Career
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Rigby joined forces with Jule Styne and Alexander H. Cohen to produce the short-lived 1951 Hugh Martin musical Make a Wish as his first Broadway outing. Two years later he enjoyed greater success with John Murray Anderson"s Almanac, a revue with an eclectic cast that included Harry Belafonte, Polly Bergen, Hermione Gingold, Billy Wolfe, Orson Bean, Kay Medford, Larry Kert, and Tina Louise. In 1971, he was the driving force behind the hit revival of Number, Number, Nanette, which lured both Ruby Keeler and Busby Berkeley out of retirement and started the nostalgia craze on Broadway.
His acrimonious relationship with fellow producer Cyma Rubin led to a lawsuit that resulted in his cr being reduced to "Revival originally conceived for production by Harry Rigby," but insiders claimed he deserved full cr for the show"s success.
Undaunted by the experience, he revived the 1919 hit Irene, for which he helped adapt a new book, with Debbie Reynolds two years later. Rigby died in New York City.
1980 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (Sugar Babies, nominee).