David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music."

Biography

David Raksin was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States, to Jewish parents (of Russian heritage). His father was an orchestra conductor. Raksin played professionally in dance bands while attending

Central High School of Philadelphia Central High School is a public high school in the LoganLogan Redevelopment Area ...

. He went on to study composition with

Harl McDonald Harl McDonald (July 27, 1899 - March 30, 1955) was an American composer, conductor, pianist and teacher. McDonald was born in Boulder, Colorado, and studied at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Redlands, and the Leipzig Cons ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and later with

Isadore Freed Isadore Freed (March 26, 1900 – November 10, 1960) was a Jewish composer of Belarusian birth. Biography Born in Brest-Litovsk, now Brest, Belarus, Freed's family emigrated to the United States when Freed was three years old and settled in Phi ...

in New York and

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

in Los Angeles. In New York, Raksin worked as an arranger for Harms/Chappell. One of his earliest film assignments was as assistant to

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

in the composition of the score to '' Modern Times'' (1936). He is perhaps best remembered for his score for the film '' Laura'' (1944). The theme music for the film, " Laura", with the addition of lyrics by Johnny Mercer, became a major hit. During Raksin's lifetime, "Laura" was said to be the second most-recorded song in history following " Stardust" by

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s, and was among the first ...

and

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

. Raksin's theme song "The Bad and the Beautiful" (also called "Love is For the Very Young") for the 1953 film ''

The Bad and the Beautiful ''The Bad and the Beautiful'' is a 1952 American melodrama that tells the story of a film producer who alienates everyone around him. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by George Bradshaw (writer), George Bradshaw and Charles Sch ...

'' (1953) was also a hit, although not as popular as "Laura". Raksin insisted that the song be released as an instrumental, because he had resented having to split the proceeds from "Laura" with a lyricist. Raksin's theme for "The Bad and the Beautiful" was initially disliked by the film's director

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director. He directed the classic movie musicals ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' (1944), ''An American in Paris'' (1951), ''Th ...

and producer John Houseman, but was saved from rejection by the intervention of

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Art ...

and

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned s ...

, who both liked it. The theme has since been praised by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

Leonard Rosenman Leonard Rosenman (September 7, 1924 – March 4, 2008) was an American film, television and concert composer with credits in over 130 works, including '' East of Eden'', ''Rebel without a Cause'', '' Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', ''Beneath the ...

Richard Rodney Bennett Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (29 March 193624 December 2012) was an English composer of film, TV and concert music, and also a jazz pianist and occasional vocalist. He was based in New York City from 1979 until his death there in 2012.Zachary Woo ...

, and Alexander Courage. Sondheim reportedly called it "one of the best themes ever written in films". Raksin also scored the 1958 film ''

Separate Tables ''Separate Tables'' is the collective name of two one-act plays by Terence Rattigan, both taking place in the Beauregard Private Hotel, Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. The first play, titled ''Table by the Window'', focuses on the ...

'', for which he was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. In the 1960s, Raksin wrote the theme song for (and scored the pilot of) the

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

television series ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols " ♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaff ...

''. Later in life, Raksin taught at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Raksin died in 2004, aged 92. At the time of his death, it was announced that Raksin had completed his autobiography, titled ''If I Say So Myself''. The book was eventually published under the title ''The Bad and the Beautiful: My Life in a Golden Age of Film Music''. In 2012, he was named for a Lifetime Achievement Award for a Past Film Composer. His son Alex, is a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winning

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, suc ...

writer for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''.Schott & Co. Ltd. recorder score RMS 850 (1957)

Selected film and TV scores

*''

The Day After ''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film durin ...

'' (1983) *''

The Ghost of Flight 401 Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 was a scheduled flight from New York JFK to Miami. Shortly before midnight on December 29, 1972, the Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar crashed into the Florida Everglades, causing 101 total fatalities. Three of the 4 cockpit ...

'' (1978) *'' Glass Houses'' (1972) *''

What's the Matter with Helen? ''What's the Matter With Helen?'' is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Debbie Reynolds and Shelley Winters. Plot Leonard Hill and Wesley Bruckner are seen being loaded into a paddy wagon to face ...

'' (1971) *''

The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again ''The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again'' starring Walter Brennan and Fred Astaire is a 1970 ''ABC Movie of the Week'' sequel to the Western comedy ''The Over-the-Hill Gang''. The supporting cast includes Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, Chill Will ...

'' (1970) *''

Will Penny ''Will Penny'' is a 1968 American Western film written and directed by Tom Gries and starring Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett and Donald Pleasence. The picture was based upon an episode of the 1960 Sam Peckinpah television series '' The Western ...

'' (1968) *''

A Big Hand for the Little Lady ''A Big Hand for the Little Lady'' (released in the UK under the misleading title ''Big Deal at Dodge City'', as the film is set in Laredo, Texas) is a 1966 American Western film made by Eden Productions Inc. and released by Warner Bros. The ...

'' (1966) *'' Love Has Many Faces'' (1965) *'' Sylvia'' (1965) *''

Invitation to a Gunfighter ''Invitation to a Gunfighter'' is a 1964 DeLuxe Color Western film directed by Richard Wilson, starring Yul Brynner and George Segal. It was based on a 1957 teleplay by Larry Klein that appeared on ''Playhouse 90''. A lone Creole gunfighter, J ...

'' (1964) *'' The Patsy'' (1964) *''

Two Weeks in Another Town ''Two Weeks in Another Town'' is a 1962 American drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Kirk Douglas and Edward G. Robinson. The supporting players include Cyd Charisse, Claire Trevor, Daliah Lavi, George Hamilton, and Rosanna S ...

'' (1962) *''

Too Late Blues ''Too Late Blues'' is a 1961 black-and-white American film directed by John Cassavetes and starring Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens and Everett Chambers. It is the story of jazz musician "Ghost" Wakefield and his relationship with both his fellow band ...

'' (1961) *''

Night Tide ''Night Tide'' is a 1961 American fantasy film sometimes considered to be a horror film, written and directed by Curtis Harrington and featuring Dennis Hopper in his first starring role. It was filmed in 1960, premiered in 1961, but was held up ...

'' (1961) *''

Pay or Die ''Pay or Die'' is a 1960 American biographical and crime film directed by Richard Wilson and starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. The film is a dramatization of the career of New York City p ...

'' (1960) *''

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

'' (1959) *''

'' (1958) *''

Twilight for the Gods ''Twilight for the Gods'' is a 1958 American Eastmancolor adventure film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Rock Hudson and Cyd Charisse. The story is based on the novel ''Twilight for the Gods'' by Ernest K. Gann (though the opening credi ...

'' (1958) *''

Until They Sail ''Until They Sail'' is a 1957 American black-and-white CinemaScope drama film directed by Robert Wise and starring Jean Simmons, Joan Fontaine, Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, and Sandra Dee. The screenplay by Robert Anderson, based on a story by ...

'' (1957) *''

Gunsight Ridge ''Gunsight Ridge'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Francis D. Lyon and written by Talbot Jennings and Elisabeth Jennings. The film stars Joel McCrea, Mark Stevens, Joan Weldon, Addison Richards, Darlene Fields and Carolyn Craig. ...

'' (1957) *'' Man on Fire'' (1957) *''

The Vintage ''The Vintage'' is a 1957 American crime drama film directed by Jeffrey Hayden and starring Pier Angeli, Mel Ferrer, John Kerr, Michèle Morgan and Theodore Bikel. The screenplay was written by Michael Blankfort, based on a novel by Ursula Kei ...

'' (1957) *''

Bigger Than Life ''Bigger Than Life'' is a 1956 American drama film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring James Mason, Barbara Rush, and Walter Matthau. Its plot follows an ailing school teacher and family man whose life spins out of control when he misuses c ...

'' (1956) *''

Hilda Crane ''Hilda Crane'' (also known as ''The Many Loves of Hilda Crane'') is a 1956 American drama film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Philip Dunne and produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr. from a screenplay adapted by Dunne from the play by ...

'' (1956) *'' Jubal'' (1956) *''

Seven Wonders of the World Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, in order to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural features and human-built structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the o ...

'' (1955) (with

Sol Kaplan Sol Kaplan (April 19, 1919 – November 14, 1990) was an American film and television music composer. Life and career Kaplan was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He worked as a successful concert pianist, including performing at Carnegie Hal ...

Jerome Moross Jerome Moross (August 1, 1913July 25, 1983) was an American composer best known for his music for film and television. He also composed works for symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists and musical theater, as well as orchestrating score ...

Emil Newman Emil Newman (January 20, 1911 – August 30, 1984) was an American music director and conductor who worked on more than 200 films and TV series. He was nominated for an Oscar for his musical direction on the classic '' Sun Valley Serenade'' (1941) ...

) *''

The Big Combo ''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Don ...

'' (1955) *'' Suddenly'' (1954) *''

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

'' (1954) *''

'' (1952) *''Madeline'' (cartoon) (1952) *''

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

'' (1952) *''

Pat and Mike ''Pat and Mike'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy film starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The movie was written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, and directed by George Cukor. Cukor directed '' The Philadelphia Story'' (1940) with H ...

'' (1952) *''

The Man with a Cloak ''The Man with a Cloak'' is a 1951 American film noir crime- thriller-drama directed by Fletcher Markle and starring Joseph Cotten, Barbara Stanwyck, Louis Calhern, and Leslie Caron, and based on "The Gentleman from Paris", a short story by Joh ...

'' (1951) *'' Across the Wide Missouri'' (1951) *'' Kind Lady'' (1951) *'' The Next Voice You Hear...'' (1950) *'' The Magnificent Yankee'' (1950) *''

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms ( ). ''Vo ...

'' (1950) *''

Force of Evil ''Force of Evil'' is a 1948 American crime film noir starring John Garfield and directed by Abraham Polonsky. It was adapted by Polonsky and Ira Wolfert from Wolfert's novel ''Tucker's People''. Polonsky had been a screenwriter for the boxing f ...

'' (1948) *'' Apartment for Peggy'' (1948) *'' Fury at Furnace Creek'' (1948) *''

Daisy Kenyon ''Daisy Kenyon'' is a 1947 American romantic-drama film by 20th Century Fox starring Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda, and Dana Andrews in a story about a post-World War II romantic triangle. The screenplay by David Hertz was based upon a 1945 novel o ...

'' (1947) *'' Forever Amber'' (1947) *''

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1939) is a short story by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's stories, it first appeared in ''The New Yorker'' on March 18, 1939, and was first collected in his book '' My World and Welcome to It'' ( Ha ...

'' (1947) *'' Smoky'' (1946) *''

Fallen Angel In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said R ...

'' (1945) *'' Laura'' (1944) *''

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

'' (1944) *''

City Without Men ''City Without Men'' is a 1943 American film noir crime film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Linda Darnell, Edgar Buchanan and Michael Duane. It was released by Columbia Pictures on January 14, 1943. A group of women lives in a boarding ...

'' (1943) *'' The Men in Her Life'' (1941) *''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...

'' (1939) *'' Stanley and Livingstone'' (1939) *''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

'' (1939) *'' Modern Times'' (arranger) (1936)

Work on Broadway

*'' Thumbs Up!'' (1934) -

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

- co-orchestrator *''Parade'' (1935) -

- co-

orchestrator Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orch ...

*''

At Home Abroad ''At Home Abroad'' is a revue with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz. It introduced the songs "Love Is a Dancing Thing", "What a Wonderful World" and "Got a Bran' New Suit", among others. The revue follows a bored couple who fl ...

'' (1935) -

- co-

*''New Faces of 1936'' (1936) -

- co-

*''If the Shoe Fits'' (1946) -

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

*''Dream'' (1997) -

- featured

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

for " Laura"

References

External links

* *
Brief biography from Otherminds.org
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' (August 11, 2004)

Interviews

Streaming audio interview with Raksin
by Charles Amirkhanian, January 28, 1988

by Bruce Duffie, May 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Raksin, David 1912 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male musicians American film score composers American male film score composers Jewish American film score composers Musicians from Philadelphia Pupils of Arnold Schoenberg University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Southern California faculty University of California, Los Angeles faculty Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni

Biography

Selected film and TV scores

Work on Broadway

See also

References

External links

Interviews