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.

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PS Classics recently released a studio recording of KITTY'S KISSES, a delightful 1926 summer divertissement re-discovered in that fabled Warner Brothers warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey by Tommy Krasker and company back in 1985. The score is a delight, with rhythms and syncopations worthy of one of Gershwin's contemporaries. This renewed interest in the score has inspired a look at the work of composer Con Conrad, a long forgotten figure of Broadway & Hollywood during the Jazz Age.

Con Conrad was born with the name Conrad K. Dober in New York City on June 18, 1891. He grew up in NYC, but not being a very ambitious student, Con didn't much care for elementary school. He briefly attended a military academy where he was first introduced to the piano. As a young boy he worked at odd jobs such as a program boy at New York's Grand Opera House; a page on Wall Street, and as an usher in local movie houses. At the age of 16, Conrad quit high school and started working in a Harlem movie house, the Vanity Fair Theater on 125th Street, playing songs to accompany the silent films. After that, he performed in Vaudeville, working for the Keith circuit shows.

As a very young man he first "partnered" with another young man, James "Jay" Whidden. Whidden was a self taught violinist, probably learning from his father, William, who loved to play Irish jigs on the violin. By 1908, the two young men went on a tour as a ragtime act. After playing some of the seedier houses, they were booked into Chicago's Majestic Theatre in 1909. This success brought resulted in their becoming regulars on the B. P. Keith Theatre circuit,

They now began writing songs together. In 1910, they published "High Jinks", a two step Ragtime tune. Lyricist Joe Young helped them on their next two tunes "Down In Dear Old New Orleans", and "Dingle, Dingle, Dingle" both of which were heard in the ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1912. This success won them an appearance in London, England in George Grossmith's Ragtime review EVERYBODY'S DOING IT. In 1913, they appeared in another Ragtime review, STEP THIS WAY. For the remainder of 1913, and part of 1914, they toured both South Africa and Australia, returning to the UK in late 1914. For various reasons, including the start of World War I, Conrad decided to return to the USA, while Whidden decided to remain in the UK.

In 1918, Conrad settled into a career of professional songwriting and publishing, forming a partnership with publisher Henry Waterson. By 1920, Conrad had his first big hit, "Margie" and the next few years he would produce such standards as "Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me", "You've Got to See Your Mama Every Night", "Memory Lane", "Lonesome and Sorry" and "Come on Spark Plug".

Here's a music video of the now nearly forgotten, "Lonesome and Sorry".

"Margie," published in 1920, was a collaboration between composers Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson and lyricist Benny Davis. The song was named for the five-year-old daughter of entertainer Eddie Cantor who is credited with popularizing the song. He performed the song at the Winter Garden Theater before interpolating it into the revue, THE MIDNIGHT ROUNDERS in 1921. It was a happy tune and quickly became a popular "parlor song" which was performed around the piano with friends and family in the days before radio became wide spread. The song was a top ten hit for Eddie Cantor as well as artists such as Frank Crumit, Ted Lewis and Claude Hopkins. Here are the lyrics:

My little Margie,
I'm always thinking of you, Margie!
I'll tell the whole wide world I love you;
Don't forget your promise to me,
You know, I bought the home, ring and everything,
So, my little Margie,
Margie, oh, you've been my inspiration,
Darling, you're the only one!
After all is said and done,
There is really only one,
Margie, Margie, it's you!

And here's a video of "Margie" as performed by the New Orleans Stompers Luzern:

"Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me" was a big hit as well, featuring lyrics by Sidney Clare. Here are those immortal words:

Ma, he's making eyes at me
Ma, he's awful nice to me
Ma, he's almost breaking my heart
I'm beside him
Mercy! Let his conscience guide him!
Ma, he wants to marry me
Be my honey bee
Every minute he gets bolder
Now he's leaning on my shoulder
Ma, he's kissing me!

Ma, he's making eyes at me
Ma, he's awful nice to me
Ma, he's almost breaking my heart
If you peek in, can't you see
I'm goin' to weaken
Ma, he wants to marry me,
Be my honey bee
Ma I'm meeting with resistance
I shall holler for assistance
Ma, he's kissing me!

Here's a clip of a young Eydie Gorme performing this coy tune on TV.

Another hit from this period was "You Gotta See Your Mama Every Night" and it too has been recorded countless times. One of my personal favorite versions is when the late Dorothy Loudon performed it on the Tonight Show.

Here's the show-stopping clip

In 1923, Conrad's focus shifted back to the Broadway and production music. He created scores for a string of Broadway shows. These included:

SNAPHOTS OF 1921 [1921 - Music & Lyrics]
THE GREENWICH FOLLIES OF 1923 [1923 - Music]
MOONLIGHT [ 1924 - Music]
ARTISTS & MODELS [1924 - Additional Music & Lyrics]
BETTY LEE [1924 - Music]
MERCENARY MARY [1925 - Music & Lyrics]
KITTY'S KISSES [1926 - Music]
AMERICANA [ 1926 - Music]
OLD BILL M.P. [1926 - Additional Music]
TAKE THE AIR [ 1927 - Additional Numbers]
KEEP SHUFFLIN' [1928 - Producer/Director/Songwriter].

None of these shows were successful, most running just a few weeks or months.

Losing his entire fortune on Broadway flops, Conrad moved to Hollywood in 1929, where talkies were the rage and musicals were being mass produced. He worked on such successful films as the FOX MOVIETONE FOLLIES, PALMY DAYS, THE GAY DIVORCEE and HERE'S TO ROMANCE. In 1934, Conrad, with collaborator Herb Magidson, was awarded the first Academy Award for Best Song for "The Continental" from THE GAY DIVORCEE.

Here's a film clip of that first Oscar Winning tune

Along with Magidson, Conrad also collaborated with songwriters such as Joe Young, Sidney Clare, Billy Rose, Buddy De Sylva, Benny Davis, Leo Robin, J. Russel Robinson, Vincent Rose, Archie Gottler, Sidney Mitchell and WM Friedlander.

Highlights from his song catalogue include "Oh, Frenchy!", "Palesteena", "Big City Blues", "Walking With Susie", "Sing a Little Love Song", "Prisoner of Love", "Midnight in Paris", "Crazy Feet", "You Call it Madness but I Call it Love", "Champagne Waltz" and "Singin' the Blues".

Here's a terrific music video of "Palesteena" (1920):

Here's another great music video, music and still pictures, this time of 1930's "Crazy Feet" as performed by Fred Astaire:

Con Conrad died in Van Nuys, California on September 28, 1938 at the age of 47. Since that time his name has been almost forgotten in the ranks of great songwriters of the 20's and 30's.

But now, thanks to the utterly charming first recording of KITTY'S KISSES on PS Classics, the music of Con Conrad is being heard again in a brand new light. Run, don't walk, to buy this CD, featuring such high wattage Broadway talents as Victoria Clark, Danny Burstein, Kate Baldwin, Andrea Burns, Rebecca Luker, Christopher Fitzgerald and many more.

From the first notes of the Overture you know you're in for a fun ride, with such fun stops along the way as "Choo Choo Love", "Walkin' the Track", and tunes like "Needles", "Bounce Me" and the title tune that once in your head, will never leave! And for the lost music for the Finale, Messrs. Krasker & Kimball , with assistance from lyricist Gus Kahn's son Donald, managed to create a worthy homage to one of Conrad's more notable creations.

Everything is note perfect in this labor of love, and not only will it create new interest in this long lost show, it will now begin to rightfully restore Con Conrad's name among the great composers of the early 20th Century.