From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Irving Caesar (July 10, 1895 in New York – December 18, 1996 in New York), was a prominent American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written.

Caesar was born Isidor Keiser (10 July 1895, NYC birth certificate number 29116) and died in New York City, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew. His older brother Arthur Caesar was a successful Hollywood screenwriter. The Caesar brothers spent their childhood and teen years in Yorkville, the same Manhattan neighborhood where the Marx Brothers were raised. Caesar knew the Marx Brothers during his boyhood in NYC.

Broadway credits

Note: All productions are musicals unless otherwise stated.

• La La Lucille (1919) - additional lyrics
• Pins and Needles (1922) - revue - co-lyricist
• The Greenwich Village Follies of 1922 (1922) - revue - co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
• The Greenwich Village Follies of 1923 (1923) - revue - co-lyricist
• The Greenwich Village Follies of 1924 (1924) - revue - co-lyricist
• Betty Lee (1924) - co-lyricist
• No, No, Nanette (1925) - co-lyricist
• Charlot Revue (1925) - revue - featured lyricist for "Gigolette" and "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You"
• Sweetheart Time (1926) - co-lyricist
• Ziegfeld's Revue "No Foolin'" (1926) - revue - co-lyricist
• Betsy (1926) - co-bookwriter
• Talk About Girls (1927) - lyricist
• Yes, Yes, Yvette (1927) - story originator
• Here's Howe (1928) - lyricist
• Americana of 1928 (1928) - revue - co-lyricist
• Polly (1929) - co-composer and co-lyricist
• George White's Scandals of 1929 (1929) - revue - co-composer and co-lyricist
• Ripples (1930) - co-lyricist
• Nina Rosa (1930) - lyricist
• The Wonder Bar (1931) - play - co-playwright/adaptor of the original German
• George White's Scandals of 1931 (1931) - revue - co-bookwriter
• George White's Music Hall Varieties of 1932 (1932) - revue - co-composer and lyricist
• Melody (1933) - lyricist
• Shady Lady (1933) - reviser
• Continental Varieties (1934) - revue - dialogue-writer
• The White Horse Inn (1936) - English-version lyricist
• My Dear Public (1943) - co-composer, co-lyricist, and co-bookwriter

Post-retirement credits:

• The American Dance Machine (1978) - dance revue - featured lyricist
• Up in One (1979) - revue - featured songwriter
• Big Deal (1986) - featured English-version lyricist for "Just a Gigolo"
• Sally Marr...and her escorts (1994) - play - featured lyricist for "Tea for Two"

External links

• Irving Caesar at the Internet Broadway Database
• "The Friars Club"

From Wikiquote

Irving Caesar (4 July 1895 – 18 December 1996), originally known as Isidor Caesar, was a prominent Jewish-American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written.

Sourced

• Picture you upon my knee,
  Just tea for two and two for tea
  • "Tea For Two"

• Sometimes I'm happy
  sometimes I'm blue
  my disposition
  depends on you.
  • "Sometimes I'm Happy"

Unsourced

• I see the Flowers free,
  And a little bird singing on a tree.
  It sings to me the whole day long,
  And I love to hear it's pretty song.
  • Caesar's first poem
  • Written at age 6

Misattributed

• The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.
  • This is actually James Branch Cabell from The Silver Stallion (1926)

External links

Wikipedia has an article about:

Irving Caesar

• Irving Caesar at the Internet Broadway Database