Hans J. Salter (January 14, 1896 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

– July 23, 1994 in

Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1927, ...

, Cal.) was an Austrian- 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 ...

Biography

Salter gained his education from the Vienna Academy of Music and studied composition with Alban Berg, Franz Schreker, and others. He worked for the

Berlin State Opera The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

before being hired in 1928 to compose music at

UFA Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital city, capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya River (Kama), Belaya and Ufa River, Ufa rivers, in the centre-n ...

studios. Salter emigrated to America in 1937 and was quickly put under contract at Universal, where he worked for nearly 30 years, arranging, composing, conducting, and serving as music director. He composed mainly for

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, most famously for horror and

science fiction films Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

but also for other studios and for television. His most celebrated scores include '' The Wolf Man'' (1941), ''

Scarlet Street ''Scarlet Street'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The screenplay concerns two criminals who take advantage of a middle-aged painter in order to steal his artwork. The film is based on the French novel ''La Chienne'' (literal ...

'' (1945), ''

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

'' (1954) and ''

The Incredible Shrinking Man ''The Incredible Shrinking Man'' is a 1957 American science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold based on Richard Matheson's 1956 novel '' The Shrinking Man''. The film stars Grant Williams as Scott and Randy Stuart as Scott's wife Louise. ...

'' (1957). Salter was nominated for an Academy Award for several films, including '' Christmas Holiday'' (1944) and ''This Love Of Ours'' (1945). Much of his output for Universal was uncredited, where it was used as stock music, in minor pictures. Notable non-horror scores include the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Bend of the River ''Bend of the River'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart, Arthur Kennedy, Julie Adams, and Rock Hudson. Based on the 1950 novel ''Bend of the Snake'' by Bill Gulick, the film is about a tough cow ...

'' (1953) and the swashbucklers ''

Against All Flags ''Against All Flags'' is a 1952 American pirate film directed by George Sherman and Douglas Sirk and starring Errol Flynn as Brian Hawke, Maureen O'Hara as Prudence "Spitfire" Stevens and Anthony Quinn as Roc Brasiliano. The film's plot is set in ...

'' (1952) and ''

The Black Shield of Falworth ''The Black Shield of Falworth'' is a 1954 American Technicolor film from Universal-International, produced by Robert Arthur and Melville Tucker and directed by Rudolph Maté. It stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Farrar, Herbert Marshall, an ...

'' (1954), Universal's first Cinemascope production. Salter died in Studio City, California on July 23, 1994, at the age of 98, and was interred in the

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

Selected film credits

* ''

The Office Manager ''The Office Manager'' (german: Der Herr Bürovorsteher) is a 1931 German comedy film directed by Hans Behrendt and starring Felix Bressart, Hermann Thimig and Maria Meissner.Bock & Bergfelder p. 63 The film's sets were designed by the art direc ...

'' (1931) * '' The True Jacob'' (1931) * '' Gloria'' (1931) * ''

Holzapfel Knows Everything ''Holzapfel Knows Everything'' (german: Holzapfel weiß alles) is a 1932 German comedy film directed by Victor Janson and starring Felix Bressart, Iván Petrovich and Gretl Theimer.Bock & Bergfelder p. 63 It was shot at the Grunewald Studios in ...

'' (1932) * '' My Friend the Millionaire'' (1932) * '' Madame Wants No Children'' (1933) * '' Everything for the Company'' (1935) * ''

Fräulein Lilli ''Fräulein Lilli'' or ''Miss Lilli'' is a 1936 Austrian comedy film directed by Hans Behrendt, Robert Wohlmuth and Max Neufeld. It starred Franciska Gaal, Hans Jaray and S.Z. Sakall. It was Gaal's last European film,Dassanowsky p.67 although sh ...

'' (1936) * ''

Legion of Lost Flyers ''Legion of Lost Flyers'' (aka ''Legion of Lost Fliers'') is a 1939 American B movie drama film directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Anne Nagel. ''Legion of Lost Flyers'' was released by Universal Pictures on Nove ...

'' (1939) * '' Man from Montreal'' (1939) * '' Enemy Agent'' (1940) * ''

The Invisible Man Returns ''The Invisible Man Returns'' is a 1940 American horror science fiction film directed by Joe May. The film stars Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey and John Sutton. The film is a sequel to the 1933 film ''The Invisible Man'', and the sec ...

'' (1940) * '' Seven Sinners'' (1940) * ''

It Started with Eve ''It Started with Eve'' is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score (Charles Previ ...

'' (1941) * '' Mutiny in the Arctic'' (1941) * ''

The Ghost of Frankenstein ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up ...

'' (1942) * '' The Spoilers'' (1942) * ''

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

'' (1942) * '' The Amazing Mrs. Holliday'' (1943) * '' The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler'' (1943) * '' Sherlock Holmes Faces Death'' (1943) * '' Son of Dracula'' (1943) * '' His Butler's Sister'' (1943) * ''

The Spider Woman ''The Spider Woman'' (alternatively titled ''Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman'' and ''Spider Woman'') is a 1943 mystery film starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, the seventh of fourteen such films the p ...

'' (1943) * ''

Phantom Lady Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first such characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book com ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Invisible Man's Revenge ''The Invisible Man's Revenge'' is a 1944 American horror film directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser. The film stars John Carradine as a scientist who tests his experiment on Jon Hall, a psychiatric hospital escapee who takes ...

'' (1944) * '' Christmas Holiday'' (1944) * '' San Diego, I Love You'' (1944) * '' House of Frankenstein'' (1944) * ''

Can't Help Singing ''Can't Help Singing'' is a 1944 American musical Western film directed by Frank Ryan and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, and Akim Tamiroff. Based on a story by John D. Klorer and Leo Townsend, the film is about a senator's daughter who ...

'' (1944) * ''

Patrick the Great ''Patrick the Great'' is a 1945 American drama film starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Frances Dee. This was the last film for O'Connor and Ryan together, who had been a teenage team for the past several years. This was also O'Connor's la ...

'' (1945) * ''

This Love of Ours ''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original ...

'' (1945) * ''

'' (1945) * '' So Goes My Love'' (1946) * '' Lover Come Back'' (1946) * '' Magnificent Doll'' (1946) * '' The Michigan Kid'' (1947) * ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web s ...

'' (1947) * '' That's My Man'' (1947) * '' Love from a Stranger'' (1947) * ''

The Sign of the Ram ''The Sign of the Ram'' is a 1948 American film noir directed by John Sturges and screenplay by Charles Bennett, based on a novel written by Margaret Ferguson. The drama features Susan Peters and Alexander Knox. It also featured Ron Randell. T ...

'' (1948) * '' Man-Eater of Kumaon'' (1948) * ''

An Innocent Affair ''An Innocent Affair'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Lou Breslow and Joseph Hoffman. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Madeleine Carroll, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, Rita Johnson, Louise Allbritton and Alan Mow ...

'' (1948) * ''

Cover Up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...

'' (1949) * ''

The Reckless Moment ''The Reckless Moment'' is a 1949 American film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. It starred James Mason and Joan Bennett. The film is based ...

'' (1949) * '' Borderline'' (1950) * ''

Please Believe Me ''Please Believe Me'' is a 1950 American romantic comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, and starring Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker, Mark Stevens and Peter Lawford. Plot Alison Kirbe is a young London girl who has just found out she has inheri ...

'' (1950) * '' The Killer That Stalked New York'' (1950) * '' Frenchie (1950) * ''

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...

'' (1951) * ''

Apache Drums ''Apache Drums'' is a 1951 American Western film directed by Hugo Fregonese and produced by Val Lewton. The drama features Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, and Willard Parker. The film was based on an original story: ''Stand at Spanish Boot'', by ...

'' (1951) * ''

The Prince Who Was a Thief ''The Prince Who Was a Thief'' is a 1951 American adventure film directed by Rudolph Mate and starring Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie. A technicolor swashbuckler, it was the first film Curtis featured in as a star. It was produced and distributed b ...

'' (1951) * ''

Thunder on the Hill ''Thunder on the Hill'' is a 1951 American film noir crime film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Claudette Colbert and Ann Blyth. The picture was made by Universal-International Pictures and produced by Michael Kraike from a screenplay b ...

'' (1951) * '' You Never Can Tell'' (1951) * '' The Golden Horde'' (1951) * ''

'' (1952) * ''

Flesh and Fury ''Flesh and Fury'' is a 1952 American film noir drama sport film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Tony Curtis, Jan Sterling and Mona Freeman.The Battle at Apache Pass ''The Battle at Apache Pass'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by George Sherman. The stars are John Lund as United States Army Maj. Colton and Jeff Chandler (in brownface) repeating the role of Apache chief Cochise, whom he had playe ...

'' (1952) * '' Untamed Frontier'' (1952) * ''

'' (1952) * '' The Human Jungle'' (1954) * ''

Sign of the Pagan ''Sign of the Pagan'' is a 1954 American historical drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, shot in CinemaScope (color by Technicolor), and released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina, and Rita ...

'' (1954) * '' The Far Horizons'' (1955) * '' Wichita'' (1955) * ''

Red Sundown ''Red Sundown'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Rory Calhoun, Martha Hyer and Dean Jagger. Plot Alec Longmire (Rory Calhoun), a gunfighter, decides to change his ways after nearly losing his life. He refor ...

'' (1956) * '' Navy Wife'' (1956) * '' The Rawhide Years'' (1956) * '' Autumn Leaves'' (1956) * ''

Hold Back the Night Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Ferm ...

'' (1956) * ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th large ...

'' (1957) * '' The Tall Stranger'' (1957) * '' The Female Animal'' (1958) * '' Day of the Badman'' (1958) * '' Raw Wind in Eden'' (1958) * ''

The Man in the Net ''The Man in the Net'' is a 1959 American film noir starring Alan Ladd and Carolyn Jones. The taut drama was directed by Michael Curtiz. The supporting cast features Diane Brewster. Plot Commercial artist John Hamilton (Alan Ladd) and wife Lin ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Wild and the Innocent ''The Wild and the Innocent'' is a 1959 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Jack Sher and starring Audie Murphy and Sandra Dee as two inexperienced young people who get into trouble when they visit a town for the very first time. The ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Gunfight at Dodge City ''The Gunfight at Dodge City'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color Western (genre), Western CinemaScope film. It was produced by the Mirisch Company, directed by Joseph M. Newman, co-written by Martin Goldsmith (screenwriter), Martin Goldsmith and Daniel B. ...

'' (1959) * ''

Come September ''Come September'' is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin. Plot Wealthy American businessman Robert Talbot owns a villa on the Ligurian coast, ...

'' (1961) * ''

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

'' (1962) * ''

Follow That Dream ''Follow That Dream'' is a 1962 American musical film made by Mirisch Productions and starring Elvis Presley. The film was based on the 1959 novel '' Pioneer, Go Home!'' by Richard P. Powell. Producer Walter Mirisch liked the film's song "Follo ...

'' (1962) * '' If a Man Answers'' (1962) * ''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' (1963) U.S. version * ''

Showdown A showdown is a duel. The term may also refer to: Places * Showdown Ski Area, in Montana, United States Books * ''Showdown'' (Amado novel), a 1984 novel by Jorge Amado * ''Showdown'' (Dekker novel), a 2006 novel by Ted Dekker * ''Showdown'' ( ...

'' (1963) * ''

Bedtime Story A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockm ...

'' (1964) * '' Gunpoint'' (1966) * ''

Incident at Phantom Hill ''Incident at Phantom Hill'' is a 1966 American Techniscope Western film directed by Earl Bellamy and starring Robert Fuller, Jocelyn Lane, Dan Duryea and Tom Simcox. The story involves a Union gold shipment, which is stolen and buried in th ...

'' (1966) * ''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a rel ...

'' (1966) * ''

Return of the Gunfighter ''Return of the Gunfighter'' is a 1967 American Western (genre), Western television film directed by James Neilson (director), James Neilson and starring Robert Taylor (American actor), Robert Taylor, Chad Everett and Ana Martín. Though intende ...

'' (1967)

Biographies

Interview

* Hans J. Salter: ''"Als ich 1937 nach Hollywood kam, lag das Land noch immer in tiefster Depression".'' In: Christian Cargnelli, Michael Omasta (eds.): ''Aufbruch ins Ungewisse. Österreichische Filmschaffende in der Emigration vor 1945''. Vienna,

Wespennest ''Wespennest'' (literally translated "wasps nest") is a bi-annual literary magazine published in Austria. It includes texts and images by authors and artists, presenting themes on specific countries, literature, art theory or politics, along wit ...

: 1993.

References

External links

Hans Salter Collection. UCLA. Performing Arts Special Collections
*

Jewish American composers American male composers Austrian emigrants to the United States Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Musicians from Vienna 1896 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews {{Composer-stub

Biography

Selected film credits

Biographies

Interview

Further reading

References

External links