Biography

Songwriter ("On the Good Ship Lollipop", "Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me", "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", "Then I'll Be Happy") and author, educated at the High School of Commerce. He was a dancer and comedian in vaudeville, and also wrote special material. In 1933 he arrived in Hollywood and wrote the film score for RKO's first film ("Street Girl"). Joining ASCAP in 1922, his chief musical collaborators included Con Conrad, Cliff Friend, Lew Pollack, Sam Stept, Lew Brown, Richard Whiting, Jay Gorney, Harry Warren, Vincent Youmans, Oscar Levant, James Monaco, and B. G. "Buddy" DeSylva. His other popular-song compositions include "What Do You Mean by Loving Somebody Else?", "I'm Missin' Mammy's Kissin'", "Weep No More My Mammy", "Oo-oo Ernest", "A New Kind of Man", "Big Butter and Egg Man", "Me and the Boy Friend", "We're Back Together Again", "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain", "Miss Annabelle Lee", "One Sweet Letter from You", "Lovable and Sweet", "My Dream Memory", "Keeping Myself for You", "You're My Thrill", "I've Got You on Top of My List", "It Was a Night in June", "Polly Wolly Doodle", and "It Was Sweet of You".