ASCAP
member Adolph Green died in his sleep this morning at
his New York home at the age of 87. Over more than a
six decade collaboration with Betty Comden, the team
of Comden and Green was responsible for the lyrics to
such Broadway musical evergreens as Bells Are Ringing;
On the Town; On the Twentieth Century; Peter Pan; Hallelujah,
Baby; Will Rogers Follies and others. They also
co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated screenplays for
It’s Always Fair Weather, The Band Wagon
and Singin’ in the Rain, as well as Good
News, The Barkleys of Broadway, Auntie Mame, What a
Way to Go, On the Town, Bells Are Ringing and others.
Among the composers who worked with Comden and Green
are: Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, Morton Gould, Cy
Coleman and Andre Previn. Their best-known songs include
“The Party’s Over,” “Make Someone
Happy,” “Just in Time,” “Never Never
Land,” “New York, New York (It’s a Wonderful
Town),” and “I Never Met a Man I Didn’t
Like.”
Adolph Green was born in Manhattan on December 2,
1914. Comden and Green first met in 1938 when both were
aspiring New York actors. They soon joined with other
young performers, including Judy Holliday, to mount
a music and comedy group called the Revuers which became
a popular attraction at the Greenwich Village nightclub,
The Village Vanguard. By 1945, they teamed with Leonard
Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins to create
their first Broadway musical, On the Town, in
which Betty and Adolph also performed. Many more shows
followed, including the Tony-winning Wonderful Town,
On the Twentieth Century and Will Rogers Follies.
Over the years, neither Comden nor Green ever wrote
a screenplay, libretto or song without the other. The
duo has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
and the Musical Theater Hall of Fame, and was honored
with The ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award, among
many other accolades.
Adolph Green often acted in films. His
movie appearances include Simon, My Favorite Year,
Garbo Talks, Lily In Love, and I Want To Go Home.
Commenting on the passing of Adolph Green,
ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman said of
her fellow lyricist, “ American music lost one
of its most eloquent voices today. Adolph Green, in
his long collaboration with Betty Comden, created some
of the most enduring classics in our music literature.
He will personally and professionally be missed by us
and we mourn his passing.”
Green is survived by his wife, Phyllis Newman, and
his son, Adam Green, daughter, Amanda Green and son-in-law,
Jeffrey Kaplan, as well as two step-grandchildren, all
of New York City.
