# Ray Evans

Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter best known for being a half of a composing-songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, specializing himself in writing lyrics for film songs. On music Livingston composed, Evans wrote the lyrics.

## Biography
### Early life and family

Ray Evans was born on February 4, 1915 to a Jewish family in Salamanca, New York.

### Career

Evans was valedictorian of his high school class, where he played clarinet in the band. The Salamanca High School yearbook from 1931 states: "His original themes and brilliant oral talks are the despair of his classmates. Ray's quite a humorist, too. At times, his satire is positively killing." He received a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1936, writing a senior thesis on "The relation between the central bank, member banks and the money market".
In 1934, Evans met Jay Livingston while a student at Penn. Together they played in the university's college dance orchestra, "The Continentals". During school vacations the orchestra was engaged to play on several international cruises. After graduation the duo continued their partnership, seeking a career as a song-writing team in New York and later Hollywood. Their first big break came after auditioning for comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson in 1939. Their song "G'Bye Now" made it into Olsen and Johnson's Broadway revue Hellzapoppin'. In 1946 Livingston and Evans signed a contract with Paramount Studios in Hollywood.
Livingston and Evans did not hit the top until 1946, when they set the music publishing business on fire with "To Each His Own," which reached number one on the Billboard charts for three different artists, and occupied the top five positions on the "Most Played On the Air" chart for four different weeks (August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten). "Buttons and Bows" (1947) was their next multi-million seller, written for the movie The Paleface, with four artists reaching the top ten in 1948. For that song, the duo earned their first major award, the Academy Award for Best Song. They finished off the decade with 1949's "Mona Lisa", written for the movie Captain Carey, U.S.A.. It was a chart hit for seven popular and two country artists in 1950, sold a million for Nat King Cole, and won the pair another Best Song Oscar.
Livingston and Evans, both members of ASCAP, won their third Academy Award for the song "Que Sera Sera", featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Man Who Knew Too Much and sung by Doris Day. Another popular song that he and Livingston wrote for a film was the song "Tammy", written for the 1957 movie Tammy and the Bachelor. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. Livingston and Evans also wrote popular TV themes for shows including Bonanza and Mr. Ed.
Despite initial doubt on their part that the song would be commercially successful, their Christmas song "Silver Bells", intended for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid, has become a Christmas standard.
Evans appeared as himself with Livingston in the film Sunset Boulevard in the New Year's Eve party scene.
In 1958, the song-writing team was nominated for a Tony Award for the musical Oh, Captain!. Evans also collaborated separately with Michael Feinstein, Henry Mancini, Max Steiner, and Victor Young. The song "Dear Heart" from the 1964 film of the same name was written by Livingston and Evans with Henry Mancini; it was nominated for an Oscar and for the Song of the Year Grammy Award, and was recorded multiple times, charting for Andy Williams, Jack Jones, and Henry Mancini.

### Death

He died at age 92 in Los Angeles, California, on the 42nd anniversary of the death of Nat King Cole, who had made "Mona Lisa" so famous. He was married for nearly 56 years to actress, writer, and playwright Wyn Ritchie Evans. His legacy is maintained and developed by the Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation in Culver City, California. The Ray Evans Seneca Theater in his hometown of Salamanca, NY is named after him.

## Legacy

Evans is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He and Livingston have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

## Works

* Resources in your library
* Resources in other libraries
* Resources in your library
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Ray Evans wrote more than 700 songs for screen, stage, and television. Most were composed with writing partner Jay Livingston.

### Works on Screen

| Date | Movie | Production | Song |
| 1941 | Secrets of a Co-Ed | Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | Brazilly Willy |
| 1944 | I Accuse My Parents | Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | Are You Happy In Your Work? Love Came Between Us Where Can You Be? |
| 1944 | Swing Hostess | Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | I'll Eat My Hat I've Got An Invitation Let's Capture This Moment Music To My Ears Say It With Love Swing Hostess The Highway Polka |
| 1944 | Why Girls Leave Home | Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | Call Me The Cat and The Canary What Am I Sayin'? |
| 1945 | Crime, Inc. | Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) | I'm Guilty Lonely Little Camera Girl |
| 1945 | Kitty | Paramount Pictures | Kitty |
| 1945 | People Are Funny | Paramount Pictures | Hey Jose |
| 1945 | The Stork Club | Paramount Pictures | A Square In The Social Circle |
| 1946 | Double Rhythm | Paramount Pictures | Have The Last Kiss On Me |
| 1946 | Monsieur Beaucaire | Paramount Pictures | A Coach and Four Warm As Wine We'll Drink Every Drop In The Shop |
| 1946 | My Favorite Brunette | Paramount Pictures | Beside You My Favorite Brunette |
| 1946 | To Each His Own | Paramount Pictures | To Each His Own |
| 1947 | Champagne For Two | Paramount Pictures | Ho! Ho! Jose! |
| 1947 | Dream Girl | Paramount Pictures | Dream Girl Drunk With Love |
| 1947 | Easy Come, Easy Go | Paramount Pictures | Easy Come, Easy Go |
| 1947 | Golden Earrings | Paramount Pictures | Golden Earrings |
| 1947 | Paris In The Spring | Paramount Pictures | At The Carnival |
| 1947 | Smooth Sailing | Paramount Pictures | Great Feeling |
| 1947 | The Big Clock | Paramount Pictures | The Big Clock |
| 1947 | The Imperfect Lady | Paramount Pictures | Piccadilly Tilly |
| 1947 | Whispering Smith | Paramount Pictures | Laramie |
| 1948 | Beyond Glory | Paramount Pictures | Beyond Glory |
| 1948 | Catalina Interlude | Paramount Pictures | Catalina |
| 1948 | Isn't It Romantic? | Paramount Pictures | At The Nickelodeon I Shoulda Quit When I Was Ahead I Think of You Indiana Dinner Miss Julie July Wonderin' When |
| 1948 | Sorrowful Jones | Paramount Pictures | Havin' A Wonderful Wish (Time You Were Here) Rock-a-Bye Bangtail |
| 1948 | Speed to Spare | Pine-Thomas Productions-Paramount Pictures | Golden Earrings |
| 1948 | The Paleface | Paramount Pictures | Buttons and Bows Meetcha 'Round The Corner |
| 1949 | Bride of Vengeance | Paramount Pictures | Give My Love Give Thy Love The Wine of Old Giuseppe |
| 1949 | Copper Canyon | Paramount Pictures | Copper Canyon |
| 1949 | Dear Wife | Paramount Pictures | Dear Wife Havin' A Wonderful Wish (Time You Were Here) My Own True Love |
| 1949 | My Friend Irma | Paramount Pictures | Here's To Love Just For Fun My Friend Irma My Own, My Only, My All |
| 1949 | Paid In Full | Paramount Pictures | You're Wonderful |
| 1949 | Song of Surrender | Paramount Pictures | Song of Surrender |
| 1949 | Streets of Laredo | Paramount Pictures | The Streets of Laredo |
| 1949 | Sunset Blvd. | Paramount Pictures | Buttons and Bows The Paramount Don't Want Me Blues |
| 1949 | The Great Lover | Paramount Pictures | A Thousand Violins Lucky Us |
| 1949 | The Heiress | Paramount Pictures | My Love Loves Me |
| 1950 | Ace In The Hole | Paramount Pictures | We're Coming Leo |
| 1950 | Captain Carey, U.S.A. | Paramount Pictures | Mona Lisa |
| 1950 | Fancy Pants | Paramount Pictures | Fancy Pants Home Cookin' |
| 1950 | Lucy Gallant | Paramount Pictures | How Can I Tell Her? |
| 1950 | My Friend Irma Goes West | Paramount Pictures | Baby, Obey Me! I'll Always Love You (Day After Day) Singing a Vagabond Song The Fiddle and Gittar Band |
| 1950 | No Man of Her Own | Paramount Pictures | The Lie |
| 1950 | Samson and Delilah | Paramount Pictures | The Song of Delilah |
| 1950 | The Furies | Paramount Pictures | T.C. Round-Up Time |
| 1950 | The Redhead and the Cowboy | Paramount Pictures | Trav'lin' Free |
| 1951 | Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick | Paramount Pictures | Chores I'd Like To Baby You Life Is A Beautiful Thing Marshmallow Moon My Beloved Purt' Nigh, But Not Plumb Saturday Night In Punkin Crick Soda Shop Step Right Up Still Water The Spider and the Fly Why Should I Believe In Love? Will You Be At Home In Heaven? |
| 1951 | Anything Can Happen | Paramount Pictures | Love Laughs At Kings |
| 1951 | Crosswinds | Paramount Pictures | Crosswinds |
| 1951 | Here Comes The Groom | Paramount Pictures | Bonne Nuit Here Comes The Groom Misto Cristofo Columbo Your Own Little House |
| 1951 | My Favorite Spy | Paramount Pictures | Just A Moment More |
| 1951 | Rhubarb | Paramount Pictures | Friendly Finance Company It's A Priv'lege To Live In Brooklyn |
| 1951 | Sangaree | Pine Thomas Productions-Paramount Pictures | Sangaree |
| 1951 | Somebody Loves Me | Paramount Pictures | Honey, Oh, My Honey Love Her! Love Him! Thanks To You |
| 1951 | Son of Paleface | Paramount Pictures | California Rose What A Dirty Shame Wing-Ding Tonight |
| 1951 | That's My Boy | Paramount Pictures | Ridgeville Fight Song |
| 1951 | The Lemon Drop Kid | Paramount Pictures | It Doesn't Cost A Dime To Dream Silver Bells They Obviously Want Me To Sing |
| 1951 | When Worlds Collide | Paramount Pictures | When Worlds Collide |
| 1952 | Houdini | Paramount Pictures | The Golden Years |
| 1952 | Off Limits | Paramount Pictures | All About Love Right or Wrong The Military Policeman |
| 1952 | The Stars Are Singing | Paramount Pictures | Haven't Got A Worry I Do! I Do! I Do! I Don't See What You See In Me Lovely Weather For Ducks My Heart Is Home My Kind of Day Woof |
| 1952 | Those Redheads from Seattle | Paramount Pictures | Mister Banjo Man |
| 1952 | Thunder In The East | Paramount Pictures | The Ruby and the Pearl |
| 1952 | What Price Glory | 20th Century Fox | All My Love My Love, My Life You and Me Together |
| 1953 | Here Come The Girls | Paramount Pictures | Ali Baba Don't Take My Heart Girls! Heavenly Days Here Come The Girls It's Torment Never So Beautiful See The Circus When You Love Someone Ya Got Class! |
| 1953 | Red Garters | Paramount Pictures | A Dime and a Dollar Bad News Brave Man Ginger Pete Good Intentions Lady Killer Let Me Love You Man and Woman Meet A Happy Guy Red Garters The Robin Randall Song This Is Greater Than I Thought Vaquero! |
| 1954 | Casanova's Big Night | Paramount Pictures | Pretty Mandolin |
| 1954 | Mister Roberts | Warner Bros. | Let Me Hear You Whisper |
| 1954 | Sabrina | Paramount Pictures | Dream Girl |
| 1954 | Three Ring Circus | Paramount Pictures | Hey, Punchinello |
| 1955 | Raw Wind in Eden | Universal International Pictures | The Magic Touch |
| 1955 | The Man Who Knew Too Much | Paramount Pictures | Holy Cow Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) We'll Love Again |
| 1955 | The Second Greatest Sex | Universal International Pictures | The Second Greatest Sex |
| 1956 | Istanbul | Universal International Pictures | I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) |
| 1956 | Tammy and the Bachelor | Universal International Pictures | French Heels Tammy |
| 1956 | The Mole People | Universal International Pictures | The Mole People |
| 1956 | The Scarlet Hour | Paramount Pictures | Never Let Me Go |
| 1957 | Omar Khayyam | Paramount Pictures | Tell My Love The Loves of Omar Khayyam |
| 1957 | Saddle the Wind | MGM | Saddle the Wind |
| 1957 | The James Dean Story | Warner Bros. | Let Me Be Loved |
| 1957 | This Happy Feeling | Universal International Pictures | This Happy Feeling |
| 1958 | Another Time Another Place | Paramount Pictures | Another Time Another Place |
| 1958 | Girls On The Loose | Universal Pictures | I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late) |
| 1958 | Houseboat | Paramount Pictures | Almost In Your Arms Bing! Bang! Bong! |
| 1958 | Once Upon A Horse | Universal International Pictures | Once Upon A Horse |
| 1958 | The Big Beat | Universal International Pictures | As I Love You |
| 1958 | Vertigo | Paramount Pictures | Vertigo |
| 1959 | A Private's Affair | 20th Century Fox | 36-24-36 If You're Willing to Be Mine Love Is A Private Affair The Same Old Army Warm and Willing |
| 1959 | The Blue Angel | 20th Century Fox | Lola-Lola |
| 1959 | Take a Giant Step | United Artists | Take a Giant Step |
| 1960 | All Hands On Deck | 20th Century Fox | All Hands On Deck I Got It Made Little Friend Somewhere There's Home There's No One Like You You Mean Everything To Me |
| 1961 | The Two Little Bears | 20th Century Fox | Honey Bear |
| 1961 | Too Late Blues | Paramount Pictures | Free How Shall We Begin? Love Is Mardis Gras Moonlight In Mexico More and More Amor Take Your Time That's Loneliness Those Bad Old Days Three Dollar Bill |
| 1962 | Krazy Kat | King Features-Paramount | Kolin Kelly Krazy Kat Mrs. Kwakk-Kwakk Offissa Pup |
| 1962 | Wait Until Dark | Warner Bros. | Wait Until Dark |
| 1964 | Dear Heart | Warner Bros. | Dear Heart |
| 1964 | Tammy and the Doctor | Universal Pictures | Tammy |
| 1964 | Those Calloways | Walt Disney | Angel |
| 1964 | Youngblood Hawke | Warner Bros. | On My Way (The Youngblood Hawke theme) |
| 1965 | Charade | Universal Pictures | Punch and Judy |
| 1965 | Harlow | Paramount Pictures | Lonely Girl |
| 1965 | Never Too Late | Paramount Pictures | Never Too Late |
| 1965 | The Night of the Grizzly | Paramount Pictures | Angela |
| 1965 | The Third Day | Warner Bros. | Love Me Now |
| 1966 | Arabesque | Universal Pictures | We've Loved Before |
| 1966 | Is Paris Burning? | Paramount Pictures | Paris Smiles |
| 1966 | The Oscar | Embassy Pictures | Maybe September The Glass Mountain |
| 1966 | This Property is Condemned | Paramount Pictures | Wish Me A Rainbow |
| 1966 | Torn Curtain | Universal International Pictures | The Green Years |
| 1966 | What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? | United Artists | In the Arms of Love |
| 1976 | The Far Side of Paradise | New World Pictures | Foxtrot |
| 1976 | W.C. Fields and Me | Universal International Pictures | The Joke's On Me |
| 1984 | The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud | 20th Century Fox | Angel In The Night |
| 1986 | Mona Lisa | Handmade Film and Palace Productions | Mona Lisa |

### Works on Stage

| Date | Musical | Production | Song |
| 1940 | Hellzapoppin' | Olsen and Johnson | Bounce G'bye Now My Heart's On Ice My Heartzapoppin' The Window Wiper Song |
| 1941 | Sons o' Fun | Olsen and Johnson | Additional Music by Jay Levinson and Ray Evans |
| 1942 | New Hellzapoppin' of 1943 | Olsen and Johnson | Hellzapoppin' Polka |
| 1951 | I Love Lydia | Players Ring, Hollywood, California | Gee, It's Gonna Be Wonderful Give The Little Girls A Great Big Hand I Love Lydia I Was Waiting for You I Wouldn't Have Had To Let Me Put It This Way Leçon de danse My Most Delectable Dream One Last Fling Riviera The Order of the Garter Viva La Buck Viva La Duel |
| 1954 | Oh, Captain! | Alvin Theatre | A Very Proper Town All Over Again All The Time Anywhere But Here Captain Henry St. James Double Standard Femininity Give It All You Got Hey, Madame I've Been There (And I'm Back) It's Never Quite The Same Life Does A Man A Favor Love Is Hell Oh Captain Prologue Oh Captain! (Overture) Surprise The Morning Music of Montmartre Three Paradises We're Not Children You Don't Know Him You're So Right For Me |
| 1954 | That's Life | Los Angeles Revue | Chihuahua Choo-Choo Clink, Clank, Clunk The Livin' Lovin' Doll |
| 1961 | Let It Ride | Eugene O'Neill Theater | Broads Ain't People Ev'rything Beautiful Happy Birthday Erwin! He Needs You Hey Jimmy Joe John Jim Jack His Own Little Island I Wouldn't Have Had To I Wouldn't Settle for Less I'll Learn Ya If Flutterby Wins It Just Didn't Happen That Way Just An Honest Mistake Let It Ride! Love, Let Me Know Run! Run! Run! The Best Undressed Girl In Town The Nicest Thing There's Something About A Horse Who's Doing What To Erwin? You're The Nicest Thing |
| 1976 | Kentucky Lucky | Unproduced | Any Other Way Country Mornin' Young East To Asheville, South To Atlanta Firin' Up The Seminole Express Kentucky Lucky Put It In A Box The Female He-Male Hoedown Song The Single Girl This Is Home |
| 1979 | Sugar Babies | Mark Hellinger Theatre | Sugar Baby Bounce Warm and Willing |
| 1984 | The Italian Look | Unproduced | Afternoon In Athens All About Women Cara Mia It's In To Be In Just As You Are Kind O' Nice Look-A-Here Joe See Ya, Love Ya The Four Generals The Garbage Disposal The Italian Look (Finale) Viva La Difference |
| 1984 | West of East | Unproduced | Almost In Love Broken Promises That's What I'm Afraid Of The Day After Tomorrow West of East What Am I Afraid Of Wild West Showing |
| 1987 | The Red Parasol | Unproduced | Bon! Bon! Bon! It Just Didn't Happen That Way Tango For Lechers The Natives Are Restless Tonight The Red Parasol The Story Yes |
| 1987 | What Fools These Mortals Be | Unproduced | Brotherhood It's A Miracle Let's Be Lovers Let's Paint The Whole World With Love Love Is Blind Lysander Loves Hermia, Helena Loves Demetrius Unfair! |
| 1988 | The Odyssey of Runyon Jones | Valley Music Theater | Don't Brother Me I Gave You A River I Got A Plan Law and Order Old Gypsy Man Pootsy The Book of Regulations The Odyssey of Runyon Jones What Is A Dog? What Is A Robot? |
| 1990 | The Passions of Perichole | Unproduced | As The Bird Flies But I Miss Him For The Man I Love I Need Your Love I'll Make Every Moment Me Mother Earth Soul Music That's Where I Belong The Battle Hymn of Him And Her The Poor Proud People of Peru The World Belongs To Me What Can I Do That's New What Has She Got |

### Works on Television

| Date | Show | Production | Song |
| 1954 | Satins And Spurs | NBC | Back Home I've Had Enough Nobody Cares Satins and Spurs The Little Rock Roll Whoop Diddy Ay Wildcat Smathers You're So Right For Me |
| 1956 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | NBC | Anniversary Rose |
| 1958 | Peter Gunn | NBC | Bye, Bye Dreamsville Straight To Baby |
| 1959 | Bonanza | NBC | Bonanza My Sons, My Sons |
| 1959 | Mr. Lucky | CBS | Mr. Lucky |
| 1959 | The Chevy Show | NBC | That Ain't Right |
| 1959 | General Electric Theater | MCA-TV | I Heard One Hand Tied Behind My Back |
| 1960 | Mister Ed | CBS | Anonymous Fiddle Foot Mister Ed |
| 1965 | Tammy | ABC | Tammy |
| 1970 | To Rome With Love | CBS | To Rome With Love |
| 1977 | The Busters: Ransom for Alice | NBC | A Dude And A Doll |
| 1979 | A Family Circus Christmas | Cullen-Kasdan Productions | The Dreamer |
| 1988 | Bonanza: The Next Generation | NBC | Bonanza |
| 1993 | Bonanza: The Return | NBC | Bonanza |
| 1995 | Bonanza: Under Attack | NBC | Bonanza |