Louis Forbes was born Louis Forbstein on August 12, 1902, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, USA. He was an American

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 ...

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 ...

and conductor. Forbes was a music student under the tutelage of renowned musicians Edward Kilenyi and

Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...

. He was under contract to David O. Selznick for seven years, and later served as the director of music for Goldwyn Productions for three years. He also worked for

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

, contributing to several popular films with his musical compositions. In 1951, Forbes joined the

American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

). Throughout his career, he penned a number of popular songs, including the "

Appointment in Honduras ''Appointment in Honduras'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Glenn Ford, Ann Sheridan, and Zachary Scott. Plot Taking place in 1910, during a fictional revolution in Honduras, Jim Corbett (Glenn For ...

" theme. Forbe's talent and dedication to his craft earned him critical acclaim and recognition in the industry. He was nominated for five

Academy Awards 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 ...

for his music scoring on the films ''

Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

'' (1939); ''

Up in Arms ''Up in Arms'' is a 1944 musical film directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1945. Plot Danny Weems works as an elevator operator in a New York Medical building, so he can b ...

'' (1944); ''

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The c ...

'' (1945); '' Brewster's Millions'' (1945); and ''

This Is Cinerama ''This Is Cinerama'' is a 1952 American documentary film directed by Mike Todd, Michael Todd, Jr., Walter A. Thompson and Fred Rickey and starring Lowell Thomas. It is designed to introduce the widescreen process Cinerama, which broadens the as ...

'' (1952).https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/search Notably, Forbstein was the brother of

Leo F. Forbstein Leo Frank Forbstein (October 16, 1892 – March 16, 1948) was an American film musical director and orchestra conductor who worked on more than 550 projects during a twenty-year period. Early years Forbstein was born in St. Louis, Missouri. H ...

, another prominent composer and conductor in the film industry. Forbes died on June 17, 1981, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, USA.

Film credits

*''

'' (1952) *''

The Man Who Cheated Himself ''The Man Who Cheated Himself'' is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall. Plot Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun h ...

'' (1950) *'' Second Chance'' (1950) *''

Johnny One-Eye ''Johnny One-Eye'' is a 1950 film noir crime film from a story by Damon Runyon, directed by Robert Florey starring Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris, Dolores Moran and Gayle Reed. Plot In Manhattan, former gangster turned legitimate businessman Mar ...

'' (1950) *'' Mrs. Mike'' (1949) *'' Pitfall'' (1948) *''

Intrigue Intrigue may refer to: TV and film * ''Intrigue'' (1920 film), a 1920 German silent drama film * ''Intrigue'' (1942 film), a Spanish film * ''Intrigue'' (1947 film), 1947 film directed by Edwin L. Marin * ''The Intrigue'', 1916 silent film dra ...

'' (1947) *''

The Fabulous Dorseys ''The Fabulous Dorseys'' is a 1947 musical biography, biopic which tells the story of the brothers Tommy Dorsey, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, from their boyhood in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania through their rise, their breakup, and their personal reunion ...

'' (1947) *''

The Kid from Brooklyn ''The Kid from Brooklyn'' is a 1946 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, Steve Cochran, Walter Abel, Eve Arden, and Fay Bainter. Virginia Mayo's and Vera-Ellen's singing v ...

'' (1946) *''

Tomorrow Is Forever ''Tomorrow Is Forever'' is a 1946 black-and-white romance film directed by Irving Pichel, and starring Claudette Colbert, Orson Welles and George Brent. It was also the film debut of Richard Long (actor), Richard Long and Natalie Wood. It wa ...

'' (1946) *'' Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1945) *'' Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945) *''

'' (1945) *'' Brewster's Millions'' (1945) *''

Since You Went Away ''Since You Went Away'' is a 1944 American epic drama film directed by John Cromwell for Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It is an epic about the American home front during World War II that was adapted and pr ...

'' (1944) *''

'' (1944) *'' Pot o' Gold'' (1941) *''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

'' (1940) *''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

'' (1939) *''

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

'' (1939) *''

'' (1939) *'' Made for Each Other'' (1939) *''

Little Orphan Annie ''Little Orphan Annie'' is a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and it made its debut on Aug ...

'' (1938) *''

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River. It is set in the 1840s in the town of St. Petersburg, which is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain lived as a boy. In the nov ...

'' (1938) *'' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) *''

Oh, Doctor ''Oh, Doctor'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Ray McCarey and written by Harry Clork and Brown Holmes. It is based on the 1923 novel ''Oh, Doctor!'' by Harry Leon Wilson. The film stars Edward Everett Horton, Donrue Leighton, Willia ...

'' (1937) *''

Let Them Live ''Let Them Live'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Harold Young and written by Lionel Houser and Bruce Manning. The film stars John Howard, Nan Grey, Edward Ellis, Judith Barrett, Robert Wilcox and Benny Bartlett. The film was release ...

'' (1937) *''

Night Key ''Night Key'' is a science fiction crime film starring Boris Karloff and released by Universal Pictures in 1937. Plot The inventor of a burglar alarm (Karloff) attempts to get back at the man who stole the profits to his invention (Hinds) befor ...

'' (1937) *''

She's Dangerous ''She's Dangerous'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Milton Carruth and Lewis R. Foster and written by Lionel Houser and Albert R. Perkins. The film stars Tala Birell, Walter Pidgeon, Cesar Romero, Walter Brennan, Warren Hymer, and S ...

'' (1937) *''

Mysterious Crossing ''Mysterious Crossing'' is a 1936 American film. It was directed by Arthur Lubin. Production It was originally called ''Murder on the Mississippi'', which was the title of the Fred MacIsaac story on which it was based. Universal bought this in J ...

'' (1936)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbstein, Leo F. 1902 births 1981 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians American film score composers American male conductors (music) Classical musicians from Missouri American male film score composers Musicians from St. Louis