Happy birthday, dear Hils!
Amid an impressive "mixed bag" of fellow birthday celebrants including Terry Wogan, Jean Hagen, Steven Berkoff, Dolores del Rio, Gina G, Martin Sheen, Rupert Brooke, Evangeline Lilly, Stanley Baldwin, Tasmin Archer, PD James, Martha Stewart, Kirk Brandon, Nadia Ali of iiO, John Landis, Tony Bennett (95 today), Skin from Skunk Anansie... and my sister Hils - it's the centenary today of another of the great composers/lyricists of the classic era of musicals, Mr Richard Adler!
Among the great man's long list of compositions are these camp standards:
Love 'em all!
Facts:
- Mr Adler's second wife was none other than "Truly Scrumptious" Sally Anne Howes.
- His partnership with fellow composer/lyricist Jerry Ross produced not only the enduring musicals The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, but the duo also wrote all the musical numbers for the revue John Murray Anderson's Almanac [an original cast recording of which is, needless to say, in our collection here at Dolores Delargo Towers], which launched the careers in the US of Harry Belafonte and Hermione Gingold.
- He was the producer of the famous 1962 Madison Square Garden birthday celebration for John F. Kennedy, when Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday, Mister President.
- Mr Adler also composed the symphonic work The Lady Remembers, which was among the pieces performed at the Statue of Liberty's centennial in 1984.
Richard Adler (3rd August 1921 – 21st June 2012)
Cher looks very bendy, in contrast to her recent appearance in Mamma Mia II!
ReplyDeleteSx
I imagine that clip is five decades old, so I'm not surprised. Jx
DeleteYour sis, Hil is just lovely. I thought it was a picture of Angela Lansbury from back in the day. Lift a glass to our sisters! They love us like no one else. Have a lovely day. PS - I played Smokey in a summer stock production of Damn Yankees. The choreography was quite fun. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteShe probably dresses like that just to go to the shops... Jx
DeletePeggy Lee was in the audience when Marilyn sang Happy Birthday. Don't know why as Peg was a Republican, I hate knowing that about her, I love Peg.
ReplyDeleteShe sang at that rally! If she was a Republican at some stage (not forgetting she had married and divorced three times already, so maybe one of the husbands was), it doesn't seem like that was still the case in 1962... Jx
DeleteDoesn't strike me as a lady to let her husband tell her what to think (the last three come off as pretty interchangeable "Mr Lee's" in her autobiography. She also comes across as quite right wing though not noticeably - might have moved to the right as time goes on, like Frank Sinatra or Doris Day. I love your sister's outfit.
DeleteIs that your sister? She looks Amazing. Happy birthday.
ReplyDeleteWhen we do a "dressing-up theme" for Gay Pride, we pull out all the stops - and 2015 was a particularly impressive year for outfits! Jx
DeleteYour sister has a look of a young Penelope Keith, who I adore.
ReplyDelete"Cheque-book, Jerry!" Jx
DeleteI think choreography on all of Cher's shows had to work hard to hide the fact she really couldn't dance. Sing, of course, but not much of a hoofer.
ReplyDeleteThat's why she always had a profusion of safety gays, to carry her through a number! Jx
DeleteSock it to 'em, Hils!
ReplyDeleteYep, she sure did!
I loved Damn Yankees way back when and was involved in one or two skits.
Back to finding places for stuff in new house...le sigh.
I imagine you're not dressed up as "The Snow Queen" while you're sorting the house..? Jx
DeleteHils is in very good company.
ReplyDeleteLove the Lola video !
The lyrics are very apt for Hils, too :-)
DeleteJx
Thanks for the birthday wishes sweetie, and for all the kind comments. Sorry for the delayed reply, but I was being wined and dined in sunny York by the lovely History Boy.
ReplyDeleteAs for the photo, that was probably one taken of me just putting the bins out. :-).
Love and hugs, Hils xxx
It's such a bother trying to work out a new outfit every bin day!
DeleteGlad you had a lovely time away - York may not be Paris, but it's a rather spectacular city in its own right. Jx