You may have heard about Ray Evans, W’36, and Jay Livingston, C’37, the Penn alumni duo with a prolific songwriting career that earned them three Academy Awards for “Buttons and Bows,” “Mona Lisa”, and “Que Será, Será”. Arthur Iger, W’49, a retired advertising executive, an adjunct professor of communication arts in Long Island, and “a passionate collector and archivist of popular music,” turned up numerous other tuneful alumni in researching his new book, Music of the Golden Age, 1900-1950 and Beyond: A Guide to Popular Composers and Lyricists, (Greenwood Press). Here is a partial list of some more hit songs that owe their existence to Penn alumni:
–“Mr. Sandman” the number one chart record in 1954, written and composed by Francis Drake “Pat” Ballard, who attended Penn in 1918 and 1919.
–“Route 66”, “Snootie Little Cutie”, “Daddy,” written by Robert (Bobby) William Troup Jr., W’41. The latter song topped the charts in 1941, having been written for the Freshman Mask & Wig show of 1940.
—The Cradle Will Rock, a play with music authored by Philadelphia-born composer/lyricist/pianist/lecturer Marc Blitzstein, C’23. Perhaps his most memorable work was the English translation of Bertolt Brecht’s famous 1929 opera, The Threepenny Opera, with the music by Kurt Weill — known principally for the song “Mack the Knife.”
–“I’m Flying,” “I’ve Got to Crow,” written by Mark “Moose” Charlap, C’50, for Peter Pan on Broadway.
–“Moonglow,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “String of Pearls,” written by Edgar DeLange, who attended Penn in the 1920s and later became a Hollywood stuntman.
