Edward J. Kay (November 27, 1898 – December 22, 1973) was an American

film composer A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

and musical director, who worked on over 340 films from the 1930s into the 1960s, and was nominated on multiple occasions for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Original Score, although he never won. On his last film, 1962's ''

The Creation of the Humanoids ''The Creation of the Humanoids'' is a 1962 American science fiction film release, directed by Wesley Barry and starring Don Megowan, Erica Elliot, Frances McCann, Don Doolittle, and Dudley Manlove. The film is not based on the plot of Jack Will ...

'', he was also a producer. In 1941, Kay was nominated for ''

King of the Zombies ''King of the Zombies'' is a 1941 American zombie comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and starring Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, and Mantan Moreland. The film was produced by Monogram Pictures, and was typical of its B films produced by the ...

'', but lost to

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in composing for films. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely r ...

for ''

All That Money Can Buy ''The Devil and Daniel Webster'' is a 1941 fantasy film based on the 1938 play adaptation of Stephen Vincent Benét's 1936 short story " The Devil and Daniel Webster". The play by Benét was in turn based on the libretto created by Benét for a ...

''. The following year, Kay was nominated for ''

Klondike Fury ''Klondike Fury'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, produced by the King Brothers, and released through Monogram. It stars Edmund Lowe. It was a remake of '' Klondike''. Plot A neurosurgeon is thrown out of the medi ...

'', losing to

Max Steiner Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers. Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...

, for ''

Now, Voyager ''Now, Voyager'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. Prouty ...

''. Kay was nominated in 1943 for '' Lady, Let's Dance'', losing to

Morris Stoloff Morris W. Stoloff (August 1, 1898 – April 16, 1980) was a musical composer. Stoloff worked with Sammy Davis Jr., Dinah Shore, Al Jolson and Frank Sinatra. Life and career Stoloff worked as music director at Columbia Pictures from 1936 to 1962. ...

and

Carmen Dragon Carmen Dragon (July 28, 1914 – March 28, 1984) was an American conductor, composer, and arranger who in addition to live performances and recording, worked in radio, film, and television. Early years Dragon was born in Antioch, California, ...

for ''

Cover Girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph features on the front cover of a magazine. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a casual, once-off appearance by a person on the cover of a maga ...

''. Finally, in 1945, Kay was nominated for his work on two films, '' G. I. Honeymoon'' in the comedy/drama category, and '' Sunbonnet Sue'' in the musical category; Kay lost in both categories, to

Miklós Rózsa Miklós Rózsa (; April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer trained in Germany (1925–1931) and active in France (1931–1935), the United Kingdom (1935–1940), and the United States (1940–1995), with extensi ...

, for '' Spellbound'', and to Georgie Stoll for ''

Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...

'', respectively. Kay was the only composer to substitute for Lee Zahler on a

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

production between 1938 and 1947, when Kay composed for '' Brenda Starr Reporter'' in 1945. Kay was a frequent collaborator with director

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

.Wendy L. Marshall, ''William Beaudine: From Silents to Television'', pages 324–326, 330–346, 2005. Kay was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and died in Los Angeles County, California.

Selected filmography

Films for which Edward J. Kay composed or directed music include:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Edward J. 1898 births 1973 deaths American film score composers 20th-century American composers