Dorothy Fields

Dorothy Fields

American librettist and poet
Date of Birth: 15.07.1905
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Biography of Dorothy Fields
  2. Early Life and Career
  3. Collaboration with Jerome Kern
  4. Collaboration with Brother and Success with "Annie Get Your Gun"
  5. Later Success and Legacy

Biography of Dorothy Fields

Dorothy Fields was an American librettist and poet who wrote over four hundred songs for Broadway musicals and films. She was one of the first female poets of Hollywood, alongside Anne Ronell, Bernice Petkere, and Kay Swift.

Dorothy Fields

Early Life and Career

Dorothy Fields was born on July 15, 1905, in New Jersey and grew up in New York City. Her father, Lew Fields, an immigrant from Poland, was a renowned comedian who later became a Broadway producer. Her career as a professional poet began to flourish in 1928 when Jimmy McHugh, after reviewing her early works, invited her to write lyrics for the revue "Blackbirds." Fields and McHugh worked together as a team until 1935. Some of their most famous compositions during this period were "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," "Exactly Like You," and "On the Sunny Side of the Street."

Collaboration with Jerome Kern

In the mid-1930s, Fields started writing lyrics for films and collaborated with other composers, including Jerome Kern. She worked with Kern on the film adaptation of "Roberta" in 1935 and their most successful project, "Swing Time." Their song "The Way You Look Tonight" earned them an Academy Award in 1936. Fields later returned to New York and focused on Broadway productions, but this time as a librettist. She collaborated with Arthur Schwartz on "Stars In Your Eyes" and the two reunited in 1951 for "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

Collaboration with Brother and Success with "Annie Get Your Gun"

In the 1940s, Fields worked with her brother Herbert Fields and together they wrote books for three Cole Porter shows: "Let's Face It!," "Something for the Boys," and "Mexican Hayride." They also collaborated on the musical "Annie Get Your Gun," a production based on the life of Annie Oakley, which included hit songs like "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "They Say It's Wonderful." The show ran for over a thousand performances.

Later Success and Legacy

In the 1950s, Fields achieved her biggest success with the musical "Redhead," which won five Tony Awards, including "Best Musical." In the 1960s, when she began collaborating with Cy Coleman, her career reached new heights. Their first collaboration was the production of "Sweet Charity," and their final hit together was the musical "Seesaw," featuring the song "It's Not Where You Start, It's Where You Finish."

Dorothy Fields was the sister of writers Herbert and Joseph Fields. She passed away from a stroke in New York City in 1974 at the age of 78. Thirty-five years after her death, her lyrics found recognition in President Barack Obama's inaugural speech, where he said, "From this day forward, we must rise up, forget the past, and begin to remake America." These words were a loose rendition of the lyrics from the song "Pick Yourself Up" from the 1936 film "Swing Time" - "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again."

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