Adolph Green American songwriter, screenwriter and actor Date of Birth: 02.12.1914 Country: USA

Biography of Adolf Green

Adolf Green was an American poet, songwriter, screenwriter, and actor. He collaborated with Betty Comden, a renowned lyricist and librettist, for several decades. During the peak of their careers, Green and Comden wrote screenplays and songs for movie musicals that remain beloved by audiences of all ages. Their most successful collaborations took place under the leadership of producer Arthur Freed at MGM Studios. Although many people assumed that Green and Comden were married, they were not romantically involved. Their unique combination of wit and comedic genius became the foundation of their enduring and fruitful partnership that spanned over 60 years, resulting in some of the greatest Hollywood and Broadway hits.

Adolf Green was born on December 2, 1914, in the Bronx, New York, to Hungarian immigrants Daniel and Helen Weiss Green. After completing school, he worked as a messenger on Wall Street while simultaneously pursuing a career in acting. In 1938, Green was introduced to Betty Comden by mutual friends while she was still a student at New York University. They formed a comedy duo called the "Revuers" and performed at the Village Vanguard, a nightclub in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Their company included young comedic actress Judy Tuvin, later known as Judy Holliday, and musician Leonard Bernstein, who often accompanied them on the piano. Their successful performances led to an offer to appear in a film, and in 1944, Green, Comden, and Holliday traveled to the West Coast in hopes of achieving fame after the musical comedy film "Greenwich Village" with Carmen Miranda and Don Ameche in the lead roles. However, their roles in the film were so small and unnoticed that the "Revuers" preferred to return to New York. Nevertheless, this film remains the only one where all three of them can be seen together.

Their first Broadway experience was the musical "On the Town" in 1944, composed by Bernstein. It was a lively comedy about three sailors on leave in New York City. Green and Comden wrote the lyrics for the musical numbers and the script, in which they also had roles. Their next two musicals, "Billion Dollar Baby" in 1945 and "Bonanza Bound" in 1947, did not achieve success, prompting the creative duo to return to California, where they were immediately hired by MGM Studios. Green and Comden wrote screenplays for films such as "Good News" with June Allyson and Peter Lawford, "The Barkleys of Broadway" with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, and in 1949, they adapted "On the Town" for the screen with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, significantly altering the screenplay and replacing some of Bernstein's music because Arthur Freed disliked it.

Their most successful and renowned joint project is the timeless musical comedy "Singin' in the Rain," in which they had the opportunity to once again work with Gene Kelly, who played one of the leading roles. The film, which depicts the end of the silent film era, has long become a classic of world cinema, considered the greatest musical of all time, and ranks 10th on the list of the top 100 American films of the 20th century. Following its success, another musical, "The Band Wagon," was released in 1953, starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. Among the characters are Lester and Lily, a married couple who write scripts for musicals, and are largely based on Green and Comden themselves.

Green and Comden were nominated for an Oscar and received awards from the Writers Guild of America for their screenplays for "The Band Wagon" and the 1955 musical "It's Always Fair Weather," as well as for "On the Town." In addition to film screenplays, Adolf Green and Betty Comden wrote numerous stage scripts and librettos, as well as lyrics for songs, including productions such as "Wonderful Town" based on the play "My Sister Eileen," "Bells Are Ringing" starring Judy Holliday, and "Peter Pan" for Broadway and television. They also worked on the modernization of Johann Strauss's operetta "Die Fledermaus" for the Metropolitan Opera.

In 1958, the duo appeared on Broadway with the show "Party with Betty Comden and Adolf Green," which included some of their old routines. The success was such that in 1977, Green and Comden performed an updated version of the show. However, in 1982, there was a mishap when their adaptation of Ibsen's "A Doll's House" titled "Doll's Life" lasted only five performances, although it was later nominated for a Tony Award. Together with his longtime partner, Green won seven Tony Awards throughout his career. In 1980, he was immortalized in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Adolf Green was married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce, and in 1960, he married actress Phyllis Newman, who had been Judy Holliday's understudy in "Bells Are Ringing." They had two children, Adam and Amanda. Adolf Green passed away on October 23, 2002, at the age of 87.