Richard Rodgers had been writing music, with Lorenz Hart's lyrics, since the two collaborated on the Columbia varsity show in 1920. Following that happy experience, the pair continued to write musicals but without commercial success, and Dick got so discouraged that he thought very seriously of giving up composition and taking a job. A man named Mr. Marvin (first name unknown), a wholesaler in the baby-clothes business, offered to hire him. But Rodgers felt that his luck was about to change and he decided not to go into the apparel field. It was 1925. He turned twenty-three that year. And he and Hart had their first smash hit: "(We'll have) Manhattan." So things worked out for the best.
-- DL
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