Poet, Lyricist. Born Friedrich Lowy in Eastern Bohemia, he was raised in Vienna, where the family name was changed to Lohner. He studied law but an incorrigible sense of humor led him into writing satirical verse under the pseudonym "Beda". Proud of his Jewishness, he caused controversy with his playlet "Israelites and Other Anti-Semites" (1909), which castigated the trend of Jews converting to Christianity for social acceptance. His poems and cabaret lyrics were published in several volumes, among them "The Mild Marie" (1910), "New Satires" (1912), "Bombs and Grenades" (1916), and "The Muse in a Negligee" (1919). After World War I he focused on the stage and became one of the most sought-after lyricists in Vienna, with such hits songs as "In the Crocodile Bar", "You Black Gypsy", and "I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg". He also provided German translations for the American novelty tune "Yes, We Have No Bananas" (giving the words an erotic twist) and for the scandalous 1928 Vienna debut of Josephine Baker. Lohner-Beda is chiefly remembered today for his work in operetta: he co-wrote the librettos for Franz Lehar's "Friederike" (1928), "The Land of Smiles" (1928), and "Giuditta" (1934), and for Paul Abraham's "Victoria and Her Hussar" (1930), "Flower of Hawaii" (1931), and "Ball at the Savoy" (1932). Nearly all were made into films and "The Land of Smiles" is part of the standard operetta repertory. A vocal anti-Fascist, Lohner-Beda was arrested immediately after the Nazi annexation of Austria in March 1938. He was interned at Dachau and then at Buchenwald, where with composer Hermann Leopoldi he wrote the camp anthem, the "Buchenwald Song". Although popular with the SS, it was sung by prisoners as a gesture of defiance because the lyrics expressed hope for freedom beyond the barbed wire. In October 1942 Lohner-Beda was transported to Auschwitz III, the I.G. Farben subcamp in Monowitz, Poland. Too old and ill for forced labor, he was either beaten to death or sent to the gas chamber. His wife and two daughters died at other camps. When Buchenwald was liberated by US troops in April 1945, surviving inmates spontaneously sang the "Buchenwald Song" as free men. With the promise of Lohner-Beda's lyrics fulfilled, it was a bittersweet tribute to his memory.