George Posford

b. Benjamin George Ashwell, 23 March 1906, Folkestone, Kent, Britain, d. 24 Apr 1976, Worplesdon, Surrey, Britain. Graduating from Cambridge College or university, Posford prepared a law profession but the effective interpolation within an early 30s touring edition of Lavender of the song he previously created with Rodney Hobson prompted him towards a fresh career. After their studies at the Royal University of Music, Posford constructed many tracks, frequently with librettist-lyricist Eric Maschwitz. For radio, they had written Goodnight, Vienna, which in turn became a 1932 film, starring Anna Neagle and Jack port Buchanan (US name: Magic Evening), and a stage present. Posford and Maschwitz after that wrote The Homosexual Hussar (1933), which, modified and with extra music by Bernard Grun, opened up at London’s Adelphi Theater as Balalaika (1936) where it went for 570 shows. The hit tune, hastily compiled by Posford and Maschwitz, was ‘At The Balalaika’. The 1939 film edition starred Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. Maschwitz, Posford and Grun also constructed Paprika (1938), which flopped, but a modified edition, Magyar Melody, went at His Majesty’s Theater for 105 shows. To the initial rating was added ‘Mine Only’, made up by Manning Sherwin, which outlived the display. Posford and Harry Parr-Davies made up Full Golf swing (1940), starring Cicely Courtneidge and Jack port Hulbert, which experienced 468 performances through the London blitz. Following the battle, Posford co-composed Evangeline (1946) with Harry Jacobson. Starring Frances Day time, this is a reworking by Maschwitz of Wayne Laver’s Nymph Errant. In 1951, Posford was once again in cooperation with Maschwitz, composing Zip Goes A Mil. Starring George Formby, the display went for 544 shows in the Palace Theater and the tunes included the name track, ‘Ridin’ Into City’, ‘The Thing About You’, ‘It Requires VIRTUALLY NO TIME To Fall In Like’, ‘Nothing at all Breaks HOWEVER THE Center’, ‘I Owe You’, ‘Big Business’, ‘Problems With My Center’, ‘Thou Artwork For Me’, ‘Regular People’ and ‘I’m Keeping Up For Sally’. Posford and Maschwitz also collaborated on Content Vacation (1954), a musical edition of Arnold Ridley’s The Ghost Teach. Among the tunes from this display was ‘Sew A Metallic Button Around the Moon’. Staged over Xmas, the display was another failing. A few of Posford’s melodies and styles made an appearance in the movies THE NICE Companions and Britannia Of Billingsgate (both 1933), and Invitation TOWARDS THE Waltz (1935). Posford also made up for the concert system, these functions including ‘Transatlantic Rhapsody’ and ‘Broadcasting Home’.