Betty Comden, the celebrated writer who, along with Adolph Green, was the main talent behind some of MGM's most exhilarating screenplays, (Singin' in the Rain, The Bandwagon, It's Always Fair Weather) and was the toast of Broadway when she co-penned (with Green) such breezy musicals as On The Town, Bells Are Ringing, died of heart failure on November 23 in New York City. She was 91.

She was born on May 3, 1915 as Elizabeth Cohen in Brooklyn, New York. After her drama studies at New York University, she entered the New York Theater scene and immediately hooked up with an aspiring young actor named Adolph Green. Little did they know at the time that their partnership would result in works that are arguably high water marks for the modern American musical.

Before such fame though, Cohen (who would become Betty Comden) began humbly when she, Green and an acquaintance of his, Judy Tuvin (who later gained fame as Judy Holliday) performed at small nightclubs in Greenwich Village in New York's Lower East side. Their material, both the songs and jokes, were self-penned, and by the early '40s word of mouth spread about the trio's talent and they eventually performed at Radio City Music Hall under the moniker The Revuers.

The critical nods for Comden and Green first came when they wrote their debut smash musical On the Town in 1944. The story, about three sailors on leave in Manhattan during World War II, was deceptively simple, as it provided the framework for an astounding array of songs, most notably "New York, New York." Soon they were writing for Hollywood: Good News (1947) with Peter Lawford and June Allyson; The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger's last teaming; an adaptation of their classic On the Town (also 1949); and of course, their crowning cinematic achievement, the brilliant Singin' in the Rain (1952). Few would have guessed that the screenplay, fashioned around a collection of Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed songs, would be so endearing, but the genius of Comden and Green was their ability to innately incorporate the songs into a seamless narrative that only propelled the story line. And surely, their lyrics for the side splitting Moses Supposes number (when Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor erupt into a joyous dance number in front of Gene's diction teacher) alone was enough to prove their considerable wit and talent.

Afterwards, they continued to knock out some excellent film vehicles; The Band Wagon with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charrise; It's Always Fair Weather (1955) a serio-comic musical about three returning G.I.'s starring Gene Kelly, Dan Daily and Michael Kidd; Auntie Mame (1958), Rosalind Russell's box-office hit; the screen adaptation of their wonderful Broadway hit Bells Are Ringing (1960) that starred their old collaborator Judy Holliday; and finally, the amusing Shirley MacLaine outing What a Way to Go (1964). An intriguing footnote, Comden was also a solid actress, and she was an effective Greta Garbo in Garbo Talks (1984) and fine in her cameo as the aging Mrs. Wheeler in Slaves of New York (1989). Adolph Green passed away in October 2002, and Comden made few public appearances after his death, although she made an exception when a tribute to their work was staged at the Shubert Theatre shortly after his death. She is survived by her daughter Susanna.

by Michael T. Toole