Polka Dots and Moonbeams (Jazz Standard) Jimmy Van Heusen (sheet music transcription)

Jimmy Van Heusen (1913-1990)

Jimmy Van Heusen (Syracuse (New York), United States, January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer of popular music. He wrote songs for film and television, and won four Oscars for best original song and an Emmy Award.

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Jimmy Van Heusen started writing songs while still in high school. At the age of 15 he adopted the name Jimmy Van Heusen as a pseudonym for a show on local radio. He studied at Cazenovia Seminary and Syracuse University, where he befriended Jerry Arlen, younger brother Harold Arlen, with whom he wrote songs for the Cotton Club revues. such as Harlem Hospitality wrote.

He then became a pianist with one of Tin Pan Alley’s music publishers.

In 1938, he wrote It’s the Dreamer in Me to a text by Tommy Dorsey. In collaboration with the lyricist Eddie DeLange, songs like ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘So Help Me’ or ‘Darn That Dream’ were created; In 1940 he already wrote more than 60 songs. The same year, he began working with Johnny Burke. Together they went to Hollywood and wrote for musicals and films in the 1940s and 1950s. During World War II, Van Heusen also served as a test pilot for Lockheed Corporation.

Jimmy Van Heusen later works successfully for Hollywood with the lyricist Sammy Cahn; Among other things, they wrote songs for The Window to the Court (1954), Seven Against Chicago (1964) and the albums by Frank Sinatra. In 1965 Van Heusen wrote the musical Skyscraper, in 1966 the musical Walking Happy. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971, he remained active into the late 1970s. Songs like ‘Here’s That Rainy Day’, ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’ or ‘Darn That Dream’ have also become jazz standards.

Van Heusen won four Academy Awards for Best Song and an Emmy in 1956. Overall, he was nominated 14 times in twelve years for an Oscar (1946 and 1964 for two songs each); In 1944, 1957, 1959 and 1963 he received the Oscar. In 1965 he was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Songs (many of them are Jazz Standards)

All the Way (T: Sammy Cahn)
Aren’t You Glad You’re You? (T: Johnny Burke)
But Beautiful (T: Johnny Burke)
Come Blow Your Horn (T: Sammy Cahn)
Come Dance with Me (T: Sammy Cahn)
Come Fly with Me (T: Sammy Cahn)
Darn That Dream (T: Eddie De Lange)
Here's That Rainy Day (T: Johnny Burke)
I Could Have Told You (T: Carl Sigman)
I Thought about You (T: Johnny Mercer)
Imagination (T: Johnny Burke)
It Could Happen to You (T: Johnny Burke)
Like Someone in Love (T: Johnny Burke)
Love and Marriage (T: Sammy Cahn)
Mr. Booze (T: Sammy Cahn)
Oh! You Crazy Moon
Personality
Polka Dots and Moonbeams (T: Johnny Burke)
The Second Time Around aus Der Spätzünder
Thoroughly Modern Millie (T: Sammy Cahn)
To Love and Be Loved (T: Sammy Cahn)

Oscar winning songs:

Swinging on a Star (1944) (T: Johnny Burke; aus Der Weg zum Glück)
All the Way (1957) (T: Sammy Cahn; aus Schicksalsmelodie)
High Hopes (1959) (T: Sammy Cahn)
Call Me Irresponsible (1963) T:Sammy Cahn

Four Oscars and An Emmy

1944 Academy Award for Best Song-Swinging on a Star-in the movie: Going My Way

1956 Emmy For Best Musical Contribution-Love and Marriage-in the TV series: Our Town featuring Frank Sinatra

1957 Academy Award for Best Song- All the Way- in the movie :The Joker is Wild

1959 Academy Award for Best Song- High Hopes- in the movie: A Hole in the Head

1963 Academy Award for Best Song-Call Me Irresponsible- in the movie: Pappas Delicate Condition

Awards

1938 ASCAP – American Society Of Composers – elected to membership

1944 Nomination for Academy Award Winner (Oscar Best Song) for – Swinging On A Star for the movie – Going My Way

1944 Academy Award Winner (Oscar Best Song) for – Swinging On A Star for the movie – Going My Way

1945 Citation for Distinguished services on behalf of the war finance program

1945 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for – Sleigh Ride In July in the movie – Belle of The Yukon

1945 Nomination for Academy Award for – Aren’t You Glad You’re You in the movie – Bells Of St. Mary’s

1946 Silver Medal – United States Treasury Dept for War and Victory loan campaigns

1955 Scroll Award by men for the 86th Infantry for composition – The 86th, The 86th

1955 Christopher Award for the song Love and Marriage

1955 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for – Love is the Tender Trap in the movie – The Tender Trap

1955-Nomination for Emmy for song Love and Marriage for Best Musical Contribution

1956-Emmy Award for song Love and Marriage for Best Musical Contribution in the Television series “Our Town”

1957 Cash Box Award – Most programmed record All the Way sung by Frank Sinatra and the most programmed album Come Fly With Me

1957 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for All the way – in the movie – Joker Is Wild

1957 Academy Award Winner (Oscar Best Song) for All the way – in the movie – Joker Is Wild

1958 Commission honorary Texas citizen by Governor Price Daniel

1958 Hola Plaque for promotion of program to help underprivileged children

1958 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for To Love and Be Loved in the movie – Some Came Running

1959 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song)- song High Hopes in the movie – A Hole In The Head

1959 Academy Award Winner (Oscar Best Song) for High Hopes in the movie – A Hole In The Head

1960 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for The Second Time Around from the movie – High Time

1961 Award Distinguished Alumni Cazenovia Junior College – Cazenovia, New York

1961 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for Pocketful Of Miracles from the movie – Pocketful of Miracles

1963 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for Call Me Irresponsible from the move – Pappas Delicate Condition

1963 Academy Award Winner (Oscar Best Song) for Call Me Irresponsible – in the movie Pappas Delicate Condition

1964 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for My Kind of Town from the movie – Robin and The 7 Hoods

1964 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for Where Love Has Gone from the movie – Where Love Has Gone

1964 Nomination for Grammy for Best Original Score Written for A Motion Picture of Television Show for Robin and The Seven Hoods

1965 Nomination for Golden Globe for Best Song in a Motion Picture for song Where Love Has Gone from movie Where Love Has Gone

1967 Nomination for Tony Award for music in Broadway production: Walking

1967 Nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Song Thoroughly Modern Millie from movie – Thoroughly Modern Millie

1967 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for Thoroughly Modern Millie from movie – Thoroughly Modern Millie

1968 Honorary Mayor of Yucca Valley California

1968 Nomination for Academy Award (Oscar Best Song) for Star from the movie – Star!

1971 Induction as one of ten original songwriters to the Songwriters Hall of Fame

1995 Syracuse Walk of the Stars

2013 Sammy Lifetime Achievement Award

2018 Great American Songbook Foundation-Songbook Hall of Fame

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