Oscar Levant
b. 27 December 1906, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 14 August 1972, Beverly Hills, California, USA. Hypochondriacal, witty, neurotic, grouchy, melancholic, acidic, and eccentric, are just a few of the adjectives that have been used over the years in a desperate attempt to accurately describe one of the most original characters in films, radio, and popular and light classical music. All the above definitions apparently apply to his personal as well as his public image. After graduating from high school, Levant struggled to make a living as pianist before moving to New York where he studied with Sigismund Stojovkskis and Arnold Schoenberg. He also played in clubs, and appeared on Broadway in the play, BURLESQUE (1927), and in the movie version entitled THE DANCE OF LIFE, two years later. In 1930 Levant worked with Irving Caesar, Graham John and Albert Sirmay on the score for another Broadway show, the Charles B. Dillingham production of RIPPLES, which starred Fred and Dorothy Stone and included songs such as Is It Love?, There's Nothing Wrong With A Kiss, and I'm A Little Bit Fonder Of You. In the same year Levant collaborated with Irving Caesar again on Lady, Play Your Mandolin which was successful for Nick Lucas and the Havana Novelty Orchestra, amongst others. He wrote his best-known song, Blame It On My Youth, with Edward Heyman in 1934, and it is still being played and sung 60 years later. Levant spent much of the late '20s and '30s in Hollywood writing songs and scores for movies such as MY MAN ( Fanny Brice's film debut in 1928), STREET GIRL, TANNED LEGS, LEATHERNECKING, IN PERSON, MUSIC IS MAGIC, and THE GOLDWYN FOLLIES (1938). Out of those came several appealing songs, including If You Want A Rainbow (You Must Have Rain), Lovable And Sweet, Don't Mention Love To Me, Honey Chile, and Out Of Sight Out Of Mind. His collaborators included Ray Heindorf, Mort Dixon, Billy Rose, Sam M. Lewis, Vernon Duke, Sidney Clare, Dorothy Fields, Stanley Adams, and Joe Young. Beginning in the late '30s, Levant also demonstrated his quick wit on the long-running radio series INFORMATION PLEASE, and brought his grumpy irascible self to the screen in films such as IN PERSON (1935), RHYTHM ON THE RIVER, Kiss the Boys Goodbye, RHAPSODY IN BLUE (in which he played himself), HUMORESQUE, Romance On The High Seas, YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME, The Barkleys Of Broadway, An American In Paris, and The Band Wagon (1953). In the last two pictures, both directed by Vincente Minnelli, he seemed to be at the peak of his powers, especially in the former which has a famous dream sequence in which Levant imagines he is conducting part of George Gershwin's Concert In F and every member of the orchestra is himself. Levant was a life-long friend and accomplished exponent of Gershwin's works. His final musical, THE ‘I DON'T CARE GIRL’, was a fairly dull affair, and his last picture of all, THE COBWEB (1955), was set in a mental hospital. That was both sad and ironic, because for the last 20 years of his life Levant suffered from failing mental and physical health, emerging only occasionally to appear on television talk shows. In 1989 a one-man play based on the works of Oscar Levant entitled AT WIT'S END (An Irreverent Evening), opened to critical acclaim in Los Angeles. 
Further reading: all by Oscar Levant A Smattering Of Ignorance. Memoirs Of An Amnesiac. The Unimportance Of Being Oscar.