Vivian John Herman Ellis, CBE (29 October 1903 – 19 June 1996) was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song "Spread a Little Happiness" and the theme "Coronation Scot".
In spite of his music being both pleasant and catchy, few of his compositions were recorded (with the exception of "I'm on a See-Saw" by Fats Waller and "This is My Lovely Day" by Lizbeth Webb and Georges Guetary), the latter from Bless the Bride (1947, to lyrics by A. P. Herbert), so his name gradually faded from the public eye after his last London production.
Several of the promising writers featured in the competition went on to success, including Charles Hart who wrote lyrics for The Phantom of the Opera, and Philip Glassborow whose comedy musical The Great Big Radio Show!
Ellis as a composer was "rediscovered" in the 1980s when his 1929 musical Mr. Cinders (featuring the hit song, "Spread a Little Happiness") was revived at the King's Head Theatre in London and then transferred to the West End for a very successful run of over 500 performances .
In 2008, the King's Head Theatre in London announced they would present the world premiere of Godiva, a previously unproduced musical (book by Guy Bolton) written in the 1950s, but the production never materialised.