The song was "Annie Doesn't Live Here Anymore," popularized by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. Burke and Spina collaborated on several more songs through 1935, some of which were hits. Fats Waller made a commercially successful recording of "You're Not the Only Oyster in the Stew" in 1934. Another Burke-Spina hit was "My Very Good Friend, the Milkman" (1935), also introduced by Waller. Burke is also said to have appeared in the
Ziegfeld Follies and short musical movies produced at the Warner Bros. Vitaphone Studio in New York.
In 1936 Burke signed a contract to work for Paramount Pictures. At first he was teamed with composer Arthur Johnston, who had until 1931 been Irving Berlin's personal arranger, pianist, and musical assistant. With lyricist Sam Coslow, Johnston had written "Cocktails for Two" (1934) and Bing Crosby's first big success, "Just One More Chance" (1931).
Burke's first big break came when he and Johnston were asked to write a song for a Crosby movie. Months went by without their hearing whether the song, "Pennies from Heaven" (1936), would even be used. Only when Burke saw a screening, in which the song title also appeared as the movie title, did he learn that Crosby liked it.
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