E. Ray Goetz

Edward Ray Goetz (June 12, 1886 – June 12, 1954) was an American composer, songwriter, author and producer. He was a charter member of ASCAP in 1914, and was a director until 1917.^[1] Goetz appeared in the films Somebody Loves Me (1952), The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) and For Me And My Gal (1942). He wrote the songs "Toddling The Todalo" and "For Me And My Gal". He co-wrote the 50 Million Frenchmen musical play with Herbert Fields and Cole Porter which was released as the 1930 Warner Brothers film Fifty Million Frenchmen.^[2]

Personal life

On 24 October 1918,^[3] Goetz was married to actress Irène Bordoni. They were divorced in 1929.

In 1912, his sister Dorothy Goetz married songwriter Irving Berlin. She died six months later of typhoid fever contracted during their honeymoon in Havana, Cuba. A song Berlin wrote to express his grief was "When I Lost You."

Songwriter

1942 film - Goetz co-wrote music

His popular-song compositions included "Who'll Buy My Violets?", "Argentina," "Let's Be Lonesome Together," "So This Is Love," "Don't Go In the Lion's Cage Tonight," "If You Could Care," "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula," "The Life of a Rose," "Meet Me in the Shadows," "The Land of Going to Be" and "Boom."

Composer

Stage scores

• "For Me and My Gal"
• "The Never Homes"
• "The Hen Pecks"
• "Hokey-Pokey"
• "Hanky-Panky"
• "Roly-Poly"
• "All Aboard"
• "The Pleasure Seekers"
• "Hitchy-Koo"

Movie songwriter

• "For Me and My Gal" (uncredited)) 1985
• "So This Is Love", 1953
• "Toddling the Todalo", 1952
• "Lovely Luawana Lady", 1952
• "Do I Love You?", 1923)
• "He Goes to Church on Sunday", 1907
• "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaiian Love Song)" (lyrics)
• "Fifty Million Frenchmen", 1931 (playwright)
• "Paris", 1929
• "If You Could Care", 1929

Producer

• George White's Scandals of 1922
• As You Were
• The French Doll
• Little Miss Bluebeard
• Paris
• Fifty Million Frenchmen
• The New Yorkers

References