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Biography
More footnotes|date=April 2011Infobox musical artist| name = Jimmy Van Heusen| image =| caption =| background = non_performing_personnel| birth_name = Edward Chester Babcock| birth_date = birth date|1913|1|26|birth_place = Syracuse, New York , United States | death_date = dda|1990|2|6|1913|1|26| genre = Popular music| occupation = Songwriter , Pianist | years_active = Jimmy Van Heusen (January 26, 1913 - February 6, 1990 http://www.pscemetery.com/pdfs/interments.pdf Palm Springs Cemetery District, "Interments of Interest"), was an United States|American composer . He wrote songs mainly for films and television (but also for the theater), and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song|Academy Awards for Best Original Song .
Life and career
Born Edward Chester Babcock in Syracuse, New York , he began writing music while at high school. He renamed himself at age 16, after the famous shirt makers, Phillips-Van Heusen , to use as his off-air name during local shows. His close friends called him "Chet."
Studying at Cazenovia Seminary and Syracuse University , he became friends with Jerry Arlen, the younger brother of Harold Arlen . With the elder Arlen's help, Van Heusen wrote songs for the Cotton Club revue, including "Harlem Hospitality."
He then became a staff pianist for some of the Tin Pan Alley publishers, and wrote "It's the Dreamer in Me" (1938) with lyrics by Jimmy Dorsey .
Collaborating with lyricist Eddie DeLange , on songs such as "Heaven Can Wait", "So Help Me", and " Darn That Dream ", his work became more prolific, writing over 60 songs in 1940 alone. It was in 1940 that he teamed up with the lyricist Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke .
Burke and Van Heusen moved to Hollywood writing for stage musicals and films throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for " Swinging on a Star " (1944). Their songs were also featured in '' A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949 film)|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949).
He was also a pilot of some accomplishment; he worked, using his birth name, as a part-time test pilot for Lockheed Corporation in World War II .
Van Heusen then teamed up with lyricist Sammy Cahn . Their three Academy Awards for Best Song were won for " All the Way (Frank Sinatra song)|All the Way " (1957) from The Joker Is Wild , " High Hopes (1959 song)|High Hopes " (1959) from A Hole in the Head , and " Call Me Irresponsible " (1963) from '' Papa's Delicate Condition . Their songs were also featured in Ocean's Eleven (1960 film)|Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), which featured the Oscar-nominated "My Kind of Town."
Cahn and Van Heusen also wrote " Love and Marriage " (1955), "To Love and Be Loved", " Come Fly with Me (song)|Come Fly with Me ", "Only the Lonely", and " Come Dance with Me (song)|Come Dance with Me " with many of their compositions being the title songs for Frank Sinatra 's albums of the late 1950s.
Van Heusen wrote the music for five Broadway theatre|Broadway musical theater|musical s: Swingin' the Dream (1939); Nellie Bly (1946), Carnival in Flanders (musical)|Carnival in Flanders (1953), Skyscraper (musical)|Skyscraper (1965), and Walking Happy (1966). While Van Heusen did not achieve nearly the success on Broadway that he did in Hollywood, at least three songs from Van Heusen musicals can legitimately be considered standards - "Darn That Dream" from Swingin' the Dream; " Here's That Rainy Day|Here's that Rainy Day " from Carnival in Flanders and "I Only Miss Her When I Think of Her" from "Skyscraper".
He became an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971.
Van Heusen composed over 800 plus songs of which 50 songs became standards. Van Heusen songs are featured in over one hundred eighty films.
Frank Sinatra
Van Heusen's personality and life are described in James Kaplan 's book about Frank Sinatra, "Frank: The Voice."
He was close friends throughout life with the crooner and saw him through a number of personal trials in his life. It was well known in Hollywood and many other circles that his marriage to actress Ava Gardner was often on the rocks. The first time Gardner and Sinatra had marital troubles was in 1951 when the crooner took up temporary lodgings in Van Heusen's home, trying to take a break.
According to a new book out, after returning early from an engagement, Van Heusen saved the singer from suicide by natural gas poisoning late in 1951 after Gardner hurt him deeply early in their relationship.
Surviving the suicide attempt, and taking any number of cues from him, Sinatra wrote the famous torch song '' I'm a Fool to Want You as a result, using an arrangement which reveals many stylistic influences from the composer.
Six years later, when Gardner broke his heart one last time after a tumultuous six-year marriage, Sinatra was staying at Van Heusen's New York flat once again, when the Academy Award-winning composer would also rescue the Grammy-winning crooner from suicide, this time by slicing of the wrists. Once again, returning early from an engagement and finding the despondent singer sprawled on the floor, Van Heusen saved him from bleeding to death.
At Van Heusen's insistence, Sinatra included the song on his 1957 outing for Capitol Records Where Are You? (Frank Sinatra album)|Where Are You? and the experience proved to be cathartic.
Life and Times
Although not a handsome man by conventional standards, he was known as a ladies man. Kaplan wrote, "He played piano beautifully, wrote gorgeously poignant songs about romance...he had a fat wallet, he flew his own plane; he never went home alone." Van Heusen was once described by Angie Dickinson , "You would not pick him over Clark Gable any day, but his magnetism was irresistible." In his 20's he began to shave his head when he started losing his hair, a practice ahead of its time. He once said "I would rather write songs than do anything else -- even fly." Kaplan also reported that he was a " hypochondriac of the first order" who kept a Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy|Merck manual at his bedside, injected himself with vitamins and painkillers, and had surgical procedures for ailments real and imagined."
It was Van Heusen who rushed Sinatra to the hospital after Sinatra, in despair over the breakup of his marriage to Ava Gardner, slashed one of his wrists in a failed suicide attempt in November 1953. However, this event was never mentioned by Van Heusen in any radio or print interviews given by him.
Van Heusen retired in the late 1970s, and died in Rancho Mirage, California in 1990 from complications following a stroke, at the age of 77.cite web|title=Jimmy Van Heusen Collection of Musical Works and Papers|url= http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/music/mlsc/collection.cfm? id=137& f=x|publisher=UCLA Libraries|accessdate=13 April 2011 He is buried in the Sinatra family burial plot in Desert Memorial Park , in Cathedral City, California . His grave marker reads Swinging On A Star .
Academy Awards
Van Heusen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song 14 times in 12 different years (in both 1945 and 1964 he was nominated for two songs), and won 4 times: in 1944, 1957, 1959, and 1963.
;Academy Award Wins
" Swinging on a Star " (1944) (lyrics by Johnny Burke) for Going My Way
" All the Way (Frank Sinatra song)|All the Way " (1957) (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for The Joker Is Wild
" High Hopes (1959 song)|High Hopes " (1959) (lyrics by Sammy Cahn) for A Hole in the Head
" Call Me Irresponsible " (1963) (lyrics by Sammy Cahn) for '' Papa's Delicate Condition
;Academy Award nominees:
1945 & ndash; " Sleighride In July " (lyrics by Johnny Burke ) from the film Belle Of The Yukon .
1945 & ndash; " Aren't You Glad You're You " (lyrics by Johnny Burke ) from the film '' Bells of St. Mary's .
1955 & ndash; " (Love Is) The Tender Trap " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) introduced by Frank Sinatra in the film The Tender Trap (film)|The Tender Trap .
1958 & ndash; " To Love and Be Loved " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Some Came Running .
1960 & ndash; " The Second Time Around " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film High Time (film)|High Time .
1961 & ndash; " Pocketful of Miracles " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Pocketful of Miracles .
1964 & ndash; " Where Love Has Gone (song)|Where Love Has Gone " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Where Love Has Gone (film)|Where Love Has Gone .
1964 & ndash; " My Kind of Town " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Robin and the 7 Hoods .
1967 & ndash; " Thoroughly Modern Millie " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Thoroughly Modern Millie .
1968 & ndash; "Star" (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Star& #33; (film)|Star! .
Emmy Award
He won one Emmy Award for Best Musical Contribution, for the song "Love and Marriage"(1955) (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ), written for the 1955 '' Producers' Showcase production of Our Town .
Other awards
He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1965 for Best Musical Score Written for a Motion Picture or TV show " Robin and the Seven Hoods "
He was also nominated for 3 Tony awards:
Best Musical in 1966 for Skyscraper (musical)|Skyscraper
Best Musical in 1967 for Walking Happy
Best Composer and Lyricist in 1967 Walking Happy
He was nominated three times for a Golden Globe Award .
1965 & ndash; " Where Love Has Gone (song)|Where Love Has Gone " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Where Love Has Gone (film)|Where Love Has Gone
1968 & ndash; " Thoroughly Modern Millie " (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Thoroughly Modern Millie .
1969 & ndash; "Star" (lyrics by Sammy Cahn ) for the film Star& #33; (film)|Star! .
He won one Christoper Award in 1955 for the song "Love and Marriage".
Trivia
Bob Hope 's character in The Road to Hong Kong (1962) is named Chester Babcock, in reference to Van Heusen's birth name.
The bridge section of Paul Desmond's iconic jazz anthem, "Take Five" is a direct homage to Van Heusen's "Sunday, Monday or Always".
" Like Someone in Love " (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
" Moonlight Becomes You (song)|Moonlight Becomes You " (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
" Nancy (With the Laughing Face) " (lyrics by Phil Silvers )
"Not As A Stranger" (lyrics by Buddy Kaye )
"Oh& #33; You Crazy Moon" (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
"Personality" (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
" Polka Dots and Moonbeams " (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
"Shake Down The Stars" (lyrics by Eddie DeLange )
"So Help Me" (lyrics by Eddie DeLange )
"Sunday, Monday, Or Always" (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
" Swinging on a Star " (lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke )
"You May Not Love Me" (lyrics by Johnny Burke )
References
Reflist
James Kaplan (2010). "Frank: The Voice", Pages 49,666-669.
Wilfred Sheed (2007). "The House That George Built", "Jimmy Van Heusen: On The Radio With Bing and Frank" Pages 225-251.
David Carson Berry|Berry, David Carson (2000). “The Popular Songwriter as Composer: Mannerisms and Design in the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen,” Indiana Theory Review 21, 1-51.
Alec Wilder (1990). "American Popular Song", "The Great Craftsmen: Jimmy Van Heusen" Pages 442-451.
External links
http://www.jimmyvanheusen.com Jimmy Van Heusen Website
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C100? exhibitId=100 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Website
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006329/ Internet Movie Database listing
http://www.ibdb.com/person.php? id=12521 Internet Broadway Database listing
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/08/obituaries/jimmy-van-heusen-is-dead-at-77-prolific-composer-of-pop-songs.html New York Times Obituary, February 8, 1990
http://www.hollywoodusa.co.uk/DesertObituaries/vanheusen.htm Jimmy Van Heusen Gravesite Information
AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1941–1950AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1951–1960AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1961–1970 Persondata | NAME = Van Heusen, Jimmy | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Babcock, Edward Charles | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Composer | DATE OF BIRTH = January 26, 1913 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Syracuse, New York | DATE OF DEATH = February 7, 1990 | PLACE OF DEATH = Rancho Mirage, California DEFAULTSORT:Van Heusen, Jimmy Category:Songwriters from New York Category:Pianists Category:American musical theatre composers Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters Category:Cazenovia College alumni Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees|Van Heusen, James Category:People from Syracuse, New York Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:Frank Sinatra Category:1913 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Burials at Desert Memorial Park
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