‘Up there with Gershwin’: AIDS benefit marks centennial of Jewish American songsmiths

If there was a contest for greatest American songwriter, Harold Arlen and Jule Styne would make the shortlist.

Between them, the two Jewish composers are responsible for hundreds of classics, from "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather" (by Arlen) to "People" and "Let Me Entertain You" (by Styne).

Now, 100 years after their births, one local AIDS foundation decided to "Get Happy" (another Arlen original) and celebrate the music of Arlen and Styne.

"Help is on the Way XI: A Centennial Celebration of the Music of Jule Styne & Harold Arlen" will take place Monday, Aug. 1 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco. The event benefits the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation.

On the lineup, cabaret and Broadway stars such as Christine Andreas, Ray Garcia, Susan Anton, Meg Mackay and Paula West.

But much of the attention that night likely will be on screen legend Jane Russell and singer Lorna Luft, the youngest daughter of Judy Garland. Both will appear at the event singing songs of Arlen and Styne, representing a bygone era of American entertainment.

"I'm singing 'Bye Bye Baby,'" says Russell from her Los Angeles home, "surrounded by a bunch of hunky men." She first crooned the Styne tune in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," the 1953 comedy in which she co-starred with Marilyn Monroe.

At 85, Russell is still going strong, especially thanks to last year's Martin Scorcese film "The Aviator," which recounted Russell's film debut in "The Outlaw," the erotically charged Howard Hughes potboiler from 1943.

In "The Outlaw," she played the first of many "buxom hussy" roles in her career. But for the upcoming fund-raiser, she gets to strut her stuff as a singer.

"People forget that I've been singing all my life," adds Russell.

Luft counted both songwriters as friends of the family.

"I knew [Arlen] very well," she says. "He was a very sweet, very dapper man, one of the nicest human beings I ever met. He would take me to the 21 Club when I was doing my first nightclub act."

Being that Arlen wrote her mother's signature song "Over the Rainbow," it's not surprising the two were close.

"He adored my mom," adds Luft, who will sing Arlen's "The Man That Got Away" at the benefit. "He watched her grow up from an awkward teen to being a legend. They loved and respected each other."

The same was true with Judy Garland and Styne. "Jule was a great guy," says Luft. "We spent many a night at parties. He could be very cutting, but he was just a great human being and a funny guy."

Born Julius Kerwin Styne in London's East End, Styne immigrated to the United States with his family in 1912. A gifted young pianist, he performed with the Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit symphonies before he turned 10.

Once he grew up, Styne's classical bent turned decidedly pop. He collaborated with the likes of Frank Loesser, Stephen Sondheim and Sammy Cahn, turning out hit Broadway and Hollywood musicals like "Two Button Shoes" (1947), "Peter Pan" (1953), "Gypsy" (1959) and "Funny Girl" (1964). In all, he wrote more than 1,500 published songs, including "The Party's Over," "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and the Oscar-winning "Three Coins in a Fountain." He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

Harold Arlen was born Hyman Arluck in Buffalo, N.Y., the son of a cantor. In his early 20s, he played piano for early big band stars Red Nichols, Henny Hendrickson and Arnold Johnson, and later began writing songs for Broadway, the Cotton Club and eventually Hollywood.

Most people know Arlen from his score for "The Wizard of Oz" (he won an Oscar for "Over the Rainbow"). Other greats from his output include "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "I Love A Parade," "I've Got the World On A String," "It's Only A Paper Moon," "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain or Come Shine."

Both songwriters followed in the tradition of great Jewish American songwriters, from Irving Berlin to Bob Dylan.

Arlen died in 1986, Styne in 1994. But the singers who know their work best are certain the two songwriters' legacies will live forever.

"They are up there with Gershwin and Berlin," says Luft. "They are the masters."




"Help Is On The Way XI" takes place 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, 3301 Lyon St., S.F. Tickets: $75-$150. Information: (415) 273-1620.