Puttin' On the Ritz

Rare card · No. 54575

"Puttin' On the Ritz" is a song written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it in May 1927 and first published it on December 2, 1929. It was registered as an unpublished song on August 24, 1927, and again on July 27, 1928. It was introduced by Harry Richman and chorus in the musical film Puttin' On the Ritz (1930). According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song in a film to be sung by an interracial ensemble. The title derives from the slang expression "to put on the Ritz", meaning to dress very fashionably, inspired by the opulent Ritz Hotel in London. Hit phonograph records of the tune in its original period of popularity of 1929–1930 were recorded by Richman and by Fred Astaire, with whom the song is particularly associated. Every other record label had its own version of this popular song (Columbia, Brunswick, Victor, and all of the dime store labels). Richman's Brunswick version of the song became the number-one-selling record in America. The song received renewed...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Irving Berlin Inc., Public domain