Editing Leo Robin

{{short description|American songwriter}}

{{Infobox musical artist 
| name                = Leo Robin
| background          = non_performing_personnel
| image               = Leo Robin in 1934.jpg
| image_size          =  
| caption             = 
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1895|4|6|mf=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1984|12|29|1895|4|6}} 
| death_place         = [[Woodland Hills, California]], U.S.
| occupation          = [[Composer]], [[lyricist]], [[songwriter]]
| associated_acts     = [[Richard A. Whiting]]<br>[[Sam Coslow]]<br>[[Ralph Rainger]]<br>[[Jule Styne]]
}}

'''Leo Robin''' (April 6, 1895 – December 29, 1984)<ref name="Hall">{{Cite web|url=https://www.songhall.org/profile/Leo_Robin|title=Leo Robin &#124; Songwriters Hall of Fame|website=Songhall.org|access-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref> was an American [[composer]], [[lyricist]] and [[songwriter]].  He is probably best known for collaborating with [[Ralph Rainger]] on the 1938 [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Oscar]]-winning song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]," sung by [[Bob Hope]] and [[Shirley Ross]] in the film ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]'', and with [[Jule Styne]] on "[[Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend]]". 

==Biography==
Robin was born in [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States.<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2107}}</ref> His father was Max Robin, a salesman.  Leo's mother was Fannie Finkelpearl Robin. He studied at the [[University of Pittsburgh School of Law]] and at [[Carnegie Tech]]'s drama school. He later worked as a reporter and as a publicist.

Robin's first hits came in 1926 with the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production ''By the Way'', with hits in several other musicals immediately following, such as ''Bubbling Over'' (1926), ''Hit the Deck, Judy'' (1927), and ''Hello Yourself'' (1928).<ref name="LarkinGE"/><ref name="Hall"/>  In 1932, Robin went out to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] to work for [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/>  His principal collaborator was composer [[Ralph Rainger]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/> together they became one of the leading film songwriting duos of the 1930s and early 1940s, writing over 50 hits.  Robin and Rainger worked together until Rainger's death in a plane crash on October 23, 1942.  Robin continued to collaborate with many other composers over the years, including [[Harold Arlen]], [[Vincent Youmans]], [[Sam Coslow]], [[Richard A. Whiting]], Jule Styne, [[Harry Warren]] and [[Nacio Herb Brown]]. Leo Robin collaborated with Rainger on the 1938 [[Academy Award for Best Song|Oscar]]-winning song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]," sung by [[Bob Hope]] in the film ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]'',<ref name="LarkinGE"/> which was to become Hope's signature tune.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141224141517/http://www.michaelfeinsteinsamericansongbook.org/songwriter.html?p=50 "Leo Robin"]}}, Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook.</ref> Robin and Styne wrote the 1949 score for [[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)|''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'']], including "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend",<ref name="LarkinGE"/> a signature song for [[Carol Channing]] and later Marilyn Monroe.

Robin collaborated on the score for the 1955 musical film ''[[My Sister Eileen (1955 film)|My Sister Eileen]]'' with Styne, then officially retired from the [[movie industry]].  He is a member of the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]], having been inducted in 1972.  Robin wrote many popular songs, mostly for film and television, including "Louise," "[[Beyond the Blue Horizon (song)|Beyond the Blue Horizon]]" (both songs co-written by [[Richard A. Whiting]]), "[[Prisoner of Love (Russ Columbo song)|Prisoner of Love]]" and "[[Blue Hawaii (song)|Blue Hawaii]]".<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

==Death==
Robin died of [[heart failure]] in [[Woodland Hills, California|Woodland Hills]], [[California]] at the age of 89,<ref name="Hall"/> and was interred in the [[Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Culver City, California]].

==Work on Broadway==
*''[[Hit the Deck (musical)|Hit the Deck]]'' (1927), [[Musical theater|musical]] - co-lyricist
*''Allez-oop'' (1927), [[revue]] - lyricist
*''Just Fancy'' (1927), musical - lyricist
*''Hello Yourself'' (1928), musical - lyricist
*''Tattle Tales'' (1933), revue - contributing lyricist
*''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'' (1949), musical - lyricist
*''[[The Girl in Pink Tights]]'' (1954), musical - lyricist
*''Lorelei (Gentlemen Still Prefer Blondes)'' (1974), musical - lyricist

Posthumous credits or shows in which pre-written songs by Leo Robin were featured include:
*''[[Maurice Chevalier]] in an evening of Songs and Impressions'' (1955), [[concert]]
*''The American Dance Machine'' (1978), [[dance]] special
*''A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine'' (1980), revue - lyricist for "Louise", "[[Beyond the Blue Horizon (song)|Beyond the Blue Horizon]]", "Double Trouble", and "[[Thanks for the Memory]]"
*''Big Deal'' (1986), musical - lyricist for "[[Love Is Just around the Corner]]"
*''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]'' (1995 [[revival (play)|revival]])
*''[[Fosse (musical)|Fosse]]'' (1999), revue - lyricist for "Got No Room for Mr. Gloom"

==See also==
* [[Uncle Sam Gets Around]], 1941 song

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.songhall.org/profile/Leo_Robin Leo Robin] at the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
* Leo Robin at the [http://www.leorobin.com Official Leo Robin Website]
* {{IBDB name}}
*{{IMDb name|732209|Leo Robin}}
* [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105220 Leo Robin recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]]

{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1934–1940}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robin, Leo}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American lyricists]]
[[Category:American male composers]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters]]
[[Category:Broadway composers and lyricists]]
[[Category:Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:20th-century American songwriters]]