Rida Johnson Young (February , â€" May , ) was an American
playwright, songwriter and librettist. In her career, Young wrote over
thirty plays and musicals, and over songs. She was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in . Some of her best-known lyrics include
"Mother Machree" from the show Barry of Ballymore, "Italian Street
Song", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of
Life" from Naughty Marietta, and "Will You Remember?" from
Maytime.Young was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She was an actress
early in her career with both the Viola Allen and E. H. Sothern
Broadway (New York) companies before working for the music publisher
Isidore Witmark. As a playwright, her first work, Lord Byron, was
produced in by actor-producer James Young, to whom she was married
from to . He was later married to the silent film actress Clara
Kimball.Young's Brown of Harvard opened in at Princess Theatre in New
York City. It was the first Broadway play written by Young and
contains her song "When Love Is Young"; it was adapted as a silent
movie in . This play was followed by the comic play The Boys of
Company "B" which premiered at the Lyceum Theatre and featured
Florence Nash in her Broadway debut. The Lancers was a musical with
music and lyrics by Cecilia Loftus and George Spink. Glorious Betsy, a
play that was remade as a silent film of the same name in directed
by Alan Crosland, was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing
Adapted Screenplay. The play The Lottery Man opened at Bijou Theatre
in and ran for performances. The film version from featured Oliver
Hardy. Ragged Robin, a musical set in Ireland in , is based on a book
by Young. It opened at Academy of Music in and ran for only
performances.[citation needed]Young wrote book and lyrics to the
operetta Naughty Marietta, composer Victor Herbert's greatest success.
Produced by Oscar Hammerstein, it opened at New York Theatre in , ran
for performances and was frequently revived. A film version from was
nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her play The
Marriage Bond was adapted into a film of the same name. Young wrote
the lyrics of "Kiss Waltz" and "Mother" in , both of which were set to
music by Sigmund Romberg.
playwright, songwriter and librettist. In her career, Young wrote over
thirty plays and musicals, and over songs. She was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in . Some of her best-known lyrics include
"Mother Machree" from the show Barry of Ballymore, "Italian Street
Song", "I'm Falling in Love with Someone" and "Ah! Sweet Mystery of
Life" from Naughty Marietta, and "Will You Remember?" from
Maytime.Young was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She was an actress
early in her career with both the Viola Allen and E. H. Sothern
Broadway (New York) companies before working for the music publisher
Isidore Witmark. As a playwright, her first work, Lord Byron, was
produced in by actor-producer James Young, to whom she was married
from to . He was later married to the silent film actress Clara
Kimball.Young's Brown of Harvard opened in at Princess Theatre in New
York City. It was the first Broadway play written by Young and
contains her song "When Love Is Young"; it was adapted as a silent
movie in . This play was followed by the comic play The Boys of
Company "B" which premiered at the Lyceum Theatre and featured
Florence Nash in her Broadway debut. The Lancers was a musical with
music and lyrics by Cecilia Loftus and George Spink. Glorious Betsy, a
play that was remade as a silent film of the same name in directed
by Alan Crosland, was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing
Adapted Screenplay. The play The Lottery Man opened at Bijou Theatre
in and ran for performances. The film version from featured Oliver
Hardy. Ragged Robin, a musical set in Ireland in , is based on a book
by Young. It opened at Academy of Music in and ran for only
performances.[citation needed]Young wrote book and lyrics to the
operetta Naughty Marietta, composer Victor Herbert's greatest success.
Produced by Oscar Hammerstein, it opened at New York Theatre in , ran
for performances and was frequently revived. A film version from was
nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her play The
Marriage Bond was adapted into a film of the same name. Young wrote
the lyrics of "Kiss Waltz" and "Mother" in , both of which were set to
music by Sigmund Romberg.
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