Saul Chaplin (February 19, 1912 – November 15, 1997) was an American composer and musical director. He was born Saul Kaplan in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York. He had worked on stage, screen and television since the days of Tin Pan Alley. In film, he won three

Oscars 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 collaborating on the scores and orchestrations of ''

An American in Paris ''An American in Paris'' is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by American composer George Gershwin first performed in 1928. It was inspired by the time that Gershwin had spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital ...

'' (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

), ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

'' ( 1954) and ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' ( 1961).

Biography

Born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family, Chaplin graduated with a B.A. in accounting from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

's School of Commerce. After school, Chaplin joined the ASCAP and started out penning tunes for the theatre,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and for New York's famous songwriting district, Tin Pan Alley. While in New York, Chaplin teamed with

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

to compose original songs for

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

movie shorts, filmed in Brooklyn by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. During this period the team was sometimes billed only by surname ("Cahn and Chaplin"), in the manner of

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart' ...

or Gilbert and Sullivan. Cahn and Chaplin relocated to Hollywood and scored two films for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

. Chaplin then moved to

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

to score ''

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a maga ...

'' and ''

The Jolson Story ''The Jolson Story'' is a 1946 American musical biography film which purports to tell the life story of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson (approximating Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler), William Demares ...

''. While on the latter film, Chaplin and

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

penned the million-selling hit tune ''

The Anniversary Song "Waves of the Danube" ( ro, Valurile Dunării) is a waltz composed by Iosif Ivanovici in 1880, and is one of the most famous Romanian tunes in the world. The song has many variations throughout the piece, reminiscent of the music of Johann Strauss. ...

''. In the late

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * Januar ...

s, Chaplin moved to

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

to work on a long string of films including '' On the Town'' ( 1949), ''

Kiss Me Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...

'' ( 1953), ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

'' ( 1956) and '' Merry Andrew'' ( 1958). For collaborating on such hits as '' Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen'' and ''

Please Be Kind "Please Be Kind" is a 1938 American song composed by Saul Chaplin with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Popular recordings that year were by Mildred Bailey and the Red Norvo Orchestra; Bob Crosby & His Orchestra (vocal by Kay Weber); and by Benny Goodman & Hi ...

'', Chaplin was inducted into the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

in 1985. He won Academy Awards for his work on the scores of ''

'', ''

'' and ''

'' as well as nominations for ''

'' and ''

''. While continuing as a film music supervisor, Chaplin became an associate producer in the early

'60s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz A ...

and worked on such major features as '' Can-Can'' (1960), ''

'' ( 1961), ''

I Could Go On Singing ''I Could Go On Singing'' is a 1963 British-American musical drama film directed by Ronald Neame, starring Judy Garland (in her final film role) and Dirk Bogarde. Originally titled ''The Lonely Stage'', the film was renamed so that audiences w ...

'' (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

), ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

'' ( 1965), '' STAR!'' ( 1968), '' Man of La Mancha'' (

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

) and '' That's Entertainment, Part 2'' (

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

). He published his autobiography, ''The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me'', in 1994. He had worked with and was friends with most of the major songwriters and performers of his era, such as Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin,

, Leonard Bernstein,

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, Gene Kelly,

Phil Silvers Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly sixty years. Silvers achieved major popu ...

, Julie Andrews, Frank Sinatra and others. His memoir focused on the behind the scenes aspect of moviemaking.

Marriages

Chaplin married Ethel Schwartz and had one child, a daughter Judith (who married Harold Prince); the couple divorced in 1950. In 1968, Chaplin married Betty Levin, who worked as script supervisor on ''The Sound of Music''.

Death

In late 1997, the 85-year-old Chaplin suffered a bad fall and on November 15 died in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as a result of his injuries.

Selected filmography

as Composer: * '' Argentine Nights'' (1940) * ''

Rookies on Parade ''Rookies on Parade'' is a 1941 Republic Pictures musical–comedy film that was the studios entry into the pre-World War II Army comedy genre. The Army technical advisor was Captain Jack Voglin who performed the same duty on the 1941 films '' ...

'' (1941) * '' Go West, Young Lady'' (1941) * ''

Time Out for Rhythm ''Time Out for Rhythm'' is a 1941 musical comedy film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Rudy Vallée, Ann Miller and the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard). Six Hits and a Miss perform, as well as Glen Gray and His Ca ...

'' (1941) * '' Sing for Your Supper'' (1941) * ''

Blondie Goes to College ''Blondie Goes to College'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer. The film is a part of the ''Blondie'' series, starring Penny Singleton in the title role. It is the tenth of twenty-eight Blondie movies starring Penny Sing ...

'' (1942) * '' Blondie's Blessed Event'' (1942) * '' Honolulu Lu'' (1942) * '' Redhead from Manhattan'' (1943) * '' Crazy House'' (1943) * '' Cowboy Canteen'' (1944) * '' Ever Since Venus'' (1944) * '' Kansas City Kitty'' (1944) * '' She's a Sweetheart'' (1944) * ''

Louisiana Hayride ''Louisiana Hayride'' was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the ...

'' (1944) * '' Meet Me on Broadway'' (1946) * ''

Two Blondes and a Redhead ''Two Blondes and a Redhead'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Arthur Dreifuss and starring Jean Porter. Plot Cast Production The film was originally known as ''Three Blondes and a Redhead''. Filming started April 1947. Reference ...

'' (1947) * ''

'' (1947) * '' The Countess of Monte Cristo'' (1948) * '' Everything I Have Is Yours'' (1952) as Arranger: * '' On the Town'' (1949) * ''

Summer Stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock th ...

'' (1950) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

Lovely to Look At ''Lovely to Look At'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, based on the 1933 Broadway musical '' Roberta''. Plot Broadway producers Al Marsh, Tony Naylor, and Jerry Ralby are desperately searching for invest ...

'' (1952) * '' Give a Girl a Break'' (1953) * ''

'' (1953) * ''

Jupiter's Darling ''Jupiter's Darling'' is a 1955 American Eastman Color musical romance film released by MGM and directed by George Sidney filmed in CinemaScope. It starred Esther Williams as the Roman woman Amytis, Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Carthaginian mi ...

'' (1953) * ''

'' (1954) * ''

Interrupted Melody ''Interrupted Melody'' is a 1955 biographical musical film, filmed in CinemaScope and Eastman Color, directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Glenn Ford, Eleanor Parker, Roger Moore, and Cecil Kellaway. The film was produced for Metro-Goldwyn-Ma ...

'' (1955) * ''

'' (1956) as Associate Producer: * '' Les Girls'' (1957) * '' Merry Andrew'' (1958) * '' Can-Can'' (1960) * ''

'' (1961) * ''

'' (1963) * ''

'' (1965) * '' Star!'' (1968) * '' Man of La Mancha'' (1972) * '' That's Entertainment, Part 2'' (1976)

References

External links

* *
Songwriters Hall of Fame page on Saul Chaplin
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaplin, Saul 1912 births 1997 deaths American film score composers American male film score composers Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Songwriters from New York (state) Musicians from Brooklyn Vaudeville performers Grammy Award winners Accidental deaths in California 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Jewish American film score composers 20th-century American Jews American male songwriters