A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life: A Portrait by His Daughter

by Susan Loesser

The daughter of one of America's most prolific and enduring composers turns her pen to an engaging, revealing portrait of her father, her family and the life they shared in the giant shadow that his fame cast. With the 1992 Broadway revivals of Guys and Dolls and The Most Happy Fella, Frank Loesser's music once again reverberates around the nation. Loesser was the composer, lyricist and driving force behind these classics, as well as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Where's Charley? His range included songs that have become staples of American popular music - "Baby It's Cold Outside," "Heart and Soul" and so many others. Piecing together her own memories with those of singers, songwriters, producers, friends and family members, Susan Loesser brings to vivid life what it was like to know father. And to know him was quite a festival: fiery of temper, very funny and ferociously committed to his art, Loesser drove singers out of their minds - and to their best. A rich, comprehensive account of Loesser's life and career - infused with the warmth and personal insights only a family member could bring to it - A Most Remarkable Fella is a unique and invaluable portrait of one of the true geniuses of popular music in the 20th century.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 1993

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite genres, bios or memoirs about composers and lyricists this is a book that I owned for twenty five years before I began reading it. Susan Loesser spares no descriptions of her mother's erratic behavior, strange family dynamics, her father's explosive temperament, and yet their creativity rises to the surface. On the outside a privileged upbringing in Hollywood and New York City didn't compensate for feeling a neglected childhood where her cherished nanny was the only affectionate adult in her sphere.
I enjoyed every page and am so grateful that even delayed, I finally selected A MOST REMARKABLE FELLA from the shelf.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a remarkably long title, for a remarkably meh sort of book. Susan Loesser isn't a bad writer, but she's not really all that good either. Methinks she was cashing in on the successful 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls. What I came away with from the memoir is that Frank Loesser was a remarkable dicksmack - he sounds awful. Still, the book has some behind the stage Broadway gossip, some of which was new at least to me. So it wasn't all bad.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

After attending a delightful "musical talk" on Frank Loesser recently, I decided to purchase this book and read it. Susan Loesser, the author and Frank's daughter, was part of the talk, and she had brought along some of her books to inscribe and sell. I found it to be an honest and engaging tribute to her beloved, brilliantly talented and difficult father.

[D. George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The good & the bad, the great and the awful -- and wonderfully comprehensive.

[Maryellen Cyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book makes the case that children of the subject of a biography may not necessarily be the best authors.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life: A Portrait by His Daughter by Susan Loesser (Donald I. Fine Inc. 1998) (780.92) is the story of a remarkable lyricist and songwriter who is personally responsible for the creation of some of my favorite music from Broadway. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1949 for "Baby It's Cold Outside." He won two Tony Awards for the musical "Guys and Dolls," and he wrote the music and lyrics for the show "Hans Christian Anderson." Remarkably, he also won in 1962 a Pulitzer Prize for drama and two more Tonys for the music and lyrics to "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." He really was a most remarkable man! My rating: 6.5/10, finished 2/7/14.