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Roger Edens (November 9, 1905 – July 13, 1970) was a Hollywood composer, arranger and associate producer, and is considered one of the major creative figures inArthur Freed's musical film production unit atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the "golden era of Hollywood".
Edens was born inHillsboro, Texas. His parents were ofScots-Irish ancestry. He was a piano accompanist for ballroom dancers before becoming a musical conductor onBroadway. He went to Hollywood in 1932 along with his protégéeEthel Merman, writing and arranging material for her films atParamount. In 1935 he joined MGM as a musical supervisor and occasional composer and arranger, notably of music forJudy Garland. He also appeared on screen oppositeEleanor Powell in a cameo inBroadway Melody of 1936.
Arthur Freed, producer of musicals at MGM, was impressed by Edens and soon made him integral to his production team, which was rapidly growing and featured many of the day's greatest talents, recruited by Freed himself. Freed built a cabinet around himself, and in the early 1940s made Edens associate producer. The unit made dozens of extremely successful musical films in the 1940s and into the 1950s, includingMeet Me in St. Louis (1944),Easter Parade (1948),On the Town (1949),Show Boat (1951),An American in Paris (1951),Singin' in the Rain (1952) andThe Band Wagon (1953).
When musical films became less popular in the mid-1950s, Edens left MGM, opened his own office, and worked on such projects asFunny Face (1957) withAudrey Hepburn,Fred Astaire, andKay Thompson at Paramount.
Edens is considered an important creative musical figure from the end of the 1930s until the beginning of the 1960s. His MGM career allowed him to work with top musical performers including Judy Garland, of whom he was the original trainer and overseer and a lifelong friend.[1]Special material he wrote for her includes "Dear Mr Gable - You Made Me Love You" (1937); "Our Love Affair" (1940) forStrike up the Band, which received anOscar nomination for Best Song; and the music for the "Born in a Trunk" sequence inA Star Is Born (1954).[2] "It's a Great Day for the Irish", which Garland sang inLittle Nellie Kelly (1940) and was one of her biggest hits, became anIrish-American anthem played by military and marching bands everySt. Patrick's Day the world over.
Edens produced a number of films after the mid-1950s, and wrote special material for Garland'sPalace Theatre debut in 1951 and herLondon Palladium concerts the same year.
Edens andKay Thompson had the same birthday (November 9). From 1942–1957 they gave joint birthday parties where each presented a surprise production number with special material featuring their friends, includingJudy Garland,Ethel Merman,Lena Horne,Gene Kelly,Marilyn Monroe,Dorothy Dandridge,Maureen O'Hara,Ray Bolger,Ann Sothern,Phil Silvers,Danny Kaye,Charles Walters,Cole Porter,Hugh Martin andRalph Blane. They never told the other what they were going to present.
Edens and producer Arthur Freed were the guiding forces behind MGM's 1951 screen version ofShow Boat. Edens headed the search for the right singer-actor to play Joe, the key supporting character who sings "Ol' Man River", and discoveredWilliam Warfield after reading a rave review of his performance in a New York song recital. Edens also supervised the film's reediting when the producer and director found the original cut too slow.
Before moving to California, Edens was married to Martha LaPrelle, but they spent much time apart and eventually divorced.[3] By the time he knewJudy Garland, he was living as a gay man.[1]
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