Will B. Johnstone
William Breuninger Johnstone (13 March 1881 – 4 February 1944) was an American writer, cartoonist, and lyricist. His writing credits include the Marx Brothers's Broadway revue I'll Say She Is and, with S.J. Perelman, their first two Hollywood films, Monkey Business and Horse Feathers. He also wrote several popular songs, including a version of "How Dry I Am", a part of which plagiarizes Rudyard Kipling's "Mandalay." He created the cartoon character of 'The Tax Payer' wearing only a barrel held up by suspenders. It was a regular feature in the New York World-Telegram. Johnstone also created the comic strip You Know Me Al (distributed by the Bell Syndicate). |
Birth and Death Data: Born St. Louis (independent city in Missouri, United States), Died 1944 (West Palm Beach (county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1914 - 1924
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist
Notes: Disc label (VI 70111) gives lyricist name as "Will B. Johnson"
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | C-15148 | 12-in. | 8/26/1914 | Your eyes | George MacFarlane | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | B-30168 | 10-in. | 6/6/1924 | Only you | International Novelty Orchestra ; Lewis James | Orchestra, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
| OKeh | 654 | 10-in. | approximately April 1919 | The call of the cosy little home | Joseph A. Phillips | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 6717 | 10-in. | 4/3/1919 | The call of the cosy little home | Charles Hart ; Leola Lucey | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 8340 | 10-in. | 1/12/1922 | Up in the clouds | Lewis James ; Elizabeth Spencer | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Edison | 9228 | 10-in. | 10/30/1923 | The thrill of love | Helen Clark ; Joseph A. Phillips | Female-male vocal duet | lyricist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Johnstone, Will B.," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102288.
Johnstone, Will B.. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/102288.
"Johnstone, Will B.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Johnstone, Will B. - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79013450
Wikidata: Will B. Johnstone - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8002687
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/231647883
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1439159 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1439159
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