Lee Zahler (August 14, 1893 – February 21, 1947) was an American composer and musical director of films, starting in the 1920s and well into the 1940s. During his career, he composed the music to the 1943 '' Batman'' and ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'' serials for Columbia studios. Zahler directed the music for all

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 ...

productions between 1938 and 1947, except for '' Brenda Starr Reporter'' in 1945, which was conducted by

Edward J. Kay Edward J. Kay (November 27, 1898 – December 22, 1973) was an American film composer 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 for Academy Award f ...

.William C. Cline, ''In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials'', page 174, 1997.

Selected filmography

* ''

Dark Skies ''Dark Skies'' is an American UFO conspiracy theory-based sci-fi television series that debuted on NBC on September 21, 1996, and ended on May 31, 1997, and was later rerun by the Sci-Fi Channel; 18 episodes and a two-hour pilot episode were br ...

'' (1929) * ''

Air Eagles ''Air Eagles'' is a 1931 American pre-Code action film starring Lloyd Hughes, Norman Kerry, and Shirley Grey.Pitts, p. 134 Cast * Lloyd Hughes as Bill Ramsey * Norman Kerry as Otto Schumann * Shirley Grey as Eve * Berton Churchill as Windy ...

'' (1931) * '' Defenders of the Law'' (1931) * ''

Love Bound ''Love Bound'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code mystery film directed by Robert F. Hill and starring Jack Mulhall, Natalie Moorhead, Clara Kimball Young.Pitts p.259 It is a second feature produced by the Poverty Row studio Peerless Pictures. The fi ...

'' (1932) *''

Behind Jury Doors ''Behind Jury Doors'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring Helen Chandler, William Collier Jr. and Blanche Friderici.Pitts, p. 329 Cast * Helen Chandler as Elsa Lanfield * William Collier Jr. as ...

'' (1932) * '' Cannonball Express'' (1932) * ''

Dance Girl Dance ''Dance Girl Dance'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Frank Strayer from an original screenplay by Robert Ellis. The picture stars Alan Dinehart, Evalyn Knapp, and Edward Nugent, and premiered on September 1, 1933. Cast ...

'' (1933) * ''

The Flaming Signal ''The Flaming Signal'' is a 1933 American adventure film directed by George Jeske and Charles E. Roberts (writer), Charles E. Roberts and starring Marceline Day, Noah Beery and Carmelita Geraghty.Pitts p.183 Plot Cast * John David Horsley as L ...

'' (1933) * ''

Revenge at Monte Carlo ''Revenge at Monte Carlo'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring June Collyer, José Crespo (actor), José Crespo and Wheeler Oakman.Pitts, p. 329 It is also known by the alternative title of ''Mystery ...

'' (1933) *'' Secret Sinners'' (1933) * '' The Woman Who Dared'' (1933) * ''

Cheating Blondes ''Cheating Blondes'' is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Joseph Levering and starring Thelma Todd, Ralf Harolde and Inez Courtney.Handzo, p. 52 Cast * Thelma Todd as Anne Merrick / Elaine Manners * Ralf Harolde as Lawson Rolt * ...

'' (1933) * '' The Fugitive'' (1933) * '' The Trail Beyond'' (1934) * '' Frontier Days'' (1934) * ''

Ticket to a Crime ''Ticket to a Crime'' is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Ralph Graves, Lois Wilson and Lola Lane.Langman & Finn p.270 A private detective and his assistant solve a murder at a country club. Cast * Ralph G ...

'' (1934) * '' When Lightning Strikes'' (1934) * '' The Perfect Clue'' (1935) * ''

Western Courage ''Western Courage'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Ben Wilson, starring Richard Hatton, Elsa Benham, and Robert Walker. Cast * Richard Hatton * Elsa Benham * Robert Walker * Art Mix * Ed La Niece * Al Ferguson Al Fe ...

'' (1935) * '' Mutiny Ahead'' (1935) * '' Skybound'' (1935) * ''

The Last of the Clintons ''The Last of the Clintons'' is a 1935 American western film directed by Harry L. Fraser and starring Harry Carey, Betty Mack and Victor Potel. It was the last film released by the Poverty Row studio Ajax Pictures before it closed down.Pitts p.1 ...

'' (1935) * '' Rio Grande Ranger'' (1936) * ''

Idaho Kid ''Idaho Kid'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Robert F. Hill and starring Rex Bell, Marion Shilling and David Sharpe.Pitts p.118 Plot Following the death of his mother in childbirth, Todd Hollister's father has nothing to do with ...

'' (1936) * '' The Speed Reporter'' (1936) * '' The Lion's Den'' (1936) * ''

The Fugitive Sheriff ''The Fugitive Sheriff'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Ken Maynard, Beth Marion and Walter Miller.Pitts p.119 Cast * Ken Maynard as Ken Marshall * Beth Marion as June Roberts * Walter Mille ...

'' (1936) * ''

Desert Justice ''Desert Justice'' is a 1936 American western film directed by William Berke and starring Jack Perrin, Warren Hymer and David Sharpe.Pitts p.50 Synopsis When the police commissioner orders all police horses to be sold off, officer Jack Rankin ...

'' (1936) * '' Under Suspicion'' (1937) * '' Heroes of the Alamo '' (1937) * ''

Reformatory A reformatory or reformatory school is a youth detention center or an adult correctional facility popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Western countries. In the United Kingdom and United States, they came out of social concern ...

'' (1938) * ''

The Strange Case of Dr. Meade ''The Strange Case of Dr. Meade'' is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Jack Holt, Beverly Roberts and Noah Beery Jr.Darby p.65 Cast * Jack Holt as Dr. Meade * Beverly Roberts as Bonnie * Noah Beery Jr ...

'' (1938) * '' Whispering Enemies'' (1939) * ''

Frontiers of '49 ''Frontiers of '49'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Joseph Levering and starring Wild Bill Elliott, Luana Alcañiz and Charles King.Blottner p.53 Cast * Wild Bill Elliott as Major John Freeman * Luana Alcañiz as Dolores de Cervan ...

'' (1939) * '' Passport to Alcatraz'' (1940) * '' Fugitive from a Prison Camp'' (1940) * '' The Great Swindle'' (1941) * ''

Girls' Town ''Girls' Town'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Edith Fellows, June Storey and Alice White.Fetrow p.176 The winner of a Midwest beauty contest receives a screen test in Hollywood and takes her sister along, ...

'' (1942) * '' The Underdog'' (1943) * '' The Lady Confesses'' (1945) * '' Outlaws of the Plains'' (1946)

References

External links

* *The Music of Lee Zahler 1893 births 1947 deaths Musicians from New York City American male composers 20th-century American composers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-19thC-stub