The death last week of composer and lyricist Richard Adler at the age of 90 got a lot of us remembering the colorful Broadway scores that he created with Jerry Ross, "Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees."The death of Mr. Ross at age 29 cut that inventive collaboration short, but those two shows were enough to assure both men lasting fame. Mr. Adler continued to write and produce -- he most famously staged the now iconic celebration for President Kennedy at Madison Square Garden where Marilyn Monroe breathed "Happy Birthday."
I thought you might enjoy these reminders of Mr. Adler's gift -- the endearing ... duet "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" with Eddie Foy Jr. and Rita Shaw from the film version of "Pajama Game"; Rosemary Clooney's classy, gently swinging version of "Hey There" from that same show (I don't think you'll mind the introductory banter); and Peggy Lee's irresistible, oh-so-1960, Latin-ized version of "Heart" from "Damn Yankees":