Come Fly With Me - the Legacy of Jimmy Van Heusen - Episode 1

Rupert Holmes considers the legacy of songwriter, hellraiser and pilot Jimmy Van Heusen, who wrote many hits for Frank Sinatra. When Jimmy Van Heusen died 20 years ago, the world of American popular song lost one of its most individual characters. Van Heusen was a man who could combine fine composition with serial womanising, and hard work in Hollywood alongside piloting his own aircraft. It's said that he gave his friend Frank Sinatra many of the elements which Sinatra used to define his own style and the 85 songs he wrote for him created a musical persona for Frank which still resonates today. And it's not just Sinatra who benefited from Van Heusen's music. His legacy is felt today, with performers like Michael Buble having notable successes with his songs. He was born Edward Chester Babcock in 1913 and was known as "Chet" to his family and friends. He preferred music to school and worked for a time on a local radio station, composing songs for listeners. Eventually, after a name change, he made it to New York where he began writing hit songs like Polka Dots And Moonbeams. An invitation to Hollywood led to his composing songs for Bing Crosby's "Road" movies. With Sammy Cahn he wrote numbers like Call Me Irresponsible and High Hopes, which later became John F. Kennedy's theme song. The musician, novelist and stage writer Rupert Holmes, famous for his 1979 hit Escape (the Pina Colada song) has an expert knowledge of Van Heusen. He attended the same school and is currently working on the Broadway version of Robin And The 7 Hoods, with music by Van Heusen. In programme one, he explores Van Heusen's early career and his songwriting partnerships with Eddie De Lange and Johnny Burke, which produced hits such as Darn That Dream and Swinging On A Star.