Ira Gershwin

How's this for a musical comedy theme? The United States declares war on Switzerland when the tiny European nation protests a 50% tariff on the price of imported cheese. The conflict becomes a major tourist attraction, with its expenses paid for by the biggest U.S. cheese manufacturer. Satirical? You bet. A topical anti-war show? Anti-war, yes; topical--not exactly, at least not for more than 60 years.

People were always telling Bruce Lloyd Kates that the song he had written had a Gershwin-like sound to it. Kates, a piano tuner and composer, took that as a compliment. After all, he's a huge fan of George and Ira Gershwin's work and of 1930s-era music in general. The Los Feliz resident wrote "Some Time to Get to Know You" in the early 1990s and copyrighted it in 2002. It wasn't until later that it dawned on Kates why his tune seems so Gershwin-esque: It came from George Gershwin's piano.

The UCLA Film Archive will be screening most of the movies containing songs written by George Gershwin and his brother, Ira, from Thursday to May 30. These include the 1945 biopic "Rhapsody in Blue"; the rare original version of "Girl Crazy" (1932); the spectacular revue "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938), during the making of which George Gershwin suddenly died; and the masterpiece "An American in Paris" (1951).

The heirs of George and Ira Gershwin, creators of "I Got Rhythm" and many other standards that helped define the grand tradition of American popular song, have fallen badly out of step over who gets how much from the lucrative pot of royalties still being generated 72 years after George's death ended songwriting's greatest brother act. The dispute -- over how to divide foreign royalties -- is spelled out in lawsuits in separate Los Angeles courts....

The heirs of George and Ira Gershwin, creators of "I Got Rhythm" and many other standards that helped define the grand tradition of American popular song, have fallen badly out of step over who gets how much from the lucrative pot of royalties still being generated 72 years after George's death ended songwriting's greatest brother act. The dispute -- over how to divide foreign royalties -- is spelled out in lawsuits in separate Los Angeles courts....

I was dismayed to see that Donna Perlmutter omitted any mention of Ira Gershwin in her glowing review of Sarah Vaughan's recent performances at Hollywood Bowl ("Vaughan's Rhapsody in Gershwin," July 14). I'm sure she'd be the first to agree that Vaughan would not have delivered with "astonishing wit, imagination and musicality" if she had just hummed George Gershwin's music and not sung Ira Gershwin's musical lyrics. How about giving credit where credit is overdue! BARBARA FREED SALTZMAN Malibu

I was pleased that the Betty Clooney Foundation's Singers' Salute to the Songwriter was covered by Don Heckman ("Singers Salute Songwriters--at Length," April 22). It was a terrific evening and the money raised from this event goes to a wonderful program. I must note, however, that "Of Thee I Sing" (sung in the concert by Marilyn Lovell) was written by George and Ira Gershwin, and not Irving Berlin, to whom it was attributed in the review. MARK TRENT GOLDBERG Executive Director Ira & Leonore Gershwin Trusts Los Angeles

Mark Trent Goldberg, who managed the archive of Broadway composers George and Ira Gershwin and was executive director of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts, a major supporter of the music division of the Library of Congress, has died. He was 49. Goldberg died May 18 in his office in San Francisco after suffering a heart attack, said Michael Strunsky, trustee of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts.

Daryl H. Miller would have us believe that Moss Hart collaborated with George Gershwin and Kurt Weill on "Lady in the Dark" ("Like Father, Like Son? Sort Of," Oct. 17). That would have been an amazing collaboration since George was dead at the time. Please, Mr. Miller, Ira Gershwin. And Jan Breslauer, discussing "Crimes of the Heart" ("Following His Heart," Oct. 17), tells us that the three sisters were awaiting news about their dying father. It was their grandfather who was dying.

Stevie Wonder has been chosen to receive the second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, created to recognize a musician whose lifetime work "exemplifies the standard of excellence" associated with legendary songwriters George and Ira Gershwin. "The Gershwin Prize was created to honor an artist whose creative output transcends distinctions between musical styles and idioms, bringing diverse listeners together and fostering mutual understanding and appreciation. Stevie Wonder's music epitomizes this ideal," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

Stevie Wonder has been chosen to receive the second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, created to recognize a musician whose lifetime work "exemplifies the standard of excellence" associated with legendary songwriters George and Ira Gershwin. "The Gershwin Prize was created to honor an artist whose creative output transcends distinctions between musical styles and idioms, bringing diverse listeners together and fostering mutual understanding and appreciation. Stevie Wonder's music epitomizes this ideal," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

Property rights have once again prevailed in Beverly Hills -- a city that has thrived on its role as a cradle for popular culture but has tended to accommodate wealthy homeowners who would rather tear down than restore dwellings where the entertainment elite once lived. The latest structure to be reduced to rubble is 1019 N. Roxbury Drive, the house where George and Ira Gershwin wrote "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Shall We Dance" and "Our Love Is Here to Stay."

Mark Trent Goldberg, who managed the archive of Broadway composers George and Ira Gershwin and was executive director of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts, a major supporter of the music division of the Library of Congress, has died. He was 49. Goldberg died May 18 in his office in San Francisco after suffering a heart attack, said Michael Strunsky, trustee of the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts.

Regarding "Singer Clooney's Home Is Sold" (Hot Property, April 27): I can understand that a recently deceased well-known entertainer's home in Beverly Hills has been sold; life goes on. But it's tragic that "the buyer, a businessman who owns several large retail and wholesale properties in the downtown L.A. fashion district, plans to raze the house." This undoubtedly classic and beautiful home was owned by Rosemary Clooney for 50 years and before that by an American icon, George Gershwin.

Satire is what closes on Saturday night, according to the George S. Kaufman wisecrack, made within a reporter's earshot in 1930. Who knows when he first said it, though? Surely the thought crossed his mind in 1927, the year a musical by Kaufman and George and Ira Gershwin--"Strike Up the Band," now in a newly struck concert revival as part of the Reprise! series--tanked two weeks into its Philadelphia tryout.

Daryl H. Miller would have us believe that Moss Hart collaborated with George Gershwin and Kurt Weill on "Lady in the Dark" ("Like Father, Like Son? Sort Of," Oct. 17). That would have been an amazing collaboration since George was dead at the time. Please, Mr. Miller, Ira Gershwin. And Jan Breslauer, discussing "Crimes of the Heart" ("Following His Heart," Oct. 17), tells us that the three sisters were awaiting news about their dying father. It was their grandfather who was dying.

It was the sweet harmony between song and charity that raised $500,000 for the Betty Clooney Foundation for Persons With Brain Injury on Tuesday night. The concert, chaired by Rosalind Wyman and produced by Allen Sviridoff at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, was the fifth annual Singers Salute to the Songwriter, a veritable love-fest between vocalists and composers.

Ira Gershwin was once asked, "Which comes first, the music or the lyrics?" And he replied, "What comes first is the contract." But the implication in that remark--that the financial deal was more important than the work--never seemed to impact the writing of a man who was arguably one of the finest song lyricists in a generation of superb wordsmiths. "Ira Gershwin at 100: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall" on PBS' "Great Performances"--which was recorded on Gershwin's 100th birthday last Dec.

A Southern woman sues the president. He's urged to resign, then he's threatened with impeachment. Meanwhile, contributors to the president's campaign are staying in the White House bedrooms. These aren't recent developments. They're all right there in the script by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind and lyrics by Ira Gershwin for "Of Thee I Sing," which was first produced in 1931. Not that all of the surprisingly timely references in the show were originally intended as satire. In the Reprise!

The UCLA Film Archive will be screening most of the movies containing songs written by George Gershwin and his brother, Ira, from Thursday to May 30. These include the 1945 biopic "Rhapsody in Blue"; the rare original version of "Girl Crazy" (1932); the spectacular revue "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938), during the making of which George Gershwin suddenly died; and the masterpiece "An American in Paris" (1951).