Morris Stoloff determined the musical treatment in dozens of Columbia Pictures' most successful productions for nearly three decades.
One of the last of Hollywood's musicologists from the golden days of film, Stoloff was nominated 17 times for an Academy Award for musical scoring and won three: "Cover Girl" (1944), "The Jolson Story" (1946) and "Song Without End" (1960).
He told friends that "The Jolson Story" provided his greatest challenge and involved not only the scoring of the film itself but hours of research into the musical productions during Al Jolson's years on Broadway. Stoloff estimated he spent more than 1,500 hours working on the film — more than the director himself.
Stoloff was a child prodigy on violin. While in his early 20s, he became first violinist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and by 1928 had become concertmaster of the Paramount studio orchestra, a move that coincided with the advent of sound pictures.
Among his awards and nominations, in 1957 he received the Billboard and Downbeat awards for his space age pop "Moonglow," the theme from "Picnic."
|
Year | Category | Work | |
---|---|---|---|
1938 | Best Score | Girls School | Nomination* |
1941 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | You'll Never Get Rich | Nomination |
1941 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic Picture | Ladies in Retirement | Nomination* |
1942 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | The Talk of the Town | Nomination* |
1943 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | The Commandos Strike at Dawn | Nomination* |
1943 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Something to Shout About | Nomination |
1944 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Cover Girl | Win* |
1944 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | Address Unknown | Nomination* |
1945 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Tonight and Every Night | Nomination* |
1945 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | A Song to Remember | Nomination* |
1946 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | The Jolson Story | Win |
1949 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Jolson Sings Again | Nomination* |
1953 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. | Nomination* |
1953 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | From Here to Eternity | Nomination* |
1956 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | The Eddy Duchin Story | Nomination* |
1960 | Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Song Without End | Win* |
1961 | Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | Fanny | Nomination* |
Two thoughts about Morris Stoloff
Share a thought about Morris Stoloff