Entertainment, politics, sports, literature, and more. Our city has
and will continue to produce people who have made significant
contributions to these forums, which is why we’ve decided to highlight
these individuals and celebrate their lives every week.
This week: Harold Arlen
What does timeless mean? Sometimes people attach the “timeless” label to something personal, like a movie, an idea, or a song. But in the case of Buffalo’s Harold Arlen, “timeless” is a label that can be universally acknowledged. And you may not even know it.
On February 15, 1905, twin boys were born to a Jewish family in Buffalo, New York. Sadly, one of the twins died the following day, prompting Samuel and Celia Arluck to name the surviving twin Hyman after his deceased brother. They would have another son in November, 1911.
It was around this time that Samuel took a job at the Pine Street Synagogue as choirmaster, which no doubt inspired 7-year-old Hyman’s interest in music. He immediately began devouring music as fast as possible, singing and taking lessons on the family piano by age 9. It would not take long for his skill to surpass lesson music, and by 12, Hyman was discovering popular music. Jazz became his passion, inspired by playing Indianola, a ragtime piece that opened his eyes to a new piano world, a far cry from the Classical compositions he had been playing.
(The Pine Street Synagogue, 1959. Photo Credit)
Even at a young age, Hyman attended every jazz show in Buffalo possible, and began playing the piano in bands, movie houses, anywhere. People took notice. He formed The Snappy Trio (amazing band name) at age 15, and despite the groups assortment of young ages (all of which in their teens), the Buffalo red-light music scene welcomed them with open arms.
Achieving great success which even allowed Arluck to purchase a Ford Model-T, The Snappy Trio expanded to create The Southbound Shufflers (again, these names are amazing), who serenaded passengers on the famous Canadiana in the summer of 1923. Arluck’s talent and the Shufflers popularity prompted an invite from the Yankee Six which expanded to 11 members and the name The Buffalodians (maybe the best name yet). As a member of the group, Hyman was making around $100 a week, which is approximately $1350 in today’s money. It was playing in Buffalo’s theatre district that led Arluck to strike up a tight friendship with dancer-actor Ray Bolger. (Foreshadowing).
Fast forward to the 1930s. Hyman Arluck has changed his name to Harold Arlen, moved to New York City, gained notoriety for his role in the 1929 musical The Great Day, and continued to compose music at a tremendous rate with popular songs like Sweet and Hot, I’ve got a right to sing the blues, If you believe in me, and the famous Stormy Weather, which he performed at Radio City Music Hall.
And the entire time, Arlen was under contract with the famous Cotton Club in New York City, where only the deepest pockets in New York could afford the $3 cover (around $40 today). He wrote for their show Rhythmania, a huge success. The Cotton Club closed in 1936, but its closing had no effect on the music factory that was Harold Arlen.
1938 would be a big year for Arlen. Now happily married to model Anya Taranda, Arlen was approached by MGM Studios executives to compose music for their upcoming film. That film would be The Wizard of Oz, which star his good friend Ray Bolger. Harold composed We’re Off to see the Wizard, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, and The Merry Old Land of Oz. He felt the score needed something more. Something slow–a ballad. For a time, it seemed like the music eluded him, that is, until one day driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles when inspiration struck. It was here that Harold Arlen was inspired to compose Over The Rainbow, with lyrics by friend E.Y. Harburg, which at first was disliked by MGM suits. It was so disliked, in fact, that producers tried removing it from the film’s score three times, claiming it was too difficult-to-sing and that a simple Kansas girl would never sing such a grand song. Even George Gershwin’s approval was barely enough to win the producers over. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1939. It has been honored at #1 on the Song of the Century list by the Recording Industry Association of America, National Endowment of the Arts, and Scholastic Inc., and as the greatest song in film history by the American Film Institute.
The success didn’t seem to go to Harold’s head, and he continued to churn out music as fast as possible, composing for more MGM films, writing the overnight success Blues in the Night, again with Harburg. During the 40s, Arlen wrote for films and dealt with unsuccessful reviews for Broadway’s St. Louis Woman, and the tremendously successful Bloomer Girl, which dealt with the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
In the 50s, Arlen composed with Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, dealt with the death of his father in 1953, forced himself to work through the grief, and wrote several songs with Truman Capote, despite a bleeding ulcer which required extensive hospitalization. Arlen’s mother passed away in 1956, adding to the stress and pain with which he was already dealing. He took an entire year off from music.
From then until 1970, Arlen continued to achieve success in music. In March 1970, Anya passed away, the result of a brain tumor that slowly deteriorated her health over a long period of time. Without his wife, Harold was unable to enjoy the fruits of his unbelievable success, and afflicted by Parkinsons, he removed himself from society, living quietly until his death from cancer on April 23, 1986.
His 81-year life span saw very little downtime, as the Harold Arlen whirlwind began at such a young age, and only briefly seemed to stop until his death. In that time, he not only wrote influential jazz and film scores, but also produced the most famous movie song of all time, from one of the most famous movies of all time. That’s why the word “timeless” fits Harold Arlen’s life so well.
Be sure to tell your grandkids that someone from Buffalo wrote it.
(For more Harold Arlen information, visit his website.)