Cy Feuer facts for kids

Cy Feuer (born January 15, 1911 – died May 17, 2006) was a very important American theatre producer, director, composer, and musician. He was famous for being half of the producing team "Feuer and Martin." He won many awards for his work, including three Tony Awards for excellence in theatre and a special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for producing the films Storm Over Bengal and Cabaret.

Cy Feuer's Amazing Career in Entertainment

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Cy Feuer was born Seymour Arnold Feuerman in Brooklyn, New York. When he was just fifteen years old, he became a professional trumpet player. He worked in clubs on weekends to help his family while attending New Utrecht High School. It was there that he first met Abe Burrows, who would later help him create the famous musical Guys and Dolls.

Cy wasn't very interested in math, science, or sports. He decided to leave school and found work playing the trumpet on a political campaign truck. Later, he studied music at the famous Juilliard School. After that, he joined orchestras at the Roxy Theater and Radio City Music Hall.

In 1938, he toured the country with Leon Belasco and His Society Orchestra. They ended up in Burbank, California. After ten weeks, the orchestra left for Minneapolis, but Cy decided to stay in California.

Working in Hollywood Films

Cy Feuer found a job at Republic Pictures. For about ten years, he worked as a musical director, arranger, or composer for over 125 movies. Many of these were "B-movies," which are lower-budget films, often serials (movies shown in parts) and westerns. He took a break for three years to serve in the military during World War II.

During his time in Hollywood, he worked with famous musicians like Jule Styne, Frank Loesser, and Victor Young. He received five Academy Award nominations for the music he created for films. He also got married to Posy Greenberg, who had a young son. Later, they had a son together named Jed.

Returning to Broadway Theatre

In 1947, Cy Feuer decided he wasn't really meant for film music. He moved back to New York City. There, he teamed up with Ernest H. Martin, who used to be in charge of comedy shows at CBS Radio. Together, they tried to create a show based on George Gershwin's An American in Paris, but it didn't work out.

Their first successful show was Where's Charley? in 1949. This musical was based on the play Charley's Aunt and featured music by Frank Loesser. Even though most critics didn't like it at first, people loved the show, especially Ray Bolger's performance. It ran for three years!

Creating Famous Musicals

Over the next few decades, Feuer & Martin produced some of the most famous shows on Broadway. These included Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Both of these musicals won the Tony Award for Best Musical. How to Succeed... is one of only seven musicals to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, which is a very special award for plays. From 1960 to 1965, Feuer and Martin even owned the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Cy Feuer also directed Broadway shows himself. Some of his directing credits include Little Me and I Remember Mama.

Producing Hit Movies

As a film producer, Cy Feuer's most successful movie was the 1972 film Cabaret. This movie was based on the 1966 musical of the same name. Cabaret was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won eight of them! However, it lost the Academy Award for Best Picture to The Godfather. This makes Cabaret the film that won the most Oscars but didn't win Best Picture. As the producer, Cy Feuer won a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy for Cabaret.

Later, in 1985, he and Ernest Martin produced the movie version of A Chorus Line. This film, however, was not as successful and became one of their biggest disappointments.

Cy Feuer wrote a book about his life called I Got The Show Right Here: The Amazing, True Story of How an Obscure Brooklyn Horn Player Became the Last Great Broadway Showman. It was published in 2003.

Later Life and Passing

Cy Feuer was the president, and later chairman, of the League of American Theatres and Producers. This group is now called The Broadway League. He held these important roles from 1989 to 2003. He passed away on May 17, 2006, in New York City, at the age of 95.

More Broadway Shows Cy Feuer Worked On

• Can-Can (1953)
• The Boy Friend (1954)
• Silk Stockings (1955)
• Whoop-Up (1958)
• Hamlet (1964)
• Skyscraper (1965)
• Walking Happy (1966)
• The Act (1977)
• I Remember Mama (1979)

Awards and Nominations

Selected Films Cy Feuer Produced or Scored

• Storm Over Bengal (1938) - nominated for an Academy Award
• Woman Doctor (1939)
• Sabotage (1939)
• Sis Hopkins (1941)
• Sons of the Pioneers (1942)
• Man from Cheyenne (1942)
• Cabaret (1972) - nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture
• Piaf (1974)