Great Partnerships
With Richard Baker. George and Ira Gershwin were the eldest of four children born in New York City to parents who were part of a wave of Russian-Jewish immigrants who came to the USA in the late 1800s.
George was a bit of a tearaway, while Ira was the bookworm, and they both initially made their living independently - George as a song plugger in Tin Pan Alley and Ira as a lyricist. One of George and Ira's first collaborations was a nonsense song they performed at parties. They then produced a string of successful musicals such as Lady, Be Good; Oh Kay; Funny Face; and Girl Crazy. They were lured to Hollywood, where they worked with some of the biggest stars of the screen, including Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly. They also collaborated on a serious full-length opera, Porgy and Bess.