Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1913 August 29 | Sylvia Harriet Fine born in Brooklyn, New York, one of three children of Bessie and Dr. Samuel Fine, a dentist |
| 1919 | Began piano lessons |
| 1923 | Began studying harmony and musical theory Developed fear of performing in front of large audiences; became interested in writing and composing |
| circa 1925 | Met David Kaminsky (Danny Kaye), an employee at her father's dental office |
| 1928 | Graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School Enrolled in Hunter College to study music; took courses at Brooklyn campus (which became Brooklyn College in 1930) |
| 1939 | Met Kaye again while working on the unsuccessful Max Liebman production Saturday Night Vanities Hired by Liebman to write specialty material for Camp Tamiment, a Pennsylvania summer camp Wrote "The Wolf of Wall Street" (Yiddish version of Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado), "Stanislavsky," and "Pavlowa," along with other material specifically for Kaye, who also worked at the camp Made Broadway debut with Kaye in Liebman's Straw Hat Revue, which featured "Anatole of Paris" in addition to material Fine created at Camp Tamiment |
| 1940 January 13 | Married Kaye in Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| 1940 February 22 | Married Kaye again in formal New York City wedding ceremony with family present |
| 1941-1951 | Wrote "Bali Boogie," "The Gypsy Drinking Song," "The Lobby Number," "Melody in 4F," "A New Symphony for Unstrung Tongue," "Popo the Puppet," and "Soliloquy for Three Heads" which Kaye performed in his films The Inspector General, The Kid From Brooklyn, On the Riviera, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Up In Arms, and Wonder Man |
| 1943 March 1 | Negotiated five-year movie contract for Kaye with Samuel Goldwyn |
| 1945-1946 | Served as executive producer and created musical numbers for all 50 episodes of the CBS radio program The Danny Kaye Show (subtitled "Pabst Blue Ribbon Time") |
| 1946 December 17 | Daughter Dena born (Kaye and Fine's only child) |
| 1953 | Co-wrote with Herschel Burke Gilbert "The Moon is Blue" for the movie of the same name; song nominated for an Academy Award as Best Song |
| 1955 | Co-wrote (uncredited) with Elmer Bernstein the main title song for Man with a Golden Arm, for which Bernstein received an Academy Award |
| 1956 | Wrote songs for Kaye's movie, The Court Jester |
| 1958 | Named Alumna of the Year by Brooklyn College |
| 1959 | Wrote music for Danny Kaye and Louis Armstrong movie The Five Pennies including "Lullaby in Ragtime;" song "The Five Pennies" nominated for an Academy Award as Best Song |
| 1960 | Produced Kaye's first television special, An Hour with Danny Kaye, which was nominated for an Emmy Award |
| 1972 | Taught semester-long musical comedy course at the University of Southern California |
| 1975 | Taught semester-long musical comedy course at Yale University |
| 1979-1985 | Wrote, produced, and appeared in Musical Comedy Tonight, a three-program documentary series based on her lecture courses broadcast on PBS and received a Peabody Award for the program |
| 1985 | Received the Division of Drama's Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Southern California Received honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Brooklyn College |
| 1987-1991 | Funded refurbishment of the playhouse at Hunter College through the Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation; it became the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse at its reopening in 1993 |
| 1988 | Awarded honorary doctorate in Humane Letters by Long Island University |
| 1991 April | Endowed the Sylvia Fine Chair in Musical Theater at Brooklyn College |
| 1991 October 29 | Died in New York City |