Fields, Dorothy

Fields, Dorothy

(born July 15, 1905, Allenhurst, N.J., U.S.—died March 28, 1974, New York, N.Y.) U.S. lyricist and librettist. Born to a family active in theatre (her father Lew was a comedian and impresario, and her brothers Herbert and Joseph were librettists), Fields taught drama and wrote poetry and later wrote songs for Broadway and Cotton Club revues with Jimmy McHugh, including “I Can't Give You Anything But Love” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street.” With Jerome Kern, she later wrote songs for Hollywood, including “The Way You Look Tonight.” Returning to Broadway, she wrote the book or lyrics for many musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun (1946) and Sweet Charity (1966).

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Fields, Dorothy (1905–74) lyricist; born in Allenhurst, N.J. Daughter of Broadway comedian and producer Lew Fields, she taught dramatic arts and published poetry before working with composer Jimmy McHugh on her first hit, "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," from the 1928 musical Blackbirds of 1928. They also wrote "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (1930). She spent most of the 1930s in Hollywood, then returned to Broadway where she continued to write lyrics (Sweet Charity, 1966) and librettos (Annie Get your Gun, 1946) for composers such as Cole Porter, Arthur Schwartz, and Cy Coleman until her death.