Honoring Sammy Cahn

Recently I attended an event honoring and discussing the career of the great lyricist Sammy Cahn.

It was held at The Paley Center for Media in New York City. The venue has an incredible library of recorded events and that enhanced and actually made the event. There were some priceless clips exhibiting Sammy Cahn’s greatness.

Those clips which were extensive (my kind of ‘documentary” as I say show more of what happened and have less of the “talking heads” explaining it) and extraordinary.

Among the many greats appearing in the clips were Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews and Michael Buble. They were shown singing  Cahn classics.

Meanwhile Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster were shown singing in a spoof likely written by Cahn on a moment’s notice, as he often did, regarding neither being nominated at that year’s Academy Awards.

Among the panelists were Tommy Tune, who was fascinated by the Cahn stories told by such historical experts as longtime radio personality Mark Simone.

All in all, it was a truly informative, entertaining and beyond all, sentimental presentation. It honored the brilliant talent of Sammy Cahn, whose lyrics are a priceless treasure that, thankfully, lives on 20 years after his death.

“Come Fly With Me,” Michael Buble Video