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Robert Craig Wright 1914 - 2005

Robert Craig Wright of Miami, Miami-Dade County, FL was born on September 25, 1914, and died at age 91 years old in 2005.

Robert Craig Wright

Bob

Miami, Miami-Dade County, FL 33132

September 25, 1914

2005

Male

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Robert Craig Wright Robert Wright (1914 - 2005)

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Robert Craig Wright's History: 1914 - 2005

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09/25

1914

Birthday

September 25, 1914

Birthdate

Unknown

Birthplace

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Professional Career

Robert Craig Wright (September 25, 1914 – July 27, 2005), also known as Bob Wright, was an American composer-lyricist for Hollywood and the musical theatre, best known for the Broadway musical and musical film Kismet, for which he and his professional partner George Forrest adapted themes by Alexander Borodin and added lyrics. Kismet was one of several Wright and Forrest creations that was commissioned by impresario Edwin Lester for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. Song of Norway, Gypsy Lady, Magdalena, and their adaptation of The Great Waltz were also commissioned by Lester for the LACLO. The LACLO then exported most of these productions to Broadway. Wright was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Wright and Forrest had an affinity for adapting classical music themes and adding lyrics to these themes for Hollywood and the Broadway musical stage. Wright said that the music was usually a 50-50 "collaboration" between Wright and Forrest and the composer. While both men were credited equally as composer-lyricists, it was Forrest who worked with the music. Forrest and Wright won a Tony Award for their work on Kismet and, in 1995, they were awarded the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award.[2] He was cremated at Cofer-Kolski-Combs mortuary, Miami, and his ashes given to his executor. FILM WORK (1936) New Shoes (short feature), After the Thin Man, Maytime, The Longest Night, Libeled Lady, Sinner Take All (1937) Bad Man of Brimstone, The Firefly, The Good Old Soak, London by Night, Madame X, Mama Steps Out, Mannequin, Man of the People, Navy Blue and Gold, Parnell, Saratoga, You're Only Young Once (1938) Broadway Serenade, The First Hundred Years, The Girl Downstairs, Happily Buried (short feature), The Hardys Ride High, Honolulu, Let Freedom Ring, Lord Jeff, The Magician's Daughter (short feature), Marie Antoinette, Nuts and Bolts (short feature), Our Gang Follies (short feature), Paradise for Three, Snow Gets in Your Eyes (short feature), Sweethearts, Three Comrades, The Toy Wife, Vacation from Love (1939) Balalaika, Florian, Music in My Heart, The New Moon, Strange Cargo, These Glamour Girls, The Women (1940) "Blondie Goes Latin", "Dance, Girl, Dance", "Kit Carson", "South of Pago-Pago" (1941) "Cubana", "Fiesta", "Playing with Music", "I Married an Angel", "Rio Rita" (1955) "Kismet", "Make Believe Ballroom", "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" (1970) Song of Norway (This film featured adaptations of different music of Edvard Grieg than that of the 1944 Broadway show of the same title.) (1972) The Great Waltz Hit songs of their day include "The Donkey Serenade" (written with composer Herbert Stothart "based on a theme of Rudolf Friml") from "The Firefly", "Always and Always" from Mannequin and "It's a Blue World" from Music in My Heart. Shows Song of Norway (1944); adapting the music of Edvard Grieg Gypsy Lady (Romany Love) (1947); using the music of Victor Herbert Magdalena (1948); using the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos, working directly with the composer The Great Waltz (1949); adapting the music of Johann Strauss Kismet (1953); adapting the music of Alexander Borodin The Love Doctor (London, 1959); original music and lyrics Kean (1961); original music and lyrics Anya (1965); adapting the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff Timbuktu! (1978); a reworking of Kismet for an African-American cast, adding a few new songs Grand Hotel (1989); original music and lyrics; additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston Hit songs of their day include "Strange Music" from Song of Norway; and Stranger in Paradise, "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and "And This Is My Beloved" from Kismet.
mm/27

2005

Death

2005

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

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Obituary

The Life of Robert Wright Robert Wright was born on September 25, 1914 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He went to Miami High School and was the pianist in the glee club there. He also worked as a pianist accompanying silent films and conducted his own high school orchestra and radio show. When he was nine years old, he won an amateur contest playing the piano and started getting into the vaudeville style. He played the piano for different singers and dancers throughout his teen years. There is only a mention of one brother, Jack Wright, who was alive when he passed away. The Life of George Forrest George Forrest, a young musical prodigy who mastered the piano before he entered kindergarten, was born as George Forrest Chichester Jr. and was often referred to as Chet Forrest in his profession. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 31, 1915. He moved to Miami prior to entering high school where he then played the piano and accompanied singers in Miami night spots. In 1934 Forrest was working at a Miami night club, and played for an audition for entertainer Ray Bourbon, a drag queen who, eventually, had a sex change operation to become a woman. Their Partnership Wright and Forrest met in 1929 in the Miami High School glee club. Wright was the lead pianist in the club and they met when Forrest was auditioning. The two decided to become musical partners and work together and, not long after, became lovers. The two worked together professionally for all of their careers. When they were barely twenty, the two moved to Hollywood together and worked for MGM for seven years. While working at MGM, the pair wrote songs for over fifty films and they were nominated for three Oscars. The duo then started writing musicals. Their first is Song of Norway and their other three are Gypsy Lady, Magdalena, and Kismet. Gypsy Lady and Magdalena were not big successes. They are best known for their soundtrack to the musical Kismet and they won a Tony Award for the soundtrack. After Kismet, they went on to write Anya, The Love Doctor, Kean, Timbuktu!, and Grand Hotel. The wrote original music for The Love Doctor, Kean, Timbuktu!, and Grand Hotel. Grand Hotel was the only major hit out of these four and was nominated for a Tony award. It was also the last professional work done by Wright and Forrest before they retired to Miami, Florida. Forrest passed away on October 10, 1999 and Wright followed soon after, on July 27, 2005. Throughout their lives, the pair was nominated for 3 Academy Awards for best song and, also, won the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers Award, which "recognizes a veteran composer or lyricist of musical theater for a lifetime of achievement".

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Robert Craig Wright lived 18 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 90.

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