GOODBYE, DOLLY

GOODBYE, DOLLY

LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) – The man who wrote “Hello Dolly” admits there are times he’d like to say “goodbye” to the legendary tune. 68-year-old Jerry Herman says although he’s thrilled the song has become such a classic, it’s frustrating that the tune is the only thing people remember him for. He says there are other songs he’d liked to be known for, such as “I Am What I Am” from the 1983 musical La Cage Aux Folles. Still, Herman appreciates the attention he’s gotten for “Hello Dolly,” including alternate versions like the Oscar Mayer “Hello, Deli” commercial and the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential campaign song “Hello, Lyndon.” In the composer’s words, “[the song] has at least nine lives.” Herman will be honored Saturday (Nov. 10) in Los Angeles by old friends Angela Lansbury and Carol Channing at a benefit for the Actors’ Fund of America.

Thu 11-08-01