MUSIC COMPOSERS for film and television: StuOz Favourites

1. John Williams

As one of the best known, awarded, and financially successful composers in US history, John Williams is as easy to recall as John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland or Leonard Bernstein, illustrating why he is "America's composer" time and again. With a massive list of awards that includes over 52 Oscar ...

One of my three favourite film/TV composers of all time (the other two being Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann). From 1965 (Lost In Space) to 2005 (War Of The Worlds), Williams did 40 years of simply wonderful music for Irwin Allen TV science fiction, a few 70s disaster movies, Superman, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, etc. He did not die or vanish in 2005 but simply stopped doing great scores in 2005.

2. Jerry Goldsmith

Composer | L.A. Confidential

Born on February 10, 1929, Jerry Goldsmith studied piano with Jakob Gimpel and composition, theory, and counterpoint with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He also attended classes in film composition given by Miklós Rózsa at the Univeristy of Southern California. In 1950, he was employed as a clerk ...

One of my three favourite film/TV composers of all time. The Twilight Zone (Original Series), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (one TV episode), Our Man Flint, In Like Flint, Planet Of the Apes, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, The Omen, Damien Omen 2, The Swarm, Capricorn One, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Air Force One, etc.

3. Bernard Herrmann

Composer | North by Northwest

The man behind the low woodwinds that open Citizen Kane (1941), the shrieking violins of Psycho (1960), and the plaintive saxophone of Taxi Driver (1976) was one of the most original and distinctive composers ever to work in film. He started early, winning a composition prize at the age of 13 and ...

One of my three favourite composers of all time. Like most people, I know him for his work on the Hitchcock films. He scored many of them and when his was not used, such as in the case of the famed Rear Window, this became painfully obvious to me! I would even say it made movies like Rear Window less special to me. In the 50s Herrmann scored several 20th Century Fox movies and this brought life to such mundane material as Beneath The 12 Mile Reef and Garden Of Evil. Thankfully, in the 60s, the "Reef" and "Evil" scores were pinched by Fox's Irwin Allen and used in TV shows such as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space and The Time Tunnel. His The Day The Earth Stood Still score was also pinched by Irwin Allen. One of Herrmann's best and most under-rated scores ever was for Columbia's Mysterious Island (1961) - the wildly rich score brought life to a routine flick.

4. Alexander Courage

Music_department | Star Trek

Alexander Courage was born on December 10, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Star Trek (1966), Jurassic Park (1993) and Star Trek: Generations (1994). He was married to Shirley Pumpelly. He died on May 15, 2008 in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.

Star Trek Original Series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Doctor Doolittle, Jurassic Park.

(Note: To me atleast, the guy is best known for his science fiction scores but, when interviewed, he made it very clear that he has no interest in science fiction??).

5. Leith Stevens

Composer | The War of the Worlds

Leith Stevens was born on September 13, 1909 in Mount Moriah, Missouri, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for The War of the Worlds (1953), Destination Moon (1950) and Julie (1956). He was married to Mary McCoy and Elizabeth Stevens. He died on July 23, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Lost In Space (Blast Off Into Space), The Time Tunnel (Reign Of Terror), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Destination Moon, War Of The Worlds (1953 version), Twilight Zone Original Series.

(Note: He scored some of the great colour Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episodes like Time Bomb, A Time To Die, No Way Back, Blow Up, etc).

6. John Barry

Soundtrack | Out of Africa

John Barry was born in York, England in 1933, and was the youngest of three children. His father, Jack, owned several local cinemas and by the age of fourteen, Barry was capable of running the projection box on his own - in particular, The Rialto in York. As he was brought up in a cinematic ...

The James Bond movies, Raise The Titanic, The Black Hole, The Deep, King Kong (1976 version).

(Note: John Barry was so much apart of James Bond much the same way that Bernard Herrmann was so much apart of Hitchcock. This probably explains why SOME of the non-Barry 007 films are missing some of the punch of the old ones).

7. Richard LaSalle

Music_department | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

A composer, conductor, pianist and entertainer, Richard W. "Dick" LaSalle was educated at the University of Colorado. He wrote for radio in Denver, Colorado, and performed in area hotels as a pianist and orchestra leader between 1940 and 1955. He joined the American Society of Composers and ...

Diary of a Madman, Lost In Space (The Derelict), Land Of The Giants (season two), Wonder Woman (season three), City Beneath The Sea, Captain Nemo, The Night The Bridge Fell Down, etc.

(Note: Diary of a Madman had some of the cues heard in LIS's The Derelict).

8. Billy May

Soundtrack | Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Distinguished multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter, arranger, conductor and songwriter whose instantly-recognizable style remains a longtime trademark. The son of a roofer and a youthful asthmatic, his physician advised therapy through playing the tuba. In his school band, he developed an appreciation...

The Green Hornet, Batman (season three), Mod Squad, The Naked City (Series).

(Note: he did so much for 1966 Batman).

9. Nelson Riddle

Music_department | The Great Gatsby

Versatile American arranger/conductor who started as a trombonist with several big bands, including Tommy Dorsey. In a long, distinguished career, he not only scored numerous films and television shows, but made many now-legendary recordings in collaboration with such people as Rosemary Clooney, ...

Batman (season one & two), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (one episode), Lolita, The Untouchables (TV theme), Pal Joey.

(Note: despite just doing one episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, his music was heard a bit in the series as it was re-used as stock music).

10. Stu Phillips

Composer | Knight Rider

Stu Phillips was born on September 9, 1929 in the USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Knight Rider (1982), Argo (2012) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Battlestar Galactica.

(Note: Too bad this composer was not around for every episode of Buck and BG).

11. Miklós Rózsa

Composer | Ben-Hur

A child prodigy, Miklos Rózsa learned to play the violin at the age of five and read music before he was able to read words. In 1926, he began studying at the Leipzig Conservatory where he was considered a brilliant student. He obtained his doctorate in music in 1930. Moving to Paris the following ...

Ben-Hur (1959 version), The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1973), Captain Video (1951 movie serial).

(Note: I found Ben-Hur late, in 1998, but I found it in a good way - re-released with a fine print on a cinema screen. This 1998 viewing, with the music playing in HD, was probably the highlight of 1998).

12. Ron Grainer

Composer | The Omega Man

Ron Grainer was one of the outstanding composers of music for British television. He was born in a small mining town called Atherton, Queensland, Australia on 11th August 1922, where his father owned the local milk bar. His mother played piano and Ron was on the keyboard from the age of two and ...

The Prisoner (theme), The Omega Man, Doctor Who (theme).

(Note: The Prisoner is a UK drama series of the 60s and is not to be confused with an 80s Australian series about a women's prison).

13. Michael Vickers

Music_department | My Lover, My Son

Michael Vickers was born on April 18, 1940 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England, UK. He is a composer, known for My Lover, My Son (1970), At the Earth's Core (1976) and Lovebox (1972).

Warlords Of Atlantis.

(Note: Michael only just manged to sneak in this list as his Warlords score is just so memorable).

14. Leonard Rosenman

Composer | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Leonard Rosenman was born on September 7, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), Barry Lyndon (1975) and The Lord of the Rings (1978). He was married to Judie Gregg, Lyn Furr, Kay Scott and Adele Bracker. He died on March 4...

Fantastic Voyage, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Rebel Without A Cause, Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. The Car.

(Note: his style of music stands out a mile away).

15. David Buttolph

Music_department | The Three Musketeers

Prolific screen composer, arranger, and conductor, educated at Juillard and the Academie fur Musik in Vienna. He played in night clubs in Vienna and Munich from 1923 to 1926, then was an opera coach in Munich, 1926-1927. In 1927 he conducted for NBC, and then became music director for WGY in ...

House Of Wax (original).

(Note: mighty sounding music when the wax figures burn).

16. Bruce Broughton

Music_department | Lost in Space

Bruce Broughton composes in almost every medium, from theatrical motion pictures and television to computer games, in styles ranging from large symphonic settings ("Silverado") to contemporary electronic scores (the recently Emmy-nominated "The Dive from Clausen's Pier"). Broughton has written the ...

Hawaii Five O Original Series, Lost In Space The Movie.

(Note: Originally, Lost In Space wanted to get John Williams but he was unavailable).

17. Danny Elfman

Music_department | The Nightmare Before Christmas

As Danny Elfman was growing up in the Los Angeles area, he was largely unaware of his talent for composing. It wasn't until the early 1970s that Danny and his older brother Richard Elfman started a musical troupe while in Paris; the group "Mystic Knights of Oingo-Boingo" was created for Richard's ...

Batman The 1989 Movie, Desperate Housewives (theme).

(Note: that 1989 Batman score was so much apart of that year - must have listened to that score 200 times in 12 months).

18. Jerry Fielding

Composer | The Wild Bunch

A three-time Oscar nominee, Jerry Fielding was among the boldest and most experimental of all Hollywood film composers. His music typically utilized advanced compositional procedures, producing dense, often richly dissonant orchestral textures, sometimes flavored with jazz. Fielding's film music ...

Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, The Enforcer, Kolchak The Night Stalker.

(Note: he scored two episodes of Star Trek Original Series but his scores were terrible!).

19. Barry Gray

Soundtrack | Aquaman

Although many reference sources inexplicably give Barry Gray's year of birth as 1925, he was in fact born John Livesey Eccles in Blackburn on 18 July 1908. His father John Haworth Eccles was a stationery traveller by profession, but both parents were said to be musically talented, and John Junior ...

Stingray, Thunderbirds, U.F.O, Space 1999 (season one).

(Note: Gray was so much apart of these Gerry Anderson shows).

20. Lalo Schifrin

Music_department | Rush Hour

Immensely talented, Argentinian born pianist, conductor and composer who has written over 100 scores for both television & the cinema including the memorable themes to Mission: Impossible (1966), Mannix (1967), Starsky and Hutch (1975), Cool Hand Luke (1967), and Bullitt (1968). Schifrin has ...

When Time Ran Out, Murderers' Row, The Concorde...Airport 79, Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, Sudden Impact, Mission Impossible (theme), Mannix (theme), Starsky and Hutch (theme), Planet of the Apes TV series (theme).

(Note: King of 70s TV themes?).

21. Elliot Goldenthal

Music_department | Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Elliot Goldenthal is an Academy Award-winning composer best known for his original music scores for such films as Frida (2002) and Across the Universe (2007), among his other works.

He was born on May 2, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York. His father was a house-painter, and his mother was a seamstress. ...

Batman Forever, Batman and Robin (1997 version).

(Note: one of the better 90s composers).

22. Fred Steiner

Music_department | The Color Purple

Of Hungarian ancestry, the son of film composer George Steiner followed in his father's footsteps. A child prodigy, he played the piano by the age of six and cello at thirteen. Growing up in Manhattan, Fred immersed himself in his father's vast collection of records, which included a great deal of ...

Lost In Space Original Series, Star Trek Original Series.

(Note: one of the less talked about LIS/Trek link ups).

23. Dominic Frontiere

Music_department | Color of Night

Dominic Carmen Frontiere, 86, Emmy and Golden Globe winning film and television composer, former head of music at Paramount Pictures, passed away in Tesuque, New Mexico on 21 December 2017. He is survived by his wife Robin and their children Emily, Joseph, Nicholas and Sofia, as well as daughter ...

The Outer Limits Original Series, The Invaders, Vegas (theme), Probe (theme).

(Note: He dropped out of both Limits and Invaders after one season).

24. David Arnold

Soundtrack | Casino Royale

David Arnold was born on January 23, 1962 in Luton, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Casino Royale (2006), Independence Day (1996) and Godzilla (1998). He has been married to Ellie Pole since June 8, 1996. They have three children.

Independence Day.

(Note: one of the better 90s composers).

25. Alan Silvestri

Composer | The Polar Express

In his ongoing, decades-long career as a composer, Alan Silvestri has blazed an innovative trail with his exciting and melodic scores, winning the applause of Hollywood and movie audiences the world over. With a credit list of over 100 films Silvestri has composed some of the most recognizable and ...

Back to the Future, Volcano.

(Note: one of the better 80s/90s composers).

26. Ray Ellis

Soundtrack | Arbitrage

Conductor, composer, arranger, saxophonist, clarinetist and record producer Ray Ellis has arranged for a dozen million-selling records. A student of the saxophone from age twelve, he learned all the reed instruments by age fifteen. By sixteen he began working with name bands, and joined the US Army...

Spiderman (1967 cartoon), Fantastic Voyage (1968, cartoon), Star Trek (1973 cartoon), Shazam! (1974 live action series), Ark 11 (live action series), The Secrets Of Isis (live action series).

(Note: This is a seriously under-rated composer. Some of you might not know his music, some of you might not even know half the shows listed above, but I am telling you - this guy really rocked!).

27. Alex North

Music_department | Spartacus

Alex North studied music at the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, then won a scholarship to Juilliard in New York (1929) and the Moscow Conservatoire (1933), making him the first-ever American to become a member of the Union of Soviet Composers. In Europe, he worked as music director for the ...

Spartacus.

(Note: a very long movie with lots of music!).

28. David Rose

Soundtrack | Falling Down

David Rose was born on June 15, 1910 in London, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for Falling Down (1993), Bonanza (1959) and Lionheart (1990). He was married to Betty Bartholomew, Judy Garland and Martha Raye. He died on August 23, 1990 in Burbank, California, USA.

Bracken's World (theme), The Devil And Miss Sarah.

(Note: most would be shaking their heads wondering what the hell these two shows are - The Devil And Miss Sarah is the most under-rated western ever made!).

29. Max Steiner

Composer | Casablanca

Austrian composer Max Steiner achieved legendary status as the creator of hundreds of classic American film scores. He was born Maximilian Raoul Walter Steiner in Vienna, Austria, the son of Marie Mizzi (Hasiba) and Gabor Steiner, an impresario, and the grandson of actor and theater director and ...

Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, Mildred Pierce.

(Note: these 30s/40s scores are going to the very roots of Hollywood music).

30. Derek Wadsworth

Composer | Space: 1999

Derek Wadsworth was born on February 5, 1939 in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was a composer, known for Space: 1999 (1975), Britannia Hospital (1982) and Spring and Port Wine (1970). He died on December 3, 2008 in Oxfordshire, England, UK.

Space 1999 (season two).

(Note: the theme music/intro to Space 1999 season two would have to be one of the most listened to things in my life. The music was all about energy and change. Whenever I have an energetic change in life - I listen to that music).

31. Herman Stein

Music_department | King Kong vs. Godzilla

Composer, arranger and pianist, he was a child prodigy who was already a keyboard artist at three and a concert performer at six. A self-taught orchestrator, he learned musical theory in the local public library, and soon was arranging music for popular bandleaders including Count Basie and Fred ...

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space Original Series, The Time Tunnel, The Incredible Shrinking Man, This Island Earth.

(Note: 50s science fiction and Irwin Allen as well - not bad!)

32. Gerald Fried

Soundtrack | Star Trek Into Darkness

Composer, author and oboist, educated at Juilliard (BS). He was first oboist for the Dallas Symphony and the New York Little Orchestra between 1948 and 1956. Then he joined Revue Studios in California, lasting until 1960, thereafter working freelance. Joining ASCAP in 1956, his chief musical ...

Star Trek Original Series, Lost In Space Original Series.

(Note: a less talked about Trek/LIS link up).

33. Joseph Mullendore

Composer | Star Trek

Joseph Mullendore was born on October 21, 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a composer, known for Star Trek (1966), The Dick Powell Theatre (1961) and Burke's Law (1963). He was married to Virginia Ganahl Mullendore. He died on June 19, 1990 in Pasadena, California, USA.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost In Space Original Series, The Time Tunnel.

(Note: For some reason when he worked for Irwin Allen he sparkles, but when he worked for other 60s TV shows he was less pleasing?).

34. Harry Geller

Composer | Mission: Impossible

Harry is survived by his three children, Stephen, Joanne Jr., and Paul, and has multiple grandchildren. Stephen became a writer and professor, while Joanne Jr. worked in production for many television shows including The Larry Sanders show. Harry was ultimately married to his wife of many years, ...

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land Of The Giants, Hawaii Five O Original Series.

(Note: Nice to see an Irwin Allen composer on Hawaii Five O).

35. Lennie Hayton

Music_department | Singin' in the Rain

Composer, MGM music director (1940-1953), conductor, arranger and pianist in the jazz groups of 'Frankie Trumbauer', Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols, Joe Venuti and others. He was also with the Paul Whiteman orchestra. He also was music director for Lena Horne, his wife. Joining ASCAP in 1953, his ...

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

(Note: he scored The Monster From Outer Space, And Five Of Us Are Left and The Phantom Strikes - which makes him a very talented man).

36. Van Cleave

Music_department | White Christmas

Van Cleave was born on May 8, 1910 in Bayfield, Wisconsin, USA. Van Cleave was a composer, known for White Christmas (1954), Funny Face (1957) and Easter Parade (1948). Van Cleave was married to Doris. Van Cleave died on July 2, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Twilight Zone Original Series, Robinson Crusoe On Mars.

(Note: He scored TZ's Elegy, a great score which was re-used in other TZ episodes).

37. Alfred Newman

Music_department | The King and I

Alfred Newman is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music.

From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Academy Awards and was nominated 45 times, contributing to the Newmans being the most nominated ...

Airport, The Robe.

(Note: The opening title music of Airport would have to be one of the most listened to things in my lifetime! The tune is so grand, bold and mighty - it just gives me a lift whenever I hear it).

38. Dimitri Tiomkin

Soundtrack | High Noon

Dimitri Tiomkin was a Russian Jewish composer who emigrated to America and became one of the most distinguished and best-loved music writers of Hollywood. He won a hallowed place in the pantheon of the most successful and productive composers in American film history, earning himself four Oscars ...

Strangers On A Train, The Thing From Another World (main title), Giant, High Noon.

(Note: Strangers On A Train is Hitchcock without the usual Bernard Herrmann).

39. James Horner

Music_department | Titanic

James Horner began studying piano at the age of five, and trained at the Royal College of Music in London, England, before moving to California in the 1970s. After receiving a bachelor's degree in music at USC, he would go on to earn his master's degree at UCLA and teach music theory there. He ...

Star Trek 2: The Wrath Of Khan, Titanic, Troy.

(Note: one of the better 80s/90s composers).

40. Pete Rugolo

Composer | Run for Your Life

One of the great arrangers of the Big Band era, Sicilian-born Peter Rugolo was five years old when his family moved to Santa Rosa, California. He attended San Francisco College and in the 1930's studied composition under the classical composer Darius Milhaud. After military service in World War II,...

The Fugitive (series), Lost In Space Original Series (one episode).

(Note: Imagine The Fugitive TV series without that music - it would not have been the same at all).

41. Dennis McCarthy

Composer | Star Trek: Generations

Dennis McCarthy was born in 1945. He is a composer, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). He has been married to Patty since 1965. They have three children.

Star Trek: Generations.

(Note: the opening and closing tune is so good it almost puts a tear in my eye).

42. Frédéric Talgorn

Composer | Fortress

Frédéric Talgorn was born on July 3, 1961 in Toulouse, France. He is a composer, known for Fortress (1992), Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008) and Robot Jox (1989).

Edge Of Sanity.

(Note: this only just managed to sneak in the list as by 1989 we were getting so little quality music - it saved us!).

43. Hans Zimmer

Composer | Gladiator

German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents. He featured in the music video for The Buggles' single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to ...

Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises.

(Note: Good Lord! 21st Century music in this list!).

44. George Martin

Music_department | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Known best as the record producer for The Beatles, George Martin had a long and varied musical career, and continues to enjoy a rare reputation as one of popular music's true "nice guys."

Martin was born into a working-class family in Drayton Park, England, on 3 January 1926. His classical music ...

Live And Let Die.

(Note: so 70s, love it).

45. André Previn

Music_department | My Fair Lady

German-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor André George Previn (born Andreas Ludwig Priwin, in Berlin) was for eight decades a hugely influential and prolific figure in jazz, as well as classical and film music. Being Jewish, Previn's family was forced to leave Hitler's Germany in ...

Dead Ringer.

(Note: the Dead Ringer score was pinched by composer Richard LaSalle and used in several Irwin Allen productions like Land Of The Giants and The Swiss Family Robinson).

46. Don B. Ray

Music_department | Hawaii Five-O

Don B. Ray was born on June 7, 1925 in Santa Maria, California, USA. Don B. was a composer, known for Hawaii Five-O (1968), I Love You All (1980) and Playhouse 90 (1956). Don B. died on April 16, 2005 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Hawaii Five O Original Series

(Note: the other great 70s crime show Columbo never had the outstanding music heard in Five O).

47. Richard Shores

Composer | Hunter

Richard Shores was born on May 9, 1917 in Rockville, Indiana, USA. He was a composer, known for Hunter (1976), The Twilight Zone (1959) and How to Steal the World (1968). He died on April 12, 2001 in Encino, California, USA.

Hawaii Five O Original Series

(Note: the other great 70s crime show Columbo never had the outstanding music heard in Five O).

48. Paul Sawtell

Soundtrack | In America

Polish-born composer and violinist, under contract at RKO from 1938. Sawtell was initially hired as a writer of music for serialised B-pictures, which included the 'Mexican Spitfire' and 'Falcon' series. In the 1940s, he free-lanced for two of the so-called Poverty Row studios (Eagle-Lion and ...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial), The Fly, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea The Movie, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV Series (Note: he did a great score for the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series pilot but his music for other season one episodes was not so good).

49. Morton Stevens

Music_department | Hawaii Five-O

Mort Stevens got his start in the 1950s as Sammy Davis Jr.'s arranger and conductor. He then went into composing various scores for network television, as well as becoming music supervisor for CBS in the 1960s. His many fine television scores include, "Hawaii Five-O" (Emmy winner), "Police Woman" ...

Hawaii Five O Original Series, Time Travellers, Code Red (theme).

(Note: he scored one first season episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea but the score was poor).

50. Oliver Nelson

Music_department | Ultimo tango a Parigi

Oliver Nelson began playing piano at age six and picked up the saxophone when he was eleven. Later he continued his musical education at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as studying with composer Elliott Carter. Nelson gained practical experience by playing in bands with Erskine Hawkins, ...

The Six Million Dollar Man.

(Note: He may only have one title under his name but that one title is a monster - he scored 50 episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man! And when he left the series, the show was never the same again. Nelson music played a mighty big role in the entertainment value of this series. Imagine episode "The Seven Million Dollar Man" without that energetic music playing over it, some of the fun would have been lost).

51. Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Music_department | The Big Heat

Composer and accomplished double-bass player and cellist, Mischa fled his country after the October Revolution of 1917, along with his brothers Vladimir and Constantin. He arrived in America in 1926, and, five years later, got a job with Columbia in Hollywood. He was at first utilised as a musician...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial), Captain Video (1951 movie serial).

(Note: These old time cliff-hanger movie serials each had a few composers working on them because the STOCK music was going almost non-stop for about four hours. They had to get the music from somewhere! But this composer is the only one to get a credit in the Columbia serials).

52. R.H. Bassett

Soundtrack | Angela's Ashes

R.H. Bassett was born on September 3, 1878 in Oakland, California, USA. He was a composer, known for Angela's Ashes (1999) and What Price Glory (1926). He was married to Estelle Carleton Day, Rosina Elizabeth McIntosh and Alyse Lourdes Hunt. He died on April 24, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Batman and Robin (serial).

(Note: My favourite cliff-hanger movie serial).

53. Gerard Carbonara

Music_department | The Gold Rush

Composer, conductor and violinist, educated at the National Conservatory in New York (on a scholarship) and at the Naples Conservatory. He also studied with Martucci Dworczak. He was an opera coach in Milan in 1910, and a concert violinist and opera conductor throughout Europe and the United States...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial).

(Note: Mysterious Island was almost a non-stop parade of music cues).

54. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Composer | And Then There Were None

Respected composer and teacher, educated at the Cherubini Royal Institute of Music. He studied with Ildrebrando Pizzetti and Edgardo del Valle de Paz. It is generally thought that Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco actually composed more film music than he is credited with, and that he was often called upon...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial), Captain Video (1951 movie serial).

(Note: Captain Video does not survive repeat viewings too well, but when the whole four hours is watched just once - not bad).

55. Sidney Cutner

Music_department | Around the World in Eighty Days

Sidney Cutner was born on April 16, 1903 in Mariupol, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire [now Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine]. Sidney was a composer, known for Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Gun Crazy (1950) and Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962). Sidney died on September 20, 1971 in Los Angeles,...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial).

(Note: The same music cues are heard in both serials).

56. Ross DiMaggio

Music_department | Flame of Stamboul

Ross DiMaggio was born on March 27, 1906 in Louisiana, USA. He was a composer, known for Flame of Stamboul (1951), Mystery in Swing (1940) and Double Deal (1939). He died on August 30, 1980 in Laguna Hills, California, USA.

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial).

(Note: The same music cues are heard in both serials).

57. George Duning

Composer | From Here to Eternity

George Duning was educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, and during his early 20s played trumpet and piano for the Kay Kyser band, later arranging most of the music for Kyser's popular "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" radio program. It was during the Kyser band's appearance in Carolina Moon (1940) that ...

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial).

(Note: he scored some of Star Trek Original Series, but his music was not that good).

58. Hugo Friedhofer

Composer | The Best Years of Our Lives

Hugo Friedhofer -- how many times have you seen that name in the credits of 1930s and '40s movies for "orchestration" or "musical arranger" and thought -- Gee, what a busy guy! He was, and, ironically, much of that work went uncredited. He is not usually mentioned with the great film composers of ...

Batman and Robin (serial). Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Airport.

(Note: some of his Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series music was pinched from the movie: The Young Lions).

59. Louis Gruenberg

Music_department | Stagecoach

Composer ("The Emperor Jones") and pianist, educated at the Vienna Conservatory (Master Class), and a student of F. E. Koch. He came to the USA in 1885 and made his debut as pianist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Berlin in 1912. From there and through 1919 he continued giving concert tours ...

Batman and Robin (serial).

(Note: My favourite cliff-hanger movie serial).

60. Earl E. Lawrence

Soundtrack | The Incredible Shrinking Man

Earl E. Lawrence is known for The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957).

Batman and Robin (serial), The Incredible Shrinking Man.

(Note: Shrinking Man had almost non-stop music in the film's second half).

61. John Leipold

Music_department | Stagecoach

John Leipold was born on February 26, 1888 in Ulster County, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Stagecoach (1939), Souls at Sea (1937) and The Big Wheel (1949). He was married to Caroline E. Palen. He died on March 8, 1970 in Dallas, Texas, USA.

Batman and Robin (serial).

(Note: this one serial has so many composers because B&R was 4 hours and 20 minutes of non-stop music).

62. Ben Oakland

Music_department | The Lady Objects

Ben Oakland was born on September 24, 1907 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was a composer and writer, known for The Lady Objects (1938), The Three Stooges (2012) and The Awful Truth (1937). He died on August 26, 1979 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Batman and Robin (serial), Mysterious Island (serial).

(Note: both serials often had the same music cues).

63. George Parrish

Music_department | Frenchman's Creek

George Parrish was born on September 26, 1901 in Missouri, USA. He was a composer, known for Frenchman's Creek (1944), Brazil (1944) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). He died on April 11, 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Batman and Robin (serial).

(Note: this one serial has so many composers because B&R was 4 hours and 20 minutes of non-stop music).

64. Marlin Skiles

Music_department | Gilda

Pianist, arranger and composer Marlin Skiles was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in December 1906. He studied music at his local conservatory, later perfecting his training under Ernst Toch in Los Angeles. By the 1920's, he was employed as a pianist, arranger and orchestrator with big name dance ...

Batman and Robin (serial).

(Note: this one serial has so many composers because B&R was 4 hours and 20 minutes of non-stop music).

65. Robert Prince

Soundtrack | Annabelle Comes Home

Robert Prince was born on May 10, 1929 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Annabelle Comes Home (2019), The Name of the Game (1968) and J.D.'s Revenge (1976). He died on March 4, 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Fantastic Journey.

(Note: the opening episode of this series, when the boat gets sucked into the green cloud, contains some really outstanding and perfectly matched music).

66. Bill Conti

Soundtrack | Rocky

Bill Conti was born on April 13, 1942 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Rocky (1976), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and The Karate Kid Part II (1986). He is married to Shelby Cox. They have two children.

Rocky (theme), For Your Eyes Only, Dynasty Original Series, The Colbys (theme), Falcon Crest (theme).

(Note: the grand energetic themes to Rocky and The Colbys are played at the gym to make me go faster on the treadmill).

67. Franz Waxman

Composer | Sunset Blvd.

Franz Waxman (Wachsmann) pursued his dream of a career in music despite his family's misgivings. He worked for several years as a bank teller and paid for piano, harmony and composition lessons with his salary. He later moved to Berlin, where he continued his study and progress as a musician. He ...

Buck Rogers (serial), Sunset Blvd.

(Note: much of the Buck Rogers music was pinched from the famed 1935 Universal film: Bride Of Frankenstein).

68. John Marion

Actor | Da Vinci's War

John Marion is known for Da Vinci's War (1993), Legal Eagles (1986) and Aquaman (1967).

Aquaman (1967 cartoon).

(Note: I am not the world's biggest cartoon fan but Aquaman captures 1966 Batman and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - all in one).

69. Gordon Zahler

Music_department | Plan 9 from Outer Space

Los Angeles native Gordon Robert Zahler was a significant innovator in the development of music and sound effects in post war Hollywood. Zahler was born on February 10, 1926, the son of songwriter Lee Zahler and Rose Rosenberg. When he was just fourteen Zahler broke his neck while attempting a ...

Aquaman (1967 cartoon), The New Adventures Of Superman (1966 cartoon).

(Note: I am not the world's biggest cartoon fan but Aquaman captures 1966 Batman and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - all in one).

70. Hugo Montenegro

Soundtrack | Strange Days

Hugo Montenegro was born on September 2, 1925 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Strange Days (1995), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) and Labor Day (2013). He died on February 6, 1981 in Palm Springs, California, USA.

The Ambushers, The Wrecking Crew.

(Note: Dean Martin spy movies with the same sort of campy humour seen in the Roger Moore 007 films - the scores capture the films very well).

71. Leigh Harline

Composer | Pinocchio

Academy Award-winning composer (score, Pinocchio (1940), conductor, songwriter ("When You Wish Upon a Star" [Academy award, Best Song, 1940) and arranger Leigh Harine was educated at the University of Utah. He was a music student of J. Spencer Cornwall. He arranged the first transcontinental ...

The Enemy Below.

(Note: This score was pinched by the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea TV series and used in several season three/four episodes. The opening title theme was used in Lost In Space's Cave Of The Wizards episode).

72. Arthur Bliss

Composer | Things to Come

Arthur Bliss was born on August 2, 1891 in London, England, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for Things to Come (1936), Seven Days from Now (1957) and Christopher Columbus (1949). He was married to Gertrude Hoffmann. He died on March 28, 1975 in London, England, UK.

Things To Come.

(Note: Done in 1936, this must be one of the very oldest scores on this list! But being so old probably means many epics tried to copy it over the decades. The movie, Things To Come, was all about great images and music, not much else in it really captures the imagination - but still a classic).

73. Norm Prescott

Soundtrack | Footloose

Norm Prescott was born on January 31, 1927 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a producer and composer, known for Footloose (1984), Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973) and Journey Back to Oz (1972). He died on July 2, 2005 in Encino, California, USA.

Star Trek (1973 cartoon), Shazam! (1974 live action series), Ark 11 (live action series), The Secrets Of Isis (live action series).

(Note: this was a 70s Filmation Studios composer and there was another guy - Ray Ellis - listed above, who also did all the Filmation music as well).

74. Michel Legrand

Composer | The Thomas Crown Affair

Michel Legrand is a three-time Academy Award-winning French composer, conductor and pianist who composed over 200 film and television scores as well as recorded over a hundred albums of jazz, popular and classical music.

He was born on February 24, 1932, in Becon-les-Bruyeres, in the Paris suburbs, ...

The Thomas Crown Affair (original), Ice Station Zebra, Never Say Never Again.

(Note: Ice Station Zebra is a very loud music score but I personally loved it).

75. Charles Fox

Soundtrack | National Lampoon's European Vacation

Born in the Bronx, 1940. Graduated High School of Music & Art in New York, then studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.

Before moving to Hollywood, wrote and played Latin music for Salsa legends including Tito Puente, Ray Baretto and Joe Quijano.

In addition to composing over 100 movie ...

Wonder Woman (70s TV series).

(Note: That opening tune of Wonder Woman was even better than the show itself. Fox also did the theme tunes to some terrible shows - The Love Boat, Love American Style, etc - where his themes were much better than the shows themselves).

76. Ronald Stein

Composer | Last Woman on Earth

Composer, conductor, pianist and author Ronald Stein was educated at Washington University (BA), the Yale School of Music and the University of Southern California. In college he wrote musical shows. He was named the assistant musical director for the St. Louis Municipal Opera in 1950, 1951 and ...

Spider Baby (intro only).

77. Akira Ifukube

Composer | Gojira

Akira Ifukube was born on May 31, 1914 in Hokkaido, Japan. He was the third son of a chief constable (his grandfather was a priest of Shin-to) and spent a majority of his childhood in areas with a mixed Japanese and Ainu population. Therefore, Ifukube was strongly influenced by their musical ...

He scored several 60s Japanese films - Godzilla, King Kong Escapes and Latitude Zero. His scores are very rich and grand. The first time I was really blown away by his music was a 2006 viewing of Latitude Zero.

78. Riichirô Manabe

Composer | Gojira tai Megaro

Riichirô Manabe was born on November 9, 1924 in Tokyo, Japan. He was a composer, known for Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Yokomizo Seishi shirîzu (1977) and Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971). He died on January 29, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan.

He did a very unusual score for Godzilla Vs The Smog Monster (1971).

79. Richard Band

Composer | From Beyond

Richard Howard Band is an American composer of film and television music. He has scored more than 100 films, including From Beyond which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival. His score for Re-Animator was lauded by the magazine Music From ...

Ghoulies (1984)

80. Shirley Walker

Music_department | True Lies

Shirley Walker was born in Napa, California in 1945. She was educated at Pleasant Hill High School; attended San Francisco State College on piano scholarship; studied composition with Dr. Roger Nixon; and piano with Harald Logan of Berkeley, California. She was soloist with San Francisco Symphony ...

Ghoulies (1984)

81. Robert Drasnin

Soundtrack | Lucy in the Sky

Robert Drasnin was born on November 17, 1927 in Charleston, West Virginia, USA. He was a composer, known for Lucy in the Sky (2019), The Twilight Zone (1959) and Mission: Impossible (1966). He was married to Marlene Waters. He died on May 13, 2015 in Tarzana, California, USA.

He did music for some of my very favourite TV shows ever (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, Twilight Zone) but it was not until 1980 that he did a score that blew my socks off! After 12 seasons Hawaii Five-O was limping along and then, out of the blue, it does this knockout score from Drasnin! In the 5-0 episode titled - The Flight of the Jewels (1980) - some young adult students rob a museum by using a model plane. Despite repeating itself a bit, Drasnin creates this cool-sounding music that brings the whole hour to life.

82. Masaru Satô

Composer | Yôjinbô

The youngest of six brothers, all of them music lovers, Masaru Sato decided early in life that he wanted to be a composer. His models were two other composers born, as he was, on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido: Akira Ifukube and Fumio Hayasaka. "To me", Sato said, "they were like gods...

Son of Godzilla (1967). He really missed the target with the goofy opening title music but shortly after he did some of the best Godzilla music ever.

83. Goh Misawa

Actor | Batman: The Animated Series

Born on the island of Kyushu, Japan, Misawa had an early successful career as the baritone in a vocal quartet called "the Four Coins." The quartet toured the US for six months in the early '60s as "the Tokyo Four". After the death of a group member in the early '70s, the quartet broke up and Misawa...

He composed the music for the once long lost TV series - Zone Fighter (1973). Ultraseven (1967) is probably a better series than Zone Fighter (1973) but ZF sounded better!

84. Les Baxter

Soundtrack | Wild at Heart

Born March 14, 1922, at Mexia, Texas. He learned to play the piano at five years of age and studied at the Detroit Conservatory and at Pepperdine College in Los Angeles, California (his uncle was the college's first president). He began his career as a concert pianist but later joined Mel Tormé's "...

He did a wonderfully goofy score for the Vincent Price flick Master of the World (1961).

85. Ben Lanzarone

Composer | Vega$

Ben Lanzarone was born on October 28, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer, known for Vega$ (1978), Dynasty (1981) and Mork & Mindy (1978). He was married to Ilene Graff. He died on February 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

He scored 15 episodes of Dynasty (1981). The early years of Dynasty. Perhaps most memorable was the score he did when Blake was blinded. Sounded a bit like a old Hollywood melodrama - outstanding!