Re: Definitive Answer

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyross.com>]

On 25 Sep 2001, at 7:36, DonKelley@aol.com wrote:

> "God Bless America" was written in 1918 by Irving Berlin, who, by the way,
> was born in Russia.  HIs family moved to New York when he was young.  He's
> known for "Easter Parade," "White Christmas" and other famous songs, but
> nobody really knew "God Bless America" for about 20 years until Kate Smith
> sang it on the radio on Armistice Day in 1938.

Interestingly enough, before the United States entered World War I, 
Irving Berlin wrote an anti-war song.  After the political climate changed, 
Berlin was embarrassed about having written an anti-war song and 
wanted to forget it.  But Groucho Marx wouldn't let him forget it.  
Whenever Groucho found himself at the same party as Irving Berlin, 
Groucho would arrange to be asked to sing Irving Berlin's "Stay Down 
Here Where You Belong."  I have a recording of Groucho singing it in a 
show he did in Carnegie Hall in the early 70s.


 
> "America The Beautiful" was written in Wellesley in 1892 by Katherine Lee
> Bates.  Bates was born in Falmouth.  She moved to Wellesley in her teens
> where she went to college and lived her adult life.  She was the English
> Department Head at Wellesley College.
> 
> The Katherine Lee Bates elementary school is on Elmwood Road in Wellesley. 
> In the lobby is the framed original lyric of "America The Beautiful"
> hand-written by Bates.  So what did she actually write?
> 
> "Purple Mountain Majesties"
> 
> Your witness.


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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
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