Biography
Pop lyricist Jack Yellen reached peak productivity across the 1920s and 1930s, crafting Broadway scores alongside longtime partner Milton Ager before shifting to Hollywood screenplays. Born in Poland in 1892, he arrived in the United States at age five and later studied at the University of Michigan. Following graduation he briefly served as a reporter for a New York newspaper, then turned to songwriting in the early 1910s. His initial efforts were written for vaudevillian Sophie Tucker, yielding one of her signature successes in 1935 with “My Yiddish Momme.” Yellen subsequently became co-owner of the publishing firm Ager-Yellen-Bernstein Music Company. Among the numerous stage musicals he scored are What’s in a Name? (1920), Rain or Shine (1928), You Said It (1931), and Boys and Girls Together (1940). While his principal collaborator remained Milton Ager, he also partnered with composers Lew Pollack and Sammy Fain. His most lasting compositions encompass “Hard Hearted Hannah,” “Alabama Jubilee,” “Cheatin’ on Me,” “I Wonder What’s Become of Sally,” “Ain’t She Sweet,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and “Sing, Baby, Sing.” Yellen went on to author many Hollywood screenplays, including Pig-Skin Parade, Love Is News, and Wake Up and Live. In the 1950s and 1960s he resumed writing songs for Sophie Tucker.