My Shining Hour	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	Edward H. Griffith	Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland)	–	–
1943	The Sky’s the Limit	One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	Edward H. Griffith	Fred Astaire	–	–
1945	Here Come the Waves	Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate-the Positive	Harold Arlen	Johnny Mercer	Mark Sandrich	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	_
1954	A Star is Born	The Man That Got Away	Harold Arlen	Ira Gershwin	George Cukor	Judy Garland	Oscar Nomination	_
1954	A Star is Born	Born in a Trunk	Harold Arlen	Ira Gershwin	George Cukor	Judy Garland	–	–

IRVING BERLIN (18)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1930	Puttin’ On the Ritz	Puttin’ On the Ritz*	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Edward Sloman	Harry Richman	–	–
1935	Top Hat	Cheek to Cheek	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire (to Ginger Rogers)	Oscar Nomination	–
1935	Top Hat	Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire	—	–
1935	Top Hat	Isn’t This a Lovely Day (to be Caught in the Rain)	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire (to Ginger Rogers)	–
1935	Top Hat	No Strings (I’m Fancy-Free)	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire		–
1935	Top Hat	The Piccolino	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Ginger Rogers (to Fred Astaire)	–	–
1936	Follow the Fleet	Let’s Face the Music and Dance	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire (to Ginger Rogers)	–	–
1936	Follow the Fleet	Get Thee Behind Me Satan	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Harriet Hilliard	–	–
1936	Follow the Fleet	I’m Putting All of My Eggs in One Basket	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	–	–
1937	On the Avenue	Slumming on Park Avenue	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Roy Del Ruth	Alice Faye	–	–
1937	On the Avenue	You’re Laughing at Me	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Roy Del Ruth	Dick Powell	–	–
1938	Carefree	Change Partners	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire (the scene features Kay Sutton and Ginger Rogers)	Oscar Nomination	–
1939	Second Fiddle	I Poured My Heart into a Song	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Sidney Lanfield	Rudy Vallee	Oscar Nomination	–
1942	Holiday Inn	White Christmas	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Mark Sandrich	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1946	Blue Skies	You Keep Coming Back Like a Song	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Stuart Heisler	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	–
1949	Easter Parade	Steppin’ Out With My Baby	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Charles Waters	Fred Astaire	_	_
1954	White Christmas	Count Your Blessings	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Michael Curtiz	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	–
1954	White Christmas	Sisters	Irving Berlin	Irving Berlin	Michael Curtiz	Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye (Reprise)	–	–

Nacio Herb Brown  (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1952	Singing in the rain	Make ‘Em Laugh	Nacio Herb Brown	Arthur Freed	Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly	Donald O’Connor	–	–

RALPH BLANE and HUGH MARTIN (4)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer and Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1944	Meet Me in Saint Louis	The Trolly Song	Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin	Vincente Minnelli	Judy Garland	Oscar Nomination	–
1944	Meet Me in Saint Louis	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin	Vincente Minnelli	Judy Garland	–	–
1944	Meet Me in Saint Louis	The Boy Next Door	Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin	Vincente Minnelli	Judy Garland	–	–
1947	Good News	Pass That Peace Pipe	Ralph Blane. Hugh Martin & Roger Edens	Charles Walters	Joan McCracken	Oscar Nomination	–

HOAGY CARMICHAEL (2)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1946	Canyon Passage	Ole Buttermilk Sky	Hoagy Carmichael	Jack Brooks	Jacques Tourneur	Hoagy Carmichael	Oscar Nomination	–
1951	Here Comes the Groom	In The Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening	Hoagy Carmichael	Johnny Mercer	Frank Capra	Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win

FRANK CHURCHILL (5)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Someday My Prince Will Come	Frank Churchill	Larry Morey	David Hand/Perce Pearce/William Cottrell/Larry Morey/Wilfred Jackson/Ben Sharpsteen	Adriana Caselotti	—	—
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Whistle While You Work	Frank Churchill	Larry Morey	David Hand/Perce Pearce/William Cottrell/Larry Morey/Wilfred Jackson/Ben Sharpsteen	Adriana Caselotti	–	–
1937	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs	Heigh-Ho	Frank Churchill	Larry Morey	David Hand/Perce Pearce/William Cottrell/Larry Morey/Wilfred Jackson/Ben Sharpsteen	Roy Atwell/Pinto Colvig/Billy Gilbert/Otis Harlan/Scotty Mattraw	–	–
1941	Dumbo	Baby Mine	Frank Churchill	Ned Washington	Ben Sharpsteen	Betty Noyes	Oscar Nomination	–
1942	Bambi	Love is a Song	Frank Churchill	Larry Morey	Larry Morey	Donald Noivis	Oscar Nomination	_

CON CONRAD (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1934	The Gay Divorcee	The Continental	Con Conrad	Herb Magidson	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win

GENE DE PAUL (4)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1941	Ride ‘Em Cowboy	I’ll Remember April	Gene de Paul	Patricia Johnson & Don Raye	Arthur Lubin	Dick Foran	–	_
1942	Keep “Em Flying	You Don’t Know What Love is	Gene de Paul	Don Raye	Arthur Lubin	Carol Bruce	_	_
1943	I Dood It	Star Eyes	Gene de Paul	Don Raye	Vincente Minnelli	Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra	_	_
1943	He’s My Guy	He’s My Guy	Gene de Paul	Don Raye	Edward F. Cline	Dick Foran and Joan Davis	_	_

MATT DENNIS (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1953	Jennifer	Angel Eyes*	Matt Dennis	Earl Brent	Joel Newton	Matt Dennis	–	–

ROGER EDENS (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer and Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1947	Good News	Pass That Peace Pipe	Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin & Roger Edens	Charles Walters	Joan McCracken	Oscar Nomination	–
1957	Funny Face	Think Pink!	Roger Edens and Leonard Gershe	Stanley Donen	Kay Thompson	–	–
1957	Funny Face	Bonjour Paris!	Roger Edens and Leonard Gershe	Stanley Donen	Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, and Kay Thompson	–	–

SAMMY FAIN (5)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1937	Walter Wanger’s Vogues of 1938	That Old Feeling	Sammy Fain	Lew Brown	Irving Cummings	Virginia Verrill	Oscar Nomination	–
1953	Calamity Jane	Secret Love	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster	David Butler	Doris Day	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1955	Love is a Many Splendored Thing	Love is a Many Splendored Thing	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster	Henry King	The Four Aces	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1957	April Love	April Love	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster	Henry Levin	Pat Boone	Oscar Nomination	–
1962	Tender is the Night	Tender is the Night	Sammy Fain	Paul Francis Webster	Henry King	George Greeley (pianist: uncredited)	Oscar Nomination	–

GEORGE GERSHWIN (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1937	Shall We Dance	They Can’t Take That Away from Me	George Gershwin	Ira Gershwin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire to Ginger Rogers	Oscar Nomination	–
1937	Shall We Dance	They All Laughed (at Christopher Columbus)	George Gershwin	Ira Gershwin	Mark Sandrich	Ginger Rogers to Fred Astaire	–	–
1937	Shall We Dance	Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off	George Gershwin	Ira Gershwin	Mark Sandrich	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	–	–

JAY GORNEY (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1933	Jimmy and Sally	You’re My Thrill	Jay Gorney	Sidney Clare	James Tinning	Lya Lys	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS

LEIGH HARLINE (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1940	Pinocchio	When You Wish Upon a Star	Leigh Harline	Ned Washington	Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske	Cliff Edwards	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win

M. K. JEROME (1) RAY HEINDORF (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1945	San Antonio	Some Sunday Morning	Ray Heindorf and M.K. Jerome	Ted Kohler	David Butler	Alexis Smith	Oscar Nomination	–

RAY HENDERSON (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1935	Curly Top	Animal Crackers in My Soup	Ray Henderson	Irving Caeser and Ted Kohler	Irving Cummings	Shirley Temple	–	–

FRIEDRICH HOLLAENDER (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1939	Destry Rides Again	See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have	Frederick Hollaender	Frank Loesser	George Marshall	Marlene Dietrich	_	_

ARTHUR JOHNSTON (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1934	Murder at the Vanities	Cocktails for Two	Arthur Johnson	Sam Coslow	Mitchell Leisen	Carl Brisson	–	–
1934	Belle of the Nineties	My Old Flame	Arthur Johnson	Sam Coslow	Leo McCarey	Mae West	–	–
1936	Pennies from Heaven	Pennies from Heaven	Arthur Johnston	Johnny Burke	Norman Z. McLeod	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	–

BRONISLAW KAPER (2)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1936	San Francisco	San Francisco	Bronislaw Kaper (with Walter Jurmann)	Gus Kahn	W.S.Van Dyke	Jeanette MacDonald	–	–
1953	Lili	Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo	Bronislaw Kaper	Helen Deutsch	Charles Waters	Leslie Caron and Mel Ferrer	–	–

JEROME KERN (8)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1935	Roberta	Lovely to Look At	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields & Jimmy McHugh	William A. Seiter	Irene Dunne (Fred Astaire reprise)	Oscar Nomination	_
1935	Roberta	I Won’t Dance*	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields & Jimmy McHugh	William A.Seiter	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	–	_
1936	Swing Time	The Way You Look Tonight	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields	George Stevens	Fred Astaire to Ginger Rogers	Oscar Nomination	Oscar win
1936	Swing Time	A Fine Romance	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields	George Stevens	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	–	–
1936	Swing Time	Pick Yourself Up	Jerome Kern	Dorothy Fields	George Stevens	Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers	–	–
1937	High, Wide, and Handsome	The Folks Who Live on the Hill	Jerome Kern	Oscar Hammerstein II	Rouben Mamoulian	Irene Dunne	_	_
1941	Lady Be Good	The Last Time I Saw Paris**	Jerome Kern	Oscar Hammerstein II	Norman Z. McLeod	Ann Sothern	Oscar Nomination	Oscar win
1944	Cover Girl	Long Ago (and Far Away)	Jerome Kern	Ira Gershwin	Charles Vidor	Rita Haworth (dubbed by Martha Mears)	Oscar Nomination	–

**NOT written specifically for the movie (see above).

JAY LIVINGSTON (6)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1948	The Paleface	Buttons and Bows	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans	Norman Z. McLeod	Bob Hope and Jane Russell	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1950	Captain Carey, U.S.A	Mona Lisa	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans	Mitchell Leisen	Les Baxter and his Orchestra	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1956	The Man Who Knew Too Much	Que Sera, Sera	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans	Alfred Hitchcock	Doris Day	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1957	Tammy and the Bachelor	Tammy	Jay Livingston	Ray Evans	Joseph Pevney	Debbie Reynolds	Oscar Nomination	_
1959	The Hanging Tree	The Hanging Tree	Jay Livingston	Mack David	Delmer Daves	Marty Robbins	Oscar Nomination	_
1965	Cat Ballou	The Ballad of Cat Ballou	Jay Livingston	Mack David	Elliot Silverstein	Tom Nardini/Michael Callan/Dwayne Hickman/Nat King Cole/Stubby Kaye	Oscar Nomination	–

JERRY LIVINGSTON (1) AL HOFFMAN (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1950	Cinderella	Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo	Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman	Mack David	Wilfred Jackson/Hamilton Luske/Clyde Geronimi	Verna Felton	Oscar Nomination	–

FRANK LOESSER (2)

(For Frank Loesser as Lyricist only, please see under Frederick Hollaender, Jimmy McHugh, Arthur Schwartz)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1949	Neptune’s Daughter	Baby, It’s Cold Outside	Frank Loesser	Frank Loesser	Edward Buzzell	Ricardo Montalban and Esther Williams Red Skelton and Betty Garrett	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1952	Hans Christian Andersen	Thumbelina	Frank Loesser	Frank Loesser	Charles Vidor	Danny Kaye	Oscar Nomination	–

JIMMY McHUGH (4)

(For Jimmy McHugh as Lyricist only, please see under Jerome Kern)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1935	Every Night at Eight	I’m in the Mood for Love	Jimmy McHugh	Dorothy Fields	Raoul Walsh	Frances Langford	–	–
1935	Every Night at Eight	I Feel a Song Coming On	Jimmy McHugh	Dorothy Fields	Raoul Walsh	Harry Barris Alice Faye, Frances Longford, and Patsy Kelly	–	–
1943	Happy Go Lucky	Let’s Get Lost	Jimmy McHugh	Frank Loesser	Curtis Bernhardt	Mary Martin	–	–
1943	Higher and Higher	A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening	Jimmy McHugh	Harold Adamson	Tim Whelan	Frank Sinatra	Oscar Nomination	–

JOHNNY MERCER (1)

(For Johnny Mercer as Lyricist only, please see under Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Victor Schertzinger, Harry Warren, and Richard Whiting)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1955	Daddy Long Legs	Something’s Gotta Give	Johnny Mercer	Johnny Mercer	Jean Negulesco	Fred Astaire	Oscar Nomination	–

ALEX NORTH (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1955	Unchained	Unchained Melody	Alex North	Hy Zaret	Hall Bartlett	Todd Duncan	Oscar Nomination	–

COLE PORTER (4)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1936	Born to Dance	I’ve Got You Under My Skin	Cole Porter	Cole Porter	Roy Del Ruth	Eleanor Powell	Oscar Nomination	–
1943	Something to Shout About	You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To	Cole Poster	Cole Poster	Gregory Ratoff	Janet Blair and Don Ameche	Oscar Nomination	_
1948	The Pirate	Be A Clown	Cole Porter	Cole Porter	Vincente Minnelli	Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers (REPRISE) Gene Kelly and Judy Garland	–	–
1956	High Society	True Love	Cole Porter	Cole Porter	Charles Walters	Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly	Oscar Nomination	–

HUGHIE PRINCE (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1941	Buck Privates	Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy	Hughie Prince	Don Raye	Arthur Lubin	The Andrews Sisters	Oscar Nomination	–

RALPH RAINGER (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1938	The Big Broadcast of 1938	Thanks for the Memory	Ralph Rainger	Leo Robin	Mitchell Leisen	Bob Hope and Shirley Ross	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win

RICHARD RODGERS (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1945	State Fair	It might as Well Be Spring	Richard Rodgers	Oscar Hammerstein II	Walter Lang	Jeanne Crain (dubbed by Louanne Hogan)	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win

HARRY RUBY (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1951	The Strip	A Kiss to Build a Dream On**	Harry Ruby	Bert Kalmar & Oscar Hammerstein II	Laszlo Kardos	Louis Armstrong Mickey Rooney with William Demarest Sally Forrest Kay Brown	Oscar Nomination	–

VICTOR SCHERTZINGER (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1941	The Fleet’s In	Tangerine	Victor Schertzinger	Johnny Mercer	Victor Schertzinger	The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O’Connell and Bob Eberly	–	–

ARTHUR SCHWARTZ (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1943	Thank Your Lucky Stars	They’re Either Too Young or Too Old	Arthur Schwartz	Frank Loesser	David Butler	Bette Davis	Oscar Nomination	–
1947	The Time, the Place, and the Girl	A Gal in Calico	Arthur Schwartz	Leo Robin	David Butler	Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson, and Martha Vickers (dubbed by Sally Sweetland)	Oscar Nomination	–
1953	The Bandwagon	That’s Entertainment	Arthur Schwartz	Howard Dietz	Vincente Minnelli	Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant & Nanette Fabray

JULE STEIN (7)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1942	Youth on Parade	I’ve heard That Song Before	Jule Stein	Sammy Cahn	Albert S. Rogell	Martha O’ Driscoll	Oscar Nomination	_
1944	Follow the Boys	I’ll Walk Alone	Jule Stein	Sammy Cahn	Edward Sutherland	Dinah Shore	Oscar Nomination	–
1945	Anchors Away	I Fall in Love Too Easily	Jule Stein	Sammy Cahn	George Sidney	Frank Sinatra	Oscar Nomination	–
1948	Romance on the High Seas	It’s Magic	Jule Stain	Sammy Cahn	Michael Curtiz	Doris Day	Oscar Nomination	–
1949	It’s a Great Feeling	It’s a Great Feeling	Jule Stein	Sammy Cahn	David Butler	Doris Day	Oscar Nomination	–
1954	Three Coins in a Fountain	Three Coins in a Fountain	Jule Stein	Sammy Cahn	Jean Negulesco	Frank Sinatra	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1968	Funny Girl	Funny Girl	Jule Stein	Bob Merrill	William Wyler	Barbra Streisand	Oscar Nomination	–

DIMITRI TIOMKIN (4)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Song Title
1952	High Noon	The Ballad of High Noon	Dimitri Tiomkin	Ned Washington	Fred Zinnemann	Tex Ritter	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1956	Friendly Persuasion	Friendly Persuasion	Dimitri Tiomkin	Paul Francis Webster	William Wyler	Pat Boone	Oscar Nomination	–
1957	Wild is the Wind	Wild is the Wind	Dimitri Tiomkin	Ned Washington	George Cukor	Johnny Mathis	Oscar Nomination	–
1961	Town Without Pity	Town Without Pity	Dimitri Tiomkin	Ned Washington	Gottfried Reinhardt	Gene Pitney	Oscar Nomination	_

JIMMY VAN HEUSEN (18)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1941	Road to Zanzibar	It’s Always You	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Victor Schertzinger	Bing Crosby (to Dorothy Lamour)	–	–
1942	Road to Morocco	Moonlight Becomes You	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	David Butler	Bing Crosby (to Dorothy Lamour)	–	–
1943	Dixie	Sunday, Monday, or Always	Jimmy van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Edward Sutherland	Bing Crosby	–	–
1943	And the Angels Sing	It Could Happen to You	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	George Marshall	Dorothy Lamour	–	–
1944	Belle of the Yukon	Like Someone in Love	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	William A. Seiter	Dinah Shore	–	–
1944	Going My Way	Swinging on a Star	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Leo McCarey	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1945	The Bells of St. Mary’s	Aren’t You Glad You’re You	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Leo McCarey	Bing Crosby	Oscar Nomination	_
1946	Road to Utopia	Personality	Jimmy Van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Hal Walker	Dorothy Lamour	–	–
1947	The Road to Rio	But Beautiful	Jimmy van Heusen	Johnny Burke	Norman Z. McLeod	Bing Crosby (to Dorothy Lamour)	–	–
1955	The Tender Trap	(Love Is) The Tender Trap	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Charles Walters	Debbie Reynolds & Frank Sinatra (Separately)	Oscar Nomination	–
1957	The Joker is Wild	All the Way	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Charles Vidor	Frank Sinatra	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1959	A Hole in the Head	High Hopes	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Frank Capra	Frank Sinatra & Eddie Hodges	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1960	High Time	The Second Time Around	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Blake Edwards	Bing Crosby with Henry Mancini and his Orchestra	Oscar Nomination	–
1960	Ocean’s 11	Ain’t That a Kick in the Head	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Lewis Milestone	Dean Martin	_	_
1961	Pocket Full of Miracles	Pocket Full of Miracles	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Frank Capra	Sung offscreen by an unidentified choir during the opening credits	Oscar Nomination	–
1963	Papa’s Delicate Condition	Call Me Irresponsible	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	George Marshall	Jackie Gleason	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1964	Robin and the 7 Hoods	My Kind of Town	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	Gordon Douglas	Frank Sinatra	Oscar Nomination	–
1967	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Thoroughly Modern Millie	Jimmy Van Heusen	Sammy Cahn	George Roy Hill	Julie Andrews	Oscar Nomination	–

HARRY WARREN (19)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1933	42nd Street	42nd Street	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Lloyd Bacon	Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, and the ensemble	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1933	42nd Street	Shuffle Off to Buffalo	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Lloyd Bacon	Ruby Keeler and Clarence Nordstrom REPRISE Ginger Rogers, Una Merkel, and the Chorus	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1933	42nd Street	You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Lloyd Bacon	Bebe Daniels	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1933	Roman Scandals	Keep Young and beautiful	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Frank Tuttle	Eddie Cantor and the Chorus	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1933	Gold Diggers of 1933	We’re in the Money	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Mervyn LeRoy	Ginger Rogers and the Chorus	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS	Pre-Musicians Branch AMPAS
1934	Moulin Rouge	The Boulevard of Broken Dreams	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Sidney Lanfield	Constance Bennett	–	–
1934	Dames	I Only Have Eyes for You	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Ray Enright	Dick Powell	–	–
1935	Broadway Gondolier	Lulu’s Back in Town	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Lloyd Bacon	Dick Powell	–	–
1935	Gold Diggers of 1935	The Lullaby of Broadway	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Busby Berkeley	Winifred Shaw	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1937	Melody for Two	September in the Rain	Harry Warren	Al Dubin	Louis King	James Melton	–	–
1938	Going Places	Jeepers Creepers	Harry Warren	Johnny Mercer	Ray Enright	Louis Armstrong	Oscar Nomination	_
1938	Hard to Get	You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby	Harry Warren	Johnny Mercer	Ray Enright	Dick Powell	–	–
1941	Sun Valley Serenade	Chattanooga Choo Choo	Harry Warren	Mack Gordon	H.Bruce Humberstone	Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with The Modernaires, Dorothy Dandridge, and the Nicholas Brothers.	Oscar Nomination	–
1941	Sun Valley Serenade	At Last	Harry Warren	Mack Gordon	Mack Gordon	Glenn Miller and his Orchestra Pat Friday and John Payne	_	_
1942	Orchestra Wives	I’ve Got A Girl in Kalamazoo	Harry Warren	Mack Gordon	Archie Mayo	Glenn Miller and his Orchestra With the Nicholas Brothers	Oscar Nomination	–
1943	Hello, Frisco, Hello	You’ll Never Know	Harry Warren	Mack Gordon	H. Bruce Humberstone	Alice Faye	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1946	The Harvey Girls	On The Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe	Harry Warren	Johnny Mercer	George Sidney	Judy Garland	Oscar Nomination	Oscar Win
1953	The Caddy	That’s Amore	Harry Warren	Jack Brooks	Norman Taurog	Dean Martin	Oscar Nomination	_
1957	An Affair to Remember	An Affair to Remember	Harry Warren	Harold Adamson & Leo McCarey	Leo McCarey	Vic Damone	Oscar Nomination	–

RICHARD WHITING (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1934	Bright Eyes	On the Good Ship Lollipop	Richard Whiting	Sidney Clare	David Butler	Shirley Temple	–	–
1937	Hollywood Hotel	Hooray for Hollywood	Richard Whiting	Johnny Mercer	Busby Berkeley	Frances Langford and Johnnie Davis with the Benny Goodman Orchestra	–	–
1937	Ready, Willing, and Able	Too Marvelous for Words	Richard Whiting	Johnny Mercer	Ray Enright	Winifred Shaw and Ross Alexander	–	–

VINCENT YOUMANS (1)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1934	Flying Down to Rio	Carioca	Vincent Yeomans	Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn	Thornton Freeland	Alice Gentle, Movita Castaneda, and Etta Moten	Oscar nomination	–

VICTOR YOUNG (3)

Year	Film Title	Song Title	Composer	Lyricist	Director	Introduced by	Nomination	Oscar
1945	Love Letters	Love Letters	Victor Young	Edward Heyman	William Dieterle	Dick Haymes	Oscar Nomination	–
1949	My Foolish Heart	My Foolish Heart	Victor Young	Ned Washington	Mark Robson	Martha Mears	Oscar Nomination	–
1956	Written on the Wind	Written on the Wind	Victor Young	Sammy Cahn	Douglas Sirk	The Four Aces	Oscar Nomination	–

The Best Songwriters from the Golden Age of Hollywood – Part Two – The Great Lyricists.