Harold Rome, songwriter: reference sources (web and print); selected songs; recordings, videos; miscellany

Overview and Commentary: Harold Rome (This section remains in preparation)

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Rome played piano in local dance bands and was already writing music while studying architecture and law at Yale University. After graduation he worked as an architect in New York City, but continued to pursue his musical interests, arranging music for local bands and writing material for revues at Green Mansions, a Jewish summer resort in the Adirondacks. Much of the music Rome was writing at this time was socially conscious and of little interest toTin Pan Alley.

In 1937, he made his Broadway debut as co-writer, composer, and lyricist of the topical revue Pins and Needles. Pins and Needles was originally written for a small theatrical production directed by Samuel Roland. After a 2 week professional run, it was adapted for performances by members of the then-striking International Garment Workers' Union as an entertainment for its members. Because Roland was associated with left-wing causes, he was asked by ILGWU president David Dubinsky to withdraw. The show was a huge success, running for 1108 performances, and prompted George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart to invite Rome to collaborate on another topical revue, Sing Out the News, in 1938.

In the early 1940s, Rome wrote songs for several revues and shows, but it was not until after the end of World War II that he had his next real success with Call Me Mister. His first full-fledged musical was Wish You Were Here in 1952. Additional Broadway credits include Fanny (1954), Destry Rides Again (1959), I Can Get It for You Wholesale (1962), in which Barbra Streisand made her Broadway debut, and The Zulu and the Zayda (1965), which dealt with racial and religious intolerance. He also wrote the lyrics for La Grosse Valise (composer Gerard Calvi), which enjoyed a short run at the 54th Street Theater in 1965.

In 1970, he wrote a musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind entitled Scarlett for a Tokyo production with a Japanese cast. It later was staged in English with little success in London and Los Angeles.

Rome was also a painter and art collector. He died of a stroke in New York City at the age of 85."

Pins and Needles
"Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition"
of the Hit Musical Revue (1962)
(includes the Streisand and Rome tracks
on music-videos at left

iTunes review by Jordan Jordan: "This musical revue of the late 1930s was the longest running show on Broadway before Oklahoma!, and with one listen, the reason why is clear. The show's history is just as interesting as its musical numbers-- in 1937, the women of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union held their meetings in the Princess Theatre in New York City, and decided to organize a comical, musical revue. Soon, the revue (featuring comedic sketches as well as songs) turned into a long-running Broadway show, featuring the women-- none of whom were professional performers-- as its stars. In 1962, Broadway's brightests stars (including a young Barbra Streisand) came together to make a studio recording, featured here. Each song is packed with wit and memorable melodies. The minimal orchestrations give you catchy tunes without being overbearing. The lyrics, in most cases, ring just as true today as they did in the 30s, and are never-failingly as funny."

"Despite the long run, Pins and Needles went virtually unheard by most of the nation. The play's 'big number' was Harold Rome's 'Sing Me a Song with Social Significance' . . . . Possessor of what surely must be the most socially significant song title of the Depression, and featuring some timely references to breadlines and wars, [the song] may have been mass culture for dedicated Broadway fans, but for everyone else, it languished in obscurity" (Young, pp. 87-88).

• no songs currently in catalog

Research Resources: Harold Rome

• Amazon (publications, recordings, videos, sheet music, etc.)
• DBOPM (Database Of Popular Music: song list, awards, hit songs, co-writers)
• Discogs.com (songwriting and arranging credits)
• Indiana University Sheet Music Collection (In Harmony): Harold Rome
• Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) (Broadway productions and song credits)
• Internet Movie Database (brief biography, filmography, movie song credits)
• MasterworksBroadway.com (Biography)
• New York Public Library (catalog entries for books, personal papers, recordings, scores, etc.)
• The New York Times (articles about or related to the songwriter) Obituary
• PBS B'Way (Harold Rome page)
• Songwriters Hall of Fame (biography and song list)
• Wikipedia (Harold Rome article)
• Yale University Library (The Harold Rome Papers, guide)
• Max Wilk, They're Playing Our Song: Conversations with America's Classic Songwriters (originally published 1973 as They're Playing Our Song: From Jerome Kern to Stephen Sondheim—The Stories behind the Words and Music of Two Generations), New York and Stratford, CT: Easton Studio Press, 2008 (Chapter / interview on Rome, pp. 244-255).
• ASCAP Biographical Dictionary, New York: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Cattell/Bowker, Fourth edition, 1980 (dates, collaborators, shows/movies, songs, etc., entry p. 428)
• David Ewen. American Songwriters
• Thomas S. Hischak. Word Crazy: Broadway Lyricists from Cohan to Sondheim. New York: Praeger, 1991 (significant commentary on Rome and his revue Pins and Needles pp. 91-92).
• Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball (Eds.), Reading Lyrics, New York: Pantheon Books, 2000 (pp. 407-417 overview plus lyrics to 13 songs). Read the introduction to this book at NYTimes.com.
• Thomas S. Hischak. The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008 (entry, p. 640).
• Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb, "FDR Jones": 240252
• Barbra Streisand, "Miss Marmelstein": LoveHowardBanister
• Barbara Streisand, "Nobody Makes a Pass at Me": IJustLoveYouBarbra
• Harold Rome, "Mene Mene Teke": MrVanissimo
• Dolores Gray, Destry Rides Again (1959 original Broadway Cast) "Are You Ready, Gyp Watson: toldes

Notes

• Overview from Wikipedia article on Harold Rome
• Vintage sheet music for "South America, Take It Away " Words and Music by Harold Rome from Call Me Mister, 1954
• Vintage sheet music for "Wish You Were Here" Words and Music by Harold Rome from Wsih You Were Here, 1952
• "Harold Jacob Rome . . . was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater.
• In 1991, Rome was presented with a special Drama Desk Award for his "distinctive contribution to musical theater."
• William H. Young with Nancy K. Young Music of the Great Depression (American History through Music)
• Destry Rides Again Words and Music by Harold Rome Original Broadway Cast (1959)
• original Broadway Cast (including Barbra Streisand track on music-video at left)

Cite this page: Harold Rome, songwriter: reference sources (web and print); selected songs; recordings, videos; miscellany, Cafe Songbook, https://greatamericansongbook.net/pages/songwriters/r_sws/rome_harold.html