Adolph Green
Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright, who with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for musicals on Broadway and in Hollywood. Although they were not a romantic couple, they shared a unique comic genius and sophisticated wit that enabled them to forge a six-decade-long partnership. They received numerous accolades including four Tony Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards and a Grammy Award. Green was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980 and American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981. Comden and Green received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1991. They started their career alongside Leonard Bernstein on stage, where they received the New York Drama Critics' Circle for Best Musical for Wonderful Town (1953). On Broadway, they wrote the music and lyrics to musicals such as On the Town (1944), Two on the Aisle (1951), Peter Pan (1954), Bells Are Ringing (1956), and Applause (1970). They won four Tony Awards as composer and lyricist for Hallelujah, Baby! (1967), On the Twentieth Century (1978), and The Will Rogers Follies (1991). As performers, they starred in A Party with Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1958). They gained notoriety in film collaborating with Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, and Vincente Minnelli as part of Arthur Freed's production unit at Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Perhaps their greatest collaboration was for the film Singin' in the Rain (1952), although they received two Academy Award nominations for screenplays for the musicals The Band Wagon (1953), and It's Always Fair Weather (1955). They also wrote the scripts for the classic movie musicals The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), On the Town (1949), Auntie Mame (1958), and Bells Are Ringing (1960). |
Birth and Death Data: Born The Bronx (borough of New York City, New York, United States), Died October 23, 2002 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1945 - 1948
Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist, vocalist, songwriter
= 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 | D5RB-0702 | 10-in. | 2/27/1945 | On the town : Opening scene | On the Town Orchestra ; RCA Victor Chorale ; Robert Shaw | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5RB-0703 | 10-in. | 2/27/1945 | On the town : Lonely town | On the Town Orchestra ; RCA Victor Chorale ; Robert Shaw | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5RB-0706 | 10-in. | 2/27/1945 | On the town : Lucky to be me | On the Town Orchestra ; RCA Victor Chorale ; Robert Shaw | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D5RB-0707 | 10-in. | 2/27/1945 | On the town : Some other time | On the Town Orchestra ; RCA Victor Chorale ; Robert Shaw | Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | D8VB-4153 | 10-in. | 12/30/1948 | The right girl for me | Tony Alamo ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Decca | 73044 | 10-in. | 9/14/1945 | I get carried away | Betty Comden ; Adolph Green | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Green, Adolph," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/318790.
Green, Adolph. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/318790.
"Green, Adolph." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Adolph Green
Discogs: Adolph Green
Allmusic: Adolph Green
Grove: Adolph Green
RILM: Adolph Green
IMDb: Adolph Green
Britannica: Adolph Green
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Green, Adolph - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84007715
Wikidata: Adolph Green - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q329849
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/59273596
MusicBrainz: Adolph Green - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f717fab6-b501-4cc9-91cd-6740dea46511
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137400 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/137400
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