Friedrich Hollaender (in exile also Frederick Hollander; 18 October 189618 January 1976) was a German

film composer A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

and author.

Life and career

He was born in London to a Jewish family, where his father,

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

composer Victor Hollaender, worked as a musical director at the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Young Hollaender had a solid music and theatre family background: his uncle Gustav was director of the

Stern Conservatory The Stern Conservatory (''Stern'sches Konservatorium'') was a private music school in Berlin with many distinguished tutors and alumni. The school is now part of Berlin University of the Arts. History It was founded in 1850 as the ''Berliner Mu ...

in Berlin, and his uncle Felix Hollaender was a well-known novelist and drama critic, who later worked with

Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...

at the Deutsches Theater. In 1899 Hollaender's family returned to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. His father began teaching at the Stern Conservatory, where his son became a student in Engelbert Humperdinck's master class. In the evening he played the piano at

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

performances in local cinemas, developing the art of

musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of Emotion, emotions and Musical technique, instrumental techn ...

. By the age of 18 he was employed as a

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

at the New German Theatre in Prague and also was put in charge of troop entertainment at the Western Front of World War I. Having finished his studies, he composed music for productions by

and became involved in Berlin's

Kabarett Kabarett (; from French ''cabaret'' = tavern) is satirical revue, a form of cabaret which was developed in France by Rodolphe Salis in 1881 as the ''cabaret artistique''. It was named Le Chat Noir and was centered on political events and satire. ...

scene. Together with

Kurt Tucholsky Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satire, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the Kaspar Hauser, historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wr ...

Klabund Alfred Henschke (4 November 1890 – 14 August 1928), better known by his pseudonym Klabund, was a German writer. Life Klabund, born Alfred Henschke in 1890 in Krosno Odrzańskie, Crossen, was the son of an apothecary. At the age of 16 he came ...

Walter Mehring Walter Mehring (29 April 1896 – 3 October 1981) was a German author and one of the most prominent satirical authors in the Weimar Republic. He was banned during the Third Reich and fled the country. Early life Mehring was Jewish, the so ...

Mischa Spoliansky Mischa Spoliansky (28 December 1898 – 28 June 1985) was a Russian-born composer who made his name writing cabaret and revue songs in the Weimar Republic of the 1920s and early 1930s. He was forced to emigrate to London in 1933 when Hitler ro ...

and

Joachim Ringelnatz Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher (7 August 1883 in Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934 in Berlin). From 1894 to 1900 he lived with his family in the Gottschedstrasse 40 in Leipzig. Profile Hi ...

he worked in venues like Reinhardt's ''Schall und Rauch'' ensemble at the

Großes Schauspielhaus The Großes Schauspielhaus (Great Theater) was a theater in Berlin, Germany, designed by architect Hans Poelzig for theater director Max Reinhardt. The structure was built as a market hall in 1867 and then served as a circus and event venue. Poel ...

or the ''Wilde Bühne'' led by

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * ''Ein Schwerenöter'' (1916) – Liddy * ''Die Eheschule'' (1917) * ''Die Reise ins Jenseits ...

at the

Theater des Westens The Theater des Westens (Theatre of the West) is one of the most famous theatres for musicals and operettas in Berlin, Germany, located at 10–12 in Charlottenburg. It was founded in 1895 for plays. The present house was opened in 1896 and ded ...

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

, where he established the ''Tingel-Tangel-Theater'' cabaret in 1931. In 1919 he married the actress

Blandine Ebinger Blandine Ebinger (née Blandine Loeser; born 4 November 1899 – 25 December 1993) was a German actress and ''chansonniere''. Career Ebinger became acquainted with Friedrich Hollaender in 1919, and with him she became heavily invested as a p ...

; the couple divorced in 1926. Their daughter Philine later became the wife of the cabarettist Georg Kreisler. Hollaender had his breakthrough when he wrote the film score for ''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredite ...

'' (1930), including the most popular song "

Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It) "Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" is the English language name for a 1930 German song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as "''Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt"'' (literally: "I am, from head to toe, ready for love"). The song ...

", performed by

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

. He later married Leza Lidow. He had to leave

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in 1933 because of his Jewish descent and first moved to Paris. He emigrated to the United States the next year, where he wrote the music for over a hundred films, including ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Her ...

'' (1939), ''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich and John Lund. The screenplay by Charles Brackett, Wilder and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by ...

'' (1948), '' The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T'' (1953

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination) and ''

Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Hafren, known in English as Sabrina, a British princess in Welsh mythology ...

'' (1954). Many of his songs were again made famous by Marlene Dietrich. He can be seen as the piano accompanist in ''A Foreign Affair'' (on the songs "Black Market", "Illusions" and "Ruins of Berlin"). He received four Academy Award nominations for composition. As "Frederick Hollander", he also wrote the semi-autobiographical novel '' Those Torn From Earth'', released in 1941, which details the flight from Germany that many Jewish members of the film industry embarked on after the Nazis came to power and instituted the

Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...

. He divorced Elizabeth Hollander in 1946 in Los Angeles. In 1956 he returned to Germany and again worked for several years as a

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

composer at the Theater Die Kleine Freiheit in Munich. He made a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

's film comedy ''

One, Two, Three ''One, Two, Three'' is a 1961 American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, and written by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond. It is based on the 1929 Hungarian one-act play ''Egy, kettő, három'' by Ferenc Molnár, with a "plot borrowe ...

'' (1960) as a

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

leading a dance band and singing the German vocals to the song "

Yes! We Have No Bananas "Yes! We Have No Bananas" is an American novelty song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn published March 23, 1923. It became a major hit that year (placing No. 1 for five weeks) when it was recorded by Billy Jones (singer), Billy Jones, Billy Murra ...

". Hollaender died 1976 in Munich and is buried in the

Obergiesing Obergiesing (Central Bavarian: ''Obagiasing'') is a borough of Munich, about 5km south-east of the city center. The larger part is residential or a mix of business and residential, but there are also a number of recreational facilities. Educatio ...

'' Ostfriedhof''.

Selected songs

*1926 "Raus mit den Männern", famous

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

song performed by

Claire Waldoff Claire Waldoff (21 October 1884 – 22 January 1957), born Clara Wortmann, was a German singer. She was a famous kabarett singer and entertainer in Berlin during the 1910s to the 1930s, chiefly known for performing ironic songs in the Berlin dial ...

. *1929 "Eine kleine Sehnsucht" ("A Little Longing") sung by

Grete Mosheim Margarete Emma Dorothea "Grete" Mosheim (8 January 1905 – 29 December 1986) was a German film, theatre, and television actress. Early life Mosheim was born in Berlin, Germany on 8 January 1905, the daughter of a Jewish man, Markus Mosheim (18 ...

. *1930 "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt" w.m. (words and music) Hollander (with English words by

Sammy Lerner Samuel Lerner (January 28, 1903 – December 13, 1989) was a Romanian-born songwriter for American and British musical theatre and film. He is best known for his collaborations with Fleischer Studios. Career Lerner was born to a Jewish family in ...

became known as "

"). Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

Der Blaue Engel ''The Blue Angel'' () is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Robert Liebmann, with uncredited ...

''. *1931 "Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte" in film ''

Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht ''The Man in Search of His Murderer'' () is a 1931 Cinema of Germany, German comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Heinz Rühmann, Lien Deyers and Hans Leibelt.Hardt p. 239 The film is partially lost; of the original 9 acts, only fi ...

'' and in the 1974 film ''

The Night Porter ''The Night Porter'' () is a 1974 Italian erotic psychological war drama film co-written and directed by Liliana Cavani. It stars Dirk Bogarde and Charlotte Rampling, with Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti and Isa Miranda in supporting roles. ...

'' (Italian: ''Il Portiere di notte'') by

Liliana Cavani Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Cavani became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature film ''Il portiere di notte'' ('' The Night Porter''). Her films have historical concerns ...

. *1935 "My Heart and I" w.

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1895 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song " Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shi ...

. Introduced by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

in the 1936 film ''

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, revised considerably by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madc ...

'' *1936 "Awake in a Dream" w. Leo Robin. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

''. *1936 "The House That Jack Built for Jill" w. Leo Robin. Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film ''

Rhythm on the Range ''Rhythm on the Range'' is a 1936 American Western musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Mervin J. Houser, the film is about a cowboy who meets a beautiful young wom ...

''. *1936 "Moonlight and Shadows" w. Leo Robin. Introduced by

Dorothy Lamour Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the ''Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing C ...

in the film ''

The Jungle Princess ''The Jungle Princess'' is a 1936 American adventure film directed by Wilhelm Thiele starring Dorothy Lamour and Ray Milland. Plot Christopher Powell is in a big game camp in Malaya with his fiancée Ava and her father Col. Lane, capturing wild ...

''. *1937 "Whispers in the Dark" w. Leo Robin. Introduced by

Connie Boswell Constance Foore "Connee" Boswell (December 3, 1907 – October 11, 1976) was an American vocalist born in Kansas City, Missouri, but raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. With sisters Martha and Helvetia "Vet", she performed in the 1920s and 1930s ...

in the film ''

Artists and Models ''Artists and Models'' is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor ...

'' *1937 "It's Raining Sunbeams" w.

Sam Coslow Sam Coslow (December 27, 1902 – April 2, 1982) was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager. He contributed songs to Broadway revues, ...

. Introduced by

Deanna Durbin Edna May Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born American soprano and actress, who moved to the U.S. from Canada with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1 ...

in the film ''

One Hundred Men and a Girl ''One Hundred Men and a Girl'' (styled 100 Men and a Girl in advertising) is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin and the maestro Leopold Stokowski. Written by Charles Kenyon, Bruce Manning, a ...

''. *1937 "True Confession" w. Sam Coslow. Theme of the film '' True Confession''. *1938 "You Leave Me Breathless" w.

Ralph Freed Ralph Freed (1 May 1907, Vancouver - February 13, 1973) was a Canadian born American lyricist and television producer. Early life Born May 1, 1907 to Max Freed and Rosie (Rosza) Grossman who met in Charleston, SC. Ralph married Grace H. Berchma ...

. Introduced by

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

in the film '' Cocoanut Grove''. *1939 "Strange Enchantment" w. Frank Loesser. Introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the film '' Man About Town''. *1939 " See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" w.

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...

. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

''. *1940 "I've Been in Love Before" w. Frank Loesser. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film '' Seven Sinners''. *1940 "Moon Over Burma" w. Frank Loesser. Introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the film '' Moon Over Burma''. *1948 "Black Market" w.m. Hollander. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

''. *1948 "Illusions" w.m. Hollander. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

''. *1948 "The Ruins of Berlin" w.m. Hollander. Introduced by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''

''. *1955 "Sentimental Moments" w. Ralph Freed. Introduced by Joan Bennett in the film '' We're No Angels''.

Published CD-ROMs

Friedrich Hollaender: ''...Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss auf Musik eingestellt'', 4 CDs with 20 pages Booklet, Membran Music Ltd., 2005; Distributed by Grosser und Stein GmbH, Pforzheim, .

Selected filmography

* ''

Prince Cuckoo ''Prince Cuckoo'' () is a 1919 German silent drama film directed by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt, Olga Limburg, and Magnus Stifter. It premiered at the Marmorhaus. It is now considered a lost film. It was shot at the Babelsberg S ...

'' (1919) * '' The Woman's Crusade'' (1926) * ''

Burglars Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

'' (1930) * ''

Road to Rio ''Road to Rio'' is a 1947 American musical film, musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. Written by Edmund Beloin and Jack Rose (screenwriter), Jack Rose, the film is about two i ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Fate of Renate Langen ''The Fate of Renate Langen'' () is a 1931 German drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Mady Christians, Francis Lederer and Hilde Hildebrand.Bock & Bergfelder p. 72 Cast * Mady Christians as Renate Langen * Francis Lederer a ...

'' (1931) * '' Three Days of Love'' (1931) * '' Caught in the Act'' (1931) * ''

The Man in Search of His Murderer ''The Man in Search of His Murderer'' () is a 1931 Cinema of Germany, German comedy film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Heinz Rühmann, Lien Deyers and Hans Leibelt.Hardt p. 239 The film is partially lost; of the original 9 acts, only fi ...

'' (1931, actor) * '' The Yellow House of Rio'' (1931) * ''

Storms of Passion ''Storms of Passion'' (German: ''Stürme der Leidenschaft'') is a 1932 German crime film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Emil Jannings, Anna Sten and Trude Hesterberg. It is regarded as a precursor of film noir. The film was produced ...

'' (1932) * '' The Empress and I'' (1933) * '' The Only Girl'' (1933) * '' Forgotten Faces'' (1936) * ''

A Son Comes Home ''A Son Comes Home'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by E.A. Dupont and starring Mary Boland, Julie Haydon and Donald Woods (actor), Donald Woods. It was one of three films made by Dupont for Paramount Pictures.St. Pierre p.23 Plot Cast * ...

'' (1936) * ''

Here Comes Mr. Jordan ''Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' is a 1941 American Fantasy film, fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Hall, in which a boxer, mistakenly taken to Heaven before his time, is given a second chance back on Earth. It stars Robert Montgomery ...

'' (1941) * ''

Background to Danger ''Background to Danger'' is a 1943 World War II spy thriller film starring George Raft and featuring Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. Based on the 1937 novel '' Uncommon Danger'' by Eric Ambler and set in politically neu ...

'' (1943) * '' The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T'' (1953)

References

External links

* *
Official Frederick Hollander / Friedrich Hollaender website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollaender, Friedrich 1896 births 1976 deaths 20th-century German male musicians German film score composers German musical theatre composers Male musical theatre composers German male songwriters Jewish composers Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Composers from London Composers from Berlin Répétiteurs Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at the Ostfriedhof (Munich) 20th-century German musicians German male film score composers

Life and career

Selected songs

Published CD-ROMs

Selected filmography

References

Further reading

External links