Some of their well-known songs are:
Despite showing a talent for music while still a young child, Foster received no formal training, learning to play the flute by himself. His deepest musical influence, as a child, was
hearing the Negro spirituals when a household servant would take him to a Negro church whenever his parents were away.
His high school years were spent at Athens Academy at Tioga Point, PA. While there, he composed his first song, "Tioga Waltz" which was performed by the school band. Upon graduation, Foster enrolled in Jefferson College, at Canonsburg, PA. It was to be a short enrollment. Foster had absolutely no interest in higher education, and spent all of his time loafing about; composing tunes, day-dreaming, and playing his flute. Just a few days after his enrollment, he left the college; his academic training ended. After this, he was to devote his full time to composing music.
Three years later, in 1844, Foster's first song "Open Thy Lattice, Love" was published, with lyric by George F. Morris. At this time, Foster was holding small gatherings, in his home, of some young friends. He composed several songs for presentation at these informal meetings: . Among these songs, were: "Old Uncle Ned", "Oh, Susannah!", and "Lou'siana Belle".
Circa 1846, at the behest of his parents, Foster moved to Cincinati, and began working for his brother's commission house, as a bookkeeper. Foster interested a Cincinati music publisher who paid nothing for "Uncle Ned" and "Lou'siana Belle", and gave Foster $100.00 for the rights to "Oh, Susannah!"
1847 "Lou'siana Belle", A sprightly 'step-around' tune, published.
Foster determined to follow a composing career. He quit as bookkeeper and moved to Pittsburgh, PA. There be met the famous black face minstrel, Ed Christy. Christy began using Foster's songs in his own Minstrel Show, oft-times listing himself as the composer. But times were changing for Foster. He received a contract from a New York Publisher who offered him Royalty Payments in lieu of an outright purchase.
1850 "Camptown Races" published. A big Minstrel Show hit tune.
Foster, realizing the error of allowing someone else's name to appear on the sheet music as composer, wrote to Ed Christy. In pursuit of his goal to become the greatest Ethiopian songwriter, Foster composed:
On July 22, 1850, Foster married Jane Denny McDowell. (She was the person who later inspired the ballad "Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair".) It was to become an unhappy home. Jane was a hard-nosed, practical, devout Methodist. She had no use for his friends, his drinking, his music, and his association with the theater. Still, despite his home life, Foster continued writing.
After "Old Black Joe", he continued writing, mostly sentimental ballads.
Unfortunately, the tide began to turn for Foster. In 1860, he took his wife and daughter to New York City, where he found despair and frustration. His type of song was falling out of public favor, and he was forced to write lesser material to keep his home together. Shunned by the public and by his publishers, he often didn't have the price of a decent meal. He lived in poor surroundings in the Bowery section of New York. When his family left him, - they returned to Pittsburgh, his moral and physical disintegration became complete. He sought refuge in alcohol, living in an inebriated stupor for long periods of time. One day he collapsed while at his wash basin. Discovered, bleeding, by the chambermaid, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he died on Jan. 13, 1864. In his pockets, they found a a slip of paper on which had been written, "Dear friends and gentle hearts", - possibly the title of a new song, - and three cents. He was 37 years old.
Postscript:
Between World War I and World War II, Frankel achieved fame as a Jazz club musician, and Pop music film composer. He worked as a Jazz fiddler, pianist and arranger in such bands as Carroll Gibbons' Savoy Orpheans, and Henry Hall's BBC Dance Orchestra, among others. But in 1944, he basically ceased his theatre work, although he kept active in film composing for the remainder of his life.
By the end of World War II, he was already gaining concert hall recognition with some five chamber works. Possibly his best-known composition, the First Sonata for Solo Violin,, may have been the fruit of a long, close association with composer Max Rostal, as were his his concerti for violin and viola and probably also his 1951 Violin Concerto, "In memory of the Six Million" (Jews) who had perished in the Holocaust. During the 1950s, he was reputedly the highest paid British composer of film music.
Between 1958 and his death in 1973, he had composed eight symphonies. Much of his concert music used the twelve- ne (serial) principles laid down by Arnold Schoenberg, and Frankel's score for the 1960 film "Curse of the Werewolf" may have been the first such film score.
Frankel remained active up to his demise. Just before his death, he was at work completing his three-act opera Marching Song (from the play by John Whiting), and was working on his ninth symphony, a choral work commissioned by the BBC. Benjamin Frankel's transformation from Jazz fiddler to Classical composer was one of the most remarkable phenomena of twentieth century music.
Shortly after coming to New York, he was stopped from using the 'Moondog' title because of a suit brought against him by a blind Manhattan street musician called 'Moondog', - real name of Louis Hardin. His career had a somewhat tragic end. There was a 'Payola' scandal in the mid-1960's. It was discovered that the presumably independent 'disc-jockeys' at local radio stations were, in fact, accepting money to play record companies latest releases. Freed was one of the 'DJ's' that were brought to trial. The courts found him guilty of Bribery.
He is included here for the fact that he did occasionally contribute some music to the Rock and Roll genre, for example 1954's "Sincerely". Hollywood made a film in 1978, 'Hot Wax', which was, presumably, a biography of Freed's career. He died in January 1965, of Uremic Poisoning.
After high school, Freed became a staff pianist and song pluggger for a Chicago music publisher. While working with the music company, he met Minnie Marx, who was sheparding her sons - the Marx Brothers - while they toured the vaudeville circuit. Mrs Marx hired Freed, and put him in the act. He served in the US Army during WW1. After the war, he supported himself writing special material for Manhattan Cabaret floor shows. In 1920, one of his songs was in a Broadway show ('Silks and Satins'). In 1921, he collaborated with the, then unknown, composer Nacio Herb Brown on a song called "When Buddha Smiles On Me." In 1923, he wrote the lyrics for "I Cried For You." He then staged a few plays in Los Angeles. In 1929, MGM hired him as a lyric writer, and assigned him to work with his previous collaborator, Nacio Herb Brown. In 1939, he became a film producer and made such hits as Yolanda and The Thief (1945), and Ziegfeld Follies (1946) His last film was 1952's Singing in the Rain, with such Freed standards as "Make 'Em Laugh," "All I Do Is Dream of You," and "You Are My Lucky Star." The Arthur Freed 'unit' at MGM was considered to be the finest. Among the musicians who worked in the unit were Roger Eden; Kay Thompson; Andre Previn; the team of Comden and Green; Lennie Hayton; Saul Chaplin, and Johnny Green, among many others.
Brief Chronology:
In his later years, Freed became a producer of very successful movies, including:
Freed lacked some social polish, but he was a man who deeply believed in the home and in the morality of marriage. His anger (rare) was short-lived and never vindictive. He was a romantic and sentimental man. The unit that he created at MGM included such talent as directors Vincente Minnelli and Stanley Donen; composers Adolp Green and Betty Comden; musical arrangers such as Conrad Salinger and Andre Previn; choreographer Michael Kidd, and such acting talent as Judy Garland; Mickey Rooney; Cyd Charise; and Gene Kelly.
The Hollywood musical petered out in the 1960's. The times were changing. THere was a new affluence after WW2, Television made it's appearance, and the men who produced the pictures were more 'bottom line' conscious, and did not care about the artistry.
Arthur Freed was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.
He also worked on the follow films, but was uncredited
After WWII (he was already in his 40s), his fame as a 'pure' concert composer grew when he composed many excellent Chamber works. His 1951 Violin Concerto "In Memory of the Six Million" (Jews) who had perished in the Holocaust was very well received the world over. In time (1958 to his death in 1973), there followed a series of eight symphonies and an opera, "Marching Song", from a play by John Whiting. His 1960 film score for "Curse of the Werewolf" is believed to be the first based on upon Arnold Schoenberg's twelve tone serial method, and his concert music also reflected his use of Schoenberg's 12 principles.
Another film composer, Buxton Orr, studied with Benjamin Frankel. It should be noted that Frankel had previously taken some considerable risks to his standing as a concert music composer when he chose to do some work in the Horror film genre. And, it was Buxton who followed Frankel in also writing for the 'Horror' genre.
Over his long career, Frankel worked on more than a hundred scores for cinema, theatre and television. During the 1950s, he was reputedly the highest paid British film music composer. He also worked as either a conductor or arranger in over 50 other films. Among his film scores are:
"Larry joined the Sammy Kaye Orchestra, as an arranger from 1940 to 1945
"Some of the major engagements were at: Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ;
In 1955, Larry disbanded his orchestra and moved his family from Audubon,
"Larry Fotine was a member of ASCAP and wrote and published over 300 songs. Some of the better known were:"
He recorded with his own orchestra for Decca, King, Coral, Balboa and
In the late 1980's, he was still active writing music -- this time it was
"The Christmas Tree Train"
Larry also worte several books:
"Larry married Dorothy Owens in New Jersey in 1940. They had 3 children,
During his career, Larry composed over 300 songs, - some by himself and some with others.
Just a few of those composed with lyricist Francis Hayward Stanton, are:
Among the tunes composed by the trio of Larry Fotin, Joe Basile and Francis Hayward Stanton are:
Among the tunes composed by Larry Fotine with Gladys Shelley
And, among the other composers with whom Larry worked are:
And, --perhaps a hundred or so others.
George "Chet" Forrest
b. 1915, Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Overview.
Chet Forrest and Bob Wright worked together exclusively. They are well known for 'borrowing' Classical music themes and changing them into 'Pop' hits, mostly in Broadway musicals. One of their first transformations was the Rudolf Friml song "Chansonette" which they changed to "Donkey Serenade" in 1937. They scored the 1944 play, 'Song of Norway', a show about Edvard Grieg's life and music. For the 1953 Broadway musical 'Kismet', the pair used the music of Aleksandr Borodin. Their score for the Broadway musical "The Gypsy Lady" was adapted from the music by Victor Herbert. For the musical "Magdalena", the adapted the music of Villa Lobos. For the shows "Kismet" and "Tony", they used the beautiful themes from Borodin, and for "Anya", they used the music of Rachmaninoff
1940
"It's a Blue World"
1944 (From Broadway show "Song of Norway")
"Strange Music", based on Grieg's "Nocturne and Wedding Day in Troldhaugen".
"I Love You" (Another theme by Grieg)
1953 (From Broadway show "Kismet")
"Stranger in Paradise", based on music from Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances"
"Baubles, Bangles and Beads", theme by Aleksandre Borodin. (String Quartet No. 2, 2nd movement.)
"And This Is My Beloved." Aleksandre Borodin. (String Quartet No. 2, 3rd movement.)
Stephen Foster
né: Stephen Collins Foster
b. July, 4, 1826, Lawrenceville, PA (Nr. Pittsburgh) USA.
d. January 13, 1864, New York, NY, USA.
Overview
One of the first of America's great songwriters. A natural melodist, he could also invoke lyrics of great tenderness and refinement that touched not only the mind, but also the heart. In the middle of the 19th century, it was his songs that inspired a burgeoning America. Everyone sang his songs. But, Foster was a day-dreamer who could not take care of himself, and so wasted his true genius. An American tragedy.
1848 "Old Uncle Ned", Written as a minstrel show tune. published.
1848 "Oh, Susannah!", Almost as well known today as when he wrote it.
It's first public hearing was in a Pittsburgh ice-cream parlor, on Sept. 11, 1847, following which, virtually every minstrel show used it. By 1849, the tune, often with improvised lyrics, was the 'anthem' of gold rush miners on their way to Sutter's Mill, and California.
1851 "Old Folks At Home", aka "Swanee River". Today, we would describe this song as a 'smash hit'.
(Foster wanted to use a river name in the tune. He originally thought of the Pedee river. Looking at a Florida map, he noticed the Suwanee River, and altered the name to the more euphonious Swanee for the tune.) Minstrel Ed Christy paid Foster $15.00 for the privilege of introducing the song, and to allow him to place his name on the music as composer, but with all royalties from the sheet music sales going to Foster. Inside of 6 months, Foster had earned royalties of over $1500.00.
"Therefore, I have concluded to reinstate my name on my songs and to pursue the Ethiopian business without fear of shame and lend all my energies to making the business live, at the same time that I will wish to establish my name as the best Ethiopian writer."
1852 "Massa's In De Cold, Cold, Ground"
1853 "My Old Kentucky Home.
Both were great hits, earning him combined royalties of over $2000.00.
1853
"Old Dog Tray"
1854
"Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair"
"Ellen Bayne"
"Hard Times Come Again No More"
"Willie, We Have Missed You"
1855
"Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming"
1856
"Gentle Annie"
1860
"Old Black Joe", his last Negro song. Perhaps his best.
"Beautiful Dreamer"
"Poor Drooping Maiden"
"Under the Willow She's Sleeping"
and during the Civil War, he wrote:
"We've a Million in the Field"
"We Are Coming, Father Abraham"
In private correspondence, Mr. Harold Schachter has pointed out:
"As a little piece of trivia to SCF, you might want to point out, ..... that
"Foster is THE ONLY COMPOSER to have written MORE THAN ONE official state song.
"His "Old Folks at Home" is Florida's.......and his "My Old Kentucky Home" is
"Kentucky's State Song.
Dave Franklyn
Lyricist Dave and his principal partner composer Cliff Friend were part of a now extinct breed of craftsmen, - true Tin Pan Alley composers, writing tunes to order. They wrote for Bands, Radio Personalities, Recording artists, and under quota contracts for Music Publishers. They worked out of offices in 'Tin Pan Alley' and made their rounds demonstrating and plugging their wares They performed their songs for entertainers in hotel rooms, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, - even in Steam Rooms. The 'big score' for a composer was a popular bandleader such as Guy Lombardo, and Lombardo was one of those leaders who always listened to Dave Franklyn and Cliff Friend.
Among their hits are:
"The Anniversary Waltz"
"You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming"
"The Merry Go Round Broke Down"
"June Night"
"Time Waits For No One"
"Then I'll Be Happy"
"Trade Winds"
"When My Dream Boat Comes Home"
Benjamin Frankel
b: Jan. 31, 1906, London, England, UK; d: Feb,. 12, 1973, London, England, UK
Composer, conductor, arranger and music director
Trained Cologne, Berlin and at London's Guildhall school of Music and Drama.
At a very early age, Frankel was trained as a violinist, but was later apprenticed as a watchmaker. In 1922, he left for Germany where he studied under Victor Benham. Upon returning to London, he won a 'Worshipful Company of Musicians Scholarship', and made his first attempts at serious composition. This was perhaps the start of a fascinating dichotomy in his musical career. By the age of Seventeen, he would subsidize his serious efforts by playing Jazz fiddle and doing "Pop" arrangements and orchestrations for various musical stage Reviews. He served as music director on shows for C.B.Cochrane and Noel Coward, produced in London's West end district. Yet by the time of his demise, he had become an acclaimed Classical composer. .
Alan Freed
b. 1922, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, d. Jan. 1965, Palm Springs, CA
Overview
Alan Freed was primarily a 'Disc Jockey' - a spinner of records on radio stations. In 1951, he had a show on Cleveland's Radio Station WWJ called 'Moon Dog's Rock and Roll Party'. This is where the 'Rock and Roll' expression originated. A few years later, in 1954, he accepted an offer from New York Radio Station WINS. It was then that his fame, and income, rose.
Arthur Freed
b. Sept. 9, 1894, Charleston, SC, USA, d. April 12, 1973, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
né: Arthur Grossman
Overview
Lyricist/composer Arthur Freed really had two careers. Early on, he worked as a song plugger for several music publishers (he was a good pianist). He made his songwriting mark in 1923 when he wrote his first hit "I Cried For You". He was composing songs (with his own lyrics) and special material for nightclub acts. In 1929, Arthur was directing a stage play in Los Angeles. MGM studio head Irving Thalberg signed him to a contract as a lyricist, and he worked with composer Nacio Herb Brown turning out one hit song after another. Arthur's credits are a list of Early Hollywood Musical Landmarks. Eventually, he became a successful movie producer, at MGM Pictures. His first big hit movie was 'The Wizard of Oz'. In his 20 years at MGM, he produced no fewer than 47 hit motion pictures including hits such as 'Babes in Arms'(1939), 'Strike Up the Band', 'Meet Me in St. Louis', 'An American in Paris', 'Silk Stockings', 'The Bandwagon', 'Gigi' and others. His last film production was 1960's 'Bells Are Ringing'. He wrote the lyrics to a vast number of hit songs.
1921
"When Buddha Smiles at Me", his first hit song.
?? For film 'Untamed',
"Chant of the Jungle"
1929 For film 'Broadway Melody,
"You Were Meant For Me"
"Broadway Melody"
1929 For film 'Hollywood Revue of 1929', the song,
"Singin' In The Rain"
1929 For film 'The Pagan',
"The Pagan Love Song"
1930 For film 'Lord Byron of Broadway',
"A Bundle of Old Love Letters"
1933 For film 'Going Hollywood", Bing Crosby's first film
"Temptation"
"We'll Make Hay While the Sun Shines"
"Our Big Love Song"
"After Sundown"
"Going Hollywood"
1934 For film 'Sadie McKee',
"All I Do Is Dream of You"
1934 For film 'Student Tour',
"A New Moon Is Over My Shoulder"
1935 For film 'Broadway Melody of 1936', starring Eleanor Powell.
"You Are My Lucky Star"
"I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'"
1935 For film 'A Night at the Opera', Starring The Marx Brothers, Kitty Carlyle, and Allen Jones.
"Alone"
1937 For film, 'Broadway Melody of 1938, starring a very young Judy Garland, and Buddy Ebsen and his sister.
"My Broadway and Your Broadway"
"Everybody Sing"
1940 For film 'Strike Up the Band',
"Our Love Affair"
1946 For film 'Ziegfeld Follies',
"This Heart of Mine"
1952 For film 'Singin' In The Rain',
"Make 'em Laugh", sung and danced by Donald O'Connor
1939 Babes in Arms, With stars Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
1939 The Wizard of Oz, With Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan,
1939 Jack Haley, and Ray Bolger
1946 The Harvey Girls, with Judy Garland
1946 Till the Clouds Roll By.
1948 Easter Parade, with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland starring.
1949 On the Town,
1950 Annie Get Your Gun, Starred Betty Hutton
1951 Show Boat
1951 An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly.
1954 Brigadoon,
1953 The Band Wagon,
1958 Gigi,
1960 Bells Are Ringing.
Ralph Freed
b: May 1, 1907, Vancouver, BC, Canada. d: Feb. 13, 1973, CA, USA.
Here's a photograph of Ralph Freed, a brother of famed lyricist/movie musical producer
Arthur Freed. While his famous brother Arthur wrote for Broadway, and then Hollyood, Ralph did most of his
lyrics for Hollywood films, - for perhaps over a 150 of them! Among the songs to which he contributed lyrics are:
"A Lesson in Latin", ex 1941 film: I'll Wait for You
"After the Show", m/Sammy Fain
"All the Time", m/Sammy Fain
"Babes on Broadway", m/Burton Lane. Title song for film starring Judy Garland and
Mickey Rooney (1941)
"Blackout over Broadway", m/Burton Lane ex: film: Babes On Broadwar (uncredited)
"Caribbean Love Song", m/Roger Edens ex 1941 film: Ziegfeld Girl
"Down by the Ocean", m/Sammy Fain ex 1946 film: Two Sisters From Boston, starring
Kathryn Grayson and Jimmy Durante
"Du Barry Was a Lady", m/Burton Lane Title song for 1943 film Sung by Lucille Ball
(Dubbed by Martha Mears )
"Fleurette", m/Victor Herbert
"G'wan Home, Your Mudder's Callin'", m/Sammy Fain. ex 1945 film: Two Sisters from Boston
"Gypsy Lullaby",
"Hawaiian War Chant (Ta-Hu-Wa-Ha-Hai)", m/Prince Leleiohaku a nd Johnny Owens (Ralph
supplied the 'English' lyric.)
"Hoe Down", m/Roger Edens. ex film Babes On Broadway (Freed was uncredited)
"Holiday in Mexico". m/Sammy Fain Title song for 1946 film.
"How About You?", m/.Burton Lane ex 1941 film Babes On Broadway (Perhaps his greatest
work - but Freed was uncredited!)
"I Dug a Ditch", co-lyricist Lew Brown and m/Burton Lane
"I Love an Esquire Girl", co-lyricist Lew Brown. m/Roger Edens ex 1943 film DuBarry Was
A Lady
"I Love to Dance", m/Burton Lane
"I Thought I'd Never Fall In Love", ex 1939 film: Flight at Midnight
"In a Moment of Madness", m/Jimmy McHugh ex: 1943 film: Two Girls and a Sailor
"It Happened in Kaloha ", m/Frank Skinner ex 1940 film: It's a Date (Freed was uncredited)
"King Who Couldn't Dance, The (The Worry Song)", m/Sammy Fain, ex 1943 film: Anchors
Aweigh, danced by Gene Kelly and Jerry the Mouse.
"Madame, I Love Your Crepes Suzettes", co-lyricist Lew Brown. m/Burton Lane.
ex 1943 film: DuBarry Was A Lady
"My Mother Told Me There'd Be Moments Like This", m/Jimmy McHugh. ex 1944 film: Two
Girls and a Sailor
"No Wonder They Fall in Love", m/Sammy Fain 1947 film: This Time For Keeps
"Saskatchewan" ex 1942 film: Pierre of the Plains
"Please Don't Say No", m/Sammy Fain 1945 film Thrill of a Romance
"So Long, Sarah Jane", co-lyric by Lew Brown. m/Sammy Cahn 1943 film: I Dood It
"Swing High, Swing Low", m/
"Take a Chance on Romance", m/Sammy Fain. 1946 film Two Sisters From Boston, starred
Kathryn Grayson
"Ten Percent Off". m/Sammy Fain. 1947 film: This Time For Keeps
"There Are Two Sides to Every Girl", m/Sammy Fain. 1946 film Two Sisters From Boston,
starred Kathryn Grayson
"Tulip Time", m/Burton Lane. ex 1942 film: Seven Sweethearts
"You, So It's You", ex 1946 film: Holiday in Mexico
"Young Man with a Horn, The", m/Georgie Stoll. 1944 film: Two Girls and a Sailor
Bad Men of the Border (1946)
Gun Town (1946)
Terror by Night (1946)
Royal Mounted Rides Again, The (1945)
Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
Code of the Lawless (1945)
Meet the People (1944 some songs)
Dead Man's Eyes (1944)
Trail to Gunsight (1944)
Mummy's Ghost, The (1944)
Trigger Trail (1944)
Jungle Woman (1944/I)
It Ain't Hay (1943. In UK aka: Money for Jam)
Tornado (1943 songs)
Frontier Law (1943)
Arizona Trail (1943)
Thousands Cheer (1943 songs)
Captive Wild Woman (1943)
RaidersofSanJoaquin (1943)
Cheyenne Roundup (1943)
EyesoftheUnderworld (1943)
Adventures of the Flying Cadets (1943)
Great Impersonation, The (1942)
Old Chisholm Trail, The (1942)
Little Joe, the Wrangler (1942)
Destination Unknown (1942)
Overland Mail (1942)
Sin Town (1942)
Timber (1942)
Top Sergeant (1942)
Danger in the Pacific (1942)
Mystery of Marie Roget (1942 ... aka Phantom of Paris)
Mississippi Gambler (1942 ... aka Danger on the River)
Strange Case of Doctor Rx, The (1942)
Gang Busters (1942)
Song of the Islands (1942)
Frisco Lil (1942)
Mad Doctor of Market Street, The (1942)
Stagecoach Buckaroo (1942)
Bombay Clipper (1942)
North to the Klondike (1942)
Babes on Broadway (1941)
Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (1941)
Mr. Dynamite (1941)
Honeymoon Deferred (1940)
Meet the Wildcat (1940)
Trail of the Vigilantes (1940)
Pony Post (1940)
Diamond Frontier (1940)
Ski Patrol (1940)
Ragtime Cowboy Joe (1940)
Black Diamonds (1940)
Bad Man from Red Butte (1940)
Hot Steel (1940)
Alias the Deacon (1940 ... aka Hillbilly Deacon, The)
Enemy Agent (1940/I aka in UK: ... Secret Enemy)
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)
Boss of Bullion City (1940)
Double Alibi (1940)
Black Friday (1940)
Danger on Wheels (1940)
Little Accident (1939)
Rio (1939)
Under-Pup, The (1939)
Destry Rides Again (1939)
Big Guy, The (1939)
Tower of London (1939)
Call a Messenger (1939)
Tropic Fury (1939)
I Stole a Million (1939)
She Married a Cop (1939)
Unexpected Father (1939)
Hotel Imperial (1939 songs)
Cocoanut Grove (1938 songs)
Partners of the Plains (1938)
Blossoms on Broadway (1937 songs)
Double or Nothing (1937)
Wells Fargo (1937 song)
King of Gamblers (1937 songs)
Swing High, Swing Low (1937 songs)
Champagne Waltz (1937 songs)
Hideaway Girl (1936 songs)
College Holiday (1936 songs)
Careless Lady (1932)
Benjamin Frankel
b: Jan. 31, 1906, London, England, UK. d: Feb. 12, 1973, London, England, UK
Composer, conductor, arranger and music director.
Frankel, a film music composer of considerable note, first studied in Germany, at schools in Cologne and Berlin, and later at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. By age 17, he was already working as a jazz fiddler, pianist and arranger in (among others) Carroll Gibbons' Savoy Orpheans, and Henry Hall's BBC Dance Orchestra. His talent was recognized and starting in 1934, he began working for the film studios, and also in London's West end, where he worked on shows for C.B.Cochrane and Noel Coward, as the music director.
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Night of the Iguana, The (1964)
Old Dark House, The (1963)
Guns of Darkness (1962)
Curse of the Werewolf, The (1961 ... aka Curse of Siniestro, The )
Surprise Package (1960)
Libel (1959)
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1959 ... aka Season of Passion (1961 USA)
I Only Arsked! (1958)
Orders to Kill (1958)
Brothers in Law (1957)
Happy Is the Bride (1957)
Iron Petticoat, The (1956 ... aka Not for Money )
Lost (1955 ... aka Tears for Simon (1957 USA)
On Such a Night (1955)
Prisoner, The (1955)
Simon and Laura (1955)
Storm Over the Nile (1955)
Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
Kid for Two Farthings, A (1955)
End of the Affair, The (1955)
Man Who Loved Redheads, The (1955)
Love Lottery, The (1954)
Mad About Men (1954)
Up to His Neck (1954)
Aunt Clara (1954)
Malaga (1954 ... aka Fire Over Africa (USA)
Always a Bride (1953)
Final Test, The (1953)
Net, The (1953 ... aka Project M7 (USA)
Man Who Watched the Trains Go By, The (1953 ... aka Paris Express, The (USA)
Importance of Being Earnest, The (1952)
Appointment with Venus (1951 ... aka Island Rescue (1951 USA)
Hotel Sahara (1951)
Long Dark Hall, The (1951)
Man in the White Suit, The (1951)
Clouded Yellow, The (1951)
Double Confession (1950)
So Long at the Fair (1950). The film starred Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde, and his
background music, "Carraige and Pair" heard during the film's carriage rides,
was a haunting melody that soon became a popular instumental.
Chiltern Hundreds, The (1949 ... aka Amazing Mr. Beecham, The (USA)
Give Us This Day (1949 ... aka (all in USA) Christ in Concrete ... aka Salt and the Devil
... aka Salt to the Devil)
Trottie True (1949 ... aka Gay Lady, The (USA)
London Belongs to Me (1948 ... aka: Dulcimer Street in USA, and alternative title UK)
Sleeping Car to Trieste (1948)
Night Beat (1948)
Dancing with Crime (1947)
Daybreak (1947)
Dear Murderer (1947 --as Ben Frankel)
Mine Own Executioner (1947)
Seventh Veil, The (1946)
They Met in the Dark (1943)
Lawrence Fotine
b: April 27, 1911, Camden, NJ, USA. d. November 25, 1990, Minden, NV, USA. (aortic aneurysm)
né: Lawrence Constantine Fotinakis
Larry Fotine's daughter, Barbara, remembers:
"About the age of 14, he started to study piano. He then taught himself
composition, arranging and orchestration. About 1935, he organized a
youth orchestra and played various engagements in the surrounding states."
and from 1945 to 1947 was arranger for the Blue Barron, and Art Mooney
Orchestras. He organized his own orchestra in 1948. This was heard by
the well-known booking agent, Joe Glaser, who signed Larry and his
orchestra to an exclusive booking agreement. Larry Fotine and His
Orchestra proceeded to play various engagements throughout the U. S. and
Canada."
Arcadia Ballroom and Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY; Claridge Hotel and
Peabody Hotel, Memphis, TN; Aragon Ballroom, Oh Henry Ballroom and Melody
Mill Ballroom, Chicago, IL; Syracuse Hotel, Syracuse, NY; Muehlback Hotel,
Kansas City, MO."
New Jersey to the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. He
joined the Lawrence Welk orchestra in 1958 as an arranger and worked with
Welk for two years."
"You Were Only Foolin'" (L. Fotine, F. Meadows, B. Faber)
"I Ain't Got Nothin'" But the Blues (Duke Ellington, L. Fotine, D. George)
"Blue Guitar" (L. Fotine, F. Stanton)
"Spring in Montmartre" (L. Fotine, G. Shelley)
Sonic Arts labels. He also recorded under the name of Constantine and His
Orchestra and under the name of Beale Street Buskers."
background music and songs for the seasonal animated cartoon series, 'Rusty
and Buttons', which was distributed worldwide."
"Which Witch Is Which", with lyricist Francis Hayward Stanton
"The Turkey Caper"
"A Chucklewood Easter"
Theory and Techniques of Twelve Tone Composition
Musicians and Other Noisemakers
Contemporary Musician's Handbook and Dictionary
Pieces of Life (a collection of short stories)
Nicholas, Donald and Barbara -- all "fotine" months apart, as he used to
say. In September 1990, one month after celebrating their 50th wedding
anniversary, Larry and Dorothy moved from Los Angeles to Minden, NV
(northern Nevada). Two months after moving there, Larry collapsed and
died suddenly of a ruptured aortic aneurysm on November 25, 1990."
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Ms Barbara Atkins for sharing her memories of her famous father.
Some of the songs Larry composed by himself are:
"Almost Square"
"American Patrol"
"Cues" music for the Benny Hill TV Show.
"Brooklyn Bounce"
"Butterfly"
"Charleston Forever"
"Hot Peppers Galop"
"London Rhapsody"
"My Trumpet Bloweth Over"
"Phantasmagoria"
"Raggle Taggle"
"Steamboat Rag"
"Wedding of Pocahontas"
"Yum Yum Trolley"
"Beautiful Bayou Waltz" (w/ Joe Basile)
"Blue Guitar (Chet Atkins, among others recorded it.)
"Girl With the Purple Feet"
"It s a Lovely Day in Paree"
"Till We Love Again"
"Tutti Fruitti Tree"
"Smooth as Silk"
"Fire Ball Galop"
"Diamonds and Pearls"
"Blue Ribbon Waltz"
"The Victoria Waltz"
"Empty Words"
"Secret of Suzette"
"Spring in Montmarte"
"Tutti Frutti Tree"
"Sahara", Joseph Schmitz
"Shake Those Bones", Dudley "Tiny" Little
"Arriba Aruba", Dudley "Tiny" Little
"On The Rue De La Paix", Buddy Kaye
"Crazy Love Crazy Kisses", Sheldon Cohen
"Khartoum", Sheldon Cohen
"I Aint Got Nothin' But The Blues", Edward Kennedy Ellington and Don George
"The Christmas Mambo", Moe Jaffe
"The Coctail Tango", Thomas Connor
"Candlelight and Crystal", David G. Stephens
"Boogie Woogie Barnyard", Don George
"Belmont Boogie", (w/ Sammy Kaye listed as co-composer... but perhaps only to share in the royalties.)
"Boogie Woogie Hotel", Evelyne Love Cooper and Hans Lengsfelder.
"Heartbroken", Oscar Dumont, and Francis Hayward Stanton.
