Hughie Prince

American songwriter

Hugh Durham Prince, also known as Hughie Prince, (9 August 1906 – 15 January 1960) was an American film composer and songwriter.^[1] He composed "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with lyricist Don Raye for the movie comedy, Buck Privates, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1942.^[2]^[3]

Biography

Hugh Prince was born in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. In 1920 he was living with his parents on Westover Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia. His father died in 1921 and by the 1930s Prince was living with his mother in Queens in New York where he worked as a stage actor. During the 1940s, Prince and his mother were living in New York City where he worked as a songwriter in the music industry.

His music was used in more than 56 film and television productions. From 1940, he composed film music, starting with "Hit the Road" and "Rhumboogie" for the film Argentine Nights. In 1940, Prince and Don Raye wrote the song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", sung by the Andrews Sisters, in the 1941 film comedy, Buck Privates, with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the lead roles and gaining as Oscar nomination in the Best Song category.^[2] However, the statue went to Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II for their song "The Last Time I Saw Paris" from the film musical Lady Be Good. Prince had a small role as Henry in Buck Privates.^[4]^[5] "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" remained the most successful song by Prince and, even after his death, it was used in feature films, television productions and shows. He wrote additional music for The Girl from Nantucket,^[6]^[7] and composed the score, wrote the lyrics and the script and directed the film drama The Strip Tease Murder Case in 1950.

Prince died in New York, United States in 1960, aged 53, and was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Rutland County in Vermont.

Songs (selection)

1939 "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – with Don Raye
1941: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four", "When Private Brown Becomes a Captain", "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith", "I Wish You Were Here"—composed with Don Raye for the movie Buck Privates
1941: "You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith" used in the movie In the Navy
1941: "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" used in the short film In the Groove
1944: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in Follow the Boys
1944: "Sing" from the movie Moonlight and Cactus
1944: "Let's Have Another One" from the movie Dreaming
1946: "Solid Potato Salad" from the movie Breakfast in Hollywood
1946: "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four" used in One Exciting Week
1947: "Bounce Me Brother with a Solid Four" used in The Egg and I
1953 "Pour Me a Glass of Teardrops" – with Dick Rogers
1962: "Rhumboogie" used in Term of Trial
1976: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", used in the Bette Midler Show
1986: "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", used in the 40th Annual Tony Awards
1988: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in the television mini-series War and Remembrance
1992: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
1995: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in Beautiful Is the Youth (Lust och fägring stor)
1997: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in the television mini-series The Shining
2004: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in Something the Lord Made
2009: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in The Land of the Lost
2012: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in Red Tails
2015: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" used in Pitch Perfect 2

References

^ "Hughie Prince (songwriter) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". Adp.library.ucsb.edu.
^ ^a ^b "The 14th Academy Awards | 1942". Oscars.org.
^ Reid, John (November 1, 2004). Popular Pictures of the Hollywood 1940s. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781411617377 – via Google Books.
^ Nimmo, H. Arlo (April 17, 2007). The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record. McFarland. ISBN 9780786432608 – via Google Books.
^ "ThreeStooges.net : Cast Member : Hugh Prince". Threestooges.net.
^ "Hughie Prince". Playbill.com.
^ "Hughie Prince Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos". Broadwayworld.com.