Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Edgar Yipsel "Yip" Harburg, born Isidore Hochberg on April 8, 1896, was a Jewish lyricist from New York City's Lower East Side who partnered with composer Harold Arlen for many years. Follow this 1965 episode of The World of Music as THIRTEEN goes inside Harburg's living room for an intimate conversation about his lyric-writing process for The Wizard of Oz — and a live performance of the Scarecrow's tune "If I Only Had a Brain."
Harburg also reflects on what made the film a cultural phenomenon: three characters search for a heart, a brain, and courage — the most essential things in life — only to discover the wizard can't give them what they already have.
Subscribe to a THIRTEEN newsletter to stay informed: thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=tp_bhm&utm_id=2026_tp_bhm
This April, for National Poetry Month, THIRTEEN celebrates voices in verses, stories of artistry and expression, and special selections from the THIRTEEN archives.
The World of Music, hosted by composer Morton Gould, was a series designed to illuminate music through imaginative and informative contact with musical compositions and the artists and instruments that interpret them.
#NationalPoetryMonth #YipHarburg #WizardOfOz #IfIOnlyHadABrain #Broadway #NewYorkCity #LowerEastSide #THIRTEEN #Archives #MusicHistory #Poetry #THIRTEENWNET
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
Edgar Yipsel "Yip" Harburg, born Isidore Hochberg on April 8, 1896, was a Jewish lyricist from New York City's Lower East Side who partnered with composer Harold Arlen for many years. Follow this 1965 episode of The World of Music as THIRTEEN goes inside Harburg's living room for an intimate conversation about his lyric-writing process for The Wizard of Oz — and a live performance of the Scarecrow's tune "If I Only Had a Brain."
Harburg also reflects on what made the film a cultural phenomenon: three characters search for a heart, a brain, and courage — the most essential things in life — only to discover the wizard can't give them what they already have.
Subscribe to a THIRTEEN newsletter to stay informed: thirteen.org/email-preferences/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=tp_bhm&utm_id=2026_tp_bhm
This April, for National Poetry Month, THIRTEEN celebrates voices in verses, stories of artistry and expression, and special selections from the THIRTEEN archives.
The World of Music, hosted by composer Morton Gould, was a series designed to illuminate music through imaginative and informative contact with musical compositions and the artists and instruments that interpret them.
#NationalPoetryMonth #YipHarburg #WizardOfOz #IfIOnlyHadABrain #Broadway #NewYorkCity #LowerEastSide #THIRTEEN #Archives #MusicHistory #Poetry #THIRTEENWNET
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
-----------------
THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
