Each month, Jason Fortner spotlights one or more musical theatre composers and/or lyricists, offering his own unique perspective on the songwriting legends of musical theatre. Send your comments/questions on this column to happgood@aol.com.

Dorothy Fields Source: americansongwriter.com

This month we pay tribute to one of my favorite lyricists and musical book writers, Miss Dorothy Fields.

Dorothy was born into an entertainment family on July 15th, 1905 in Allenhurst, New Jersey and grew up in New York City. Her father, Lew Fields, a Polish immigrant, was a vaudeville comedian and later became a Broadway producer. Her brothers Herbert and Joseph grew up to be Broadway writers as well, with the latter often working with his sister on musical books.

Her career as a professional songwriter career took off in 1928, when Jimmy McHugh invited her to provide some lyrics for him for BLACKBIRDS OF 1928. Together they wrote such standards as "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby", "Exactly Like You", and "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Here are those lyrics:

I CAN’T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE

I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby.
Dream a while, scheme a while,
You're sure to find
Happiness and, I guess,
All those things you've always pined for.

Gee, it's great to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darn well, baby,
I can't give you anything but love.

Louis Armstrong performing "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"

EXACTLY LIKE YOU

I know why I've waited, know why I've been blue,
Prayed each night for someone exactly like you.
Why should we spend money on a show or two.
No one does those love scenes exactly like you.
You make me feel so grand, I'd like to hand the world to you.

You seem to understand each foolish little scheme I'm scheming,
And the dream I'm dreaming,
Now I know why my mother taught me to be true,
She meant me for someone exactly like you.

ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET

Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street.

Can't you hear a pitter-pat
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street.

I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But now I'm not afraid
This rover crossed over
If I'd never have a cent
I'd be rich as Rockefeller
Going to set my feet
On the sunny side of the street.

In 1935 Fields ended her collaboration with McHugh and started to work with other composers, including Jerome Kern. Working with Kern, Dorothy created lyrics for the movie version of ROBERTA and SWING TIME. In 1936, the song "The Way You Look Tonight" earned the Fields/Kern team an Academy Award for Best Song. Here’s that classic Fields lyric:

Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Hugh Laurie, Kenneth Branaugh, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton & Alphonsia Emmanuel performing "The Way You Look Tonight" in the film PETER'S FRIENDS.

After her Hollywood years, Miss Fields returned to New York and worked on Broadway as a librettist, starting with Arthur Schwartz on STARS IN YOUR EYES. Next she teamed up with her brother Herbert Fields, with whom she wrote the books for three Cole Porter shows, LET'S FACE IT!, SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS, and MEXICAN HAYRIDE.

They also wrote the book for ANNIE GET YOUR GUN for her friend Ethel Merman, a musical inspired by the life of Annie Oakley. Dorothy was to also have written lyrics for the show with music by Jerome Kern, but Kern’s unexpected death changed the fate of the show and the score was written by Irving Berlin instead. ANNIE GET YOUR GUN was a huge success and ran for 1,147 performances.

In the 1950s, she returned to lyric writing on Broadway, with shows including A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA, both with music by Arthur Schwartz. One of my favorite lyrics is from A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, entitled “He Had Refinement”. Here’s the lyric:

If I ever seen a Prince, my Harry was him
Always smelled from peppermints, his person was trim
His voice was passionate, soulful his face was
He never took no liberties, he knew what his place was.

He'd say, "Pardon my glove", politely when he shook my hand
And he'd pass me the evenin' paper after his soup got fanned
He only used four-letter words I didn't understand
He had refinement.

He would never sit down to the table, but what his shirt was on
Or come out of the bathroom drippin' like a dyin' swan
Or call a visitor a slob until the slob had gone
He had refinement.

One time he said
"May I suggest you call a lady's chest a chest,
instead of her points of interest"
Dainty....ain't he?

He was shy and awful modest, 'cause he was so high bred
When the wind blew up my bloomers, did his face get red
He undressed with all the lights off....until we was wed
He had refinement.

He would walk next to the gutter, so I shouldn't get hit
With a pillow he'd kill mosquitoes, so I shouldn't get bit
Only certain kind exertions for me he'd permit
He had refinement

In the water at Coney Island was our first embrace
When my water wings flew off and hit 'im in the face
He introduced himself before he put 'em back in place
He had refinement.

At Luna Park all night we sat
Our food got cold, our beer got flat
I saw what he was driving at
I should've forbid it....but I did it

He had such respect and feelin's all our married life
Just the thought that he might hurt me cut 'im like a knife
And so he never told me that he had another wife
He had refinement

Refinement!
A gentleman to his fingernails was he!

Her biggest success of the 50’s period was the show REDHEAD (1959), which won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. She wrote a museum full of clever lyrics for the show with composer Albert Hague, including one of my favorites, “The Uncle Sam Rag”. Here’s that lyric:

England loves her export business
England loves her foreign trade
But a fortnight ago we imported
Something that was unmistakably American made!
It was the Uncle Sam Rag, Uncle Sam Rag
I said Dixie and Oh You Kid!

England’s left off doing business
The House of Commons’ lost its’ common sense
Parliament isn’t sitting anymore
This new dance is actually immense
Get off your seats, up on your toes
And I’ll show you how it goes! Wow!

First you knock knees, drop your shoulder
Jump and say “Hot Dog” and pass the mustard baby!
Then you must roll like a boulder
Snap and cry Wham! Bam! Thank You Ma’am!

Then a low dip and a wiggle, if you have got one
I say that is a hot one!
Wave your own flag as you do that Uncle Sam Rag!

Dorothy started collaborating with composer Cy Coleman in the 1960s, taking her style in a new direction. Their first collaboration was for SWEET CHARITY, based on Fellini’s film NIGHTS OF CABIRIA. Her biggest hit from Charity was the ubiquitous “Hey, Big Spender”. Here’s that famous lyric:

The minute you walked in the joint,
I could see you were a man of distinction,
A real big spender,
Good looking, so refined.
Say, wouldn't you like to know
What's going on in my mind?

So, let me get right to the point,
I don't pop my cork for ev'ry guy I see.
Hey, big spender, spend...
A little time with...me...me...me!

Do you wanna have fun?
How's about a few laughs?
I can show you a...good time...
Hey, big spender...
Hey, big spender...

The minute you walked in the joint,
I could see you were a man of distinction,
A real big spender.
Good looking, so refined.
Say wouldn't you like to know
What's going on in my mind?

So, let me get right to the point,
I don't pop my cork for every guy I see.
Hey, big spender,
Hey, big spender!
Hey, big spender!
Spend...a little time with ...me!
Fun...Laughs...Good Time!
Fun...Laughs...Good Time!
Fun...Laughs...Good Time!
How about it, Palsy?...Yeah!

The cast of the Broadway musical revue FOSSE in "Hey, Big Spender."

Other great songs from SWEET CHARITY include “If My Friends Could See Me Now”, “The Rhythm of Life” and “There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This”.

Her last new score for Broadway was for Seesaw, again written with Cy Coleman. One of the numbers in SEESAW was a song entitled “Poor Everybody Else”, which had been in CHARITY but was cut when Gwen Verdon complained about being able to belt it out so late in the show. (They replaced it with the dance based "I’m A Brass Band" instead.) Other numbers included “Nobody Does It Like Me”, “You’re A Lovable Lunatic” and the show stopping “It’s Not Where You Start”. Here’s that lyric:

It's not where you start, it's where you finish
It's not how you go, it's how you land
A hundred to one shot, you call him a clutz
Can out run the favorite, all he needs is the guts
Your final return will not diminish
And you can be the cream of the crop
It's not where you start, it's where you finish
And you're gonna finish on top

If you start at the top, you're certain to drop
You've got to watch your timing, better begin by climbing
Up, up, up the ladder
If you're going to last, you can't make it fast, man
Nobody starts a winner, give me a slow beginner
Easy does it my friend, conserve your fine endurance
Easy does it my friend, for that's your life insurance
While you are young, take it rung after rung after rung after rung after rung after rung after rung after rung

It's not where you start, it's where you finish,
It's not how you go, it's how you land
A hundred to one shot, you call him a clutz
Can out run the favorite, all he needs is the guts
Your final return will not diminish
And you can be the cream of the crop
It's not where you start, it's where you finish
And you're gonna finish on top!

THE MUPPET SHOW is very dear to many musical theatre fans. A score of famous Broadway entertainers appeared on the show and showtunes were often heard.  In this scene, Rowfl the Dog tries to sing "It's Not Where You Start It's Where You Finish" but keeps getting hurried along by Scooter.

Having worked on Broadway for five decades, Miss Fields died of a stroke on March 28th, 1974 at the age of 68. Her songs are seen and heard today on a regular basis, from revivals of SWEET CHARITY to frequent screenings of her work with Astaire & Rogers.

On January 20, 2009, President Obama echoed lyrics by Fields when he said, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America". This alludes to "Pick Yourself Up" from the 1936 film SWING TIME, for which Fields wrote this final lyric:

Please teacher, teach me something,
Nice teacher, teach me something.
I'm as awkward as a camel, that's not the worst,
My two feet haven't met yet,
But I'll be teacher's pet yet,
'Cause I'm gonna learn to dance or burst.

Nothing's impossible I have found,
For when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up,
Dust myself off,
Start All over again.

Don't lose your confidence if you slip,
Be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

Work like a soul inspired,
Till the battle of the day is won.
You may be sick and tired,
But you'll be a man, my son!

Will you remember the famous men,
Who had to fall to rise again?
So take a deep breath,
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

I'll get some self assurance
If your endurance is great.
I'll learn by easy stages
If you're courageous and wait.

To feel the strength I want to,
I must hang on to your hand,
Maybe by the time I'm fifty
I'll get up and do a nifty.

Nothing's impossible I have found,
For when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up,
Dust myself off,
Start all over again.

Don't lose your confidence if you slip,
Be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

Work like a soul inspired,
Till the battle of the day is won.
You may be sick and tired,
But you'll be a man, my son!

Will you remember the famous men,
Who had to fall to rise again?
So take a deep breath,
Pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off,
Start all over again.

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers in "Pick Yourself Up" from SWING TIME.