Editing Frank Loesser (section)

==Broadway and later film career==
[[File:Guys and Dolls, Libretto and Vocal book, published 1978.jpg|thumb|right|Guys and Dolls, Libretto and Vocal book, printed by Music Theatre International, 1978]]
In 1948, Broadway producers [[Cy Feuer]] and [[Ernest H. Martin]] asked Loesser to write music and lyrics to [[George Abbott]]'s book for an adaptation of the [[Brandon Thomas (playwright)|Brandon Thomas]] play ''[[Charley's Aunt]]''. The musical, ''[[Where's Charley?]]'' (1948), starred [[Ray Bolger]] and ran for 792 performances. A [[Where's Charley? (film)|film version]] released in 1952.

Also in 1948, Loesser sold to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] the rights to "[[Baby, It's Cold Outside]]", a song he wrote in 1944 and performed informally at parties with his then wife Lynn Garland. The studio included it in the 1949 movie ''[[Neptune's Daughter (1949 film)|Neptune's Daughter]]'', and the song became a huge hit. While Garland was mad at Loesser for selling what she considered "their song",<ref name="Loesser">{{cite book|last=Loesser|first=Susan|year=1993|title=A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life; A Portrait by His Daughter|pages=8–10|publisher=Hal Leonard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Ajnf0SdatsC |isbn=1-55611-364-1}}</ref> it won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]].

His next musical, ''[[Guys and Dolls (musical)|Guys and Dolls]]'' (1950), based on the stories of [[Damon Runyon]], was again produced by Feuer and Martin. ''Guys and Dolls'' became a hit and earned Loesser a [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]].<ref name=mti>[http://www.mtishows.com/biography.asp?writerid=3286 Loesser biography], mtishows.com, accessed August 4, 2009</ref> [[Bob Fosse]] called ''Guys and Dolls'' "the greatest American musical of all time".<ref name="Garraty 1988 385"/> A [[Guys and Dolls (film)|film version]] was released in 1955, starring [[Marlon Brando]], [[Jean Simmons]], [[Frank Sinatra]], and [[Vivian Blaine]].

In 1950, Loesser started Frank Music Corporation. Initially created as a means of controlling and publishing his work, the company eventually supported other writers, including [[Richard Adler]], [[Jerry Ross (composer)|Jerry Ross]], and [[Meredith Willson]].<ref name="Maiers 2009 1–3"/> Loesser also started the theatrical licensing company [[Music Theatre International]] in 1952. Frank Music and MTI were sold to [[Sony Music|CBS Music]] in 1976.<ref>{{Cite news| pages = 4| title = CBS Buys Show Tuner Frank Music| magazine = Billboard| date = September 11, 1976}}</ref> CBS in turn sold Frank Music to [[Paul McCartney]]'s [[MPL Communications]] holding company in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news| title = Inside Track| magazine = Billboard| date = February 17, 1979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LSUEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22frank%20music%22%20mpl&pg=PT125|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Also in 1952, Loesser wrote the score for the film ''[[Hans Christian Andersen (film)|Hans Christian Andersen]]''. The movie's songs included  "[[Wonderful Copenhagen]]", "Anywhere I Wander", "[[Thumbelina (Frank Loesser song)|Thumbelina]]", and "[[Inchworm (song)|Inchworm]]".<ref name="Maiers 2009 1–3"/>

He wrote the book, music, and lyrics for his next two musicals, ''[[The Most Happy Fella]]'' (1956) and ''[[Greenwillow]]'' (1960). Around the beginning of 1957, Garland and Loesser divorced, and Loesser began a relationship with [[Jo Sullivan]], who had played the character of Rosabella in ''Fella''. He wrote the music and lyrics for ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' (1961), which ran for 1,417 performances, won the 1962 [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]], and received another Tony and a [[Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album]].<ref name=grammy1961>{{cite web|title=Best Original Cast Album |url= https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/4th-annual-grammy-awards-1961#category-224|work=grammy.com|access-date=April 21, 2020| date= May 29, 1962}}</ref>

''[[Pleasures and Palaces]]'' (1965), the last Loesser musical produced during his lifetime, closed during out-of-town tryouts.