George and Ira Gershwn saluted the 1930s with Girl Crazy, a bright and lively musical comedy written by Guy Bolton and John McGowan starring Ginger Rogers, introducing Ethel Merman and filled with hits like "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You" and "Bidin' My Time". From there, Of Thee I Sing, Pardon My English, and Let 'Em Eat Cake…and then George took on a folk opera with Dubose Heyward called Porgy and Bess on which Ira helped a bit, but mostly joined up with Yip Harbug and Harold Arlen on the revue "Life Begins at 8:40".
Throughout these years George was continuing to write his orchestral compositions: The Second Rhapsody (1931), Cuban Overture (1932)Catfish Row (1936).
When Porgy and Bess flopped, George and Ira, finally followed their colleagues to Hollywood where, as George declared, they were intent "to write hits!" Three musical films resulted: the Astaire-Rogers masterpiece Shall We Dance (1937), A Damsel In Distress (1937), and The Goldwyn Follies (1938). Somewhere in there--July 11, 1937--George fell dead of a brain tumor.
Oregon Festival of American Music music director Chuck Redd and company pay tribute.
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