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biography
 Werner
Richard Heymann was born on the 14th February 1896 in Koenigsberg.
He came to Berlin in 1912 and initially wrote serious music. In
1918 his "Rhapsodic
Simphony" received its première
with the Vienna Philharmonic under the Musical Direction of Felix
Weingartner. From 1918 - 1919 Heymann, together with Friedrich Hollaender,
is Musical Director of Max Reinhardt's cabaret, "Schall und
Rauch", for which Heymann and Hollaender engage Mischa Spoliansky
as third pianist and composer. Heymann writes for Rosa Valetti and
her cabarets, "Cabaret Groessenwahn" and "Die Rampe",
and between 1921 and 1923 he is Musical Director of Trude
Hesterberg's cabaret, "Die
Wilde Buehne", setting to music texts by, in particular,
Mehring ("Die kleine Stadt", "Die Kaelte", "An
den Kanaelen"), Klabund ("In Algier sind die Maedchen
schwarz"), Tucholksky ( "Das
Leibregiment", "Die Dorfschoene") and Heller
("Berliner Moritat", "Aus Pennen und Kaschemmen")
as well as, amongst others, Fritz Gruenbaum, Marcellus Schiffer
and Gustav von Wangenheim. His work is performed principally by
 Trude
Hesterberg, Kate
Kuehl ( "Der
Glockenturm"), Kurt Gerron and Annemarie Hase.
 Heymann,
while also composing music for the stage, including the world première
of Ernst Toller's "Die
Wandlung" turns in 1923 for the first time to film. Having
in 1925 been the assistant to the musical supremo of UFA, Ernoe
Rapée, he becomes his successor in 1926, and writes scores
for silent movies including Murnau's "Faust" and Fritz
Lang's "Spione". In 1929 he composes the music for UFA's
first talking picture, "Melodie des Herzens". He subsequently
establishes a new genre - Film Operetta - and by 1933 has composed
the music for 15 UFA films, with numerous hit songs, whose lyrics
as a rule are penned by Robert
Gilbert:
"Liebeswalzer"
(including: "Du bist das suesseste Maedel der Welt"),
"Die Drei von
der Tankstelle" ("Ein
Freund, ein guter Freund", Liebling, mein Herz laesst dich
gruessen"), "Bomben auf Monte Carlo" ("Das ist
die Liebe der Matrosen"), "Der
Kongress tanzt" ("Das muss ein Stueck vom Himmel sein",
"Das
gibt's nur einmal, das kommt nicht wieder"), "Der
Sieger" ("Hoppla, jetzt komm ich!"), "Ein blonder
Traum" ("Irgendwo auf der Welt", "Alles verstehen,
heisst alles verzeihn"). The songs are performed by Lilian
Harvey, Willy Fritsch, Oskar Karlweis, Heinz Ruehmann, Hans
Albers, Paul Hoerbiger, and the Comedian Harmonists, to name but
a few.
 In
1933 Heymann,
who was born into a Jewish family, emigrates from Nazi Germany.
In Paris he writes operettas
(including: "Florestan,
1er Prince de Monaco"). In 1934 he is for a while in Hollywood,
then once again in Paris, he makes the film "The Beloved Vagabond"
with Maurice Chevalier in London, then in 1936 he finally
moves to Hollywood. There he creates the music for the Lubitsch
films "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" (together with Hollaender),
"Ninotschka"
with Greta Garbo, "The Shop Around The Corner", "That
Uncertain Feeling" and "To
Be Or Not To Be". For the latter two, as well as for "One
Million Years B.C." (directed by Hal Roach, Jr.) and "Knickerbocker
Holiday" (directed by Harry Joe Brown), he receives Oscar nominations.
In the USA between 1937 and 1950 he writes the scores for around
50 films.
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