Trivia

When writing Singin' in the Rain (1952) with Adolph Green at MGM, many studio personnel had been around since the silent days, and their recollections were the source for gags about the perils of early sound filming. One came from costume designer Walter Plunkett, who contributed to the comical scene in Singin' in the Rain (1952) where the actors are shooting an early talking film. Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) taps Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) on the shoulder with her fan but causes a thunderous noise on the soundtrack by disturbing a microphone hidden in Lockwood's clothing. This was based on a similar incident during a film on which Walter Plunkett worked at RKO, Rio Rita (1929) starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles.

Their 60-year collaboration was such that many believed Betty Comden and Adolph Green, whose musicals won five Tony Awards, were married. Instead, the beautiful music they made together graced the stage and screen, and included the classic Broadway musical "On the Town" and the film "Singin' in the Rain." On Broadway, Comden and Green (the billing was always alphabetical) worked most successfully with composers Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne and Cy Coleman. The duo wrote lyrics and often the books for more than a dozen shows, many of them built around such stars as Rosalind Russell, Judy Holliday, Phil Silvers, Carol Burnett and Lauren Bacall. Among their Tonys, three were for best musical for their shows "Wonderful Town," "Hallelujah, Baby!" and "Applause." The duo received the Kennedy Center honors in 1991.

"It's a kind of radar," Comden once said of her partnership with Green. "We don't divide the work up, taking different scenes. We sit in the same room always. I used to write things down in shorthand. I now sit at the typewriter. Adolph paces more. A lot of people don't believe this, but at the end of the day we usually don't remember who thought up what.".

Has won seven Tony Awards, always with collaborator Adolph Green: in 1953, lyrics as part of Best Musical win for "Wonderful Town;" in 1968, as Best Composer and Lyricist, with Jule Styne, and lyrics as part of Best Musical win for "Hallelujah, Baby!;" in 1970, book as part of Best Musical win for "Applause;" in 1978, as Best Score, lyrics with music by Cy Coleman, and Best Book (Musical) for "On the Twentieth Century;" and in 1991, as Best Score (Musical), lyrics with music by Coleman, for "The Will Rogers Follies." In addition, the team of Comden and Green received five other nominations: in 1957, book with music by Styne for Best Musical nominee "Bells Are Ringing;" in 1961, lyrics with music by Styne for Best Musical nominee "Do Re Mi;" in 1983, for Best Score, lyrics with music by Larry Grossman, and Best Book (Musical) for "A Doll's Life;" and in 1986, Best Book (Musical) for "Singin' in the Rain," the stage version of their signature film, Singin' in the Rain (1952).

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.

Predeceased by her husband, Steven Kyle, and son, Alan.

Daughter Suzanne attended the original Woodstock Music Festival (1969).