The Lambs’ Archives^®

Earl Talbot Crooker (11 Aug 1899-9 January 1982) was a Broadway lyricist who collaborated with a young Frederick Loewe. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of both world wars, and a college professor. Crooker was elected to The Lambs in 1935 as a professional member.

He was born 11 Aug 1899 in Boston to Leon Talbot Crooker, a salesman, and Grace Ring, an actress and singer. His mother was from a noted acting family. She was the sister of performers Blanche Ring, Julie Ring, Frances Ring, and Cyril Alfred Ring. His parents divorced when Crooker was a boy and he was raised with his mother and second husband, Robert Dunham. His mother died when he was 15.

As a teen-ager he resided in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and traveled to San Pedro, California, where he served on the battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) in 1920. The ship was in the Pacific Fleet.

After his discharge, Crooker returned to New York City and his famous show business extended family. In 1925 he toured with his aunt and uncle, Blanche Ring and Charles Winninger in “No, No, Nanette.” He threw himself into writing and lyrics for shows. His first Broadway credits were additional material for the musical “Rufus LeMaire’s Affairs” (1927); lyrics for the musical comedy “Happy” (1927) and “Zeppelin” (1929). He earned a screenplay credit in 1930 with Marion Orth for “Girls Demand Excitement,” a musical comedy with El Brendel and Marjorie White.

Crooker spent the 1930s working on show after show: “Intimate Relations (1932) was a poorly received musical that featured two of his aunts, Blanche and Julie. Blanche toured in the show nationally. He was an early member of ASCAP. In 1934 he wrote lyrics for “Thumbs Up!” a hit musical with dozens of collaborators, including Ira Gershwin.

He collaborated with Frederick Loewe, a fellow Lamb. Crooker wrote the book and Loewe the music for “Salute to Spring,” which was produced in St. Louis in 1937 but never made it to New York. Their next effort, “Great Lady” (1938), was produced on Broadway with an enormous stellar cast, but it only had 20 performances and Loewe didn’t get a credit. Crooker was done with Broadway and moved on to writing.

On 26 June 1942, he traveled to Philadelphia to enlist in the Navy. He was 42 years old and working as a writer at the time. Crooker was assigned to the USS Bataan (CVL-29) after Christmas that year. It was a light aircraft carrier stationed in the Pacific Theatre for all of World War II. Yeoman First Class Crooker took part in operations around New Guinea, the invasion of the Mariana Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Battle of Okinawa, and attacks on the Japanese home islands. Crooker also had spare time to compose the ship’s official song:

We mean to make the cock-eyed world take off its hat
To a fighting ship whose top is long and flat
We mean to see that when the Captain gives commands
He’s going to find that right behind him stand all hands.

And then we’ll sail away for Tokio Japan
On the U.S.S. Bataan!

He was discharged 30 June 1945. Crooker returned to Carversville, Pennsylvania. In 1933 Crooker had married Ruth Garner McGroarty in Brooklyn. The couple moved frequently for his career. They resided in Carversville, where he completed his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1957. His thesis was drawn from his family: “The American Musical Play.”

Crooked taught English part-time at Penn and the Drexel Institute of Technology (today Drexel University). Semi-retired, Crooker wrote shows for community theatre and high school productions. In the 1960s he was the registrar on the staff of Solebury School, a private boarding school in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He retired in 1970.

After his wife died 5 July 1968, he moved to South Main Street, in New Hope.

Earle Crooker died 9 January 1982 in the Veterans Hospital, Philadelphia. He was 82 years old. He is interred next to his wife in Carversville Cemetery.

Researched and written by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, Club historian/librarian.