Vernon Duke

Vernon Duke was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for "Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can't Get Started," with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (1936), "April in Paris," with lyrics by E. Y. ("Yip") Harburg (1932), and "What Is There To Say," for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1934, also with Harburg. He wrote the words and music for "Autumn in New York" (1934) for the revue Thumbs Up! In his book, American Popular Song, The Great Innovators 1900-1950, composer Alec Wilder praises this song, writing, “The verse may be the most ambitious I’ve ever seen." Duke also collaborated with lyricists Johnny Mercer, Ogden Nash, and Sammy Cahn.

10 October 1903

Born on the same birth date (10 October 1903): Bei Shizhang • Prince Charles, Count of Flanders

Born on the same birth day (10 October): Alberto Giacometti • Alexei Zhitnik • Amon Buchanan • Bai Ling • Johnny Green • Louis Gottlieb • Mercè Rodoreda • Oleg Gordievsky • Ramón Morales • Robert F. Boyle • Vašo Patejdl • Walter Anderson (folklorist) • Yves Chauvin

Born in the same month (October 1903): Andrei Grechko • Bei Shizhang • Big Joe Williams • Bona Arsenault • Cécile de Brunhoff • Ernest Walton • George Beadle • Georgy Geshev • John Vincent Atanasoff • Josephine Hutchinson • Lina Radke • M. King Hubbert • Mahn Ba Khaing • Melvin Purvis • Nathanael West • Pierre Garbay • Pierre Veyron • Piet van der Horst • Prince Charles, Count of Flanders • Tor Johnson • Vladimir Horowitz • Walter O'Malley