Al Hoffman
b. 25 September 1902, Minsk, Russia, d. 21 July 1960, New York, USA. Hoffman was an important composer, with a varied output of songs from the romantic ballads of the '30s to the novelty songs of the '40s and '50s. Hoffman was taken to the USA in 1908, and grew up in Seattle, where he later led his own band. After moving to New York in 1928, he played the drums in night-clubs, and started composing around 1930. In the early '30s Hoffman wrote the music for such songs as I Don't Mind Walking In The Rain, Heartaches (with John Klenner), I Apologize (with Ed Nelson and Al Goodhart), Who Walks In (When I Walk Out?), Fit As A Fiddle the latter two with Arthur Freed and Goodhart, Little Man You've Had A Busy Day (with Maurice Sigler and Mabel Wayne) and Meet Me In The Gloaming. 
In the late '30s, Hoffman, together with Goodhart and Sigler, wrote the scores for several British stage shows and films. These included the Jack Buchanan and Elsie Randolph hit musical at London's Palace Theatre, THIS'LL MAKE YOU WHISTLE (Crazy With Love and I'm In A Dancing Mood); the films SHE SHALL HAVE MUSIC (title song and My First Thrill); FIRST A GIRL (Everything's In Rhythm With My Heart); JACK OF ALL TRADES (Where There's You, There's Me); COME OUT OF THE KITCHEN (‘Everything Stops for Tea’) and GANGWAY (Lord And Lady Woozis). In 1938 Hoffman, Al Lewis and Murray Mencher also wrote On The Bumpy Road To Love for the Judy Garland movie, LISTEN DARLING, and I Ups To Her, And She Ups To Me, which suited the dancebands of Guy Lombardoand Lew Stone. For Hoffman, the '40s and '50s were a mixture of ballads such as The Story Of A Starry Night (aided by Mann Curtis and Jerry Livingston), Goodnight, Wherever You Are (another Miller favourite), Allegheny Moon and The Hawaiian Wedding Song. He also composed a series of novelty songs, including Mairzy Doats, Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba, If I Knew You Were Comin, I'd Have Baked A Cake’, Takes Two To Tango, Papa Loves Mambo and Hot Diggety. 
In 1949, Hoffman, Mack David and Jerry Livingston wrote several songs including Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes, The Work Song and So This Is Love for the Walt Disney cartoon feature, CINDERELLA. Hoffman's many other songs included Oh, What A Thrill, Black-Eyed Susan Brown, There's Always A Happy Ending, What's The Good Word, Mr Bluebird?, There's No Tomorrow, I'm Gonna Live Till I Die (with Mann Curtis and Walter Kent), One Finger Melody, I Saw Stars, When You Kiss Me, Mama, Teach Me To Dance, Secretly, Oh, Oh, I'm Falling In Love Again and Le Plume De Ma Tante. His other collaborators included Milton Drake, Leo Corday, Sammy Lerner, Ed Nelson, Bob Merrill. Dick Manning was also involved in the novelties such as Gilly-Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzen Ellen Bogen By The Sea, which was a big hit for UK entertainer Max Bygraves in 1954. Hoffman was active as a writer until just before he died in July 1960.