Vivian Ellis
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Vivian Ellis was born in Hampstead, London, England on October 29, 1904. He studied the piano with Myra Hess and began a musical career as a concert pianist, but became a composer and lyricist. Initially he contributed pieces for several revues in the 1920s. He became well known in the London West End Theatres for providing the music and collaborating in the production of a large number of musical shows, spanning from 1925 to 1958. In fact he was to dominate the theatre of the 1930s having one to three shows run most years of this decade. However, in spite of his music being both pleasant & catchy, few of his compositions were recorded, so his name became less well known after his last London production. He wrote some songs used in British films of the 1930s.
He authored several humorous books (How to Enjoy your Operation, How to Bury yourself in the Country being two of them). His grandfather was the composer Julian Woolf. His autobiography, published in 1953, is entitled Ellis in Wonderland.
He died in 1996.
Contents |
[edit] Productions Pre-World War II
- By-the-Way - 1925
- Mercenart Mary - 1925
- Still Dancing - 1925
- Kid Boots - 1926
- Blue Skies - 1927
- Clowns in Clover -1927
- Girl Friend - 1927
- Will o' the Whisper - 1928
- Mr. Cinders - 1929
- The House that Jack Built - 1929
- Follow a Star - 1930
- Little Tommy Tucker - 1930
- Blue Roses - 1931
- Stand Up & Sing - 1931
- Song of the Drum - 1931
- Out of the Bottle - 1932
- Please - 1933
- Jill Darling - 1933
- Streamline - 1934
- The Town Talks - 1936 (review)
- Going Places - 1936 (review)
- Floodlight - 1937 (review)
- Hide & Seek - 1937
- The Fleets Lit Up - 1938
- Running Riot - 1938
[edit] Productions - Post World War II
- Big Ben - 1946
- Bless the Bride - 1947
- Tough at the Top - 1949
- And so to Bed - 1951
- Over the Moon - 1953
- The Water Gypsies - 1955
- Half in Earnest - 1958
[edit] Songs (some that have recordings)
- Over my Shoulder
- I'm on a See Saw
- She's my Lovely
- Spread a Little Happiness
- This is my Lovely Day
[edit] References
- "Halliwell's Who's Who of the movies" ISBN 0-06-093507-3
- "Oxford Companion to Popular Music" ISBN 0-19-280004-3
- "Directory of Popular Music" by Leslie Lowe ISBN 0-904520-70-6
