RIP LESLIE BRICUSSE

1931-2021

Leslie Bricusse was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright, most prominently working in musicals and movie music. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films Doctor Dolittle, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Scrooge, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and the songs “Goldfinger”, “You Only Live Twice”, “Can You Read My Mind” (with John Williams) from Superman and “Le Jazz Hot!” (with Henry Mancini) from Victor/Victoria.

In “Lucy in London” (October 24, 1966), Lucy’s escort through London is Leslie Bricusse’s writing partner, performer Anthony Newley, who sings a myriad of Bricusse-Newley songs throughout the special.  

Newley sings “On a Wonderful Day Like Today” as he zooms off on his motorcycle with Lucy in his sidecar.  A chorus of schoolgirls on bicycles join in singing “The Beautiful Land.” Newley then sings a bit of “Sweet Beginning” as they drive through Piccadilly Circus. These songs are all from their musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, which Newley co-wrote with Leslie Bricusse and starred in on Broadway in 1965. This is the show that gave Lucy’s cousin (and producer) Cleo Smith the idea to cast Newley, who only had a two week opening in his Doctor Dolittle shooting schedule (a musical movie that also had songs by Briccusse and Newley) to film the special with Lucy. Bricusse and Newley won a 1968 Oscar for the song “Talk To The Animals” from that film. 

On the banks of the Thames, Newley quickly sings a bar of “What Kind of Fool Am I?” a song he wrote and performed in Stop the World – I Want To Get Off. The song won a 1963 Grammy Award for Best Song. 

In a theatre setting, he first sings “Fine Day in London” then “I’m Gonna Build a Mountain” (from their musical Roar of the Greasepaint). He follows with “Once in a Lifetime” (from their musical Stop the World) and “Nothing Can Stop Me Now,” also from Greasepaint.  

When Lucille Ball guest starred on the very first episode of the short-lived “The Steve Lawrence Show” (September 13, 1965) Lawrence also sang “Once in a Lifetime”.  

Not coincidentally, when Ball and Lawrence made their grand entrance down 44th Street in New York City on the back of an elephant, they arrived at  the Shubert Theatre, where Bricusse’s musical The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd was playing. You can see the title on the marquee in the upper left corner of the photo, and behind the elephant’s head. 

When Tennessee Ernie Ford guest-starred on “Here’s Lucy” in 1969, his back-up singers, The Back Porch Majority, sang “On a Wonderful Day Like Today” from The Roar of the Greasepaint. 

When Sammy Davis Jr. guest starred on “Here’s Lucy” in 1970, Lucy Carter offers Sammy the use of the office telephone as repayment for “What Kind of Fool Am I?” The song was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and published in 1962. It was introduced by Anthony Newley in the musical Stop The World – I Want To Get Off.  In 1978 Davis starred in a Broadway revival of the musical and also did a television special called “Sammy Stops the World.”  In 1971 Davis recorded another Bricusse / Newley tune, “The Candy Man” from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was a number one hit for the singer and is still associated with him today, although it was not one of his favorites.  

“CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” (November 28, 1976) kicks things off with a montage of memorable moments of Lucy on TV is underscored by Frank Sinatra singing Bricusse’s 1961 song “My Kind of Girl”. Later in the program, Steve Lawrence sings Bricusse and Newley’s “Look at that Face” in celebration of Ball’s famous physiognomy.  

In “Happy Birthday, Bob” a 1978 TV special celebrating Bob Hope’s 75th birthday and guest starring Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis Jr. sings a medley of “Gonna Build a Mountain” /  “What Kind of Fool Am I?” / “Once in a Lifetime” by Bricusse and Newley. 

Bricusse resided in California and was married to actress Yvonne Romain and had a son, Adam. He died on 19 October 2021, at the age of 90.