Al Dubin and Harry Warren on film

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Beginning with the feature "42nd St.," Al Dubin and Harry Warren were worth millions of dollars to Warner Bros. studios. From that point on, their song hits became synonymous with the studio: You're Getting To Be a Habit With Me, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, The Gold Diggers' Song (We're In the Money), I Only Have Eyes For You, Shadow Waltz, and Lullaby of Broadway are only a few of their phenomenal successes. In 1933 the studio released a nice film short of Harry Warren while his lyric writing partner, Al Dubin, watched from the side lines. Here are three examples of Warren & Dubin cameo appearances founded in released features from 1933-1935. The final example is Helen Morgan singing their new song "The Little Things You Used To Do."

Channel: Entertainment
Uploaded: March 29, 2008 at 10:59 am
Author: nedsparks

Length: 0:04:11
Rating: 5.00
Views: 1,416

Tags: composer lyricist movie musical Busby Berkeley

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Video Comments:
timboytx (Friday 10th of October 2008 09:08:02 PM)
This is a fantastic piece! Thanks for putting it together. I love these guys.
akilli1453 (Thursday 3rd of July 2008 10:00:44 AM)
This is a treasure. Thank you!
bchfront (Sunday 25th of May 2008 04:39:32 AM)
According to my late father, Stu, Al was staying as a houseguest of my grandparents' at the time he was writing the lyric for "September in the Rain"(This was included in Pat's bio of her father). Dad ,who got to know Al well, said that Al always carried a little- black notebook around, that he would pen all his ideas for songs- in. Dad always said he thought Al Dubin was a genius! Al was gone by the time I came-around, but I did know Al's brother Joe very well.He was a VERY nice man! R.J.
Astoriaguy23 (Saturday 26th of April 2008 05:09:47 PM)
Yes, you're right bigcity...Dubin and Warren certainly "deserve much more recognition for their tremendous contribution to American music." Problem is, you don't hear his name mentioned much at all after one of his tunes are played. (Certainly, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen, and others, have their names mentioned...Then why not Harry Warren? Especially considering the fact that Warren had more HITS than any of them! You could check the facts here for yourself.)
bigcity233 (Saturday 3rd of May 2008 02:39:31 PM)
It could have something to do with the fact that Harry Warren made his mark in Hollywood rather than Broadway. Warren and Dubin were under contract with Warners. Broadway producers promoted their songwriters which helped promote their shows conveying star-status. Warren had some Bway experience and recognition - but not nearly as much as many of his contemporaries. Warren was a real New Yorker who missed his hometown - Hollywood offered more opportunity for a young songwriter.
Astoriaguy23 (Saturday 3rd of May 2008 05:57:29 PM)
Yes, bigcity233, I agree it has to do with Warren being a Hollywood (film) composer, as opposed to most of the others who wrote for the Broadway stage and took their Broadway tunes to Hollywood for the movies. I've felt that there was always a "snob appeal" from the New York composers toward the Hollywood "hacks" who composed for the mass appeal of the movies. Harry Warren was the only composer to be employed by the top four musical-producing movie studios during his brilliant career.
gijive (Monday 21st of April 2008 05:45:29 PM)
Thia is S-U-P-E-R thanks for adding it
dr37sam (Wednesday 30th of April 2008 07:09:25 PM)
Enjoyed your comments and I agree about Dubin and Warren.Micheal Feinstein and George Shearing put out a CD a year or so ago called "Hopeless Romantics" and when they started collecting their most romantic songs the majority were by Warren. They turned it into a tribute to Harry Warren. Are there any two more romantic songs than "There Will Never Be Another You" and "Youre My Everything"? I think not!
bigcity233 (Monday 14th of April 2008 07:11:13 PM)
JUST GREAT!! - THANKS NED! Warren & Dubin deserve much more recogniition for their tremendous contribution to American music. Seing Helen Morgan perform in film is a rare treat. I'm not sure why she didn't do more movie work. She did do a lot of Broadway and nightclub work in NY. A booze problem caused her early death at 41.
Rollich (Wednesday 2nd of April 2008 07:41:21 AM)
Terrific compilation. Thanks for posting.