Renee Orin had been working in Ohio summer stock companies when she landed that part in Albert Hague's musical. When Hague moved to New York as a freelance pianist, she followed him--hiring him as her music teacher. Renee starred in Hague's very first Broadway musical show, 'Plain and Fancy,' which ran for 461 performances and produced the standard, "Young and Foolish." The song, which was recorded by such artists as Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher and the McGuire Sisters, became a signature for the intertwined careers of composer-pianist Albert Hague and his wife-singer Renee Orin. Orin would also go on to perform on other Broadway shows including a revival of "Pal Joey". She was also seen in several 'Regional' shows, including a revival of "Take Me Along" with Gene Kelly, and also in "Fiddler on the Roof" with Jack Gilford.

Albert Hague's role of the cranky music teacher, Professor Shorofsky, in the motion picture 'Fame', and the subsequent television series had brought the couple to Los Angeles, and to international prominence. In L.A., Renee Orin won acting roles on the 'Fame' series and other television shows including "Chicago Hope," "Divorce Court" and "Charlie & Company." While in Hollywood, Hague's wife, also began writing for television, doing the scripts for such series as 'Facts of Life,' and working on motion picture screenplays.

Postscript
Albert Hague's wife, Renee Orin, a Broadway veteran of such musicals as "Plain and Fancy" and Tennessee Williams' "Slapstick Tragedy," died August 2000, age 73, of lymphoma Cancer, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, CA. She was survived by her husband, Albert Hague, who lives in Marina del Rey, CA, and their children, Janet Hague of Portland, OR., and Andrew Hague of New York City.

Carol Hall
b. 1939, Abilene, TX, USA.
Overview
A well schooled classical musician, Carol is best known as the composer-lyricist for the play 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas',

Hall has a musical background. Her mother was a professional musician who played in the Abilene Symphony Orchestra. Her father had the only music store in town, Hall's Music Shop. Carol studied classical music while growing up but she never-the-less knew that her passion would be writing for the musical theater. She enjoyed a rich cultural background, going to all the Broadway roadshows that came to town, as well as to the symphony and opera shows.

Carol has told others that she was tremendously influenced by the work of Sheldon Harnick. Before he teamed with Jerry Bock, Harnick did a musical in Dallas called 'Horatio'. Carol had never seen a musical play put on with just two pianos, and a chorus of six people. It deeply affected her.

While attending colleges, - two of them, her family chose Sweet Briar College in Virginia, and later she attended Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied under Meyer Kupferman, she wrote some shows for the schools. After finishing at Sarah Lawrence, lady composers Carol and Treva Silverman, along with 5 male composers went to work at a small school started by Mervyn Nelson for people who aspired to a career in singing. Silverman would later become one of the creators of the Mary Tyler Moore show. During the year that Hall spent at the school, she wrote material for different singers including Leslie Uggams. In 1966 she joined the BMI Workshop, run by Lehman Engel, where theater writers were trained.

She married in the early 1960's, had a baby, moved out of New York City. By 1970, the marriage was all over. (She later re-married and had another child.) During all this time, her interest in music never waned. She continued writing, and fell in love with the 'new' music of Jimi Hendricks; Janis Ian, and the Beatles. She called vocalist Mabel Mercer, and Mabel recorded some of Carol's work. Barbra Streisand also recorded one of her numbers. Electra Records recorded her singing her own songs. She was able to land a job singing at a Greenwich Village cafe called 'The Bitter End', where a young composer named Kris Kristofferson was also working. (Right next door was a cafe called 'The Other End.) At this time, she also wrote the book for a children's television show called 'Free To Be Me And You'.

Some friends, Pete Masterson and his wife Carlin, told Carol of a piece that Larry King had written about a whorehouse in Texas. Carol read the article. She called King and asked for permission to use it. King agreed, and Carol began writing the show to be called 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'. Universal Studios eventually backed the production, which starred Tommy Tune and the Mastersons. It went on to become a Hollywood hit starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

Since then, Carol has scored a show called 'Good Sports', with librettist Susan Rice. Next followed 'To Whom It May Concern', which opened in 1985 at Williamstown, MA., starring lyricist-librettist-actress Gretchen Cryer. Hall had appeared in Cryer's show 'I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road'. The two are friends.

Carol continues to work professionally.

Karl Hajos
b: Jan. 28, 1889, Austro-Hungarian Empire. d: Feb. 1, 1950 Los Angeles, CA, USA
aka: Carl Hajos
Do you know this composer's name? He was active from the 1920s through the 1940s, and contributed music to well over 200 films and TV Shows starting with Loves of An Actress in 1928, and ending with 1950's It's A Small World. In between, he contributed to such films as Zorro Rides Again; 1949 TV series The Lone Ranger; 1947's Philo Vance's Secret Mission; and 1938's Bulldog Drummond In Africa. He also contributed to many science fiction films such both the "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon" episodes. Sometimes, men work in relative obscurity. Hajos contributed to more than 200 films over 20 years - and was uncredited. in perhaps 85% of them!

Wendell Hall
b. 1896, St. George, Kansas, d. April 2, 1969, Mobile (or, Fairhope), Alabama, USA.
Hall was a very well known 1920's performer, recording artist and composer. During World War I, he served in the U.S.Army. After his service discharge, he was often heard on various radio stations singing and playing his ukulele. Formally tagged as 'The Red-Headed Music Maker', his fans often called him the "pineapple picador".

In 1923, Hall composed a song that sold well over 2 million copies, - in an era when very few people owned a phonograph player, or even a radio. Listen now to Wendell Hall accompanying himself on a the ukulele, and singing, "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More". By far and away, this song was his biggest hit. A "comic" tune, it was 'covered' by a great many artists. Along the way, other comical lyrics were often added to the tune, and it became variously known as "If It Never Ever Rained Again", "There Ain't No Bugs On Me", and even as "A Peanut Sittin' On a Railroad Track"

Many of his tunes had a "hill-billy" air to them, although he did indeed perform a variety of Pop and Blues numbers. (Incidentally, even "Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'" was originally considered to be a 'hill-billy' tune, although that distinction has faded with time.) From 1924 to 1927, Hall was on a worldwide tour.

In the 1920s, he often played throughout the midwest with a fellow guitar-picker, Carson Robison, and he later played with Robison, when both men were in New York city. In fact, Robison can be heard whistling and 'pickin' on many of Hall's recordings, including a series of Stephen Foster songs that they recorded together. In 1929, Hall worked for the Columbia Broadcasting System as director for the "Majestic Theatre of the Air". From 1932 to 1935, Hall was a featured performer on the NBC "Fitch Band Wagon" radio show. Between 1936 and 1937, he was the song leader on the CBS "Original Community Sing" radio show. In later years, when demand for his style of music faded, he worked (1941 through 1948) as an advertising executive with 'Adsongs'.

Because of his huge popularity and Ukulele playing, many early ukes were designed by, and named for, Hall. Even, after his demise, there was a brisk business in buying and selling his ukulele designs. Very early on in his career, he also became involved in publishing Ukulele instruction manuals and publishing songs for the ukulele. In 1925, Forster Music published Hall's 'Ukulele Methods, one of the first such manuals for the instrument to become commercially available.

Hall joined ASCAP in 1934, and among his musical collaborators were Haven Gillespie, Carson Robison, Harry Woods, and Peter De Rose. Hall also composed many children's tunes. Among the many other songs he composed are:
      "Arizona Moon"
      "Polly Wolly Doodle" (Although forgotten today, it was quite popular at the time.)
      "Don't Gimme That" (with": Charles H. Cuppett, David Ormont)
      "Goldie The Gold Digger's Daughter"
      "Good Morning Glory"
      "Hi Diddle Diddle"
      "Honolulu Nights"
      "There's A Trick In Pickin' A Chick-Chick Chicken"
      "I'm Gonna Dance Down Glory Road"
      "I'm Gonna Let The Bumble-Bee Be"
      "Mellow Moon"
      "One Eyed Love"
      "Ride Em Cowboy, Ride"
      "I Told You I'd Never Forget You" (with: May Singhi Breen, Peter De Rose)
      "Will You Forget Me While I'm Away?"
      "Will You Remember (What I Can't Forget)"
      "Underneath the Mellow Moon"
      "Land of My Sunset Dreams"
      "My Carolina Rose"
      "Whispering Trees"
      "Whistling the Blues Away" (with: Carson Robison 1924)
      "Your Shining Eyes"
      "My Dream Sweetheart"
      "Miss American Legion"
       He also wrote children's tunes.
And, maybe 100 others.

Stuart Hamblen
b. Oct. 20, 1908, Kellyville (near Jefferson) TX, USA. d. March 8, 1989, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Carl Stuart Hamblen
Overview
Won singing contest in 1920's, and went to New Jersey where he recorded several cowboy/yodel songs. Went to Los Angeles where he became famous as a singing radio cowboy; Appeared in movies; raised horses; became a well-known songwriter of such hits as "This Ole' House", "Until Then", "It Is No Secret" and dozens of others. Rosemary Clooney recorded "This Ole' House" and had a million seller. Selected song of the year as well. Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; inducted in Country Music Songwriters Hall of Fame; given Golden Boot Award among many honors and awards. Beca�and became devout Christian during late 1940's. Life and songs are celebrated annually in JEFFERSON, TEXAS by community theatre organization, The Opera House Theatre Players, in musical production. Bronze plaque with brief biography was erected by the family in 1999.

In private correspondence, Ms Carole A. Johnson has reported that Mr. Hamblen's daughter, Ms. Lisa Hamblen Jaserie, still operates the Hamblen Music Co. at their ranch in Canyon County (near Magic Mountain), California. where they still continue Stuart Hamblen's love of Arabian Horses. The email address for Hamblen Music Co. is: HamblenMC@aol.com

Nancy Hamilton
b. 1908, Sewickley, Pennsylvania, d.
Overview
Nancy was a singer/actress who appeared in many Broadway shows. She is included here because of her lyric to the 1940 tune "How High The Moon", a million-selling 1951 recording for Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Marvin Hamlisch
b. June 2, 1944
né: Marvin Frederick Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch was born into a musical family. His father, a danceband leader, could play six instruments including the Accordion. His older sister was a pianist. Marvin was born with 'perfect pitch', and would often go over to the piano and correct his sister's playing. Hamlisch has told people that he formed a love of the for the theater when he was just 5 years old. At just age 7, he was accepted by New York City's famed Juilliard School of Music when he transcribed the sone "Goodnight Irene" into different keys spontaneously, on demand from the panel judging him. (The tune was a current hit for 'The Weavers' vocal group.) This made him the youngest student ever accepted by Juilliard. He next attended a New York City professional children's high school with other children, such as a young Liza Minnelli, who were already working on Broadway. It it interesting to note that while still at Juilliard, he worked as a music counselor at a summer Music Camp, where he composed the song "Travelin' Man", for a camp show. Later, Liza Minnelli would record it on her debut album. And still later, Marvin graduated from Queens College (New York). In his teen years, he did try to become a concert pianist, but was not temperamentally suited to it, and turned his attention to Composition instead.

In 1965 (he was just age 21), Hamlisch had his first big hit when singer Lesley Gore recorded his "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows", which reached 13 on the Billboard charts. His friend Lisa Minelli helped him to find a position as a rehearsal pianist and arranger for the Barbra Streisand show 'Funny Girl', the story of vaudeville star Fanny Brice. He did the dance numbers and worked with the dancers, as well as some vocal coaching. Subsequently, he found work arranging the dance music for such shows as Fade In -- Fade Out, Henry, Sweet Henry (1967 - starred Don Ameche; ran for 80 performances), and Golden Ranbow. He also worked as rehearsal pianist for The Bell Telephone Hour television show. In 1968, Hamlisch was working in the film industry when producer Sam Speigel engaged him to score for the film adaptation of John Cheever's story "The Swimmer".

In 1969, Marvin worked on Woody Allen's first film Take The Money And Run, and Woody's next movie, Bananas (1971). He then found work for other films including The April Fools, Save The Tiger, Move, Kotch, and Fat City, none of which gained much fame. Still, in 1971, his song from Kotch, "Life Is What You Make It", was nominated for an Academy Award. Marvin then wrote the incidental music and dance arrangements for the musical-comedy Minnie's Boys, based on the careers of the Marx Brothers. Another result of this connection was Groucho Marx engaging him to be his pianist and straight man in Groucho's stage act, which was also seen in night clubs and college campuses.

In the mid-1970s, the big breaks finally began coming Marvin's way. In 1973, He was engaged to score the Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford hit film The Way We Were. The title song became Streisand's first million-selling single. Lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman had written the words for Marvin's music. This song won an Oscar, and Hamlisch's entire score won an Oscar too. In 1974, Harmlisch topped this with an even bigger success with his score for the film Sting, based on the Rags of Scott Joplin. This not only spearheaded a resurgence of interest in Joplin's works, but also won another Oscar for Hamlisch. His show 'Jean' failed in it's London debut. On April 1975, the show A Chorus Line opened off-Broadway, and would go on to become one of Broadway's longest running shows. Director Michael Bennett chose Hamlisch and his lyricist Eddie Kleban to do the score. Bennett and Hamlisch had worked together on the play 'Henry, Sweet Henry'. "One" is probably the best remembered hit from A Chorus Line, but "What I Did For Love" and "I Can Do That" have both fared well over time. The show 'Smile' with lyricist Howard Ashman (who had done 'Little Shop of Horrors') was Hamlisch's next work. Hamlisch also worked as a performer during these years, appearing in his own cabaret act, as well as appearing with some orchestras.

In Feb. 1979, Hamlisch worked with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (then his wife - they would later divorce and Carole would marry Burt Bacharach - which also ended in divorce) on the show They're Playing Our Song, starring Lucie Arnaz. The show, about two songwriters who become romantically involved, may have had some relation to Hamlisch's real life affair with his beautiful collaborator, Carole Sager. Neil Simon did the libretto. Carole and Marvin also won an Oscar nomination for the song "Nobody Does It Better", which they composed for the 1977 James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

Beginning in the early 1980's, Hamlisch was writing music for the Neil Simon comedies, Chapter Two, Seems Like Old Times, and for I Ought To Be In Pictures, as well as the score for Pennies From Heaven. He played on albums by Carole Bayer Sager. He received nominations for Academy Awards for his music for the films Sophie's Choice, The Champ (with the hit tune "Through The Eyes of Love", Same Time Next Year (with hit tune "The Last time I Felt Like This", and Shirley Valentine (with tune "The Girl Who Used To Be Me"). Hamlisch has been somewhat less visible as a composer, in terms of new work, since the early 1980's, but In the 1990s, Hamlisch was also active as a producer and arranger for recording by John Williams, and for the Boston Pops Orchestra, Liza Minnelli, and Barbra Streisand. And Marvic continues to be active into the 21st Century.