Howard Dietz


Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. According to historian Stanley Green, Dietz and Schwartz were "most closely identified with the revue form of musical theatre."

Biography

Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia College and then studied journalism at Columbia University. He also served as publicist/director of advertising for Goldwyn Pictures and later MGM and is often credited with creating Leo the Lion, its lion mascot, and choosing their slogan Ars Gratia Artis. In 1942, he was made MGM's Vice President in Charge of Publicity. He held that position until his retirement in 1957.
He began a long association with composer Arthur Schwartz, when they teamed up for the Broadway revue The Little Show in 1929. They would continue to work on and off over the next 30 or so years. Dietz served in the US Navy in World War I and became editor of their magazine, Navy Life. During World War II, he assisted the U.S. Treasury Department with the publicity and promotion of War Bonds, and created stage shows for the Coast Guard with composer Vernon Duke.
Dietz saved copies of every document relating to his career, as well as relating to the publicity campaigns of every MGM film he publicized. After his death, this vast trove of artifacts was donated to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The archive on Dietz constitutes its single largest archive on any person or subject.
In 1972, Howard Dietz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. And, in 1981, he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Dietz was married three times. He married Elizabeth Bigelow Hall in 1917. They divorced in 1936. In 1930, the couple had bought a townhouse on 18 West 11th Street in Greenwich Village from stockbroker Charles E. Merrill, founder of Merrill Lynch. The townhouse was later bought by advertising executive James Platt Wilkerson, whose daughter Cathlyn Platt Wilkerson was a member of the far-left terrorist organization Weather Underground; Wilkerson's associates were assembling a bomb in the basement in 1970 when it exploded and destroyed the townhouse.
Dietz married Tanis Guinness Montagu on January 25, 1937, and had a daughter; they divorced 14 years later, in 1951. Later that year, he married the costume designer Lucinda Ballard. He died in July 1983, in New York City of Parkinson's disease, from which he had suffered from 1954.

Broadway credits

  • Dear Sir — 1924
  • Merry-Go-Round — 1927
  • The Little Show — 1929
  • The Second Little Show — 1930
  • Three's a Crowd — 1930
  • The Band Wagon — 1931
  • Flying Colors — 1932
  • Revenge with Music — 1934
  • At Home Abroad — 1935
  • Between the Devil — 1937
  • Keep Off the Grass — 1940
  • Jackpot — 1944
  • Sadie Thompson — 1944
  • Inside U.S.A. — 1948
  • The Gay Life — 1961
  • Jennie — 1963
  • That's Entertainment — 1972

    London credits

  • Here Comes the Bride — 1930

    Radio credit

  • The MGM Theater of the Air, host

    Songs

  • "All The King's Horses". Introduced in the revue Three's A Crowd by Margaret Lee.
  • "Alone Together". Introduced in the revue Flying Colors by Jean Sargent.
  • "Blue Grass". From the musical Inside U.S.A.
  • "By Myself". Introduced by Jack Buchanan in the musical Between the Devil
  • "Dancing In The Dark". Introduced by John Barker in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon.
  • "The Dickey-Bird Song". Introduced in the 1948 film Three Daring Daughters by Jeanette MacDonald, Jane Powell, Jean Garbo dubbing for Elinor Donahue and Pat Hyatt dubbing for Ann E. Todd.
  • "First Prize at the Fair". From the musical Inside U.S.A..
  • "A Fugitive from Esquire". Introduced by Jimmy Durante in the musical Keep Off The Grass
  • "Get Yourself a Geisha". From the musical revue At Home Abroad
  • "Got A Bran' New Suit". Introduced by Ethel Waters in the 1935 revue At Home Abroad
  • "Haunted Heart". Introduced by John Tyers in the revue Inside U.S.A.
  • "Hoops". Introduced in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon by Fred and Adele Astaire
  • "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan". Introduced by Clifton Webb in the 1929 revue The Little Show.
  • "I Love Louisa". Introduced by Fred and Adele Astaire in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon
  • "I See Your Face Before Me". Introduced by Jack Buchanan, Evelyn Laye and Adele Dixon in the 1937 musical Between the Devil
  • "Louisiana Hayride". Introduced by Tamara Geva, Clifton Webb and ensemble in the 1932 revue Flying Colors
  • "The Love I Long For". Introduced by June Havoc and James Newill in the musical Sadie Thompson
  • "Love Is a Dancing Thing" from the 1935 revue At Home Abroad
  • "Moanin' Low". Introduced by Libby Holman in the revue The Little Show
  • "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" from the revue Inside U.S.A.
  • "That's Entertainment!". Introduced by Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant and Fred Astaire in the 1953 film The Band Wagon
  • "You and the Night and the Music" from the musical Revenge with Music.
  • "If There is Someone Lovelier Than You" from the musical Revenge with Music.
  • "Schickelgruber"