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The Greater of Two Loessers
- Abstract
Among connoisseurs of popular song, Frank Loesser is universally regarded as a master. Not only did he write the scores for two major Broadway musicals, Guys and Dolls (1950) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1961), but he also wrote or co-wrote numerous songs that became standards after being introduced in Hollywood films, including “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You,” and “On a Slow Boat to China.” In addition, Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying were both turned into hit movies, and How to Succeed won a Pulitzer Prize for drama.
About the Author
Terry Teachout, COMMENTARY’s regular music critic and the drama critic of the Wall Street Journal, served as an editorial writer for the New York Daily News from 1987 to 1993. His "Rhythm Man: A Life of Louis Armstrong" is forthcoming next year from Harcourt.
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