Betty Comden (Betty Comden)

Betty Comden

Lyricist, Screenwriter. Born Elizabeth Cohen in Brooklyn. Along with her longtime collaborator Adolph Green, she wrote the lyrics and often the librettos for some of the most celebrated musicals of stage and screen. During a professional partnership that lasted for more than 60 years, and which finally ended with Adolph Green’s death in 2002, they created the stage shows “On the Town,” “Wonderful Town,” “Peter Pan” and “Bells Are Ringing.” Their Hollywood credits included the screenplays for two classic musicals, “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) and “The Band Wagon” (1953), as well as “Good News” (1947), “The Barkleys of Broadway” (1949), the adaptation of “On the Town” (1949) for the screen, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1949),  and “It’s Always Fair Weather” (1955). Through the years they worked with composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Cy Coleman, Jule Styne and André Previn, creating songs like “New York, New York,” “The Party’s Over,” “It’s Love” and “Some Other Time.” Also, Comden and Green wrote “Subways Are for Sleeping” (1961) and “Fade Out-Fade In” (1964), with Carol Burnett and Jack Cassidy and the book for “Applause” (1970), adapted from the film “All About Eve.” Comden also performed in films such as Sidney Lumet’s “Garbo Talks” (1984), and James Ivory’s “Slaves of New York” (1989). (bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni)  Family links:  Spouse:  Steven Kyle (1913 – 1979)*  Children:  Alan Kyle (1953 – 1990)* *Calculated relationship

Born

  • May, 03, 1917

Died

  • November, 11, 2006

Cemetery

  • Mount Carmel Cemetery
  • USA

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