Ira Gershwin Biography
- Born: 06-12-1896
- Died: 17-08-1983
- Birth Place: Manhattan, New York, USA
Ira Gershwin Biography
The lyricist, Ira Gershwin, is often overshadowed by his more famous and younger brother, George Gershwin. The two of them worked on over 20 Broadway musicals and motion pictures. When George died in 1937, Ira collaborated with characters like Moss Hart, Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen to revive his brother’s work.
Ira Gershwin's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who settled on America's East Coast on New York's Lower East Side. Ira showed early literary talent but it was his younger brother who shone the brightest, garnering a reputation as an up and coming composer and musician.
It was George who saved Ira from years of casual work by asking for his lyrical help on their first song, 'The Real American Folk Song', which appeared in 'Ladies First' (1918). They were not known as the Gershwin brothers at this stage, however, as Ira used the pseudonym Arthur Francis to avoid charges of nepotism.
But Ira's lyrical brilliance was soon noticed with songs such as 'The Man I Love', 'S Wonderful', 'I Got Rhythm', 'Embraceable You', 'A Foggy Day' and 'Fascinating Rhythm'. He secured his reputation with his work on 'Porgy and Bess' (1935), with such classics as 'Summertime', 'I Got Plenty o' Nuttin' and 'It Ain't Necessarily So'.
During this period, Gershwin got married. He wed Leonore on 14 September 1926 and they stayed together until his death.
His later credits included 'My Ship' with Kurt Weill (1940), 'Long Ago and Far Away' with Jerome Kern (1944), and 'The Man That Got Away' with Harold Arlen (1954), written for Judy Garland. He collected all the lyrics of his best-known songs and wrote commentaries on each in 'Lyrics on Several Occasions' (1959).
Over his career, he was nominated for three Academy Awards with the first being for the song 'They Can't Take That Away From Me', which was used in the film 'Shall We Dance' in 1937. He was also nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar for 'Long Ago and Far Away', which appeared in the film 'Cover Girl' (1944). Gershwin's final nomination was for the record 'The Man That Got Away' used in the 1954 film 'A Star is Born'.
He was also awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was shared with his younger brother George.
Ira Gershwin continued writing until the last year of his life, rewriting lyrics for Gershwin tunes used in the musical 'My One and Only' (1983).
The first generation East Coast born boy died in 1983 from heart disease, in Beverley Hills, California. Gershwin was interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery in New York.
His widow established the Ira Gershwin Literacy Settlement in New York's Lower East Side. The centre gives English-language programmes to mainly Hispanic and Chinese-Americans.
Since his death, his songs have been used in a wide range of TV shows and movies, including 'La Confidential' (1997), 'There's Something About Mary' (1998), 'The Gilmore Girls' (2000 to 2006), 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002) and 'The Aviator' (2004).
