Edgar Bainton
Born in Britain, Bainton emigrated to Australia where he wrote some interesting works, including his "Third Symphony" (1950s). While in Australia, he also composed the music for a short documentary film on the Australian Bush Police.

Lorenzo Barcelata
b: 1898 (??), Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz, Mexico. d: July 13, 1943, Mexico.
né: Lorenzo Barcelata y Castro
Barcelata was born in Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz at the beginning of the XX century (possibly at the end of the XIX century) into a very musical family of musicians and fandango dancers.

He is best remembered today as the composer and lyricist (English words by E. L. Russell). for the beautiful waltz "Maria Elena", a song that won him international fame. He composed the waltz in 1940, to honor the wife of the then President of Mexico, Mrs Pontes Gil. All during the 1940s Swing era, a great many bands (most notably the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra) and singers recorded the tune. As late at November 1963, the song reached number 6 on the charts when it was recorded by the group 'Los Indios Tabajaras'.

In 1932, he began to contribute music for films of Paramount studios, and later for the Mexican film studios.

Reginald H. Bassett
Currently no information on this composer/orchestrator who worked (always uncredited except where shown below) on over 30 films, from the 1930s to the 1960s, among which are:
1966 Sharad of Atlantis
1950 Beyond the Purple Hills
1939
Stanley and Livingstone
Susannah of the Mounties
1938 City Streets
1936
Lloyds of London (1936) (He was credited)
Theodora Goes Wild (He was credited)
Tough Guy
Undersea Kingdom (He was credited)
Magnificent Brute
Craig's Wife
1935
Black Room, The (aka in UK: Black Room Mystery, The)
Crime and Punishment (He was credited)
Our Little Girl
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Dante's Inferno
One Frightened Night
Shadow of Doubt
David Copperfield
1934
Midnight. (aka: Call It Murder)
World Moves On, The (He was credited)
1933
Deluge
Shanghai Madness
Zoo in Budapest
Face in the Sky, The (He was credited)
1932
Chandu the Magician (He was credited)
Sherlock Holmes
Passport To Hell, A (aka in the UK: Burnt Offering)
1931
Spider, The
Women of All Nations (He was credited)
Yellow Ticket, The (aka in UK: Yellow Passport. He was credited)
Big Trail, The

Bassett also worked -still un-credited - as the orchestrator for the following films:
1939. Gone with the Wind
1938. Adventures of Robin Hood, The
1936. Garden of Allah, The
1936. Charge of the Light Brigade, The
1933. Flying Down to Rio (1933 music arranger)
1932. Bird of Paradise

Stanley Bate
b. Plymouth, England. U.K.
This British composer was quite active in composing for films. During the fifth year (1944) of England's involvment in WWII, the British Library of Information in New York City commissioned him to provide music for a documentary film, The Fifth Year which detailed the progress of the War.

Bate subsequently composed for other documentary and feature films including a commission from The Arabian American Oil Company used his music in the short Careers In Oil. He wrote the score for the film Jean Helion, a joint venture of the Sorbonne in Paris and New York's Museum of Modern Art (Bate appeared in the film).

In 1953, he supplied the film score for the documentary Light through the Ages. That same year, The British Film Institute commissioned him to score The Pleasure Garden, which was shown in 1953 at the Edinburgh Festival, and also won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where it was described as
      "....an unclassifiable but entertaining glimpse of individual happiness
      triumphing rudely over official misery."

Jack Beaver
b: 1900, d: 1963
This British composer studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He subsequently composed extensively for the British film industry including (from 1934 onwards) Gaumont-British. Among the films for which he scored the music are:
    The Wife of General Ling (1938)
    This Was Paris (1942)
    Showtime (1948)

Lennox Berkeley
Currently No Information on this British Composer.
While instructing at The Royal Academy of Music, he was one of Richard Rodney Bennett's instructors. In 1944 (at the peak of WWII), he did compose two film scores:
    Hotel Reserve (1944)
    Out of Chaos (1944)

Ronald Binge
b. Derby, U.K. 1910.
Currently No Information on this British Composer. Among his film scores are:
    Desperate Moment (1953)
    The Runaway Bus (1954)
    The Adventures of Sadie (1955)
    Dance Little Lady (1955)

Stanley Black
While better known as a British conductor, Black also wrote prolifically for the British film studios. His music can be heard in such films as:
    Lili Marlene (1961)
    Mr Potts Goes to Moscow (1954)
    White Fire (1954)
    Tonight's The Night (1954)
    High Terrace (1956)
    An Alligator Named Daisy (1957)
    As Long As They're Happy (1957)
    Two Grooms for the Bride (1957)
    Blood of the Vampire (1958)
    Cross-Up (1958)
    Dangerous Youth (1958)
    Mailbag Robbery (1958)
    Your Past is Showing (1958)
    Broth of a Boy (1959)
    The Circle (1959)
    City After Midnight (1959)
    The Battle of the Sexes (1960)
    Hand in Hand (1960)
    Hell is a City (1960)
    The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1960)
    Double Bunk (1961)
    Five Golden Hours (1961)
    Stop Me Before I Kill (1961)
    Sword of Sherwood Forest (1961)
    The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962)
    Wonderful to be Young (1962)
    Maniac (1963)
    Rattle of a Simple Man (1964)
    Crossplot (1969)
    Wonderful Life(??)
    Hindle Wakes(??)
    Summer Holiday(??)

Dennis Blood
Currently No Information on this British Composer. Contributed music for several British documentaries including:
    The True Story of Lili Marlene (1944)
    Crofters (1944)
    Farmer's Boy (1945)
    Power in the Land (1947)

Arthur Bliss
b: 1891, London, U.K., d: March 28, 1975, London, England. U.K.
This English composer was active writing music for both the Concert Halls and for Film Studios. He achieved some early prominence during the 1920s, and his entry into the world of film came when, after hearing one of his concerts, H. G. Wells approached him to discuss the filming of his work "Things To Come". The film was a huge commercial success, but curiously, it was an abomination to writer H. G. Wells. The film music also proved to be a source for other Bliss works including "The Entry of the Red Castles" in the ballet Checkmate, which was derived from the section 'Building the New World'. Interestingly, while working on the film score, he also composed one of his most famous concert works: the "Music for Strings".

This was an interesting time for British Films and British composers. Perhaps, more than anyone else, Bliss's score set a precedent for other composers. They could now opt to also work in the film studios as a career. It should be noted that famed British composer William Walton also began writing for films at about this same time.

Among his film works are:
    1957 Seven Waves Away (aka in USA: Abandon Ship!)
    1953 Beggar's Opera, The (as arranger for John Gay's music)
    1949 Christopher Columbus
    1946 Men of Two Worlds (aka: Kisenga, Man of Africa. aka USA: Witch Doctor)
    1940 Conquest of the Air (In 1938, the concert suite, which became the score for this 1940 film,
    premiered. The six sections are: 1. The Wind), 2. The Vision of Leonardo da Vinci), 3. Stunting),
    4. Over the Arctic), 5. Gliding), 6. Conquest of the Air.)
    1936 Things to Come (The music has been more enduring than the film.)

It should also be noted that Bliss wrote a full orchestral score for the Pascal directed film Caesar and Cleopatra, but left the production because of a dispute with the director. French composer Georges Auric, was then drafted and it is his score that is heard on the film's soundtrack. However, Bliss's music still survives as a concert piece.

John Blore
né: John Blore Borelli
Currently No Information on this British Composer. Among his other works, he contributed original music to the films:
      'Welcome Mr Washington' (1944)
      'The Butler's Dilemma' (1944)
      'Blondes for Danger' (1938 - he was credited as John Borelli)
He also worked as the musical director for the background orchestra for the films:
      'Bless 'Em All' (1949 - he was credited as John Blore)
      'Around the Town' (1938 - he was credited as John Borelli)
The song "'We'll say our goodbye with a smile' had music by John Blore and lyric by Mabel Constanduros (It was published in 1943 by The Cavendish Music Co of London)

During WW2, a popular BBC program entitled Variety Bandbox (billed as "bringing the people of Variety to a variety of people") featured many of the popular bands of the day, including 'John Blore &), his Dance Orchestra'. Some of the other bands that appeared on the show included the BBC Revue Orchestra under Frank Cantell, the BBC Variety Orchestra (under the direction of Charles Shadwell) and the Eric Winstone orch. (It's possible that he drummer with Blore's Dance Orch. may have been Bill Airey-Smith (Drums and vocals, né: James William Smith, b. June 3, 1901, Barnsley, England, UK, d. Dec. 12, 1982, Dartford, England, UK.) In addition, Blore is also listed as Musical Director for the 'Green Room Rags' revue of 1947.
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Mr. Ian Blore for contributing some of the information on this John Blore entry.

Carey Blyton
b. 1932
Currently No Information on this British Composer, who is a Nephew of Enid Blyton.
He has composed some (British) film music.

Rutland Boughton
b. Jan. 23, 1878, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, d. Jan. 25, 1960, London, England, UK.
At the Royal College of Music (under the patronage of Lady Battersea), he studied with Stanford and Walford Davies (1900-01). Later (1904-1911), he was a staff member (teaching singing) at the Birmingham Midland Institute of Music.

Boughton apparently only contributed one song to the British Film industry, - "Lorna's Song" for the 1934 film Lorna Doone. (Armstrong Gibbs provided the rest of the film score.) Interestingly, Boughton received his commission for this tune by telegram, composed the music overnight, and posted it the next morning. For the tune, he received the magnificent fee of 30 Pounds, one quarter of his 1934 income.

Derek Bourgeois
Currently No Information on this British Composer.
This prolific composer also contributed to two film scores (for the British Transport Film unit):
    1963 Thirty Million Letters
    1966 The Driving Force

Philip Braham
Currently No Information on this British Composer.
b. ??, d. ca. 1934
Listen to his song Limehouse Blues, played by Mr. Jimmy Wilcock, and sequenced by him as an old time Player Piano.
Served as Musical Director at Wembley Studios for such films as:
    City of Song (1930)
    Wedding Rehearsal (1932)
    The First Mrs Fraser (1932)

Ludwig Brav
Currently No Information on this British Composer.
His film music career spans the era of the Silents to contributing music for (at least two) WWII documentaries, including:
    1941 War Front
    1941 House We Live In

Leslie Bridgewater
b. 1893, Halesowen, England, UK, d. 1975.
This British Composer's only feature film score was 1949s Train of Events, but Bridgewater did contribute film scores for such Merton Park Studios documentaries as: Progress, Looking Through, Down to Earth, and The Village That Found Itself. While best known as the conductor of his own orchestra, he has also composed a fairly well known piano concerto.

Charles Brill
This British Composer is well known for his extensive broadcasts over British radio, he has also contributed some music for the British film studios, including:
    Pastor Hall (1940 -for Charter Films)
    Battle of the Books (1940 -Paul Rotha documentary)

Mabel Buchanan
Currently No Information on this British Composer.
She composed the song "Throughout the Years" for the 1944 film Give Me The Stars, a British National Films production

Geoffrey Burgon
b. 1941
A British Composer his work for Television includes:
    The Chronicles of Narnia (1988)
    Bleak House (1985)
    Brideshead Revisited (1983)
    Testament of Youth (1979)
    Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979 - starring Alec Guinness)
    Dr Who
    Martin Chuzzlewit
    Bleak House
    Testament of Youth Robin Hood (starring Cheryl Campbell)
    Music for Pleasure

He has composed one Film score:
    Sirens and Robin Hood (1991 - not the Costner film).

Wilfred Burns
b: June 28, 1917, Eardisley, Herefordshire, England. d: Sept. 25, 1990, West Clandon, Surrey, England
né: Bernard Wilfred Harris,
His parents were master and matron of a boys home. As a teenager he was relief organist in the diocese of Hereford and played the Cathedral organ. In 1936 he joined the regular Army as bandsman in the 4th Queens' Own Hussars. He was posted abroad in November 1940 and captured in Greece, April 1941. Shrapnel wounds had destroyed his left eye, and damaged his hand and arm. He was a prisoner of war for two and half years, during which time he set up and ran a prisoners' band, using instruments supplied by the Red Cross. All the players had damaged or no sight. After the war he got work for music publishers, and at Elstree studios before becoming a freelance film composer and musical director. In the 1950s, in Fulham, London, he successfully conducted The Christchurch Singers, an amateur womens' choir, and in later life gave piano lessons to local children and adults. He married Marie Last in March 1940 and they had daughters Janet (1941), and Judith (1947). After Marie's death in 1974, he married Audrey in 1975. Ten years later, he became ill, and died at West Clandon, Surrey, England, on Sept. 25, 1990.

Among Burns' musical output was a little ditty called "Stop Gap". It was the theme of the 1960s gameshow 'Truth or Consequences'. Other of his works include such pieces as "In Sombre Mood"," March of the Spacemen", "Sports Salute", "The Ballet Dancer", and "Dream of a Kiss", and even Solo songs like "Fairies" and "What makes the Starlight", and the choral piece "A Common Prayer".

An MGM album 'Music for My One and Only Love, Volume 1' - was first released as the Wally Stott Orchestra, and in 1956 it was also released with credits now to the Wilfred Burns Orchestra.

Among the films for which he composed music are:
    Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall (1972)
    Dad's Army (1971)
    Love Is a Splendid Illusion (1969)
    Till Death Us Do Part (1969. aka: Alf 'n' Family)
    Runaway, The (1963)
    Murder In Eden (1961)
    Man Who Couldn't Walk (1960)
    Trouble with Eve (1960. aka: In Trouble with Eve)
    Mark of the Phoenix (1958)
    West of Suez (1957) ... aka Fighting Wildcats, The (1957) (USA)
    Operation Conspiracy (1957. aka USA: Cloak Without Dagger)
    Assignment Redhead (1956. aka USA: Million Dollar Manhunt. aka UK: Requiem for a Redhead)
    Stock Car (1955)
    K�lek p�turn�(1955. aka: Ingen s�tokig som jag)
    Black Rider, The (1954)
    Composed the score for film The Love Match.
    Broken Horseshoe, The (1953)
    Marilyn (1953. aka USA: Roadhouse Girl)
    Operation Diplomat (1953)
    There Was a Young Lady (1953)
    Emergency Call (1952. aka: Emergency! aka USA: The Hundred Hour Hunt)
    Paul Temple Returns (1952)
    There Is Another Sun (1951. aka USA: The Wall of Death)
    Fools Rush In (1949)
The BigBands Database Plus thanks Wilfred Burns' daughter Janet, for her help with the above information on her illustrious father.

Bob Busby
b. 1901, Maidenhead, England, UK.
After studying music as Trinity College of Music, he became a clarinettist in various military bands, and by 1914 was working as a cellist in silent film cinemas.

From circa 1922 onwards, he composed music for some Continental productions, and from 1932 onwards was composing music for the British films industry. In 1942, he became staff at Gainsborough Studios, where he contributed music to King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942), Give Us The Moon (1944), Bees in Paradise (1944), I'll Be Your Sweetheart (1944), and Waterloo Road (1944).

Alan Bush
A British composer of "Classical" music, whose works, including 4 symphonies, and a piano concerto, are now somewhat neglected. Bush did also contribute two film scores:
Hiroshima (1952/54)
Fifty Fighting Years (1971 - documentary telling the story of the Labour Monthly)

Richard Rodney Bennett
b. March 29, 1936. Broadstairs, Kent, U.K. 1936
This British Pianist and Composer studied with Howard Ferguson and Lennox Berkeley at London's Royal Academy of Music. Bennett has been influenced by Elizabeth Lutyens music and has also studied with Pierre Boulez in Paris, France. In 1998, he was Knighted for his work in music.

Bennett has achieved critical acclaim both for his works in the Classical music genre, and for his film scores. He has written at least 35 scores, - the first when he was just 21, and has received three Oscar nominations.

Some critics have called Bennett's music for the film Nicholas and Alexandra his finest film inspiration. His music for the film Far From the Madding Crowd, both in it's simplicity and epic nature, is a textbook example of a score that perfectly marries the atmosphere of the film and plot. His score for the adaptation of Dame Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express is a true classic. The music first evokes feelings of mystery as an ancient Steam driven locomotive starts to pull a train on a perilous journey, and then launches into a flowing waltz. Some critics have noted that his score for theOrient Express was remarkably influenced by some of Arthur Benjamin's work on An Ideal Husband.

His Classical output includes everything from light diversions (his "Little Suite", "Sonnets to Orpheus", and others) to Piano Concertos and Symphonies. His film and television works include:
    "Gormenghast" (2000 mini TV series)
    Tale of Sweeney Todd, The (1998 TV)
    Swann (1996)
    Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
    Enchanted April (1992)
    Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank, The (1988 TV)
    Strange Interlude (1987 TV)
    "Tender Is the Night" (1985 mini-TV series)
    Ebony Tower, The (1984 TV)
    Return of the Soldier, The (1982)
    Yanks (1979. aka in West Germany: "Yanks - Gestern waren wir noch Freunde")
    Brink's Job, The (1978. aka: "Big Stickup at Brink's")
    Equus (1977)
    ImprTcateur, L' (1977. aka English title: "The Accuser)
    Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976 TV)
    Permission to Kill (1975)
    Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
    Voices (1973. aka: "Nightmare")
    Lady Caroline Lamb (1972. aka in Italy: "Peccato d'amore")
    Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
    Figures in a Landscape (1970)
    Buttercup Chain, The (1970)
    Secret Ceremony (1968)
    Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
    Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
    Witches, The (1966. aka in USA: "Devil's Own, The")
    One Way Pendulum (1965)
    Nanny, The (1965)
    Billy Liar (1963)
    Heavens Above! (1963)
    "Doctor Who" (1963 He composed some incidental music for the 1964 TV release.)
    Satan Never Sleeps (1962)
    Wrong Arm of the Law, The (1962)
    Only Two Can Play (1962)
    Mark, The (1961)
    Blind Date (1959. aka in USA: "Chance Meeting")
    Man Who Could Cheat Death, The (1959)
    Devil's Disciple, The (1959)
    Angry Hills, The (1959)
    Face in the Night (1958. aka in USA: "Menace in the Night")
    Indiscreet (1958)
    Safecracker, The (1958)
    Man Inside, The (1958)
    Interpol (1957. aka in USA: "Pickup Alley")

William "Billy" Barnes
Jan. 27, 1927, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Currently no information available.
A reader has sent us a photograph of Billy Barnes, a writer who also produced his own Billy Barnes Revue shows, -for which he wrote much of the musical material. Perhaps his biggest hit was "Too Long At The Fair" (a hit for singer Sue Raney.)

The Bergmans - Alan and Marilyn
Alan Bergman: b: Sept. 11, 1925, New York (Brooklyn), NY, USA
Marilyn Bergman: né: Marilyn Keith. b: Nov. 10, 1929, New York, NY, USA .
It is difficult to think of any other songwriting team whose work is more recognized than the Bergmans. For over 4 decades, there music has touched the hearts of the public. Here's a photograph of Alan and Marilyn, both of whom were born in the same New York city hospital, raised in the same area of New York, but then met (1956) and married (1958) in Los Angeles, -while working independently with the same composer. (Please see our entry for Lew Spence.) Alan received his early (primary) education at New York's Ethical Culture School. Marilyn was a music major at New York's High School of Music and Art, and went on to study Psychology and English at New York University.

After their marriage, they began composing for Television and the movies, as well as writing for singers such as Jo Stafford, Bing Crosby, Barbra Streisand, Maureen McGovern, Johnny Mathis and Sara Vaughan. Their music has been heard in such films as "The Summer Of 42", "Yentl", "Wuthering Heights", and "Tootsie", and has graced TV productions like "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom". They also scored such stage shows as "Something More" (1964), "Ballroom" (1978) and "The Lady and the Clarinet" (1980). Their TV credits have included lyrics for the theme songs of "Bracken's World" (NBC), "Maude" (CBS), "Good Times" (CBS), "Alice" (CBS), the short-lived "Brooklyn Bridge" (CBS) and "The Powers That Be" (NBC). The team won Emmys for their score for "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" (CBS, 1975) and the underscore for the TV-movie "Sybil" (NBC, 1976). They collaborated with composer Quincy Jones on the Opening and Closing themes for two 1988 episodes of the TV show: In The Heat Of Night.

You are familiar with their work if you ever sang, whistled or just hummed such tunes as :
     The Way We Were - From: Movie "The Way We Were" - with Marvin Hamlisch - c 1973
     The Windmills Of Your Mind - From: Movie "The Thomas Crown Affair" - music by Michel
           Legrand - c 1968
     How Do You Keep The Music Playing? -Movie "Best Friends" - m/Michel Legrand - c 1982
     Alone In The World - From: Movie "The Russia House" - music: Jerry Goldsmith - c 1990
     America . . . The Dream Goes On - Music: John Williams - c 1982
     A Christmas Love Song - Music by: Johnny Mandel - c 1988
     Fifty Percent - From: Broadway Musical "Ballroom" - Music by: Billy Goldenberg - c 1978
     The Girl Who Used To Be Me - Movie "Shirley Valentine" - Music by: Marvin Hamlisch - c 1989
     I Believe In Love - From: Movie "A Star Is Born" - Music by: Kenny Loggins - c 1976
     I Was Born In Love With You - Movie "Wuthering Heights" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1970
     I'll Never Say Goodbye - From: Movie "The Promise" - Music by: David Shire - c 1978
     In The Heat Of The Night - Movie "In The Heat Of The Night" - Music: Quincy Jones - c 1967
     The Island - Music by: Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins - c 1981
     It Might Be You - From: Movie "Tootsie" - Music by: Dave Grusin - c 1982
     The Job Application - From: Television Production "Queen Of the Stardust Ballroom" - music by
           Billy Goldenberg - c 1978
     Like A Lover (O Cantador) - Music by: Dory Caymmi - c 1968
     Little Boy Lost - From: Movie "Pieces Of Dreams" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1970
     Make Me Rainbows - From: Movie "Fitzwilly" - Music by: Johnnyt Williams - c 1967
     Most Of All You - From: Movie "Major League" - Music by: James Newton Howard - c 1989
     The Music Of Being Free - Music by: Marvin Hamlisch - c 1990
     Nice 'N' Easy - Music by: Lew Spence - c 1960
     On My Way To You - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1988
     One Day - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1967
     One Song - Music by: Marvin Hamlisch - c 1990
     Papa, Can You Hear Me? - From: Movie "Yentl" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1983
     A Piece Of Sky - From: Movie "Yentl" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1983
     So Many Stars - Music by: Sergio Menders - c 1967
     The Summer Knows - From: Movie "Summer Of '42" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1971
     Summer Me, Winter Me - From: Movie "Picasso Summer" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1969
     That Face - Music by: Alan Bergman and Lew Spence - c 1957
     The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye - From: Movie "Fuzz" - Music by: Dave Grusin - c 1974
     The Way He Makes Me Feel - From: Movie "Yentl" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1983
     What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? - From: Movie "The Happy Ending" - Music by:
           Michel Legrand - c 1969
     What Matters Most - From: Movie "The Champ" - Music by: Dave Grusin - c 1979
     Where Do You Start? - Music by: Johnny Mandel - c 1987
     Where Is It Written? - From: Movie "Yentl" - Music by: Michel Legrand - c 1983
     Who Gave You Permission? - From: Television Production "Queen Of The Stardust Ballroom"
           - Music by: Billy Goldenberg - c 1978
     Yellow Bird - Music by: Norman Luboff - c 1957
     You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Music by: Neil Diamond - c 1977
     You Must Believe In Spring - From: Movie "The Young Girls Of Rochefort" - With music by:
           Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand - c 1967
     That's Him Over There - tune by: Marilyn Bergman, Lew Spence

It's probably safe to say that Marilyn and Alan Bergman have won their most lasting fame for their film lyrics. The team's first collaboration was on the title song for the picture "The Marriage-Go-Round" (1960, music by Lew Spence). The last film (so far) on which they worked was At First Sight in 1999. In between, they have worked on perhaps 30 or 40 other films. Their first award-winning tune was "The Windmills of Your Mind" (with music by Michel Legrand for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair"). Over the following 25 years, their hit songs included: "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" (with Legrand, for the 1969 film "The Happy Ending"), the award-winning "The Way We Were" (with Marvin Hamlisch for the 1973 film of that title), "I Believe in Love" (with Kenny Loggins for the 1976 film "A Star is Born"), and "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" (with Legrand, for the 1983 film "Yentl"). The Bergmans have also contributed original lyrics to songs for scores of other films, including "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1971), "Same Time, Next Year" (1978), "Tootsie" 1982), "Never Say Never Again" (1983), "Major League" (1989), "For the Boys" (1991), "Sabrina" (1995).

In 1989, the team was nominated for an Academy Award for their song "The Worman Who Used to Be Me" (Marvin Hamlisch music). In 1998 the team composed the title track for Tony Bennett's album "The Playground" (music by the Late Bill Evans). In early 1999, they composed the love theme "Love Is Where You Are" (with music by Mark Isham) for the Val Kilmer/Mire Sorvio film At First Sight. The Kennedy Center For The Arts, in Washington, D.C., commissioned Alan and Marilyn, (collaborating with Cy Coleman) to write a Jazz Song Cycle for Center's Millenium celebration.

Alan and Marilyn are two of the most respected names in music today. They have been nominated for countless Awards and have won several Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys and Emmys. They are recipients of Honorary Doctorates from the Berklee College of Music, and also received the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1980, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in June of 1997 received the organization's Johnny Mercer Award. Among many other accolades, Alan and Marilyn have been nominated for sixteen Academy Awards, and in 1983, they became the first songwriters ever to be nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Song out of the five nominated songs. Alan and Marilyn have one daughter, Julie Bergman Sender, an independent film producer.

Ralph Burns
b: June 29, 1922, Newton, MA, USA. d: Nov. 21, 2001, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
né: Ralph Jose P.Burns
Fields: Arranger/Pianist/Composer.
As a young child, Ralph Burns, studied piano, and as a young adult, he continued his studies at Boston's New England Conservatory. Interestingly, he self-educated himself as a jazz composer by transcribing and analysing hit recordings of such big bands as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Benny Goodman.

While still a student, he lived with bandleader Nick Jerret's, and Jarret's sister, vocalist Frances Wayne. This brought him a position playing piano piano with Jerret's band. In 1944, bassist Chubby Jackson then with Woody Herman's band, urged Woody to hire him, and Burns (togther with Neal Hefti, Bill Harris and Flip Phillips) joined the Herman band, sparking off a new and exciting Herman "sound". Burns' piano, drummer Dave Tough, and Chubby Jackson's bass became one of the era's best rhythm sections. At first, Burns, Bill Harris, and Charlie Ventura were heard as a small group out of the Herman band. But he soon began recording on his own with such men as Lee Konitz, Ben Webster and Billy Strayhorn, and others, . In 1945, Woody Herman used Burn's vocal chart of "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe". Soon, though, Burns began composing, with such tunes as "Bijou" (for the band's trombonist Bill Harris), "Caldonia", "The Moose" and "Apple Honey". .

Starting in the 1960s, Burns devoted most of his time to composing music for Broadway shows and movie scores. Among the great Broadway shows to his credit are Chicago, No, No, Nanette and Sweet Charity. In 1971 he scored the soundtrack to Woody Allen's Bananas. In 1972. he won an Academy Award for Cabaret . Other shows followed including Lenny, New York, New York, All That Jazz and Fosse. Earlier on, another composer, Igor Stravinsky, was so impressed by Burn's work, that he sat down and composed his "Ebony Concerto", exclusively for Woody Herman's orchestra. (Herman recorded it.) Burns passed away (in St. Vincent's Hosp.) due to complications arising from a Stroke, and then Pneumonia.

Charles L. Bates
b. 1896, near Villisca, IA, USA. d. 1937, New York, NY, USA. (Pneumonia)
Bates was born into a musical family. His father, Theron Bates (who died when his son was only 4 years old), was the director of the Villisca (Iowa) All Girls Band. His mother Grace, then moved to Des Moines, IA, where her 5 year old son first attended that city's Sabin and Nash elementary schools, and then graduated from West High School. Circa 1920, Bates relocated to Chicago, IL, and by 1923 was working as an accompanist for vaudeville and radio shows.

In 1923, he organized, and accompanied, the Rhythm Girls for appearances with the Paul Whiteman's orchestra. In that same year, Bates and Gertrude McDonald (a native of Beacon, IA), who was one of the singers with the Rhythm Girls, were married. (Picture was taken in New York City.) The marriage produced a son, Charles Jr.

As if all of that activity in 1923 were not enough, the following year, 1924, may be considered one of the highlights of his life. Bates, together with Tin Pan Alley men Milton Ager, Jack Yellen and Robert Wilcox Bigelow, composed a little ditty they called "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah G-A)". (Interestingly, there was a real Hannah in the Bates' family, and her obituary notice in the local newspaper documented her hard-heartedness.) The song was an instantaneous smash hit, and has remained so to this day. It is a true "standard", and has been recorded by such stars as Peggy Lee, Kay Starr, Bobby Darrin, Margaret Whiting, Nancy Sinatra, and Ray Charles. Famed songstress Ella Fitzgerald sang it in the 1955 film "Pete Kelly's Blues."

Bates followed "Hannah" with "Sob Sister Sadie", "Let Me Be The One", "I Had a Swell Mamma But She's Turned Sour Now", and "Old Pals Are The Best Pals After All". In 1935, another of his songs, "On the Nodaway Road", was introduced over the radio by Metropolitan Opera singer Lawrence Tibbetts. The tune payed homage to an area of Iowa where he had lived during his youth,

During World War I, he had served as an instructor at Camp Dodge, where his lungs were damaged by gas during a routine training exercise. This may have contributed to his later struggle with tuberculosis, and then his demise in New York City at just age 40, from pneumonia. He had just signed a contract to arrange music for the five-day-a-week "Singing Sam" radio show. Bates was buried in Des Moines, IA, USA.

Bertholt Brecht
b. Feb. 10, 1898, Augsburg, Germany, d. Aug. 14, 1956, East Berlin, East Germany
After studying philosophy and medicine at the University of Munich, he became a medical orderly in a German military hospital during the First World War. His wartime experiences re-inforced his hatred of war, and. in 1919, he lent his support to the failed Socialist revolution. With the end of WWI, he turned his interests to literature, and wrote his first play 'Bael' (produced in 1922), which was followed by 'Drums in the Night', a play about a soldier returning from war. Then in 1923, 'Jungle of the Cities' was staged followed in 1926 by 'A Man's a Man'.

In 1927, Brecht began to collaborate with composer Kurt Weill, and their first work was the musical play, 'Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny' 'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny', following that with 'Die Dreigroschenoper' ('The Threepenny Opera'), a musical play based on 1728 work 'The Beggar's Opera' (composer Johann Christoph Pepusch, and librettist John Gay). Brecht added his own lyrics which illustrated his growing belief in Marxism. He also worked with the composer Hanns Eisner in 'The Measure Taken'.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power, and Brecht, a Jew whose plays were reflecting a Marxist interpretation of society, was forced to flee Germany. In exile, he turned his talents to writing such anti-Nazi plays as 'Misery of the Third Reich', 'Fear', 'The Roundheads', and the 'Peakheads'. Many other plays and films would follow such as 'Leben des Galilei' (1939, aka: 'Galileo' in USA), 'Mother Courage' (1939), 'The Good Man of Szechuan' (1941), 'The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui' (1941), 'Hangmen Also Die' (1943), the 'Caucausian Chalk Circle' (1943), and 'Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti' (1955) (aka: 'Herr Puntila and His Servant Matti'), a year before his death. Altogether, over 70 films have appeared that contain some of his work. .

In 1933, after leaving Germany, Brecht first lived in Denmark, then in Sweden, followed by his move to the Soviet Union. In 1941, he arrived in the United States, settled in Hollywood, and immediately helped with the writing of the film, 'Hangman Also Die' (1943).

In 1947, the American Congress, via the 'House of Un-American Activities Committee' (HUAC) then chaired by J. Parnell Thomas, began investigating Communist infiltration into the Motion Picture industry. 41 "friendly witnesses" were interviewed who eventually named 19 known Communist Part members or sympathizers, among which was Bertholt Brecht's name. He was summoned to appear before the Committee to give evidence, during which time he denied being a member of the American Communist Party. It then became more difficult for him to find employment in Hollywood, and he soon left for East Germany (then in the Russian 'zone'.) In 1949, Brecht founded the 'Berliner Ensemble' which soon became that country's most famous theatre company. However, Brecht wrote only one new play, 'The Days of the Commune' (1949), befe his demise in East Germany.

Bruno Balz
b. Oct. 6, 1902, Berlin, Germany, d. March 14, 1988, Bad Wiesse, Germany
In 1933, his first big success came in writing for the German film Viktor und Viktoria, which later was the inspiration for the Blake Edwards production 'Victor Victoria', starring Julie Andrews and Robert Preston.

During World War II, Balz was interned in a Nazi Concentration Camp because of his blatant homosexuality. The Swedish singer Zarah Leander, with the help of Michael Jary saved his life from the Nazis. They were able to get him out of a Concentration Camp during WWII conditional upon his producing inspirational music for the German movie-going public. This is even more remarkable than it sounds. Michael Jary, was actually a Polish Jew who somehow managed to spend the WWII years composing, and also successfully recording in Nazi Germany. (Please see our Michael Jary entry in this Tunesmiths Database.)

Balz had been instrumental in introducing Jary to some film composers (Franz Doelle, and Leo Leux), which started Jary on a long musical career. Balz wrote quite a few Lyrics for Michael Jary, including such songs as "Der Wind hat mir ein Lied erzählt" ("Le Ven m'a dit une chanson") for the film La Habanera, (1937- and for which Miss Leander sold millions of Odeon records (in three languages -German, Swedish and French).

Another song is "Davon geht die Welt nicht unter" ("Ce n'est pas la fin du monde"), which was an anti-Nazi song. After WWII Bruno Balz worked with Zarah in the film "Gabriella" and also wrote "Das machen nur die Beine von Dolores" ("The Legs Of Dolores", "Le Charme de Dolores") and "Wir wollen niemals auseinandergeh'n", which was specifically for Zarah Leander.

Alberto Ballestero
b. August 16, 1892, San Eugenio del Cuareím, Uruguay, d. Oct. 20, 1931, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Heart Attack)
This lyricist began his career as a journalist before changing to playwright and lyricist. On August 8, 1918, Ballestero made his theater debut (in Buenos Aires) with the play "El Comedia", that had his song "El Calendario Festivo". The song was composed in collaboration with lyricist Padilla Franc, and music by Bernardino Terés. Over the next 10 years, he contribute lyrics to a great many songs. In 1929, for the play "Fémina", he wrote the lyric for the beautiful tango "Dicen que dicen", with music by Enrique Delfino. In that play, actor Jose Muñiz sang the tune, which was later recorded by Carlos Gardel

Some of his other songs include:
"Los Caballeros del Caño", (co-composed with Oscar R. Beltrán),
"A las 9 en el Convento" en colaboración (co-composed with Schaefer Gallo),
"Don Ponciano Peñaloza", (co-composed with Eliseo Gutiérrez),
"La Otra Noche en un banquete" (co-composed with Amadori),
"Mano Mora", "El Caballero Negro", "Hay fuego en la Pasarela", "Es pa morirse de risa", "Aquí vienen las bellezas", "Los varones somos muchos",
(co-composed with Arnaldo Malfatti),
"Escríbame una carta señor Cura", (co-composed with Domingo Parra),
"Porteño tenía que ser", (co-composed with Pascual Contursi),
"Voy derecho a Cardenal" (co-composed with Carlos Osorio),
"¡Qué papa el año que corre!" y "De pura cepa Criolla" (co-composed with León Alberti),
"El Proceso de Mary Pullman" (co-composed with Antonio de Bassi),
and still other songs include "En los muelles de la Boca", "Leguisamo solo", "Mefistófeles", " "La Banda de pistoleros","Conflicto internacional", "Veraneamos en bañadera", Qué papa el año 40!", and "Aquí nos reímos de todo".