Roger Edens (9 November 1905, Hillsboro, Texas - 13 July 1970, Hollywood) was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures in Arthur Freed's musical film production unit at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "golden era of Hollywood". November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Hillsboro is a city located in Hill County, Texas. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... ... Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 - April 12, 1973) was born Arthur Grossman in Down Ton Ton Village. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... ...

Early career and work with Judy Garland

Edens's parents were of Scots-Irish Ancestry. He worked as a piano accompanist for ballroom dancers before going to work as a musical conductor on Broadway. He went to Hollywood in 1933 to write special material for Ethel Merman films at Paramount Pictures. In 1935 he joined MGM as a musical supervisor and occasional composer and arranger, notably of music for Judy Garland. He also appeared on screen opposite Eleanor Powell in a cameo in Broadway Melody of 1936. Scots-Irish (also called Scotch-Irish, primarily in the USA) is an Irish ethnic group which ultimately traces its roots back to Scotland. ... Broadway theatre[1] is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was a star of stage and film musicals, well known for her powerful voice and vocal range. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922 – June 22, 1969) was an American film actress considered by many to be one of the greatest singing stars of Hollywoods Golden Era of musical film. ... Eleanor Powell, left, in Broadway Melody of 1938. ... Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical film released by MGM in 1935, despite the title. ...

Arthur Freed, producer of musicals at MGM, was impressed by Edens and soon made him integral to his production team, which was rapidly growing and featured many of the greatest talents, recruited by Freed himself. Freed built a cabinet around himself, and in the early 1940s made Edens associate producer. The unit made dozens of popular and extremely successful musical films in the 1940s and into the 1950s, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1945), Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), Show Boat (1951), An American in Paris (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), and The Band Wagon (1953). This article is about the 1944 film. ... Easter Parade is a 1948 musical film starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. ... On the Town is a musical that opened on Broadway at the Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944, with music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, direction by George Abbott, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. ... Show Boat is the name of a musical film based on the stage musical of the same name by Oscar Hammerstein II, which was adapted from the novel by Edna Ferber. ... An American in Paris is a symphonic composition by American composer George Gershwin which debuted in 1928. ... Singin in the Rain is a song with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, published in 1929. ... The Band Wagon is a musical comedy film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1953, which tells the story of an aging musical star who wants to star in a Broadway play that will restart his career. ...

Edens eventually separated from the MGM unit in the mid-fifties, when the musical film's days of glory were coming to an end. He had his own office, and worked on such projects as Funny Face (1957) with Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, and Kay Thompson at Paramount. Funny Face (TV series). ... Audrey Hepburn (May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993) was an Academy Award-winning actress, fashion model, and humanitarian. ... Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ... Kay Thompson (born November 9, 1908 in St. ...

Edens is considered to be the single most important creative musical figure from the end of the 1930s until the beginning of the '60s. His career at MGM allowed him to work with the top musical performers including the young Judy Garland, of whom he was the original trainer and overseer, and a personal friend. He wrote special material for Garland including the famous Dear Mr Gable - You Made Me love You number in 1938 and was responsible for writing It's A Great Day for the Irish to showcase Garland's power-house voice in 1940. This became one of Garland's biggest hits and an Irish-American anthem played by military and marching bands every St. Patrick's Day world over. He continued to compose, score, and arrange MGM musicals throughout the 1940s. He also produced a number of films after the mid-50s and wrote special material for Garland's Palace Theatre debut in 1951 and for her London Palladium concerts the same year. Its A Great Day for the Irish The original Irish-American song was written in 1940 by Roger Edens the Musical Director at MGM under the leadership of Arthur Freed for inclusion in the film version of the George M. Cohan 1922 Broadway show Little Nellie Kelly Directed by... Population density of people born in Ireland, 1870; these were mostly Catholics; the older Scots Irish immigration is not shown. ... St. ... Notable theatres called the Palace Theatre include: Palace Theatre, London Palace Theatre, Westcliff-on-Sea, EssexA real play house with Edwardian splendour. ... The London Palladium in 2004 The London Palladium is one of the most famous of Londons West End theatres. ...

Birthday parties

He and Kay Thompson shared the same birthday (November 9th). From 1942 through 1957 they gave joint birthday parties during which each presented a surprise production number using special material which featured their friends -- Judy Garland, Ann Sothern, Charles Walters, Ralph Blanel -- each never telling the other while rehearsing what the other was planning to present. Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American film actress. ... Charles Walters (November 11, 1911-August 13, 1982), Hollywood director and choreographer most noted for his work in MGM musicals and comedies in from the 1940s to the 1960s. ...

Show Boat

It was Edens, along with producer Arthur Freed, who was the real guiding force behind M-G-M's 1951 screen version of Show Boat. Edens was the one who carried out the search for the right singer-actor to play Joe and sing "Ol' Man River", and it was Edens who discovered William Warfield after reading a rave review of a New York song recital that Warfield had given. Edens was also the one who supervised the cuts to the film after it was felt by the producer and the director that the original cut was too slow. Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 - April 12, 1973) was born Arthur Grossman in Down Ton Ton Village. ... Portrait of William Warfield by Carl Van Vechten, Feb. ...

Awards and Honors

• Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Score) 1939: Babes in Arms (w. George Stoll)
• Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Best Score) 1940: Strike up the Band (w. George Stoll)
• Nominated for Music Best Song 1940:Strike up the Band "Our Love Affair" - Music & Lyrics
• Nominated for Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1942: For Me and My Gal (w. George Stoll)
• Nominated for Music Best Song 1947: Good News "Pass That Peace Pipe" - Music & Lyrics (w. Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin)
• Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1948: Easter Parade (w. Johnny Green)
• Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1949: On the Town (w. Lennie Hayton)
• Music Scoring Awards (Scoring of a Musical Picture) 1950: Annie Get Your Gun (w. Adolph Deutsch)

(8 nominations, 3 Awards) Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical theater production which tells the story of a boy who puts on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm. ... For Me and My Gal can refer to: For Me and My Gal, a 1942 Gene Kelly musical directed by Busby Berkeley For Me and My Gal, a 1917 popular standard song by George W. Meyer, Edgar Leslie, and E. Ray Goetz Category: ... Good News is the original meaning of the word gospel in both English and Greek. ... Easter Parade is a 1948 musical film starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. ... On the Town is a musical that opened on Broadway at the Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944, with music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, direction by George Abbott, and choreography by Jerome Robbins. ... Annie Get Your Gun is a stage musical loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. ...