Herschel Burke Gilbert (April 20, 1918 – June 8, 2003) was an American orchestrator, musical supervisor, and composer of film and television scores and

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

s, including ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show ...

'' (starring

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...

), '' Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater'', and ''

The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor ''The Detectives'' (also known as ''The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor'', ''Captain of Detectives'', and ''Robert Taylor's Detectives'') is an American crime drama series which ran on ABC during its first two seasons (sponsored by Procter & Gam ...

''. Gilbert once estimated that his compositions had been used in at least three thousand individual episodes of various

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Early years and education

Gilbert was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

to Samuel Gilbert and Bertha Shevinsky, both born in the Russian Empire. At the age of nine, he began studying the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

in Shorewood in Milwaukee County. By the time he was 15, he had formed his own dance band. He attended Milwaukee State Teachers College (now

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscon ...

) and studied for four years: two as an undergraduate and two as a graduate, from 1939–1943 at the Juilliard School of Music 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 ...

. After Juilliard, Gilbert won a music scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, where he studied under

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

and Leonard Bernstein. He also played the viola with bandleader

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

Television and film scoring

He composed many instrumental theme songs heard on American television through the 1950s and 1960s, including ''

'', '' Michael Shayne'', ''

The Lawless Years ''The Lawless Years'' is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC from April 16, 1959, to September 22, 1961. The series is the first of its kind, set during the Roaring 20s, having antedated ABC's far more successful ''The Untouchables ...

'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', '' Stories of the Century'', The '' Dick Powell Show'', ''

Four Star Playhouse ''Four Star Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956. Four Star Playhouse was owned by Four Star International. Its episodes ranged anywhere from surreal mysteries, such as "The Man on the Train", to light comedie ...

'', The ''

DuPont Show with June Allyson ''The DuPont Show with June Allyson'' (also known as ''The June Allyson Show'') is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959, to April 3, 1961, with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961. The series was ...

'', ''

'', '' The Westerner'', ''

Mrs. G. Goes to College ''Mrs. G. Goes to College'' (retitled ''The Gertrude Berg Show'' starting with episode 14) is a 26-episode American sitcom which aired on CBS from October 4, 1961, to April 5, 1962. The series starred Emmy Award-winning actress Gertrude Berg. Syn ...

'', ''

Law of the Plainsman ''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western (genre), Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native Americans in the United States, Native American United St ...

'', '' Target: The Corruptors!'', ''

Man with a Camera ''Man with a Camera'' is an American television crime drama starring Charles Bronson as a war veteran turned photographer and investigator. Throughout the 1950s, Bronson spent most of his early acting career performing in TV shows as well as ...

'', and '' Burke's Law''. Many of these were TV series produced by ''

Four Star Television Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea, it was insp ...

'' when Gilbert was a music director. In addition to the main theme songs, Gilbert also composed library music cues used in many TV series episodes, including episodes of '' Gunsmoke'', '' The Big Valley'', ''The Adventures of Superman'', '' Leave It to Beaver'', ''

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

'', ''

Harrigan and Son ''Harrigan and Son'' is an ABC sitcom about a father-and-son team of lawyers, played by Pat O'Brien as Jim Harrigan Sr. and Roger Perry as Jim Jr.. In supporting roles, as secretaries, are Georgine Darcy as Gypsy and Helen Kleeb Helen Kleeb ...

'', '' McKeever and the Colonel'', '' Gilligan's Island'' and ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

''. During his library music years, he formed a publishing company named for his sons "John Paul Music" to collect ASCAP publisher royalties. His film work includes ''

It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern self-published in 1943 and is in turn loos ...

'' (1947), ''

The Jackie Robinson Story ''The Jackie Robinson Story'' is a 1950 biographical film directed by Alfred E. Green (who had directed ''The Jolson Story'', "one of the biggest hits of the 40s") and starring Jackie Robinson as himself. The film focuses on Robinson's struggle ...

'' (1950), '' The Thief'' (1952), ''

Carmen Jones ''Carmen Jones'' is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's o ...

'' (1954), ''

It Came from Beneath the Sea ''It Came from Beneath the Sea'' is a 1955 American science fiction monster film from Columbia Pictures, produced by Sam Katzman and Charles Schneer, directed by Robert Gordon, that stars Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, and Donald Curtis. The ...

'' (1954), '' Beyond a Reasonable Doubt'' (1956), '' No Place to Hide'' (1956), '' Comanche'' (1956), ''

Slaughter On Tenth Avenue ''Slaughter on Tenth Avenue'' is a ballet with music by Richard Rodgers and choreography by George Balanchine. It occurs near the end of Rodgers and Hart's 1936 Broadway musical comedy '' On Your Toes''. ''Slaughter'' is the story of a hoofer who ...

'' (1957), '' Sam Whiskey'' (1969), ''

I Dismember Mama ''I Dismember Mama'' (also known as ''Poor Albert and Little Annie'' and released in the UK as ''Crazed''), is a 1972 American horror film written by William Norton and directed by Paul Leder. The film centers on a violent sex criminal who goes o ...

'' (1974), and ''

The Witch Who Came from the Sea ''The Witch Who Came from the Sea'' is a 1976 American psychological horror film produced and directed by Matt Cimber and starring Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Vanessa Brown, Peggy Feury, Rick Jason, George Buck Flower, and Roberta Collins. The ...

'' (1976).

Later years

Gilbert died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

from complications of a stroke. He was survived by his wife, Trudy; daughters Toby G. Bernstein and Gwen Olson; sons John and Paul; and three grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Herschel Burke 1918 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American male composers American television composers Juilliard School alumni Male television composers Musicians from Los Angeles Musicians from Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni