Person

Morris Stoloff

Sound · 1898–1980 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Morris W. Stoloff was a musical composer. Stoloff worked with Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra. Stoloff worked as music director at Columbia Pictures from 1936 to 1962. Among space age pop fans, he is best remembered for his 1956 Top 10 hit that paired the swing era tune "Moonglow" with the love theme from the movie Picnic, the medley called "Moonglow and Theme from Picnic". It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. Stoloff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A child prodigy on the violin, Stoloff was taken under the wing of W. A. Clark. After studying with Leopold Auer for several years, Stoloff was touring the U.S. as a featured soloist at the age of 16, and joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic a year later as its youngest member ever. When sound came to motion pictures, studios came looking for musicians to provide it, and Stoloff was one of the first to cross over from classical music to movies. He was the first concertmaster on Paramount Pictures' payroll, and he worked with setting up the mechanics of a system that had to provide a steady stream of music for everything from epic dramas to serials and comedy shorts. In 1936, Stoloff moved over to Columbia Pictures, where he took the title of music director, a new position unique to the studio system. As music director, he was the chief executive responsible for providing musical production support to every film the studio released. This meant matching up composers, orchestrators, conductors, musicians and recording facilities to meet the creative scope of each project as well as its schedule and budget. Stoloff often took partial credit for a picture's score when he worked closely with a particular composer to work out a theme, motifs, and melodies. As a result, he ranks among some of the most-nominated individuals in the history of the Academy Awards. He won three Oscars for best scores, including those for Cover Girl (1944), The Jolson Story (1946), and Song Without End (1960), and was nominated 14 other times. By the late 1940s, film music was beginning to be recognized on its own, and Stoloff began recording some of the more popular numbers as singles for Decca Records. When long-play albums were perfected, the studios saw the opportunity to market more than just singles to the listening audience, and soundtrack albums became a hot commodity. Stoloff exercised his privilege as musical director to record these soundtrack albums himself, working with material from the actual scores. When Frank Sinatra founded Reprise Records in the early 1960s, he hired Stoloff as musical director; the two having worked successfully before on Pal Joey (1957). One of Stoloff's most noteworthy achievements while at Reprise was the release of a set of re-recordings of great Broadway musicals, including Kiss Me, Kate with a studio cast. Stoloff died in Los Angeles, California, aged 81.

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  Lawrence of Arabia

  Music Coordinator

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  Gilda

  Music Director

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  3:10 to Yuma

  Music Director

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  His Girl Friday

  Music Director

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  From Here to Eternity

  Music Director

• 

  The More the Merrier

  Music Director

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  Before I Hang

  Music Director

• 

  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

  Music Director

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  You Can't Take It with You

  Music Director

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  Westbound Mail

  Music

• 1962Lawrence of ArabiaMusic Coordinator
• 1960Song Without EndMusic Supervisor
• 19591001 Arabian NightsConductor
• 1959The Last Angry ManConductor
• 1958Gunman's WalkConductor
• 1957Pal JoeyConductor
• 19573:10 to YumaMusic Director
• 1957Jeanne EagelsConductor
• 1957The Shadow on the WindowConductor
• 1957Not One Shall DieConductor
• 1956Full of LifeConductor
• 1956NightfallConductor
• 1956Autumn LeavesConductor
• 1955The Last FrontierConductor
• 1955Three Stripes in the SunConductor
• 1955PicnicConductor
• 1955Queen BeeConductor
• 1955The Man from LaramieConductor
• 19555 Against the HouseConductor
• 1955Tight SpotConductor
• 1955The Violent MenConductor
• 1955The Long Gray LineMusic Supervisor
• 1954PhffftConductor
• 1954Human DesireConductor
• 1954It Should Happen to YouMusic Director
• 1953From Here to EternityMusic Director
• 1953The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.Music Director
• 1953Let's Do It AgainMusic Director
• 1953The JugglerMusic Director
• 1952Eight Iron MenMusic Director
• 1952Assignment: ParisMusic Director
• 1952Captain PirateMusic Director
• 1952Affair in TrinidadMusic Director
• 1952The BrigandMusic Director
• 1952PaulaMusic Director
• 1952Scandal SheetMusic Director
• 1951Death of a SalesmanMusic Director
• 1951Man in the SaddleMusic Director
• 1951The Son of Dr. JekyllMusic Director
• 1951The Lady and the BanditMusic Director
• 1951Lorna DooneMusic Director
• 1951The Harlem GlobetrottersMusic Director
• 1951Santa FeMusic Director
• 1950Born YesterdayMusic Director
• 1950The Flying MissileMusic Director
• 1950Stage to TucsonMusic Director
• 1950Harriet CraigMusic Director
• 1950The Killer That Stalked New YorkMusic Director
• 1950The Fuller Brush GirlMusic Director
• 1950ConvictedMusic Director
• 1950Fortunes of Captain BloodMusic Director
• 1950In a Lonely PlaceMusic Director
• 1950Kill the UmpireMusic Director
• 1950A Woman of DistinctionMusic Director
• 1950The NevadanMusic Director
• 1949The Reckless MomentMusic Director
• 1949And Baby Makes ThreeMusic Director
• 1949Tell It to the JudgeMusic Director
• 1949All the King's MenMusic Director
• 1949Tokyo JoeMusic Director
• 1949Miss Grant Takes RichmondMusic Director
• 1949Jolson Sings AgainOriginal Music Composer
• 1949Mr. Soft TouchMusic Director
• 1949Knock on Any DoorMusic Director
• 1949Slightly FrenchMusic Director
• 1949ShockproofMusic Director
• 1948The Return of OctoberMusic Director
• 1948The Untamed BreedMusic Director
• 1948The Sign of the RamMusic Director
• 1948I Love TroubleMusic Director
• 1947It Had to Be YouMusic Director
• 1947Her Husband's AffairsMusic Director
• 1947FramedMusic Director
• 1947Mr. District AttorneyMusic Director
• 1947Johnny O'ClockMusic Director
• 1946Dead ReckoningMusic Director
• 1946The Jolson StoryOriginal Music Composer
• 1946Gallant JourneyMusic Director
• 1946GildaMusic Director
• 1946Meet Me on BroadwayOriginal Music Composer
• 1945Over 21Music Director
• 1944Together AgainMusic Director
• 1944Strange AffairMusic Director
• 1944Secret CommandMusic
• 1944Address UnknownMusic Director
• 1944Cover GirlMusic Director
• 1944The Ghost That Walks AloneMusic Director
• 1944None Shall EscapeMusic Director
• 1943The Chance of a LifetimeMusic Director
• 1943Footlight GlamourOriginal Music Composer
• 1943Dangerous BlondesMusic Director
• 1943SaharaMusic Director
• 1943DestroyerMusic Director
• 1943Passport to SuezMusic Director
• 1943First Comes CourageMusic Director
• 1943Appointment in BerlinMusic Director
• 1943It's a Great LifeOriginal Music Composer
• 1943The DesperadoesMusic Director
• 1943The More the MerrierMusic Director
• 1943Murder in Times SquareMusic Director
• 1943Something to Shout AboutOriginal Music Composer
• 1942A Night to RememberMusic Director
• 1942The Boogie Man Will Get YouMusic Director
• 1942Overland to DeadwoodMusic Director
• 1942My Sister EileenOther
• 1942Counter-EspionageMusic Director
• 1942The Talk of the TownMusic Director
• 1942Atlantic ConvoyMusic Director
• 1942Submarine RaiderMusic Director
• 1942Meet the StewartsMusic Director
• 1942Blondie's Blessed EventMusic Director
• 1942Alias Boston BlackieMusic Director
• 1942Blondie Goes to CollegeMusic Director
• 1941Honolulu LuMusic Director
• 1941Confessions of Boston BlackieMusic Director
• 1941Secrets of the Lone WolfMusic Director
• 1941Three Girls About TownMusic Director
• 1941The Blonde from SingaporeMusic Director
• 1941You'll Never Get RichMusic Director
• 1941Ladies in RetirementMusic Director
• 1941The Devil CommandsOriginal Music Composer
• 1941Here Comes Mr. JordanMusic Director
• 1941Time Out for RhythmMusic Director
• 1941Penny SerenadeMusic Director
• 1941The Lone Wolf Takes a ChanceMusic Director
• 1941Blondie Goes LatinOriginal Music Composer
• 1941The Face Behind the MaskMusic Director
• 1940The Lone Wolf Keeps a DateMusic Director
• 1940Blondie Plays CupidOriginal Music Composer
• 1940Before I HangMusic Director
• 1940Blondie Has Servant TroubleOriginal Music Composer
• 1940Girls of the RoadMusic Director
• 1940The Lone Wolf Meets a LadyMusic Director
• 1940Island of Doomed MenMusic Director
• 1940Men Without SoulsMusic Director
• 1940The Doctor Takes a WifeMusic Director
• 1940The Man with Nine LivesMusic Director
• 1940Blondie on a BudgetOriginal Music Composer
• 1940Convicted WomanMusic Director
• 1940The Lone Wolf StrikesMusic Director
• 1940His Girl FridayMusic Director
• 1939The Amazing Mr. WilliamsMusic Director
• 1939Mr. Smith Goes to WashingtonMusic Director
• 1939Golden BoyMusic Director
• 1939The Man They Could Not HangMusic Director
• 1939Blondie Takes a VacationOriginal Music Composer
• 1939Good Girls Go to ParisMusic
• 1939Only Angels Have WingsMusic Director
• 1939Mandrake the MagicianMusic Director
• 1939The Lady and the MobMusic Director
• 1939Let Us LiveMusic Director
• 1938Smashing the Spy RingMusic Director
• 1938BlondieMusic Director
• 1938Girls' SchoolOriginal Music Composer
• 1938You Can't Take It with YouMusic Director
• 1938South of ArizonaMusic
• 1938West of CheyenneMusic
• 1938HolidayMusic Director
• 1938Call of the RockiesMusic
• 1938PenitentiaryMusic Director
• 1937Murder in Greenwich VillageMusic Director
• 1937The Awful TruthMusic Director
• 1937It Happened in HollywoodMusic Director
• 1937Criminals of the AirMusic Director
• 1937Westbound MailMusic
• 1936Theodora Goes WildMusic Director
• 1936Code of the RangeMusic
• 1936Craig's WifeMusic Director