Al Dubin

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Al Dubin, born Alexander Dubin on June 10, 1891, in Zurich, Switzerland, was an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Harry Warren. He came from a Russian Jewish family that immigrated to the United States when he was two years old and grew up in Philadelphia. As a teen, he skipped school to see Broadway shows in New York’s Tin Pan Alley and began writing material for a vaudeville entertainer. He briefly attended Perkiomen Seminary (1909–1911) but was expelled after writing their Alma Mater. He then worked as a singing waiter while continuing to write lyrics and teamed with Joe Burke, producing songs like “Oh, You, Mister Moon” (1911).

In 1917 he was drafted and served in the 77th Division, where he wrote “They Didn’t Think We'd Do It, But We Did” with Fred Rath. Dubin married singer Helen McClay in 1921 after converting to Catholicism; he joined ASCAP that year. He became known for his larger-than-life persona but battled alcohol and drugs and faced hard times in the 1940s. He worked on the Broadway show Laffing Room Only with Burton Lane and, for credit, provided the title “Feudin’ and a Fightin’.” The last years of his life were spent at the Empire Hotel while he struggled to find work. He died on February 11, 1945, in New York City after a period of barbiturate poisoning and pneumonia; Walter Winchell announced his death on the radio. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Dubin’s career took off with the 1925 hit “A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You,” written with Joseph Meyer. He soon met Warren, and their partnership helped shape early Hollywood musicals. In 1929, he co-wrote “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” with Joe Burke for Gold Diggers of Broadway. From 1932 to 1939, Warren and Dubin wrote about 60 hit songs for Warner Bros. movie musicals, including four songs from 42nd Street (1933): “42nd Street,” “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me,” “Young and Healthy,” and “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.” Their work also included “Lullaby of Broadway” for Gold Diggers of 1935, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.

In 1980, the Broadway musical 42nd Street, produced by David Merrick and directed by Gower Champion, opened and won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1981, featuring Warren and Dubin songs from their film musicals. Al Dubin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.