# Vinton Freedley

Vinton Freedley (November 5, 1891 – June 5, 1969) was an American theater and television producer known for his productions of the works of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and television shows such as Talent Jackpot and Showtime U.S.A..

## Early life and education

Freedley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated Harvard University in 1914 where he was a member of The Delphic Club and The Hasty Pudding. He later attended The University of Pennsylvania where he earned a JD degree. He later became a member of the historic theatrical club, The Lambs in 1918

## Producing

Soon after graduating college, Freedley met Alexander A. Aarons with whom he formed a long term producing partnership. Their first major hit was Lady Be Good! (1924) with music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and featuring Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire. Over the next ten years the pair produced some of the most important works in the Broadway musical canon, featuring some of the most famous songs ever to emerge from the Tin Pan Alley era, part of what is commonly referred to as "The Great American Songbook." The shows that followed included Tip-Toes (1925), Oh, Kay! (1926), and Funny Face (1927), again starring the Astaires. All the scores were written by the Gershwins. In 1928 Aarons and Freedley produced Here's Howe, featuring the music of Gus Kahn, Joseph Meyer, and Irving Caesar; Hold Everything!, with a score by Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown; and Treasure Girl, with music by the Gershwins. In 1929 followed Spring Is Here and Heads Up!, both with songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Another Gershwin hit was Girl Crazy (1930). The partnership ended in 1932. Freedley produced 30 shows total on Broadway.

## Alvin Theatre

Aarons and Freedley built the Alvin Theatre, today known as the Neil Simon Theatre. It is a Broadway theater on 52nd Street in New York City with a capacity that fluctuates between 1400 and 1500 depending on the seating configuration. The theatre was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp. The original name is a portmanteau of the names of the two producers: Alex Aarons and Vinton Freedley.

## Broadway productions

| Production | Type | Year | Authors |
| Great to be Alive | Musical, Original | 1950 | A. Ellstein & Robert Russell Bennett (m); W. Bullock & S. Regan (b); Bullock (l) |
| The Young and the Fair | Play, Original | 1948 | N. Richard Nash |
| Mister Roberts | Play, Original | 1948 | Thomas Heggen & Joshua Logan |
| Memphis Bound | Musical, Original | 1945 | D. Walker & C. Warnick (m&l); A.W. Barker & S. Benson (b) |
| Jackpot | Musical, Original | 1944 | Vernon Duke (m); Howard Dietz (l); Guy Bolton, Sidney Sheldon & B. Roberts (b) |
| Let's Face It! | Musical, Original | 1941 | Cole Porter (m&l); Herbert Fields & Dorothy Fields (b) |
| Delicate Story | Play, Original | 1940 | by: Ferenc Molnár; Translation by Gilbert Miller |
| Cabin in the Sky | Musical, Original | 1940 | Vernon Duke (m); Lynn Root (b); J. La Touche (l) |
| Liliom | Play, Revival | 1940 | by: Ferenc Molnár; adapted by Benjamin Glazer |
| Leave It to Me! | Musical, Original | 1938 | Cole Porter (m&l); Bella Spewack & Sam Spewack (b) |
| Miss Quis | Play, Original | 1937 | Ward Morehouse |
| Red, Hot and Blue | Musical, Original | 1936 | Cole Porter (m&l) |
| Anything Goes | Musical, Original | 1934 | Cole Porter (m&l); Howard Lindsay, Russell Crouse (b) |
| Pardon My English | Musical, Original | 1933 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Herbert Fields (b) |
| Adam Had Two Sons | Play, Original | 1932 | John McDermott |
| Singin' the Blues | Play w/Music | 1931 | Jimmy McHugh, Burton Lane (m); John McGowan (b);Dorothy Fields, Harold Adamson (l) |
| Girl Crazy | Musical, Original | 1930 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, John McGowan (b) |
| Heads Up | Musical, Original | 1929 | Richard Rodgers (m); Lorenz Hart (l); J. McGowan, P.G. Smith (b) |
| Spring is Here | Musical, Original | 1929 | Richard Rodgers (m); Lorenz Hart (l); Owen Davis (b) |
| Treasure Girl | Musical, Original | 1929 | George Gershwin (m); Ira Gershwin (l);Fred Thompson, Vincent Lawrence (b) |
| Hold Everything! | Musical, Original | 1929 | Ray Henderson (m); Lew Brown, B.G. DeSylva (l); John McGowan, DeSylva (b) |
| Here's Howe | Musical, Original | 1928 | Roger Wolfe, Joseph Myer (m); Irving Caesar (l); Fred Thompson, Paul Gerard Smith (b) |
| Oh, Kay! | Musical, Revival | 1928 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse (b) |
| Funny Face | Musical, Original | 1927 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l);Fred Thompson, Paul Gerard Smith (b) |
| Oh, Kay! | Musical, Original | 1926 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse (b) |
| Tip-Toes | Musical, Original | 1925 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson (b) |
| Lady, Be Good! | Musical, Original | 1924 | George and Ira Gershwin (m&l); Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson (b) |
| The New Poor | Play, Original | 1924 | |
| Elsie | Musical, Original | 1923 | |
| The World We Live In | Play, Original | 1922 | |
| For Goodness Sake | Musical, Original | 1922 | |
| Miss Millions | Play, Original | 1919 | |
| L'Elevation | Play, Original | 1917 | |

## Television

   * Showtime, U.S.A., TV Series 1950, Emcee
   * Talent Jackpot, TV Series 1949, Emcee
   * Stage Door Canteen, 1943
   * A Dangerous Affair, 1919