Jack Strachey

Composer Jack Strachey is most associated with the pop standard "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)," though he's also remembered in England as an author of light orchestra instrumentals. Strachey was born Jack Strachey Parsons in Brighton, England, in 1894, and first started writing songs for theater productions (including 1927's Lady Luck) and musical revues. He struck up a partnership with Eric Maschwitz (who sometimes wrote under the name Holt Marvell) in the early '30s, and their collaboration on "These Foolish Things" (along with American-born Harry Link) for the 1936 London revue Spread It Abroad gave them an enormous hit on both sides of the Atlantic. In America alone, five Top Ten versions were recorded that year (the biggest by Benny Goodman), and French actor Jean Sablon -- who was originally supposed to premiere the song but backed out, to be replaced by Dorothy Dickson -- recorded it for a hit in his native country under the title "Ces Petites Choses." During the '40s, Strachey moved into solo composition, crafting light, easy listening pieces for British orchestras. Among the best-known were "Theatreland" (1940), "Shaftesbury Avenue," "Pink Champagne," "Ascot Parade," "Mayfair Parade," and "Starlight Cruise." Additionally, 1944's "In Party Mood" became the theme song for a BBC radio show called Housewives' Choice, which ran from 1946 through 1967. He continued to work with Maschwitz as well, co-writing the 1949 stage musical Belinda Fair; he also teamed up with Alan Stranks to write the Ink Spots' British hit "No Orchids for My Lady." Strachey passed away in 1972.
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