41 Facts About Blanche Merrill

Blanche Merrill is best known for the songs she wrote for Fanny Brice.

However, in another profile published later that year, the unnamed author describes Blanche Merrill as having attended Barnard College.

Blanche Merrill was so taken with the performance that she wrote her first song, "Give an Imitation of Me," and then filed it away.

Tanguay liked it and accepted it, leading Blanche Merrill to write an additional four songs for Tanguay.

Blanche Merrill wrote the song "Broadway Sam" for comic Willie Howard, who performed it in The Passing Show of 1915.

Blanche Merrill recorded it in 1921, and the music was published in 1922.

Blanche Merrill mentioned Merrill, whom he called "an expert" who could command thousands of dollars for material, with Fanny Brice being one of her steady and smart customers.

Blanche Merrill was announced as the Cocoanut Grove's official songwriter.

Blanche Merrill predicted it would take about three month's time.

Blanche Merrill was able to obtain a restriction on performing rights, stipulating that a performer could not transfer performing rights to another performer.

Blanche Merrill was contemplating action against Brice, but either withdrew or the action was settled.

The onset of World War I led Blanche Merrill to write two works whose temperament were very different from each other.

The first major controversy of Blanche Merrill's career occurred in 1919.

Blanche Merrill would write the first act, Irving Berlin would write the second act, and Gene Buck would write the third act.

The situation changed when Ziegfeld asked Blanche Merrill to allow composer Dave Stamper to rewrite the music for three of her songs.

Blanche Merrill did write an act for Halperin which opened in the summer of 1920.

Theatrical producer Harry Frazee commissioned Blanche Merrill to produce musical versions of two of his plays, My Lady Friends and A Pair of Queens.

Subsequent notices indicated the play was intended for Fay Bainter, and that Blanche Merrill had gone to the country to concentrate on writing.

Blanche Merrill disregarded his warnings, apparently with the approval of the audience.

In January 1925 Variety indicated that Blanche Merrill was writing new material for Fuller.

In 1924 Blanche Merrill wrote a vaudeville act, Life for Mabel McCane which first played at Poli's Capitol Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut.

An article from November 11,1925, indicated that Blanche Merrill attended numerous parties intended to wish her well on her Hollywood journey.

The series of unrealized projects ended when Blanche Merrill became involved with the Duncan Sisters and their ill-fated film Topsy and Eva.

In fall 1927 it was reported that Blanche Merrill was writing a comedy sketch for Priscilla Dean and Belle Bennett.

Blanche Merrill created an act for the team Vine and Russell, nearly a year later they were still doing well on the material she had supplied.

Blanche Merrill was hired to provide scripts for Lulu McConnell, Nana Bryant and the Duncan Sisters.

In 1938, Blanche Merrill opened offices in conjunction with music publisher Irving Mills whose company was Mills Music.

In 1940, Blanche Merrill was engaged as one of the writers to supply material for a revue.

One of the people in the cast was Imogene Coca whose apparent connection to Blanche Merrill would be useful ten years later.

The earliest indication of Blanche Merrill's interest in television was a verse published in Variety at the beginning of 1949.

The reference to resusciating vaudeville careers was either anticipatory or based on first-hand knowledge, for later that year a brief notice in Variety indicated that Blanche Merrill was getting back into vaudeville because it provided television content.

Apparently having worked together on the flop All in Fun, Blanche Merrill had already been working with Imogene Coca when, in April 1951, producer Max Liebman signed Blanche Merrill to work exclusively for Coca on Your Show of Shows.

Blanche Merrill's verse was written from the point of view of a housewife addressing a sponsor.

The French singer Irene Hilda visited the US in September 1952 and spent a month working with Blanche Merrill rehearsing a new act.

Blanche Merrill had worked for The Wall Street Journal since 1919, and had ascended to the position of managing editor.

Blanche Merrill died, age 47, of pneumonia on March 29,1939.

Blanche Merrill knew her special skill resided in creating character songs.

Part of Blanche Merrill's technique was meeting with a client, assessing their skills, noting their singing range an ability and seeing them on stage.

Blanche Merrill felt she produced her best work when under pressure.

Blanche Merrill recounted how she created the song "I Look Like the Last Rose of Summer" for Lillian Shaw:.

Blanche Merrill wore an old brown dress and a shabby old hat and she just looked tired, tired, tired.