NPR Celebrates Frank Loesser At 100

June 29 will mark the 100th birthday of Frank Loesser, the iconic composer and lyricist who wrote over 700 songs and five Broadway musicals and contributed music and lyrics to dozens of Hollywood films during his 40-year long career.

NPR's Scott Simon spoke with Loesser's wife (and leading lady) Jo Sullivan Loesser on Weekend Edition Saturday about the composer's life and work.

Listen to the story here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126416716

Frank Loesser has been called the most versatile of all Broadway composers. His five Broadway musicals, each a unique contribution to the art of the American musical theatre, were as different from each other as they were from the Theatre Of their day: Where's Charley?, Guys And Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, Greenwillow and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Long before he wrote Where's Charley?, he was already known to America from the dozens of songs that had become enormous popular hits from his Hollywood career. He had supplied lyrics to the music of such greats as Jule Styne, Hoagy Carmichael, Burton Lane and Arthur Schwartz, among others, penning such standards as "On a Slow Boat to China," "Two Sleepy People," "Heart and Soul," "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year," "(See What) The Boys in the Backroom (Will Have)," "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" and his 1948 Academy Award winner, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."