A Lovely Homage to Songwriter Springer in this Documentary

More than Santa Baby is a documentary film highlighting one of Pacific Palisades most celebrated composers/musicians, Philip Springer.

On Tuesday, June 14, the film will be shown at The Marina del Rey Film Festival, at 7:30 p.m. at the Culver Theater in Culver City. For tickets: click here.

The film written, directed and produced by his daughter Tamar Springer, was also accepted into the Dances with Films Festival, one of L.A.’s favorite independent film festivals. More than Santa Baby is being screened at 4:45 p.m. on June 23. For tickets: click here

Tamar said that everyone knows the song Santa Baby “but this was a chance to share my father’s vast musical legacy and fascinating journey in the music industry from his start as a young man in 1940s Tin Pan Alley to 1970s Hollywood and through his most successful decade when he reached his 90s.

“I have long believed that my father’s music beyond his worldwide classic Christmas song is much deserving of recognition,” she said about her 99-year-old father who had to evacuate during the Palisades Fire.

Springers wife of 68 years passed away shortly after the fire. Tamar later wrote to CTN about her father, “He is the most resilient man I’ve ever met – he decided he’s going to live again and he’s playing piano every day.”

Springer’s first top ten song was Teasin recorded by Connie Haines in 1950, and in England, by the Beverly Sisters.

Some of Springer’s songs include How Little it Matters, How Little We Know by Frank Sinatra, Heartbroken by Judy Garland, The Next Time by Cliff Richard (no. 1 in England and other European Countries), Moonlight Gambler by Frankie Laine, All Cried Out by Dusty Springfield, Never Ending by Elvis Presley and Her Little Heart Went to Loveland by Aretha Franklin.

Springer also composed and conducted motion picture scores in Hollywood including Tell Me that you Love Me, Junie Moon, starring Liza Minelli and More Dead than Alive, starring Vincent Price, and Impasse starring Burt Reynolds.

He also scored episodes of the television shows Gunsmoke, Mannix, Along Came Bronson and Medical. He is the longest living composer from the 1940s, 50s and 60s Brill Building era in New York City.

Philip Springer was E.Y. “Yip” Harburg’s (Over the Rainbow, Paper Moon) last collaborator before Harburg’s death.

The 40-minute documentary not only offers a glimpse of Springer’s life, but a chance to glimpse the Golden Age of American song.

click here.