Billy Rose
A flamboyant, self-made showman who used colossal spectacles and timeless songs to define mid-century American entertainment.
1899–1966 (age 67)·American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist·Birthday: September 6·The Lost Generation
Biography
Billy Rose was a human cyclone of ambition, ego, and genuine brilliance who left an indelible mark on 20th-century show business. A short, pugnacious former stenography champion from New York, he willed himself into becoming a towering figure of theatrical excess. He didn't just produce shows; he engineered colossal, often bizarre spectacles, like the Aquacade at the 1939 World's Fair, a synchronized swimming extravaganza starring his then-wife, Eleanor Holm. Yet beneath the ballyhoo was a sublime lyrical talent. He co-wrote standards like 'It's Only a Paper Moon' and 'Me and My Shadow', songs that possessed a wistful, street-smart poetry. His nightclubs, like the Diamond Horseshoe, were playgrounds for the elite, and his newspaper column offered pithy, widely syndicated wisdom. Rose lived large, marrying famous beauties and amassing an important art collection, embodying the idea that in America, a man could invent himself as pure, dazzling entertainment.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Billy was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Billy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Billy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Turned 21
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1929Turned 30
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 40
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 50
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1959Turned 60
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1966Died at 67
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
Key Achievements
- Produced the monumental Aquacade water show at the 1939 New York World's Fair and the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition.
- Wrote or co-wrote the lyrics to enduring standards like 'It's Only a Paper Moon', 'Me and My Shadow', and 'That Old Black Magic'.
- Owned and operated the famous Diamond Horseshoe nightclub in New York City for over two decades.
Did You Know?
He was a national shorthand (stenography) champion in his youth and once took dictation for Bernard Baruch.
He was married to famous entertainers Fanny Brice and, later, Olympic swimmer Eleanor Holm.
He donated his extensive collection of modern sculpture to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which established the Billy Rose Art Garden.
“Never invest your money in anything that eats or needs repainting.”
