Lee Pockriss dies at 87

Songwriter and composer Lee Pockriss, whose varied career involved creating for Broadway literary adaptations, Perry Como, bubblegum novelty performers and "Sesame Street," died in Bridgewater, Conn., on Monday, November. 14. He was 87. While Pockriss' most legendary composition might be the 1960 No. 1 hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Small Polka Us dot Bikini," that they co-authored with Paul Vance, he seemed to be accountable for era standards "Johnny Angel" and "Catch a Falling Star." Using a quantity of songwriting partners and lyricists, Pockriss was nevertheless most widely known for his collaborations with Vance. Born in Brooklyn, Pockriss analyzed musicology at NYU before becoming an aura Pressure cryptologist throughout World war 2. He started creating for television within the nineteen fifties, mainly for NBC's "U.S. Steel Hour," and subsequently met Brill Building songwriter Vance. The 2 notched their initial hit with Como's "Catch a Falling Star" in 1957, going onto collaborate on many other hits, including John Hyland's "Bikini" and "Four Little Heels (The Clickety Clack Song)," Clint Holmes' "Playground of My ThoughtsInch in addition to "Stagecoach to Cheyenne" for that 1966 remake from the John Ford Western "Stagecoach." Pockriss' first head to legit theater arrived collaboration with lyricist Anne Croswell for 1960's "Ernest for each other,Inch then 1963's Broadway hit "Tovarich," which provided lead Vivian Leigh having a Tony. In 1969, Pockriss modified Fitzgerald's "The Truly Amazing Gatsby" with lyricists Carolyn Lee and Hugh Wheeler -- the resulting tuner, "Gatsby," never was fully staged, although it was handed a concert performance in NY captured. In 1968, Pockriss composed the score for MGM's Martin Sheen starrer "The Topic Was Roses." Within the '70s Pockriss came back to TV composition, penning tunes for "Sesame Street" (Kermit the Frog's "My Polliwog Ways" particularly). Pockriss is made it by his wife Sonja along with a brother. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com