Irving Caesar

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Irving Caesar (born July 10, 1895 in New York, died December 18, 1996 in New York), was a prominent American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written.

Caesar was born Isidor Keiser (10 July 1895, NYC birth certificate number 29116) and died in New York City, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew. His older brother Arthur Caesar was a successful Hollywood screenwriter. The Caesar brothers spent their childhood and teen years in Yorkville, the same Manhattan neighborhood where the Marx Brothers were raised. Caesar knew the Marx Brothers during his boyhood in NYC.

[edit] Work for Broadway

Note: All productions are musicals unless otherwise stated.

Pins and Needles (1922) - revue - co-lyricist
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1922 (1922) - revue - co-lyricist and co-bookwriter
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1923 (1923) - revue - co-lyricist
The Greenwich Village Follies of 1924 (1924) - revue - co-lyricist
Betty Lee (1924) - co-lyricist
No, No, Nanette (1925) - co-lyricist
- Revived in 1971
Charlot Revue (1925) - revue - featured lyricist for "Gigolette" and "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You"
Sweetheart Time (1926) - co-lyricist
Ziegfeld's Revue "No Foolin'" (1926) - revue - co-lyricist
Betsy (1926) - co-bookwriter
Talk About Girls (1927) - lyricist
Yes, Yes, Yvette (1927) - story originator
Here's Howe (1928) - lyricist
Americana of 1928 (1928) - revue - co-lyricist
Polly (1929) - co-composer and co-lyricist
George White's Scandals of 1929 (1929) - revue - co-composer and co-lyricist
Ripples (1930) - co-lyricist
Nina Rosa (1930) - lyricist
The Wonder Bar (1931) - play - co-playwright/adaptor of the original German
George White's Scandals of 1931 (1931) - revue - co-bookwriter
George White's Music Hall Varieties of 1932 (1932) - revue - co-composer and lyricist
Melody (1933) - lyricist
Shady Lady (1933) - reviser
Continental Varieties (1934) - revue - dialogue-writer
The White Horse Inn (1936) - English-version lyricist
My Dear Public (1943) - co-composer, co-lyricist, and co-bookwriter

Post-retirement credits:

The American Dance Machine (1978) - dance revue - featured lyricist
Up in One (1979) - revue - featured songwriter
Big Deal (1986) - featured English-version lyricist for "Just a Gigolo"
Sally Marr...and her escorts (1994) - play - featured lyricist for "Tea for Two"