If the average music fan recognizes the name Harold Arlen at all, likely he remembers Arlen as composer of "Over the Rainbow" and other great songs from the movie Wizard of Oz. The author of this succinct biography, Walter Rimler, has given us insight into Arlen’s life and times in a mere 177 pages of text.
Rimler, author of previous books: George Gershwin: An Intimate Portrait and A Cole Porter Discography, gives us a view of the world of songwriters and lyricists along with the details of Arlen’s life. It is of interest that this small fraternity of collaborators frequently socialized together.
Son of a cantor in Buffalo, Hyman Arluck changed his name to Harold Arlen. Growing up, Arlen played piano and was fascinated with jazz, musical theatre, girls, and fancy clothes. Early in his career, Arlen teamed with lyricist Ted Koehler. They were hired to contribute songs for the Cotton Club in New York City. Arlen worked in vaudeville and even recorded as a vocalist on the Parlophone label with violinist Joe Venuti, guitarist Eddie Lang, and clarinetist Jimmy Dorsey.
The book goes into considerable detail about how the songs for Wizard of Oz came about and the fact that Judy Garland’s major hit song Over the Rainbow was almost cut from the movie by a dictatorial executive. It also deals with Arlen’s marriage to Anya and her later descent into mental illness. During their
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