In 1939, the 12th Academy Awards honored a talented young songwriter with an award for Best Original Song. It was Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz. While history has made that song immortal, the composer's name is hardly known today. Writer Walter Rimler hopes his new biography will bring the spotlight back on the deserving and neglected Harold Arlen.
*Biographer Walter Rimler said that it was because Arlen worked in Hollywood, rather than on Broadway that he's not as well known today as his contemporaries.
*Hollywood songwriters were just paid employees and often not appreciated for their talent.
*Arlen started out as a singer, inspired by his father, who was a cantor with an amazing voice.
*When Arlen started composing, he often felt the initial inspiration came from some mysterious source, like a muse. After the first inspiration he worked very hard to craft the song to his exacting standards.
*He teamed up with lyricist Yip Harburg to compose for many Hollywood films, including The Wizard of Oz.
Arlen got the idea for the song Over the Rainbow while his wife was driving him around Los Angeles.
