Sammy Fain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sammy Fain
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Samuel E. Feinberg |
| Born | June 17, 1902 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | December 6, 1989 (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Composer Vocalist Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was a talented American composer of popular music. He wrote many famous songs in the 1920s and early 1930s. These songs are now part of what is called The Great American Songbook. He also wrote music for Broadway theatre shows. Sammy Fain was also a popular musician and singer.
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Sammy Fain's Early Life and Career
Sammy Fain was born in New York City. His father was a cantor, which is a singer who leads prayers in a synagogue. In 1923, Sammy appeared in a short film called "Sammy Fain and Artie Dunn." This film used a new technology called Phonofilm, which put sound directly onto the film.
In 1925, Sammy decided to focus only on music. He taught himself to play the piano by listening and practicing. He started working for a music publisher named Jack Mills. There, he wrote songs and played the piano. In 1932, he appeared in another short film called The Crooning Composer.
Famous Song Collaborations
Later, Sammy Fain worked a lot with a lyricist named Irving Kahal. A lyricist is someone who writes the words for songs. Together, they created many classic songs. These include "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" and "You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me." They also wrote the very famous song "I'll Be Seeing You."
Sammy also worked with another lyricist, Lew Brown. They wrote the popular song "That Old Feeling." Sammy Fain also wrote music for many Broadway shows. Some of these shows were Everybody's Welcome, Right This Way, and Hellzapoppin'.
Sammy Fain's Film Music
Sammy Fain wrote music for more than 30 films. He worked on movies throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ten times. This award is given to the best song written for a movie.
He won the Oscar twice! He won for "Secret Love" from the movie Calamity Jane in 1954. He won again for "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" from the movie of the same name in 1956. He wrote both of these winning songs with Paul Francis Webster, who was another frequent collaborator.
Music for Disney and TV
Sammy Fain also wrote songs for popular Walt Disney animated films. He contributed to the music for Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. His last big effort was for The Rescuers, which also earned him another Oscar nomination.
In 1958, he wrote the second theme song for the TV series Wagon Train. It was called "(Roll Along) Wagon Train." In 1963, he worked with Harold Adamson on songs for the film The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Songs like "I Wish I Were a Fish" and "Be Careful How You Wish" helped make him even more famous.
Awards and Legacy
In 1972, Sammy Fain was honored by being added to The Songwriters Hall of Fame. This special place recognizes the greatest songwriters.
Later Life
Sammy Fain passed away from a heart attack in Los Angeles, California. He is buried at Cedar Park Cemetery in Emerson, New Jersey.
Sammy Fain's Broadway Shows
- Everybody's Welcome (1931) - a musical where he was the composer
- Right This Way (1938) - a musical where he wrote the song "I'll Be Seeing You"
- Hellzapoppin' (1938) - a show with songs and dances, where he was a co-composer and co-lyricist
- George White's Scandals of 1939 (1939) - a show where he was the composer
- Boys and Girls Together (1940) - a show where he was the composer
- Sons o' Fun (1941) - a show where he was a co-composer and co-lyricist
- Toplitzky of Notre Dame (1946) - a musical where he was the composer
- Alive and Kicking (1950) - a show where he was a co-composer
- Flahooley (1951) - a musical where he was the composer
- Ankles Aweigh (1955) - a musical where he was the composer
- Catch a Star (1955) - a show where he was a co-composer
- Ziegfeld Follies of 1957 (1957) - a show where he wrote the song "An Element of Doubt"
- Christine (1960) - a musical where he was the composer
- Something More! (1964) - a musical where he was the composer
- Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years (1982) - a show where he wrote the song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"
- Swing! (1999) - a show where he wrote the song "I'll Be Seeing You"
- Calamity Jane (2018) - a musical where he was the composer (this was the first full show in the NYC area)
