Rudolf Friml & Herbert Stothart
Rudolf Friml was a Composer, songwriter "Donkey Serenade", and pianist. He toured Europe and America as a concert pianist with violinist Jan Kubelik. In 1912 he replaced Victor Herbert as the composer of the score for the Broadway musical "The Firefly". His other Broadway stage scores include "The Peasant Girl", "Sometime", "Glorianna", "Rose-Marie", "The Vagabond King", "The Wild Rose", and "The Three Musketeers". He came to Hollywood in 1934. Joined ASCAP in 1914, his chief musical collaborators included P.G. Wodehouse, Oscar Hammerstein II, Clifford Grey, Harold Atteridge, and Dailey Paskman. His other popular-song compositions include "Love is Like a Firefly", "When a Maid Comes Knocking at Your Door", "Sympathy", "Love's Own Kiss", "Katinka", "Not Now But Later", "'Tis the End, So Farewell", "On the Blue Lagoon", "In Love With Love", "Somewhere in My Heart", "You're In Love", "Rose-Marie", "The Mounties", "Pretty Things", "Some Day", "Tomorrow", "Only a Rose", "Love Me Tonight", "Nocturne", "One Golden Hour", "March of the Musketeers", and "I Have the Love"

Herbert Stothart was M-G-M's "in-house" and most prolific composer from the studio's earliest talkies until his death in 1949. He scored films exclusively for Metro Goldwyn Mayer and was a Broadway composer who eventually abandoned the stage to compose mostly background music for films. Although his style of scoring is rather lightly dismissed by some critics in comparison to that of some later MGM composers and orchestrators, his adaptation and scoring of the background music in "The Wizard of Oz" is still considered a masterpiece.

Robert Wright & George (Chet) Forrest
Won a Tony Award in 1954 for "Kismet"
as adapter of 'Alexander Borodin's music
and as lyricist with Chet Forrest among
others who contributed to the Best
Musical win. In 1990, he was nominated for
music and lyrics with Forrest and Maury
Yeston as Best Score for "Grand Hotel.
His songwriting partnership with Chet
Forrest lasted for 70 years, until Forrest's
death in 1999.
He was also a Tony-winning songwriter and
lyricist for "Kismet, which produced
"Strangers in Paradise" and
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads".
Partnered with Chet Forrest, their last
writing was the Broadway show
"Grand Hotel."
Some of his best known songs include
"The Donkey Serenade," "Sands of Time,"
"Willow, Willow, Willow," "Night of My
Nights" and "I've Been Working on the
Railroad."

George Forrest was a composer, songwriter
("It's a Blue World", "Donkey Serenade",
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads", "Strange
Music", "And This Is My Beloved"),
author, pianist and conductor. At 13, he
partnered Robert Wright as a team,
contracted to MGM Studios for seven
years. His Broadway stage scores include
"Song of Norway" (based on Grieg),
"Kismet" (Borodin),
"Magdalena" (Villa Lobos),
"Kean", and "Anya" (Rachmaninoff).
He joined ASCAP in 1939, and his other
musical collaborators included Walter
Donaldson and Rudolf Friml. His other
popular compositions include "Always and
Always", "At the Balalaika", "Sweet
Danger", "Elena", "I Love You", "Now"
"Stranger In Paradise". "Donkey Serenade
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and
"And This Is My Beloved"), .

Donkey Serenade

Words by Robert Wright & George Forest
Music by Rudolf Friml & Herbert Stothart

There's a song in the air,
But the fair senorita
Doesn't seem to care
For the song in the air.
So I'll sing to a mule
If you're sure she won't think that
I am just a fool
Serenading a mule.

Amigo mio, does she not have a dainty bray?
She listens carefully to each little word I say.
La bella Senorita?
Si, si, mi muchachito,
She'd love to sing it too if only she knew the way.
But try as she may,
In her voice there's a flaw!
And all that the lady can say
is "HE-HAW!"

There's a light in her eye,
Tho' she may try to hide it,
She cannot deny,
There's a light in her eye.
Oh! the charm of her smile
So beguiles all who see her
That they'd ride a mile
For the charm of her smile.

Amigo mio, is she listenin' to my song?
No, no, mi muchachito, how could you be so wrong?
La bella Senorita?
Si, Si, la Senorita,
If she knew all the words,
Well, maybe she'd sing along
Her face is a dream
Like an angel I saw!
But all that my darlin' can scream
Is: "HE-HAW!"
Senorita donkey sita, not so fleet as a mosquito,
But so sweet like my Chiquita,
You're the one for me.

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