SHERMAN OAKS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2021 / Leo Robin Music was outraged by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's recent announcement on June 17, 2021 to once again deny the installation of the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that was awarded to lyricist Leo Robin more than 31 years ago. Each year, Leo Robin Music awaits with great interest the release of the annual announcement by the Hollywood Chamber of the new class of honorees to have their stars unveiled and installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to see if the star awarded to Leo Robin more than 31 years ago but never installed finally appears on this list. For Leo Robin, this annual ritual is known as "Pass Over.'
Johnny Mathis singing "Lost in Loveliness," composed by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Leo Robin, which was
first introduced in the 1954 Broadway musical "The Girl in Pink Tights" followed by Doris Day singing this jazz standard
A loss can be a wonderful fantasy like the lyrics by Leo Robin of the beautiful ballad "Lost in Loveliness," composed by Sigmund Romberg. In contrast, a loss can be described as "Lost in Wickedness" like with the Hollywood Chamber's treatment of the star awarded to Leo Robin but not installed. In this situation, the Hollywood Chamber along with the Walk of Fame Committee have lost their moral compass.
In a Facebook live session on Thursday, June 17, radio host Ellen K., who serves as the Walk of Fame's Selection Panel Chair, announced the honorees from the Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2022. "The Walk of Fame Selection Panel is pleased to announce 38 new honorees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Selection Panel, made up of fellow Walk of Famers, hand-picks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world," said Chair and Walk of Famer Ellen K. "The Panel did an amazing job choosing these very talented people. We can't wait to see each honoree's reaction as they realize that they are becoming a part of Hollywood's history with the unveiling of their star on the world's most famous walkway!" Ellen K added.
While Leo Robin Music congratulates these performers for the honors, we are woefully reminded of the fact that the star awarded to Leo Robin in 1990 was never installed. The Hollywood Chamber as well as the Walk of Fame Committee continue to be morally adrift in regard to this unprecedented situation with the star awarded to Leo Robin but not installed. Right now, in contradiction to its mission, the Hollywood Chamber is not doing justice to the award to Leo Robin. Instead we are witness to the moral injustice of Leo's long-lost star and the Hollywood Chamber's refusal to honor their commitment to Robin's memory.
Ashley Lee from the Los Angeles Times first broke on May 23, 2019 this fascinating story, Leo Robin never got his Walk of Fame star. Now his grandson is fighting for it, about his grandson's serendipitous discovery of Leo's long-lost star which he believes got lost because "[The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce]...made this 30-year-old mistake," Ms. Lee quoting him. Leo Robin's wife, Cherie Robin, and actor, Bob Hope, sponsored Leo for a star in 1988 but, sadly, Mrs. Robin passed away slightly more than one year before the letter was sent out from the Hollywood Chamber announcing that her husband had been awarded the star and so, unfortunately, it was never installed.
In the wake of the release of this story by The Times, Leo Robin Music was appalled to learn what happened 31 years ago. Ms. Lee reported, "The envelope was returned to its sender and has since remained in the Chamber of Commerce's records." She also tweeted, "at first I didn't believe that Leo Robin's star had really slipped through the cracks" with a photo of that acceptance letter and the envelope stamped "RETURN TO SENDER." Ms. Lee explained the Chamber's view, "A mistake it was not, noted (Ana) Martinez to The Times. Back in 1989, before the ease of email and cell phones, honorees were not as repeatedly and actively pursued to secure their star as they are today. That means no follow-up letters and no calls to co-signers, even if Robin's application was co-signed by (Bob) Hope, who has four stars on the Walk."
Ellen K. has a perfect pitch voice on her morning radio program on KOST 103.5 FM. as well as the voice of the Grammy Awards and the Academy Awards. The recent announcement by Ellen K. would be tantamount to announcing a winner at the Academy Awards or the Grammy Awards and then not giving the winner an Oscar or a Grammy. Can one imagine if multi-Oscar winner Robert De Niro winning for Best Actor the Oscar in 1980 for the film Raging Bull, which used a few songs with lyrics by Robin including "Prisoner of Love" performed by Perry Como (1946), "Prisoner of Love" performed by Russ Columbo (1934) and "Bye, Bye Baby" performed by Marilyn Monroe (1953) but not being given the Oscar to take home or multi-Grammy winner Tony Bennett winning the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance in 1997 for his album Here's to the Ladies, which theme of the album was songs made famous by female singers and included "My Ideal" with lyrics by Robin to pay tribute to Margaret Whiting for performing her theme song but not being given the Grammy to take home. The "Pass Over" of Robin by the Hollywood Chamber and Walk of Fame Committee on the list of honorees to have their stars installed and unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is wicked.
The Broadway musical "The Girl in Pink Tights," composed by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Leo Robin, opened in 1954 but had a major problem in staging the show because Romberg died three years earlier, in 1951, at the age of 64. In spite of it only being a modest success onstage, it produced the lovely ballad "Lost in Loveliness," which generated chart records for Billy Eckstine and Dolores Gray.
This song whose heartfelt lyrics about the aspirations of love have been performed through the ages by a wide spectrum of entertainers from the most celebrated jazz musicians such as trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Billy Eckstine and Duke Ellington to vocalists such as David Atkinson, Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Johnny Mathis and Jimmy Smith to orchestras such as Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra and Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Throughout the past sixty years, the Hollywood Chamber has successfully kept track of 2,696 honorees and has seen to it that each and every one of them received a star and had it successfully installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with their name on it - except for Leo Robin. Unfortunately, one can't help but conclude that Robin has been treated unjustly by the Hollywood Chamber. Upon the passing of Johnny Grant on January 9, 2008, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, "Angelenos will always remember Johnny as the heart of Hollywood Boulevard, the dignified guardian of its gilded prestige and the human shine behind every one of its stars..." Johnny Grant, who was Chairman of the 1990 Walk of Fame Committee and signed the acceptance letter addressed to Mrs. Robin, must be looking down repugnantly at the Hollywood Chamber's unjust treatment of Robin and spurning the decision by the 1990 Walk of Fame Committee to award a star to Leo Robin.
The award of the star would be a bittersweet moment for the family of Robin. It's unfortunate that the original sponsors, Robin's wife Mrs. Robin and actor Bob Hope, are not here today to accept the honors and that generations of Leo's family who were here when the award was offered are no longer around. While the honorees from the Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2022 along with their families and friends celebrate the installation of their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Robin's family must endure their annual ritual known as "Pass Over." It's time for the Hollywood Chamber to respect the decision made by the 1990 Walk of Fame Committee and honor its obligation to put Leo's long-lost star in its rightful place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
For more information, visit the official website of Leo Robin at http://leorobin.com/.
CONTACT:
Scott D. Ora
President - Leo Robin Music
[email protected]
(818) 618-2572
Leo Robin (@LeoRobinMusic) / Twitter
SOURCE: Leo Robin Music