Paul Dunlap (July 19, 1919 – March 11, 2010) was an American composer. He wrote music for over 200 films during his 30-year career. He is best known for his work with Western movies.

Early life

William Paul Dunlap was born to William P. and Janice P. Dunlap in 1919. He was born in Springfield, Ohio. He enjoyed music, and studied with great composers Arnold Schoenberg,

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

, and

Ernst Toch Ernst Toch (; 7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. He sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Biography Toch was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into the family ...

. He wanted to be a concert hall or opera composer; however, there was a greater opportunity to build a career as a composer in the film industry. When he was 31 years old, Dunlap left for Hollywood to begin his career.

Career

Dunlap's film career began in 1950 when he scored ''

The Baron of Arizona ''The Baron of Arizona'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Samuel Fuller and starring Vincent Price and Ellen Drew. The film concerns a master forger's attempted use of false documents to lay claim to the territory of Arizona late in ...

''. This was a

Sam Fuller Samuel Michael Fuller (August 12, 1912 – October 30, 1997) was an American film director, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, and World War II veteran known for directing low-budget genre movies with controversial themes, often made ou ...

film, and led to Dunlap producing other scores for his movies like ''

The Naked Kiss ''The Naked Kiss'' is a 1964 American neo-noir melodrama film, written and directed by Samuel Fuller and starring Constance Towers, Anthony Eisley, Michael Dante, and Virginia Grey. The film follows a former prostitute who attempts to assimil ...

'' and '' Shock Corridor.'' During the 1950s and 60s, Dunlap also wrote music for low-budget films in the horror and sci-fi genres. Dunlap wrote the scores for as more than 200 films and

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

s throughout his career. These included several

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...

feature films, including ''

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules ''The Three Stooges Meet Hercules'' is a 1962 American comedy fantasy film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the third feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howar ...

'', ''

The Three Stooges in Orbit ''The Three Stooges In Orbit'' is a 1962 American comedy science fiction film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the fourth feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe H ...

'', ''

The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze ''The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze'' is the fifth feature film made by The Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly Joe"). Di ...

'' and ''

The Outlaws Is Coming ''The Outlaws Is Coming'' (stylized as ''The Outlaws IS Coming!'') is the sixth and final theatrical comedy starring The Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and J ...

''. Dunlap also scored the last Abbott and Costello film ''

Dance With Me, Henry ''Dance with Me, Henry'' is a 1956 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the final film that they starred in together, although Costello starred in one more film before his death, '' The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock''. Plot ...

'' as well. Dunlap is also known for his scores for numerous genre-films including ''

I Was a Teenage Werewolf ''I Was a Teenage Werewolf'' is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime and Whit Bissell. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen and was one of the most successful films release ...

'', ''

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein ''I Was a Teenage Frankenstein'' (U.K. title: ''Teenage Frankenstein'') is a film starring Whit Bissell, Phyllis Coates and Gary Conway, released by American International Pictures (AIP) in November 1957 as a double feature with '' Blood of Dra ...

'', '' Blood of Dracula'', and ''

The Angry Red Planet ''The Angry Red Planet'' (also called ''Invasion of Mars'' and ''Journey to Planet Four'') is a 1959 American science fiction film directed by Ib Melchior and starring Gerald Mohr. Melchior reportedly had an initial production budget of only $ ...

''. His career spanned three decades and he contributed as musical director, musical supervisor, and orchestrator. He wrote soundtracks for several movies by

Harold D. Schuster Harold D. Schuster (August 1, 1902 – July 19, 1986) was an American editor and film director. In 1937, he made '' Wings of the Morning'', the first-ever three-strip Technicolor film shot in Europe. Among the better-known films that Schuster ...

. Dunlap also worked on many

B movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

during his career and was recognized for his Western scores. Throughout his life, Dunlap did not forget his love of classical music. He wrote piano concertos and choral music after his retirement from Hollywood films in 1968. In his later life, he wrote an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

. He composed again for movies, however, when he wrote the music for ''

Gorp Trail mix or scroggin is a type of snack mix, typically a combination of granola, dried fruit, nuts, and sometimes candy, developed as a food to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is considered a great snack food for hikes, because it is li ...

'' which was produced in 1980.

Death

Dunlap died of natural causes on March 11, 2010 in Palm Springs, California.

Selected filmography

References

External links

*
Paul Dunlap in ''Epdlp''Paul Dunlap papers, MSS 2292
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

1919 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists American male composers American male pianists {{US-composer-20thC-stub