Hank Beebe (July 16, 1926 – February 5, 2023) was an American composer, known for his choral compositions, Broadway musicals, and most notably for his work through the 1950s to the early 1980s composing industrial musicals for the employees and shareholders of major American business corporations.
[citation needed] After High School, Beebe attended the University of North Carolina[1] where he received a Master of Music in 1951.
While working on Broadway in New York City, Beebe auditioned for "The Chevy Show": a "corporate musical" presenting the new 1957 Chevrolet line of production.
Although the show consisted of a musical book, score, cast and full orchestra, it was not meant to be seen by the public; only Detroit dealers and Chevy executives and their employees.
Beebe worked as a musical consultant, arranger and composer on hundreds of "Industrial Musicals" for General Motors of Detroit, the Radio Corporation of America in Indianapolis, Coca-Cola, Westinghouse and the McDonald's Corporation in Oak Brook, Illinois from the 1950s to the early 1980s.
"[3] Record collector Scott Murphy teamed up with Young to write the book "‘’Everything's Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals’’” in 2013 which told the story of Beebe and other composers and actors who took part in creating these one-time corporate musicals.
Theater critic Edith Oliver wrote in her review for The New Yorker: “I hope it runs forever.”[6] In 1977, Beebe was contracted to work on the revival of the musical Hellzapoppin with Jerry Lewis and Lynn Redgrave; but due to complications with Lewis, the show never made it to Broadway.