Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley

Remember songs like "The Way You Look Tonight," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," "I'm in the Mood for Love," and "On the Sunny Side of the Street"? These and many, many more so-called "standard tunes" from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s are part of the fabric of our daily lives, from commercials to movie soundtracks. Who knew that women composers and/or lyricists created, or participated in the creation of, hundreds of these songs that we all know and love? This video profiles the careers of songwriters Dorothy Fields, Kay Swift, Dana Suesse, and Ann Ronell, authors or composers of the songs that are so winningly presented here by such performers as Robert White and Peter Mintun, Nora Michaels, Max Morath and Joan Morris, Betty Buckley, and Michael Feinstein. Featuring film clips, archival footage, and interview segments, this program from the American Masters series presents a long overdue tribute to the wonderful careers of these gutsy ladies who made their way in--not without difficulties--largely a man's world at a time when women's achievements in such careers were downplayed. Highly informative and immensely enjoyable, Yours for a Song will work as a solid introduction to popular music history for high school and college audiences, as well as be a big hit with the older crowd. Enthusiastically recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (M. Rechel)