Ann Ronell was one of the first and few women to have a successful career as a composer and lyricist writing for film and Tin Pan Alley. She attended Radcliffe where she interviewed George Gershwin for the college paper. He hired her as his rehearsal pianist, brought her to Broadway, and became her mentor. She dedicated “Willow Weep for Me” to him. Paul Whiteman recorded it with Irene Taylor on vocals, but it was Muzzy Marcellino’s version with Ted Fio Rito’s Orchestra that first introduced it. Chad and Jeremy had a chart buster with it in 1964. There have been over 800 recordings of it, and it’s in the fake books of nearly every jazz artist.
In 1933 Ronell wrote “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” with Frank Churchill which became Disney’s first hit song. She continued to score Disney shorts and contributed songs to Champagne Waltz (1937) and Blockade (1938). She received two Oscar nominations for The Story of GI Joe (1945)--Best Score with
•
•
Like Kay Swift, Ann Ronell benefited from the friendship and mentorship of George Gershwin. She met him while she was a student at Radcliffe when she had the opportunity to interview him for a project. Gershwin encouraged Ann Rosenblatt to change her name to Ann Ronell. After all, he himself had been born Jacob Gershowitz. He also suggested she get training by acting as rehearsal pianist for a show, then hired her for his own musical Rosalie in 1928. She was 21 years old.
In 1931, she made her Broadway debut as a writer when she collaborated with Muriel Pollock on a song for Shoot the Works! This show was an effort by Heywood Broun to get actors and writers working, just after the Great Depression hit and people were in a panic. Shoot the Works! featured the contributions of many well-established writers alongside brand-new folks. Ronell got to be one of them after she heard about the project and just showed up at the theatre, trying to get her songs heard and considered. The one that ended up being picked, “Let’s Go Out in the Open Air,” was performed by rising star Imogen