Al Stillman


Al Stillman '' was an American lyricist.

Biography

Stillman was born to Jewish parents Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin . He adopted the name "Albert Stillman" as a professional pseudonym. He chose the name, reportedly, because it was the recognizable surname of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P. Adams' newspaper column, and in 1933 became a staff writer at Radio City Music Hall, a position he held for almost 40 years.
Stillman collaborated with a number of composers: Fred Ahlert, Robert Allen, Percy Faith, George Gershwin, Ernesto Lecuona, Paul McGrane, Kay Swift, and Arthur Schwartz. Many of his collaborations with Allen were major hits in the 1950s for The Four Lads; the Stillman/Allen team also wrote hit songs for Perry Como and Johnny Mathis.
Stillman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.

Songs for which Stillman wrote lyrics

Music by Robert Allen

Perry Como hits

Stillman, on September 29, 1939, married Pauline Reinfmann in Fort Lee, New Jersey. She was born in Russia and became a U.S. naturalized citizen March 22, 1943, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Pauline's sister, Anna "Billie" Swan , married, on August 7, 1925, in Manhattan to Einar Aaron Swan, an arranger and composer.