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Frank Loesser

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Songwriter

The Resume

    (June 29, 1910-July 28, 1969)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Birth name is Frank Henry Loesser
    Lyricist of over 700 songs
    Wrote musicals 'Guys and Dolls,' 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,' 'Where's Charley?' 'Pleasures and Palaces,' 'The Most Happy Fella,' and 'Greenwillow'
    Wrote songs for films 'Thank Your Lucky Stars,' 'Destry Rides Again,' 'Neptune's Daughter,' 'Hans Christian Andersen,' 'A Song Is Born,' 'Sweater Girl,' and 'Perils of Pauline'
    Nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, winning once for 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' (1949)
    Other notable songs include 'Jingle Jangle Jingle,' 'Luck Be a Lady Tonight,' 'Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat,' 'I'll Know,' 'Thumbelina,' 'Inchworm,' 'Standing On the Corner,' 'Dolores,' 'Heart and Soul' 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,' 'They're Either Too Young or Too Old,' and 'I Wish I Didn't Love You So'
    Subject of the crtitically-acclaimed 2006 documentary, 'Heart & Soul: The Life and Music of Frank Loesser'

Why he might be annoying:

    He was expelled from City College of New York after flunking every class except English and Phys Ed.
    He was a hypersensitive perfectionist.
    His daughter described him as hot-tempered and foul-mouthed.
    He allegedly slapped the leading lady during the Broadway run of 'Guys and Dolls.'
    He was called 'Cole Porter without the Martini in his hand.'
    That being said, there was usually a trademark cigarette hanging out of the side of his mouth, instead (he was an infamous chain smoker).
    He was a top-notch songwriter in his time, but has since been overshadowed by George and Ira Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Irving Berlin.
    'Baby Its Cold Outside' remains a popular Holiday song, but not with the PC crowd or feminists, perhaps with good reason (because nothing says Merry Christmas like date rape!)
    He loathed his Oscar-nominated song, 'Thumbelina,' calling it a 'ditty' and 'junk' that he could write any day of the week.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was good friends with John Steinbeck.
    He was a workaholic who rarely slept more than four hours at one time.
    His songs are known for having an almost electric rhythm, with a sharp wit to match it.
    His music played well in the hands of the equally energetic Danny Kaye (he wrote some of Kaye's most popular songs).
    He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
    He won a 1961 Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Show Album for 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.'
    He shared the 1962 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with co-writer, Abe Burrows, for 'How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.'
    He won two separate Tony Awards each for both 'Guys and Dolls' and 'How to Succeed in Business' (1950, 1961).
    The Western Writers of America chose his 'Jingle Jangle Jingle' song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time (2014).
    The film adaptation of his musical, 'Guys and Dolls,' proved that Marlon Brando was a versatile performer who could actually do musical comedy.
    'The Most Happy Fella' was arguably the last successful mix of opera and the musical until the popularity of Andrew Lloyd Webber's productions.
    'The Most Happy Fella' also received added publicity as the subject of a 1957 I Love Lucy episode, with its title even becoming a Fred Mertz punch-line ('I'll bet he isn't married!')

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 27 Votes: 51.85% Annoying