Al Stillman was born Albert Irving Silverman to
Jewish parents Herman Silverman and Gertrude Rubin. He adopted the name "Albert Stillman" as a professional pseudonym. He chose the name, reportedly, because it was the recognizable surname of a well-known New York
banking family. He was
Jewish. He attended
New York University; after graduation, he contributed to
Franklin P. Adams's newspaper column, and in 1933, became a staff writer at
Radio City Music Hall, a position he held for almost 40 years. Stillman collaborated with a number of composers, including
Fred Ahlert,
Robert Allen,
Percy Faith,
George Gershwin,
Ernesto Lecuona, Paul McGrane,
Kay Swift, and
Arthur Schwartz. Many of his collaborations with Allen were major hits in the 1950s for
the Four Lads; the Stillman–Allen team also wrote hit songs for
Perry Como and
Johnny Mathis. Stillman was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982. ==Songs for which Stillman wrote lyrics==