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Arranger, conductor, choreographer, and composer George Wyle largely made his fortune in the world of television, working mostly on variety shows; however, he is most renowned for contributing one of the medium's catchiest tunes with his oft-referenced opening theme for Gilligan's Island. Wyle was born March 22, 1916, in New York City, and worked on variety shows starring Jerry Lewis, Flip Wilson, and Jimmy Durante. His most prominent association was with Andy Williams; Wyle not only served as music director for The Andy Williams Show, but also (along with Eddie Pola) composed Williams' ebullient Christmas standard "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," though, was Wyle's ticket to television immortality. The show's producer, Sherwood Schwartz, had written some of the lyrics, but needed help revising them and setting them to an appropriate tune. Wyle composed a sea chantie to tell the story (Schwartz's original idea was for an island calypso), did some lyrical fine-tuning, and the result was pure television magic. Even if Wyle isn't a household name, his signature creation still continues to be memorized word for word by new generations of sitcom fans. Wyle died of luekemia on May 1, 2003 at the age of 87. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
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