Bert Shefter (May 15, 1902 – June 29, 1999) was a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n-born film composer who worked primarily in America.

Biography

He was born in Poltava, Russian Empire (now Ukraine.) After emigrating to the USA he attended the Carnegie Institute, Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music & the Damrosch Institute, NYC. He began his musical career as a duo-pianist with

Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities i ...

(known as "Shefter & Gould".) They performed in theaters and on the radio between 1930 - 1936. He developed his skills as a conductor, and began appearing both as solo pianist and conductor on stage. He was the guest conductor at Carnegie Hall during the 1946-1947 season. He formed his own orchestra, and appeared on New York radio including some broadcasts over the NBC Network. He also conducted his orchestra on recordings for several record labels and for the "

Muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments. The name has been in use since 1934, and has been owned by a division or subsidiary of one or another company ever since. In 1981, Westingho ...

" store music service. His first work in film music was as musical director for the production '' One Too Many'' in 1950. In the late 1950s, Shefter struck up an alliance with fellow film composer

Paul Sawtell Paul Sawtell (3 February 1906 – 1 August 1971) was a Polish-born film score composer in the United States. Sawtell began his career with RKO, and eventually joined Universal Pictures. Sawtell worked on many western and horror films, and also ...

and they produced many film scores together.Larson, Randall D. (2012)
''Musique Fantastique: 100 Years of Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror Film Music (2nd Edition),''
Chapter 8. Creature Features. Most notably they provided the music to classic science fiction and horror films including '' Kronos'' (1957), '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' (1958), '' Return of the Fly'' (1959), '' The Lost World'' (1960), ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...

'' (1961, in cooperation with producer

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

), and '' Jack the Giant Killer'' (1962). In 1965 they composed some scores for the director

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...

, such as the cult classic '' Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'' and '' Motorpsycho''. The last score they provided was for the Mexican film ''

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; August 8, 1879 – April 10, 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the ins ...

'' in 1970 shortly before Sawtell's retirement.

Later years

He retired in 1975 and died in 1999 at the age of 97 in West Hollywood, CA.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Great Jesse James Raid ''The Great Jesse James Raid'' is a 1953 American Ansco Color Western film directed by Reginald LeBorg and starring Willard Parker, Barbara Payton, and Tom Neal. This was the only film for Tom Neal and Barbara Payton to co-star together, as t ...

'' (1953) * ''

The Big Chase ''The Big Chase'' is a 1954 American crime drama film directed by Arthur Hilton and starring Glenn Langan, Adele Jergens, Lon Chaney Jr., Jim Davis and Douglas Kennedy. One of the film's scenes was directed by producer Robert L. Lippert Jr. ...

'' (1954) * '' Kronos'' (1957) * '' Hell Ship Mutiny'' (1957) * ''

Ambush at Cimarron Pass ''Ambush at Cimarron Pass'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Jodie Copelan and starring Scott Brady and Clint Eastwood (third billed, later first billed upon reissue). The film also features Margia Dean, Irving Bacon, Frank Gerstle, B ...

'' (1958) * '' It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' (1958) * '' Return of the Fly'' (1959) * ''

The Big Circus ''The Big Circus'' is a 1959 film starring Victor Mature as a circus owner struggling with financial trouble and a murderous unknown saboteur. It was produced and cowritten by Irwin Allen, later known for a series of big-budget disaster films. Pl ...

'' (1959) * '' The Lost World'' (1960) * ''

'' (1961) * '' Jack the Giant Killer'' (1962) * '' The Last Man on Earth'' (1964) * ''

Curse of the Fly ''Curse of the Fly'' is a 1965 American horror science-fiction film and a sequel to ''Return of the Fly'' (1959), as the third installment in ''The Fly'' film series. It was released in 1965, and unlike the other films in the series was produce ...

'' (1965) * '' Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'' (1965) * '' ''Motorpsycho'''' (1965) * ''

The Last Shot You Hear ''The Last Shot You Hear'' is a 1969 British thriller film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Hugh Marlowe, Zena Walker, Patricia Haines, and William Dysart. It was Marlowe's last film appearance. The film marked the end of the associat ...

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1970) * '' The Gatling Gun'' (1971)

References

External links

* 1902 births 1999 deaths Musicians from Poltava American film score composers American male film score composers Russian composers Russian male composers 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Mass media people from Poltava {{composer-stub