CHARLES STROUSE - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: RALPH BLANE, BETTY COMDEN, HAL DAVID, ADOLPH GREEN - HFSID 200687

BETTY COMDEN, ADOLPH GREEN, RALPH BLANE, HAL DAVID and CHARLES STROUSE
The songwriters/composers all sign on this FDC honoring composer Jerome Kern
First Day Cover signed: "Betty Comden", "Adolph Green", "Ralph Blane", "Hal David" and "Charles Strouse", 6½x3½. FDC honoring composer Jerome Kern, 22-cent stamp affixed, postmarked New York, NY, January 23, 1985, FIRST DAY OF ISSUE. Betty Comden (1917-2006) was one-half of the musical-comedy duo Comden and Green, who provided lyrics, libretti, and screenplays to some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Comden and Green's first Broadway show was in 1944, with "On the Town", a musical about three sailors on leave in New York City that was an expansion of a ballet entitled "Fancy Free". Comden and Green wrote the book and lyrics, which included sizable parts for themselves (as "Claire" and "Ozzie"). The duo also wrote the musical comedy film Singin' in the Rain. Comden helped contribute to 5 Tony Award nominations and 7 Tony Award wins. In 1980, Comden was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame then in 1981 was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Adolph Green (1914-2002) was an American playwright and lyricist, often working in collaboration with Betty Comden. Green studied drama at New York University, eventually going on to write his first Broadway musical On The Town (1944), which produced the classic song "New York, New York". However, Green's most remembered production was Singin' In The Rain (1952), a movie so well regarded that is still considered one of the best movie musicals of all time. Martin and Blane wrote the lyrics and music for Meet Me in St. Louis, which included the songs "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "The Trolley Song"; and Best Foot Forward, which included "Buckle Down Winsocki"., Lyricist Hal David (1921-2012) crafted a long string of popular hits, many in collaboration with composer Burt Bacharach and singer Dionne Warwick. (He has written for other vocalists as well, including Perry Como, the Carpenters and Tom Jones. He began writing songs for bandleaders Sammy Kaye and Guy Lombardo in the late 1940s. In the 1960s and 1970s, the David/Bacharach team created hit after hit: "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," "This Guy's in Love with You," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?", "Walk on By," "What the World Needs Now," "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Anyone Who Had a Heart." Together they landed three songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame and produced the themes to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, What's New Pussycat? And Casino Royale. Working with other composers, David wrote the words to Sarah Vaughn's "Broken Hearted Melody" and Don Gibson's "Sea of Heartbreak." David is the Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Songwriter Charles Strouse (b. 1928) is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, studying under known composers Arthur Berger, David Diamond, Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger. His first Broadway hit was Bye, Bye Birdie, and was followed by several more successful plays, including All American (1962), Applause (1970), and Annie (1977). He has been nominated for several Tonys and Drama Desk Awards, winning a Tony in 1961, 1970, and 1977. His most popular plays still continue to be produced on Broadway today, with a revival of Annie running on Broadway from 2012. Fine condition.