Thomas Montgomery "Tom" Adair was an American songwriter, lyricist, composer, and screenwriter, who wrote lyrics to songs from Sleeping Beauty and wrote episodes for Disney's anthology television series. He also wrote the lyrics the songs of the original Golden Horseshoe Revue in Disneyland's Frontierland section of the park.
Adair was born on June 15, 1913, in Newton, Kansas. His father, William, owned a clothing store in Newton; around 1923, he sold up and moved the family to Los Angeles. He attended Los Angeles Junior College (now Los Angeles City College), and then joined the local power company, working as a clerk on the complaints desk, while writing poems and song lyrics in his spare time.
In 1941, Adair met Matt Dennis in a club and the duo began writing songs together which led to writing hits for Broadway and lyrics for the musical revue, Along Fifth Avenue. The duo wrote songs, like "Let’s Get Away from It All" and "Violets for Your Furs". Adair's other song collaborations included "Everything Happens to Me", "In The Blue of Evening", "Will You Still Be Mine?", "The Night We Called It A Day", "The Skyscraper Blues", "A Home-Sweet-Home In The Army", "How Will I Know My Love?", "Sing a Smiling Song", "There's No You", "Mind If I Love You", "Hitch Hike to Hell", "Good Night Valais", "Weep No More", and "Julie", for which he was nominated an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Returning to Los Angeles, he worked with James B. Allardice on songs for sitcoms. Later, he wrote episodes for television, like The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, Hazel, My Three Sons, Hogan's Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, Gomer Pyle: USMC, Maude, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, O.K. Crackerby!, F Troop, and Ensign O'Toole.
Adair's career with Disney began in the fall of 1954, working with Erdman Penner and George Bruns on Sleeping Beauty writing songs. He soon found steady work on Mickey Mouse Club, writing and composing tune throughout it's three season run. Adair also wrote songs for Zorro with Buddy Baker. He was also assigned, again with Baker and Sidney Miller, to develop songs for the first Disney live-action musical film, Rainbow Road to Oz. Three of those songs were performed by the Mouseketeers on an episode of Disneyland, but the project was shelved five months later.
He retired to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1984 where struggled with Alzheimer's disease. Adair would pass away in 1988 at the age of 74.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1954-1977 | The Magical World of Disney | Story: "A Story of Dogs" Writer: "Holiday for Henpecked Husbands" "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" Songwriter: "The Golden Horseshoe Revue" "Hello Everybody" - uncredited Special Material: "Disney on Parade" |
| 1955-1958 | Mickey Mouse Club | Songwriter |
| 1957 | The Truth About Mother Goose | Lyrics |
| 1958 | Paul Bunyan | Lyricist: "Paul Bunyan" |
| 1958-1959 | Zorro | Composer: additional music |
| 1959 | Sleeping Beauty | Lyrics: "Hail to the Princess Aurora" "The Gifts of Beauty and Song" "Skumps" "Sleeping Beauty" - uncredited |
| Third Man on the Mountain | Songwriter: "Good Night Valais" | |
| 1978 | NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney | Writer Special lyrics |
