Gus Kahn
b. 1886, Koblenz, Germany, d. Nov. 7, 1941, Beverly Hills, CA, USA.
Overview
Lyricist and vaudeville entertainer Gus Kahn is one of our most important lyricists. His songs were popular from the early years of the 20th century through the 1930's. From the mid-20s on, he contributed songs to many Broadway shows and Hollywood films, working in collaboration with such composers as Egbert Van Alstyne, Walter Donaldson, George Gershwin, Isham Jones, Bronislaw Kaper, Sigmund Romberg, and Victor Schertzinger. Among his best-known songs are "Ain't We Got Fun?," "Beloved," "Carolina in the Morning," "Charley My Boy," "Coquette," "Flying Down to Rio," "I'll See You in My Dreams," "It Had to Be You," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Makin' Whoopee," "My Buddy," "Nobody's Sweetheart," "Orchids in the Moonlight," "Pretty Baby," "San Francisco," "Side by Side," "Some Sunday Morning," "The Carioca," "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye," and "Yes Sir, That's My Baby,"

When he was 5 years old, his family emigrated to Chicago, where Gus attended the public school system. While he started his career as a clerk in a mail order business, he soon managed to break into the music business by writing special material for vaudeville performers. His first song was published in 1906, "My Dreamy China Lady". (He was 20 years old.) His first collaborator was composer Grace LeBoy, whom he later married.

In 1951, MGM produced 'I'll See You In My Dreams', a biographic film in which Danny Thomas portrayed Gus Kahn, and Doris Day played his wife and collaborator, Grace LeBoy Kahn. While the film bore little relation to Gus' life, the tunes and musical scenes were delightful.

1915
   "Memories", his first big hit.
1916 He wrote a song for Broadway show 'The Passing Parade' of 1916.
    "Pretty Baby".
1922
   "My Buddy", music by Walter Donaldson.
   "Carolina in the Morning", music by Walter Donaldson, and interpolated into the Broadway show 'The Passing Parade of 1922'.
   "Toot, Toot, Tootsie," an Eddie Cantor hit.
1923
   "Swingin' Down the Lane", Music by Isham Jones and lyrics by Gus Kahn,Tune was also featured in the 1951 Kahn biopic "I'll See You In My Dreams"

Other Donaldson-Kahn songs at this time included:
  "Beside a Babbling Brook"
  "That Certain Party"
  "Isn't She the Sweetest Thing"
  "For My Sweetheart"
  "My Sweetheart Turned Me Down"
  1924 "I'll See You in My Dreams,"
  1924 "The One I Love"
  1924 "It Had to Be You", Music by Isham Jones and lyrics by Gus Kahn,
      Later heard in 1944 Hollywood musical "Show Business"
  1925 "Yes Sir, That's My Baby"
  ???? "When You Come to the End of the Day", m/Frank C. Westphal; l/Gus Kahn
1928 For the Ziegfeld show 'Whoopee', Donaldson and Kahn wrote,
  "Makin' Whoopee," Eddie Cantor song hit.
  "My Baby Just Cares For Me", Cantor sung it.
  "Love Me or Leave Me", Ruth Etting sang the hit.
  "A Girlfriend of a Boyfriend of Mine", Cantor vocal.
1928 The film 'Hit of the Show' had some of his lyrics.
1933 He became a full time motion picture songwriter. For the film 'Flying Down to Rio', starred Gene Raymond; Dolores Del Rio; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (their first pairing). He teamed with composer Edward Eliscu for such songs
  "Orchids in the Moonlight", sung by Raoul Roulien.
  "The Carioca"
  "Music Makes Me", Ginger Rogers sang it.
  "Flying Down To Rio", music by Vincent Youmans, lyric by Eliscu and Kahn.

He did a lot of writing (mabe 8 hits a year), MGM was the studio for which he worked most frequently. He provided them with the studio with hit songs for such films as:
1935 For film 'Mutiny on the Bounty', w/Charles Laughton and Clark Gable. He wrote lyrics
  "Love Song of Tahiti"
  1936 'San Francisco', with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.
  1937 'A Day at the Races' starring the Marx Brothers.
  1937 'Maytime', with MacDonald and Eddy.
  1938 'Girl of the Golden West', with MacDonald and Eddy. Music by Sigmund Romberg.
  1939 'Honolulu', starring Eleanor Powell
  1939 'Idiot's Delight', starring Norma Shearer and Clark Gable.
1940 The film 'Spring Parade' with Deanna Durban had the song;
       "Waltzing in the Clouds", Gus' second Academy Award tune. The music was by Robert Stoltz.
1941 For MGM's 'Ziegfeld Girl', he wrote
       "You Stepped Out of a Dream", a spectacular production number.

'Ziegfeld Girl' was Gus' last work. He died in 1941 at age 54. The 1951 movie 'I'll See You in My Dreams' was a film biography of his life. Gus Kahn is a member of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

   Roger Wolfe Kahn
b. Oct. 19, 1907, Morristown, NJ, d. July 12, 1962, New York City
Overview
(Please also see our American Bands Database, entry for Roger Wolfe Kahn.)
This well known bandleader and composer's band was active from the mid-1920's into the 1940's. He had a good band in the 1920's, a great band in the early 1930's, with such sidemen as Artie Shaw and Charlie Teagarden. Along the way, he wrote many hit songs, among which are:
"Crazy Rhythm", with Joseph Meyer, and Irving Caesar
"All By My Lonesome", with Al Dubin

   Vangelis Katsoulis
This composer is most active in Greece, producing for the Greek cinema studios. His films include 'Kleistoi dromoi (English titles: 1. 'Dead End' 2. 'Roadblocks' --2000)

   Harry D. Kerr
b. October 8, 1880, California, USA, d. May 20, 1957, Hollywood, California, USA
né: Harry David Kerr
This author and lawyer (educated at the Albany Law School - LL.B.), practised law until 1920, and then began composing- mostly with John Stepan Zamecnik

Among his works are:

Words and Music by Kerr:
    Smile Awhile
    Sunny Southland Sings

Songs co-composed with music by J. S. Zamecnik
    Adios my Senorita
    Amorita
    Blue Moon
    Jealous Moon
    Kisses
    My Paradise
    Nights of Splendor
    One Sweet Day
    Paradise
    Redskin
    Somewhere in Naples
    Southern Moon
    Venetia
    Your love is all

Songs co-composed with Geoffrey O'Hara
    Just To Be Near You
    Mem'ries of Love and You
    Real Low Down Basso Am I

Songs co-composed with Earl Burtnett
    Do You Ever Think Of Me (also with John Casper)
    Just Keep A Thought For Me (also with Max Fischer)
    Oriental Love Dreams
    Ships That Pass In The Night

Songs co-composed with others:
    Stop it co-composed with Mel B Kaufman
    Taxi co-composed with Mel B Kaufman
    Sneak co-composed with Nacio Herb Brown
    Somebodys waiting co-composed with Chris M Schonberg
    Thats My Girl co-composed with Joseph M. Mc Kiernan (Elaine Stritch vocal)
    There's A Sunny Smile Waiting co-composed with Leo Edwards
    We're Ready For Teddy Again co-composed with Alfred Solman