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Vinton Freedley

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Vinton Freedley
Born(1890-05-15)May 15, 1890
Philadelphia, PA, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 1969(1969-06-05) (aged 79)[1]
New York, NY, U.S.
Resting placeChrist Church Episcopal Cemetery, Pomfret, Windham County, Connecticut
OccupationTheater and TV producer
Alma materHarvard University (A.B.) University of Pennsylvania (Juris DoctorJ.D.)
GenreTheater Television
Notable awardsTony Award

Vinton Freedley (November 5, 1891 – June 5, 1969)[2] was an American theater and television producer known for his productions of the works of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and television shows such as Talent Jackpot and Showtime U.S.A..

Early life and education

Freedley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated Harvard University in 1914 where he was a member of The Delphic Club and The Hasty Pudding. He later attended The University of Pennsylvania where he earned a JD degree. He later became a member of the historic theatrical club, The Lambs in 1918 [3]

Producing

Soon after graduating college, Freedley met Alexander A. Aarons with whom he formed a long term producing partnership. Their first major hit was Lady Be Good! (1924) with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and featuring Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire. Over the next ten years the pair produced some of the most important works in the Broadway musical canon, featuring some of the most famous songs ever to emerge from the Tin Pan Alley era, part of what is commonly referred to as "The Great American Songbook." The shows that followed included Tip-Toes (1925), Oh, Kay! (1926), and Funny Face (1927), again starring the Astaires. All the scores were written by the Gershwins. In 1928 Aarons and Freedley produced Here's Howe, featuring the music of Gus Kahn, Joseph Meyer, and Irving Caesar; Hold Everything!, with a score by Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown; and Treasure Girl, with music by the Gershwins. In 1929 followed Spring Is Here and Heads Up!, both with songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Another Gershwin hit was Girl Crazy (1930). The partnership ended in 1932. Freedley produced 30 shows total on Broadway.[4][5]

Alvin Theatre

Aarons and Freedley built the Alvin Theatre, today known as the Neil Simon Theatre. It is a Broadway theater on 52nd Street in New York City with a capacity that fluctuates between 1400 and 1500 depending on the seating configuration. The theatre was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. The original name is a portmanteau of the names of the two producers: Alex Aarons and Vinton Freedley.[6]

Broadway productions

[4]

Production Type Year Authors
Great to be Alive Musical, Original 1950 A. Ellstein & Robert Russell Bennett (m); W. Bullock & S. Regan (b); Bullock (l)
The Young and the Fair Play, Original 1948 N. Richard Nash
Mister Roberts Play, Original 1948 Thomas Heggen & Joshua Logan
Memphis Bound Musical, Original 1945 D. Walker & C. Warnick (m&l); A.W. Barker & S. Benson (b)
Jackpot Musical, Original 1944 Vernon Duke (m); Howard Dietz (l); Guy Bolton, Sidney Sheldon & B. Roberts (b)
Let's Face It! Musical, Original 1941 Cole Porter (m&l); Herbert Fields & Dorothy Fields (b)
Delicate Story Play, Original 1940 by: Ferenc Molnár; Translation by Gilbert Miller
Cabin in the Sky Musical, Original 1940 Vernon Duke (m); Lynn Root (b); J. La Touche (l)
Liliom Play, Revival 1940 by: Ferenc Molnár; adapted by Benjamin Glazer
Leave It to Me! Musical, Original 1938 Cole Porter (m&l); Bella Spewack & Sam Spewack (b)
Miss Quis Play, Original 1937 Ward Morehouse
Red, Hot and Blue Musical, Original 1936 Cole Porter (m&l)
Anything Goes Musical, Original 1934 Cole Porter (m&l); Howard Lindsay, Russell Crouse (b)
Pardon My English Musical, Original 1933 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Herbert Fields (b)
Adam Had Two Sons Play, Original 1932 John McDermott
Singin' the Blues Play w/Music 1931 Jimmy McHugh, Burton Lane (m); John McGowan (b);Dorothy Fields, Harold Adamson (l)
Girl Crazy Musical, Original 1930 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, John McGowan (b)
Heads Up Musical, Original 1929 Richard Rodgers (m); Lorenz Hart (l); J. McGowan, P.G. Smith (b)
Spring is Here Musical, Original 1929 Richard Rodgers (m); Lorenz Hart (l); Owen Davis (b)
Treasure Girl Musical, Original 1929 George Gershwin (m); Ira Gershwin (l);Fred Thompson, Vincent Lawrence (b)
Hold Everything! Musical, Original 1929 Ray Henderson (m); Lew Brown, B.G. DeSylva (l); John McGowan, DeSylva (b)
Here's Howe Musical, Original 1928 Roger Wolfe, Joseph Myer (m); Irving Caesar (l); Fred Thompson, Paul Gerard Smith (b)
Oh, Kay! Musical, Revival 1928 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse (b)
Funny Face Musical, Original 1927 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l);Fred Thompson, Paul Gerard Smith (b)
Oh, Kay! Musical, Original 1926 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse (b)
Tip-Toes Musical, Original 1925 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson (b)
Lady, Be Good! Musical, Original 1924 George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson (b)
The New Poor Play, Original 1924
Elsie Musical, Original 1923
The World We Live In Play, Original 1922
For Goodness Sake Musical, Original 1922
Miss Millions Play, Original 1919
L'Elevation Play, Original 1917

Television

  • Showtime, U.S.A., TV Series 1950, Emcee
  • Talent Jackpot, TV Series 1949, Emcee
  • Stage Door Canteen, 1943
  • A Dangerous Affair, 1919

Notes

  1. ^ "American National Biography". www.nytimes.com.
  2. ^ "Vinton Freedley (1891 – 1969) – Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com.
  3. ^ "The Lambs Club, established 1874". www.the-lambs.org.
  4. ^ a b League, The Broadway. "Vinton Freedley – Broadway Cast & Staff – IBDB". ibdb.com.
  5. ^ G.H.Grainger. "Vinton Freedley  (1891–1969)". www.grainger.de.
  6. ^ Morrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture (trade paperback). Dover Books on Architecture. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. pp. 154–55. ISBN 0-486-40244-4.