INVENTING CHAMPAGNE The Worlds of Lerner and Loewe by Gene Lees St. Martin's, $22.95, 350 [333] pages Reviewed by Tony L. Hill The decade of the 1950's was a bridge between two worlds of musical comedy. There was the retirement of the great songwriters of Broadway's earlier era: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Oscar Hammerstein, Ira Gershwin. And simultaneously, there was the rise of the next generation of songsmiths: Cy Coleman, Jerry Bock, Carolyn Leigh, Stephen Sondheim. The musical comedy team that best represents this period is Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. This is because they were both more prolific and more popular than others who fit this period, such as Robert Wright and George Forrest ("Kismet"), or Jerry Ross and Richard Adler ("Damn Yankees"). Because their songs embraced the values and sentimentality of the earlier generation, Lerner and Loewe have been called "Broadway's last romantics." At the same time, however, their shows presaged the sophistication and social commentary that was to follow. Gene Lees, a frequent chronicler of music history and occasional lyricist ("Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars"), has compiled a superb joint biography of Lerner and Loewe, "Inventing Champagne." It is, well, intoxicating. Alan Jay Lerner was one of the most complex personalities of all time. Lees notes that the lack of religion by his parents (of Lerner Stores fame) prompted Lerner to spend his entire adult life exploring phenomena like ESP and TM. These ideas sometimes found their way into his shows, especially "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever." Lerner was famous for his philandery. Over the course of his lifetime (cut short at age 68 by lung cancer), he accumulated eight "fair ladies." As Lees wryly notes, he got older, but his wives didn't. The tales of these marriages and divorces provide almost as much continuity through the book as the shows. Fritz Loewe was a most unlikely candidate to become a major Broadway composer. He was born in Berlin of Viennese parents. He received classical training in Austria and had at least some concert experience on the continent prior to emigrating to America in 1924, but it is difficult to separate fact from myth in Loewe's early years, as Lees amply demonstrates. He was largely unsuccessful in the concert field in this country, and it was quite by default that he became a popular composer. Even so, Lees says, he never attained the mantle of the American idiom that was a defining characteristic of Berlin, Rodgers, George Gershwin, and most others: "He was Viennese to the day he died." After a few unsuccessful shows, Lerner and Loewe had their first hit on the Great White Way in 1947 with "Brigadoon," then "Paint Your Wagon" in 1951. They next sought to adapt George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" to musical comedy. Several veteran producers had contemplated musicalizing the play before, including Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, but found the play ill-suited for musical theater. Lerner, with help from Broadway legend Moss Hart was able to develop the story in a way that proved manageable. There were but two hitches: financing, and the adaptation rights to Shaw's play. Fortunately, the rights were controlled by Chase Manhattan Bank, under the same officer who oversaw Lerner's father's estate. The connection was adequate for the team to secure the rights over MGM. CBS Chairman William S. Paley was suitably impressed that his company put up all the money. This was a Broadway first. The play, of course, opened in 1956 to rave notices, which have yet to cease. "My Fair Lady" is generally acknowledged as the most perfect musical ever created, achieving unequaled integration of songs, story, and characters. The pair followed with "Gigi" in 1958, their only important film musical, and "Camelot" in 1960, which fell short of the glory of "My Fair Lady," but nevertheless had a successful run and became a metaphor for the new Kennedy Administration. Although Loewe only had one show in his career without Lerner (a very minor one in 1938), Lerner would be a noteworthy individual had he never worked with Fritz Loewe. He wrote a number of screenplays, including some in which he contributed no lyrics, and won an Oscar for 1951's "An American in Paris." After Loewe's retirement, Lerner wrote a number of shows including "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," and "Coco." The pair reunited briefly in the early 1970's for a second film musical, "The Little Prince," which was a failure. Lees does a simply brilliant job of laying out the facts. He has traced nearly every detail back to original sources, and places the stories in their contemporary perspectives through careful use of newspaper stories. Lees has practically rewritten Lerner's 1978 autobiography "The Street Where I Live," (Norton), which he dismisses as fable, but in a way that all sides of the disputed happenings are presented to the reader, who can then apply judgment. Call it historiography made interesting. Furthermore, Lees displays his vast knowledge of popular music on almost every page. Every narrative is accompanied by helpful examples. The most pleasing aspect of the book is Lees's genuine respect, if not admiration, for his subjects. This facet has noticeably been lacking in some recent biographies, such as Robert Caro's volumes about Lyndon Johnson. As a result, even some of Lees's most stinging criticisms of Lerner and Loewe seem objective. If there is one thing markedly wrong with this book, it is the unequal treatment of the subjects. "Inventing Champagne" is much closer to a biography of Lerner, with Loewe thrown in as a secondary player. The book would be little different had Lees framed it that way. Of course, this might only illustrate Lerner's more dynamic nature. After "Camelot," Loewe retired ("to the bedroom," to quote the composer, and with a bevy of 16 to 20 year olds no less, according to Lees) while Lerner continued to be active on Broadway. The only other annoyance is Lees's frequent reference to the height of the various players, as if this is worthy of discussion. "Inventing Champagne" is a masterpiece. It is worth reading for its thoroughness and well-crafted writing alone. It will stand as the definitive biography of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe and a model for future musical biographies. *** Tony Hill, a student at the University of Minnesota, has researched popular music extensively. He assisted Philip Furia in preparation of "The Poets of Tin Pan Alley," recently published by Oxford. He was delayed in writing this review by constantly stopping to make notes of Lees's insightful comments.