Sylvia Fine
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"I can't say what Danny Kaye is like in private life. There are too many of them." --Sylvia Fine (quoted in "Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion", 9th edition, 1998)
"I'm Anatole of Paris,I shiek with chic;My 'at of ze weekCaused six divorces, three runaway 'orses...I'm Anatole of Paris, ze 'ats I sellMake people yell'Is zat a 'at or a two-room flat?" --Sylvia Fine's lyric from "Anatole of Paris"
Biography
Songwriter whose witty, complex lyrics and melodic tunes were often written as special material to showcase the unique talents of her husband, Danny Kaye. (Kaye once admitted, "I am a wife-made man.")
Fine wrote the music and/or lyrics for such Kaye vehicles as "Up in Arms" (1944), "Wonder Man" (1945), "The Kid From Brooklyn" (1946) "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), "The Inspector General" (1949) and "The Court Jester" (1956), and once estimated that she had created over 100 songs for him during their 40-year collaboration. Her songs ranged from fast-paced, tongue-twisting patter numbers such as "Anatole of Paris" and "Melody in 4-F," to the tender "Lullaby in Ragtime" from "The Five Pennies" (1959), to love songs such as "All About You" from "Knock on Wood" (1954). Fine received Oscar nominations for her songs for "The Moon is Blue" (1953) and "The Five Pennies" and also won an Emmy for the 1975 TV production "Danny Kaye: Look in at the Met."
Filmography
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Life Events
1939
Debut as Broadway composer-lyricist-skit writer when skits written for Pennsylvania summer camp produced on Broadway as "The Straw Hat Revue"
1940
Debut as a nightclub performer with Danny Kaye at La Martinque in NYC; Fine wrote the music and lyrics and accompanied Kaye on the piano 9date approximate)
1943
Signed by Samuel Goldwyn to write special material for Kaye
1952
Formed Dena Productions with Danny Kaye
1959
Associated producer of "The Five Pennies" (also songwriter)
1971
First taught a course on musical theater at UCS
1975
Taught her musical theater course at Yale
1975
Executive produced award-winning TV special, "Danny Kaye: Look-In at the Met"
1979
Produced and narrated her musical theater course as a three part PBS special, "Musical Comedy Tonight"
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"I can't say what Danny Kaye is like in private life. There are too many of them." --Sylvia Fine (quoted in "Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion", 9th edition, 1998)
"I'm Anatole of Paris,I shiek with chic;My 'at of ze weekCaused six divorces, three runaway 'orses...I'm Anatole of Paris, ze 'ats I sellMake people yell'Is zat a 'at or a two-room flat?" --Sylvia Fine's lyric from "Anatole of Paris"
Fine was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Brooklyn College (1985
She financed the restoration of the Hunter College Playhouse (1990)
Fine also endowed the Sylvia Fine Chair in Musical Theater at Brooklyn College in 1991.
