'Silver Bells' Songwriter May Be Honored

12/14/2003 1:17 PM, AP
The Associated Press

Residents of this tiny Pittsburgh suburb want to honor songwriter Jay Livingston, co-writer of the popular Christmas song "Silver Bells," with a historic marker at his boyhood home.

Livingston was born Jacob Harold Levinson in 1915 and stayed in McDonald, which had been a booming oil town, through high school.

Local historian Blanche Slates said Livingston's signature tune, which describes a downtown Christmas shopping scene, almost had a different name.

"The original name was supposed to be 'Tinkle Bells,'" Slates said. "But his wife told him the word 'tinkle' has bad connotations."

Livingston and his partner, Ray Evans, wrote several songs and movie scores including "Mona Lisa" from the 1950 movie "Captain Carey USA" and "Silver Bells" — the duo's biggest seller — which first appeared in the 1951 Bob Hope movie "The Lemon Drop Kid."

Livingston, who died at age 86 in 2001, also wrote "Que Sera Sera" for the 1957 film "The Man Who Knew Too Much," and the well-known television theme songs for "Bonanza," "Mister Ed" and "The Bugs Bunny Show."

A decision by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission on whether to put a historical marker at Livingston's boyhood home on Station Street is expected in the spring.