MOVIE MUSIC UK

Composer, arranger and conductor Walter Scharf died at his home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, on February 24, 2003, at the age of 92, from heart failure.

One of Hollywood’s most versatile musical craftsmen, Scharf worked on more than 250 film and television productions during a career spanning more than half a century. His credits ranged from Hans Christian Andersen, Funny Girl and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to The Nutty Professor, Ben and the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau, earning him ten Academy Award nominations, an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Walter Scharf was born in Manhattan, New York City, on August 1, 1910. His mother, Bessie Zwerling, was a performer in the Yiddish theatre, giving him an early introduction to show business. After studying at New York University he entered professional music as a pianist, arranger and orchestrator, working on Broadway productions including George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy and accompanying singer Helen Morgan. He later joined Rudy Vallée as pianist and arranger.

Scharf moved to Hollywood in 1934 and quickly became part of the studio music establishment, arranging for performers including Al Jolson, Alice Faye and Bing Crosby. He worked on numerous films without screen credit and helped orchestrate Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” for Holiday Inn (1942). From 1942 to 1946 he served as music director at Republic Pictures, where his ability to compose, arrange and conduct made him invaluable on productions requiring large amounts of music on demanding schedules.

His first Academy Award nomination came for the dramatic score to Mercy Island (1941), followed by nominations for films including In Old Oklahoma, The Fighting Seabees and several Republic musicals. One of his most distinguished assignments was Samuel Goldwyn’s Hans Christian Andersen (1952), starring Danny Kaye. Scharf adapted and conducted Frank Loesser’s songs and provided extensive orchestral material, receiving another Oscar nomination.

Comedy became an important part of Scharf’s later film career. He enjoyed a long association with Jerry Lewis, scoring or supervising music for more than a dozen of his films, including The Nutty Professor (1963), The Patsy (1964) and The Disorderly Orderly (1964). His bright orchestration and instinctive sense of timing were ideally suited to Lewis’s physical comedy. He also worked on several Elvis Presley films, including Loving You and King Creole.

Scharf’s expertise as an arranger and musical director brought two of his most prominent late-career assignments. He supervised, arranged and conducted Jule Styne’s music for Funny Girl (1968), starring Barbra Streisand, and performed similar duties on Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), adapting Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley’s songs for the screen. Both films brought him Academy Award nominations.

His greatest popular success as a songwriter came with Ben (1972). Scharf composed the title song with lyricist Don Black, and Michael Jackson’s recording became a major international hit. The song earned Scharf another Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, while his sensitive dramatic score gave unexpected emotional weight to the unlikely story of a boy’s friendship with a rat.

Television became increasingly important during the 1960s and 1970s. Scharf contributed music to Ben Casey, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Mission: Impossible, but some of his finest television work accompanied The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. His score for the episode “The Tragedy of the Red Salmon” won an Emmy in 1971, demonstrating his gift for giving documentary images genuine dramatic sweep.

Although Scharf largely retired from regular film scoring during the 1970s, he continued composing, including substantial music for the miniseries Blind Ambition and the large-scale concert work The Tree Still Stands. He is survived by his wife Betty, son Allen, daughter Susan Nevins, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.