Ira Gershwin's critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.
11 Facts About Ira Gershwin
2.
Ira Gershwin was born at 60 Eldridge St in Manhattan, the oldest of four children of Morris and Rose Gershovitz, who were Russian Jews from Saint Petersburg and who had emigrated to the United States in 1891.
3.
Ira Gershwin graduated in 1914 from Townsend Harris High School, a public school for intellectually gifted students, where he met Yip Harburg, with whom he enjoyed a lifelong friendship and a love of Gilbert and Sullivan.
4.
Ira Gershwin attended the City College of New York but dropped out.
5.
Alex Aarons signed Ira Gershwin to write the songs for his next show, Two Little Girls in Blue, ultimately produced by Abraham Erlanger, along with co-composers Vincent Youmans and Paul Lannin.
6.
Ira Gershwin's lyrics were well received, allowing him successfully to enter the show-business world with just one show.
7.
Ira Gershwin later wrote comic lyrics for Billy Wilder's 1964 movie Kiss Me, Stupid, although most critics believe his final major work was for the 1954 Judy Garland film A Star Is Born.
8.
Ira Gershwin died of heart disease in Beverly Hills, California, on 17 August 1983 at the age of 86.
9.
Ira Gershwin is interred at Westchester Hills Cemetery, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
10.
Three of Ira Gershwin's songs were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, though none won.
11.
Ira Gershwin was a joyous listener to the sounds of the modern world.