On this date in 1912, composer Burton Lane (nĆ© Levy) was born in New York City. āHow Are Things in Gloccamorra?ā āOld Devil Moon,ā āOn a Clear Day, You Can See Foreverā and āHow About You?ā (one of two songs nominated for an Oscar) are a few of the beloved standards written by Lane that have made it into the Great American Songbook. His most popular work was the score for the hit 1947 Broadway musical “Finianās Rainbow,” on which he collaborated with the irreverent lyricist Yip Harburg.
Lane was one of the rare composers who was able to work successfully in Broadway as well as Hollywood, writing musicals and composing music for more than 30 movies (including āDancing Ladyā with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, āSinginā in the Rainā with Gene Kelly and āBabes on Broadwayā with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland). He studied classical piano as a child and had his first published song when he was 15. When he was 17, he met George Gershwin and was introduced into the society of first-rank songwriters.
Lane is also known for having discovered Frances Gumm (who changed her name to Judy Garland) in 1934. He had heard the 11-year-old girl singing in a theater and was so impressed with her talent that he immediately set up an audition with MGM executives, where he played the piano as she charmed Hollywood.
There is no proper biography of Lane but FFRF Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker interviewed his widow Lynn Lane in 2009 on Freethought Radio during the revival of “Finianās Rainbow” on Broadway. Barker asked her how Burton got along with Harburg, who was known for his agnostic and progressive views. āThey were exactly on the same wavelength,ā she told us. āYip was writing the words, so more of what he felt was evident in his work. When youāre writing the music, there are no lyrics, so what you get, you get from the melody, and that does not show your political opinions. I donāt think there was anything, of any real consequence, that Burton and Yip disagreed about.ā
Lane was president of the American Guild of Authors and Composers and served on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. He also collaborated with Alan Jay Lerner (āOn A Clear Dayā). Other well-known songs he wrote include āLook to the Rainbow,ā āIf This Isnāt Loveā and āWhen Iām Not Near the Girl I Love.ā (D. 1997)