One of the defining moments of 20th century popular cinema occurred in 1939, when Judy Garland looked longingly skyward and began to sing "Over The Rainbow" in the film THE WIZARD OF OZ , a song which has since become a modern classic.
And yet Harold Arlen, who wrote that wonderful song, is a relative unknown to today's public.
In his heyday Arlen, the son of a cantor, was regarded as at least an equal by the great songwriters of the period, and worked with many fine lyricists including Edgar 'Yip' Harburg ( the lyricist for "Over The Rainbow"), Ted Koehler, and the great Johnny Mercer, creating many songs that have since become standards. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the wonderfully evocative "Stormy Weather", from the 1933 show COTTON CLUB PARADE.

Harold Arlen was a major contributor to the golden era of American songwriting between the two World Wars, and the fact that his name is rarely mentioned alongside the giants of that period is something of a mystery.