- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"5 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"9 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}
- unitid
-
{"value"=>"JPB 06-31", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"20390", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1915-1976", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1915/1976"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1915
- date_inclusive_end
-
1976
- keydate
-
1915
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Howard Dietz papers"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</span> <span class=\"subarea\">Music Division.</span> <div class=\"address\"><span class=\"addressline\">New York, New York</span></div>"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"Howard Dietz was a musical theater lyricist and motion picture publicist. This collection contains mainly material on his 1974 autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</span>, such as background research materials, correspondence, scrapbooks, manuscripts and publicity materials. The collection also contains items pertaining to various events and exhibitions dedicated to Dietz’s career during the 1970s."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"<p> Howard Dietz Papers, JPB 06-31, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.</p>"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Dietz, Howard, 1896-1983", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p> Howard Dietz was born in New York City on September 6, 1896. He was educated in New York’s public schools and he enrolled in Columbia University’s School of Journalism, as a member of the class of 1917. He worked as a contributing journalist and writer for various publications while at Columbia and simultaneously was an assistant at Phillip Goodman’s advertising agency. During World War I, Dietz left Columbia to enlist in the United States Navy and edited the magazine <span class=\"title\">Navy Life</span>.</p> <p>After the war Dietz worked as a motion picture promoter and publicist, becoming Publicity Director for Goldwyn Pictures Corporation. When assigned to create a trademark for the company Dietz used the mascot of his alma mater, Columbia as the basis for the “Leo the Lion,” which became the famous trademark of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer when Goldwyn merged with Metro Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. Howard Dietz also went to M-G-M in 1924, beginning his thirty year sojourn there as Director of Advertising and Publicity, eventually becoming a Vice-President and member of the Board of Directors. In addition to the Leo trademark, Dietz’s achievements at M-G-M include inventing Greta Garbo’s catch-phrase, “I want to be alone,” creating the advertising slogan “More stars than there are in the Heavens” and planning and orchestrating the 1939 premiere of <span class=\"title\">Gone With the Wind</span> in Atlanta, Georgia.</p> <p> Dietz’ second career as a lyricist was developing and thriving simultaneously with his publicity career. Dietz’s first lyric to be heard on Broadway was a collaboration with composer Arthur Samuels, “Alibi Baby” for the W.C. Fields vehicle, <span class=\"title\">Poppy</span> (1923). Though that lyric was un-credited it brought Dietz to the attention of one of Broadway’s most successful composers, Jerome Kern and the two collaborated on the score for <span class=\"title\">Dear Sir</span> (1924). Dietz next job was filling in some lyrics for the Gershwins’ <span class=\"title\">Oh, Kay!</span> (1926) when Ira Gershwin was ill. In 1927, Dietz and Morrie Ryskind provided the lyrics for Henry Souvaine and Jay Gorney’s music for <span class=\"title\">Merry-Go-Round</span>.</p> <p>Dietz’s first major hit came with the revue <span class=\"title\">The Little Show</span> (1929) which starred Clifton Webb, Libby Holman and Fred Allen and introduced such hits as “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan” and “Moanin’ Low.” <span class=\"title\">The Little Show</span> was also Dietz’s first collaboration with Arthur Schwartz, his most frequent composer. Dietz and Schwartz followed <span class=\"title\">The Little Show</span> with a less successful sequel, <span class=\"title\">The Second Little Show</span> and the very successful <span class=\"title\">Three’s a Crowd</span>, both in 1930. <span class=\"title\">Three’s a Crowd</span> featured the stars of <span class=\"title\">The Little Show</span> and introduced another Dietz and Schwartz standard, “Something to Remember You By.” Their next collaboration was <span class=\"title\">The Band Wagon</span> (1931) which starred Fred and Adele Astaire and introduced their most famous song “Dancing in the Dark,” as well “High and Low” and “New Sun in the Sky.” <span class=\"title\">The Band Wagon</span> was made into an M-G-M film directed by Vincente Minnelli in 1953, again starring Astaire, with a script by Betty Comden and Adolph Green built around songs from various Dietz and Swartz shows.</p> <p> Throughout the 1930s Dietz and Schwartz continued to write hit revues, including <span class=\"title\">Flying Colors</span> (1932), which featured “Alone Together” and “Louisiana Hayride” and <span class=\"title\">At Home Abroad</span> (1935) as well as musical comedies such as <span class=\"title\">Revenge with Music</span> (1934) with “If There is Someone Lovelier Than You” and “You and the Night and the Music” and <span class=\"title\">Between the Devil</span> (1937) which introduced “I See Your Face Before Me” and “By Myself.” In later years, Dietz devoted more of his time to his career as a publicist, taking occasional breaks to work on book shows, including <span class=\"title\">Sadie Thompson</span> (1944) with Vernon Duke and <span class=\"title\">The Gay Life</span>(1961) and <span class=\"title\">Jennie</span> (1963) with Schwartz. Dietz also wrote lyrics for English language productions of <span class=\"title\">Die Fledermaus</span> (1950) and <span class=\"title\">La Bohème</span> (1952) for the Metropolitan Opera Company.</p> <p> Dietz was involved with various other administrative positions throughout his career, including serving as director of the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) from 1959-1961. He also ran the publicity and promotion of war bonds for the United States Treasury during World War II. Dietz was also a painter, whose works received various exhibitions. In 1974 he published his autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</span>.</p> <p> In 1917 Dietz married Elizabeth Bigelow Hall and they divorced in 1936. Shortly after his divorce, Dietz married Tanis Guiness and they had one daughter, Liza, born in 1938, but divorced after fourteen years. Dietz’s third marriage, to the Broadway costume designer, Lucinda Ballard, lasted until his death on July 30, 1983 from Parkinson’s Disease.</p>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>This collection mainly consists of materials from Dietz’s autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</span>, (1974) including background materials, manuscripts, publicity materials and press coverage. The collection also contains items pertaining to parties and concerts organized by or dedicated to Dietz as well as materials from two exhibitions on Dietz’s career. Some of the background materials in the collection date as far back as 1915, to Dietz’s early career, but the bulk of the collection is material from the late sixties and the seventies. The highlights of this collection are the many drafts of the autobiography and the correspondence between Dietz and major figures in film and theater.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Howard Dietz papers are arranged in two series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20390#c604967'>Series I: Events and Exhibitions</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1959-1976</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>1 box</div>\n<div class='series-description'>Arrangement: Alphabetical <p>This series contains materials on events organized by or dedicated to Dietz, such as birthday celebrations given for him by ASCAP, a party he planned for Moss Hart in 1959 and the concert of Dietz songs from the Lyrics and Lyricists series in 1974. The series also includes materials from two exhibitions at the Port Washington Library, near his home on Long Island, dedicated to Dietz’s career.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mus/20390#c605009'>Series II: Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1915-1976</div>\n<div class='series-extent'>8 boxes</div>\n<div class='series-description'>Arrangement: Alphabetical <p>This series consists of materials from Dietz’s 1974 autobiography, <span class=\"title\">Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</span>. The series contains extensive background research materials, such as articles, biographies, correspondence, notes, scrapbooks, manuscripts and publicity materials. This series also includes materials on the paperback edition of the book, the launch party and the press coverage, as well as many drafts of manuscripts for the book, including galleys and photos used in the book</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"<p>The collection is organized into two series. They are: <ul> <li>Series I: Events and Exhibitions, 1959-1976</li> <li>Series II: <span class=\"title\">Dancing in the Dark: Words by Howard Dietz</span>, 1915-1976</li></ul></p>", "supress_display"=>true}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p> The Howard Dietz Papers were donated to the Music Division by Howard Dietz and Lucinda Ballard Dietz in installments between 1972 and 1976.</p>"}
- userestrict
-
{"value"=>"<p>For permission to publish, contact the Chief, Music Division.</p>"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Diana Bertolini; Machine-readable finding aid created by Diana Bertolini.</p>"}
- extent_statement
-
5 linear feet (9 boxes)
- date_start
-
1915
- date_end
-
1976