Ray Heindorf
Sound
🎂 1908-08-25
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ray Heindorf (August 25, 1908 – February 3, 1980) was an American songwriter, composer, conductor, and arranger. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Heindorf worked as a pianist in a movie house in Mechanicville in his early teens. In 1928, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a musical arranger before heading to Hollywood. He gained his first job as an orchestrator at MGM, where he worked on Hollywood Revue of 1929, and subsequently went on the road playing piano for Lupe Vélez. After completing this engagement, he joined Warner Bros., composing and/or arranging and conducting music exclusively for the studio for nearly forty years. Heindorf, along with Georgie Stoll at MGM, were jazz aficionados well known in the black entertainment community for employing minority musicians in their studio music departments. He undertook the musical direction of Judy Garland's comeback film A Star is Born (1954) and made a cameo appearance as himself in the premiere party sequence where Jack Carson's character congratulates him on a great score. Among Heindorf's other screen credits are 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1935, The Great Lie, Knute Rockne All American, Kings Row, Night and Day, Tea for Two, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Jazz Singer, No Time for Sergeants, The Helen Morgan Story, Marjorie Morningstar, Damn Yankees, Auntie Mame, Finian's Rainbow, and his final musical for Jack L. Warner, 1776. Between 1943 and 1969 he was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards, 17 nominations for Best Score and 1 nomination for Best Song. Heindorf won three, in the category of Best Score of a Musical, for Yankee Doodle Dandy, This is the Army, and The Music Man. His wins for the former two films made him the first to accomplish consecutive wins in a musical category. Heindorf died in Tarzana, California, aged 71, and reputedly was buried with his favorite conducting baton.
Cast credits(5)
Sound (106)
Music Supervisor
1968
Music Director
1951
Music Supervisor
1972
Conductor
1972
Music Director
1951
Original Music Composer
1942
Orchestrator
1942
Original Music Composer
1954
Music Director
1954
Original Music Composer
1939
Music Director
1953
Music Supervisor
1948
Music Director
1953
Music Arranger
1935
Music Director
1951
Music Director
1952
Orchestrator
1941
Orchestrator
1933
Music Supervisor
1959
Music
1956
Music Arranger
1933
Orchestrator
1939
Music
1950
Music Director
1950
Orchestrator
1948
Conductor
1948
Music Director
1950
Original Music Composer
1956
Music Director
1956
Music Arranger
1932
Music Arranger
1943
Music Director
1950
Music
1949
Original Music Composer
1949
Orchestrator
1943
Orchestrator
1942
Orchestrator
1945
Conductor
1945
Music Director
1950
Music Director
1952
Original Music Composer
1957
Original Music Composer
1954
Music Arranger
1947
Original Music Composer
1938
Music Arranger
1934
Orchestrator
1941
Original Music Composer
1948
Original Music Composer
1945
Orchestrator
1931
Music Arranger
1941
Music Director
1951
Original Music Composer
1955
Original Music Composer
1968
Original Music Composer
1935
Music
1932
Original Music Composer
1971
Orchestrator
1941
Music Supervisor
1959
Music Arranger
1940
Orchestrator
1941
Music Director
1951
Music Arranger
1944
Conductor
1944
Music Director
1951
Orchestrator
1933
Music Director
1953
Orchestrator
1939
Orchestrator
1940
Music
1938
Music Arranger
1946
Orchestrator
1932
Music Arranger
1941
Music Director
1954
Music
1940
Original Music Composer
1959
Original Music Composer
1934
Orchestrator
1939
Orchestrator
1946
Orchestrator
1939
Music Arranger
1934
Music Director
1953
Orchestrator
1934
Music Arranger
1936
Orchestrator
1935
Original Music Composer
1955
Music
1938
Original Music Composer
1953
Music Arranger
1936
Music Director
1950
Original Music Composer
1950
Original Music Composer
1934
Orchestrator
1938
Orchestrator
1933
Original Music Composer
1947
Music Arranger
1937
Music Arranger
1935
Original Music Composer
1934
Orchestrator
1941
Orchestrator
1935
Original Music Composer
1951
Music Director
1951
Music Arranger
1935
Music Arranger
1936
Original Music Composer
1932
Original Music Composer
1932
Music
1952