Hal Hackady
Encyclopedia
Hal Hackady is an American
lyricist
, librettist, and screenwriter
.
Hackady began his career writing teleplays
for early anthology series General Electric Theater
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
. He graduated to feature film
s as the screenwriter of B-movies capitalizing on the rock and roll
craze, including Let's Rock, Senior Prom (both with music by Don Gohman), and Hey, Let's Twist, which earned him a Writers Guild of America
nomination for Best Written Musical.
Hackady's theatrical career began with the 1955 Broadway
revue Almost Crazy starring Kay Medford
, for which he wrote sketches and lyrics. Additional Broadway credits include Minnie's Boys
, Goodtime Charley
, Ambassador
, and Teddy & Alice
.
He also wrote lyrics for Divorce, of course! with Angela Paton and Robert Goldsby writing the book, and Lee Pockriss
writing the music. It waa originally translated from the French play, Divorcons, by Victorien Sardou
and Émile de Najac
.
In 1975, Hackady wrote the lyrics for Snoopy!!! The Musical
, a sequel to You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
. It premiered at the Little Fox Theatre in San Francisco, but it was not until 1982 that it was staged in New York City
, at the off-Broadway
Lamb's Theatre, with a cast that included David Garrison
, Vicki Lewis
, and Lorna Luft
. It was then mounted in the West End
at the Duchess Theatre
, where it enjoyed a successful run.
Hackady also has been represented off-Broadway with a musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1993) (which also was produced at Burt Reynolds
' dinner theatre in Jupiter, Florida
) and the revue Little by Little (1999). Alias Jimmy Valentine and Empty Pleasures have received regional theatre
stagings.
New York Mets
fans are familiar with Hackady's lyrics for "Let's Go, Mets," the team's theme song that was commissioned by advertising executive Jerry Della Femina
in 1986. The recording earned a gold record
and its companion video was a best-seller.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, librettist, and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Hackady began his career writing teleplays
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
for early anthology series General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater
General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:...
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
. He graduated to feature film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s as the screenwriter of B-movies capitalizing on the rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
craze, including Let's Rock, Senior Prom (both with music by Don Gohman), and Hey, Let's Twist, which earned him a Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America Awards 1962
The 15th Writers Guild of America Awards, given at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, California, U.S. on 7 May 1963, honored the best writers of 1962.-Film:*Best Written American Comedy:**That Touch of Mink - Nate Monaster and Stanley Shapiro...
nomination for Best Written Musical.
Hackady's theatrical career began with the 1955 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revue Almost Crazy starring Kay Medford
Kay Medford
Kay Medford , was an American character actress and comedienne.She was born Margaret Kathleen O'Regan in New York City to James and Mary O'Regan, first-generation Irish-American parents, both of whom had died by the time she was 15 years old...
, for which he wrote sketches and lyrics. Additional Broadway credits include Minnie's Boys
Minnie's Boys
Minnie's Boys is a musical with a book by Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady.It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the early days of the Marx Brothers and their relationship with their mother, the driving force behind their ultimate success.After an...
, Goodtime Charley
Goodtime Charley
Goodtime Charley is a musical with a book by Sidney Michaels, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady.A humorous take on actual historical events, it focuses on the Dauphin of France, who evolves from a hedonistic young man enamored of women in general into a regal king while Joan...
, Ambassador
Ambassador (musical)
Ambassador is a musical with a book by Don Ettlinger and Anna Marie Barlow, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and music by Don Gohman. It is based on the 1903 Henry James novel The Ambassadors....
, and Teddy & Alice
Teddy & Alice
Teddy & Alice is a musical with a book by Jerome Alden, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and music adapted from the work of the late John Philip Sousa, with some new songs by Richard Kapp...
.
He also wrote lyrics for Divorce, of course! with Angela Paton and Robert Goldsby writing the book, and Lee Pockriss
Lee Pockriss
Lee Julian Pockriss was an American songwriter who wrote many well-known popular songs and several scores for films and Broadway shows.-Early life and career:...
writing the music. It waa originally translated from the French play, Divorcons, by Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
and Émile de Najac
Emile de Najac
Comte Émile de Najac was a French librettist. He was a prolific writer during 2nd Empire and early part of the 3rd Republic, supplying plays and opéra comique librettos, many in one act...
.
In 1975, Hackady wrote the lyrics for Snoopy!!! The Musical
Snoopy!!! The Musical
Snoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown focuses more on the life of...
, a sequel to You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
. It premiered at the Little Fox Theatre in San Francisco, but it was not until 1982 that it was staged in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Lamb's Theatre, with a cast that included David Garrison
David Garrison
David Gene Garrison is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he may be more widely known for his numerous television roles, particularly that of Steve Rhoades on Married... with Children...
, Vicki Lewis
Vicki Lewis
Vicki Lewis is an American film, stage, television and voice actress best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio.-Personal life:...
, and Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...
. It was then mounted in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Duchess Theatre
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
, where it enjoyed a successful run.
Hackady also has been represented off-Broadway with a musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which the story is centered.-Background:...
(1993) (which also was produced at Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
' dinner theatre in Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter, Florida
Jupiter is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 39,328. The estimate population for 2009 is 50,606. As of 2006, the population had grown to 50,028, according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research....
) and the revue Little by Little (1999). Alias Jimmy Valentine and Empty Pleasures have received regional theatre
Regional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
stagings.
New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
fans are familiar with Hackady's lyrics for "Let's Go, Mets," the team's theme song that was commissioned by advertising executive Jerry Della Femina
Jerry Della Femina
Jerry Della Femina is an American advertising executive and restaurateur. Starting from a poor Italian background in Brooklyn, he eventually became chairman of Della Femina Travisano & Partners, an agency which he founded with Ron Travisano in the 1960s...
in 1986. The recording earned a gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
and its companion video was a best-seller.
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Lortel Archives listing
- Don Gohman papers, 1946-1974 Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
- Internet Movie Database listing