Frederick Loewe

"I was always amazed how good we were and how simple it was." --Frederick Loewe's message which was read at the memorial tribute to Alan Jay Lerner in 1986.

He was awarded the Hollander Medal (1923).

Biography

German-born composer of Viennese ancestry and musical sensibility, who, after a concert career as a European piano prodigy, arrived in New York in 1924 and supported himself in a variety of odd jobs before breaking into Broadway songwriting in 1935. A chance encounter with Alan Jay Lerner in 1942 marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration that brought a romantic lyricism and sophisticated polish to the post-war American musical and resulted in a string of elegant, literate Broadway hits: "Brigadoon" (1947), "Paint Your Wagon" (1951), "My Fair Lady" (1955) and "Camelot" (1960) all of which were adapted to film by Lerner.

In 1958 Lerner and Loewe wrote their first original screen musical, the nine Oscar-winner, "Gigi," and in 1974 collaborated on one last original film musical, "The Little Prince" before Loewe's final retirement.

Filmography

Life Events

1914

At 13 became youngest piano soloist to appear with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra

1917

Wrote the music for "Katrina", a popular hit song in Europe at age 15

1924

Moved to the US; performed a Town Hall and the Rivoli Theatre; failed to achieve success because of tenuous command of English language and fact his musical sensibility was not "American" enough

1935

Joined Lambs Club in NY and sold first song to Broadway: "Love Tiptoed Through My Heart", sung by Dennis King in "Petticoat Fever"

1937

Wrote first full score, "Salute to Spring" for summer pageant at the Municipal Opera, St Louis

1938

Composed first Broadway score, "Great Lady" (with lyrics by Earle Crooker), which ran only 20 performances

1942

Met Alan Jay Lerner at the Lambs Club; first collaboration "Life of the Party" which debuted in Detroit, MI

1943

Collaborated on first Broadway show with Lerner, "What's Up?"

1947

Wrote first hit Broadway musical with Lerner, "Brigadoon"

1958

Suffered a massive heart attack before the London opening of "My Fair Lady"

1958

Collaborated with Lerner on first original movie score, "Gigi"

1960

Produced first Broadway musical, "Camelot" (also composed score)

1960

Entered semi-retirement after Broadway production of "Camelot"

1973

Reuinted with Lerner to write four new songs for a Broadway stage production of "Gigi"

1974

Wrote final score for the film musical, "The Little Prince"

Videos

Gigi (1958) -- (Movie Clip) The Night They Invented Champagne Leslie Caron (title character) has defeated (Louis Jourdan) at cards, whereupon he honors his bet, and they, with Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold) launch Lerner and Loewe's "The Night They Invented Champagne," in Gigi, 1958.

South Pacific (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair Mitzi Gaynor as nurse Ensign Nellie Forbush, created in James Michener’s WWII stories, first seen on Broadway (Mary Martin) and given voice by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, directed on stage and screen by Joshua Logan, with a song that was Martin’s idea, shooting in Hawaii, and Rossano Brazzi her subject, in South Pacific, 1958.

Gigi (1958) -- (Movie Clip) The Parisians Leslie Caron (title character) after her session training as a courtesan, launching into Lerner and Loewe's "The Parisians," tripping about the city in Vincente Minnelli's Gigi, 1958.

Gigi (1958) -- (Movie Clip) Thank Heaven For Little Girls After the elaborate overture and opening, Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier) with the famous Lerner and Loewe number "Thank Heaven For Little Girls," from Vincente Minnelli's best picture winner Gigi, 1958.

My Fair Lady (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Wouldn't It Be Loverly? Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle performs Wouldn't It Be Loverly? (vocal by Marni Nixon) early in the Best Picture-winning Lerner and Loewe musical, directed by George Cukor, My Fair Lady, 1964.

My Fair Lady (1964) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Overture The famous flower montage by director George Cukor, Andre Previn conducting the overture from the Lerner and Loewe score, opening My Fair Lady, 1964, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.

My Fair Lady (1964) -- (Movie Clip) The Rain in Spain Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn, vocal by Marni Nixon) demonstrates her improved elocution to Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), Wilfrid Hyde-White as Col. Pickering, in the Lerner and Loewe classic, The Rain In Spain, in My Fair Lady, 1964.

Camelot (1967) -- (Movie Clip) C'est Moi Italian Franco Nero, who has a fine singing voice but who had little English at the time, and was thus dubbed by Gene Merlino, introduced here as Lancelot, in France, who hears the call of the England’s round table, and with the Lerner and Loewe song begins his journey, in Camelot, 1967.

Camelot (1967) -- (Movie Clip) The Lusty Month Of May Still early in the romance, Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), leads the company in a rollicking version of the up-tempo number from the hit Lerner and Loewe stage musical, directed by Joshua Logan and co-starring Richard Harris, in Camelot, 1967.

Camelot (1967) -- (Movie Clip) How I Became King In the enchanted forest, just explaining how he became king, Arthur (Richard Harris) wins over Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave), with whom he finishes the title tune before their wedding, in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, 1967.

Camelot (1967) -- (Movie Clip) How To Handle A Woman Guenevere (Vanessa Redgrave) exits having baffled her husband King Arthur (Richard Harris), who offers Lerner and Loewe's How To Handle A Woman, in director Joshua Logan's Camelot, 1967.

Gigi (1958) -- (Movie Clip) She Is Not Thinking Of Me First Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier) in person, then Gaston (Louis Jourdan), voiced-over, with the Lerner and Loewe songs "Gossip," then "She Is Not Thinking Of Me," in Vincente Minnelli's Gigi, 1958.

Gigi (1958) -- (Original Trailer) A Parisian girl (Leslie Caron) is raised to be a kept woman but dreams of love and marriage in Gigi (1958), directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Paint Your Wagon - (Original Trailer) Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood share Jean Seberg in the film version of Lerner & Loewe's musical western Paint Your Wagon (1970).

Brigadoon - (Original Trailer) Gene Kelly and Van Johnson discover a mystical village that only materializes once every century in the Broadway musical Brigadoon (1954).

Family

Edmund Loewe

Father

Opera singer. Viennese tenor who created the role of Prince Danilo in "The Merry Widow" in 1906.

Rose Loewe

Mother

Actor.

Companions

Ernestine Zwerline

Wife

Married in 1931; divorced in 1957.

Francine Greshler

Companion

Forty years his junior; together from c. 1974 until his death.

Bibliography

Notes

"I was always amazed how good we were and how simple it was." --Frederick Loewe's message which was read at the memorial tribute to Alan Jay Lerner in 1986.

He was awarded the Hollander Medal (1923).

Awarded honorary doctorate in music from the University of Redlands and a D.F.Aa. from NYU.

About

Biography

Filmography

Photos & Videos

Family & Companions

Notes

Biography

Filmography

Music (Feature Film)

Cast (Special)

Writer (Special)

Music (Special)

Special Thanks (Special)

Life Events

1914

1917

1924

1935

1937

1938

1942

1943

1947

1958

1958

1960

1960

1973

1974

Videos

Movie Clip

Trailer

Family

Companions

Bibliography

Notes

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