Leo Frank Forbstein (October 16, 1892 – March 16, 1948) was an American film musical director and

orchestra conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties ...

who worked on more than 550 projects during a twenty-year period.

Early years

Forbstein was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. He was attracted to music as a child, learning 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 ...

at the age of four. As a conductor at the Royal Theater in St. Joseph, he synchronized the orchestra with the action in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

s; he then became principal conductor at the Newman Theatre in Kansas City, where the organist was future

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

colleague

Carl W. Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by Wa ...

. In the mid-1920s, Forbstein relocated to Hollywood to head the symphony

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

Grauman's Egyptian Theatre Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theater located at 6706 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. Opened in 1922, it is an early example of a lavish movie palace and is noted as having been the site of the first-ever Hollywood ...

Joins Warner Bros.

He signed with

as one of the directors of its Vitaphone Orchestra, alongside Erno Rapee (then Warners' general music director),

Louis Silvers Louis "Lou" Silvers (''né'' Louis Silberstein; September 6, 1889 – March 26, 1954) was an American film score composer whose work has been used in more than 250 movies. In 1935, he won the first Academy Award for Best Original Score for '' ...

, and David Mendoza; Forbstein's first screen credit was ''The Squall'' in 1929. In 1931, Warners dismissed Rapee and Mendoza in a consolidation and economy move and Forbstein became the company's general music director.

Oscar nominations and win

In 1936, musical director Forbstein and composer

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

were write-in candidates for the Academy Award for Best Scoring for their work on '' Captain Blood,'' a score composed by Korngold but for which Forbstein received recognition as head of the Warner Brothers music department under Academy rules in place at the time. The following year, Forbstein received nominations as head of the Warner Brothers music department for the nominated scores ''

The Charge of the Light Brigade The Charge of the Light Brigade was a failed military action involving the British light cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. Lord Raglan had intended to s ...

'' (composed by

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 ...

) and ''

Anthony Adverse ''Anthony Adverse'' is a 1936 American epic film, epic historical drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland. The screenplay by Sheridan Gibney draws elements of its plot from eight of the nine books i ...

'' (composed by Korngold), winning for the latter. The award for ''Anthony Adverse'' was originally a plaque that was later replaced with an Academy Award statuette in 1946. He was nominated as head of the department again in 1938 for ''

The Life of Emile Zola ''The Life of Emile Zola'' is a 1937 American biographical film about the 19th-century French author Émile Zola starring Paul Muni and directed by William Dieterle. It premiered at the Los Angeles Carthay Circle Theatre to great critical and ...

'' (composed by Steiner).

Personal life

Forbstein was married to the former Bess Gallas from October 16, 1914 until his death from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. They had one daughter, Harriett (born 1915), who married assistant director Melvin Dellar."The engagement of Harriett Forbstein to Melvin D. Dellar has been announced." ''Los Angeles Times'', July 21, 1935. Leo Forbstein was entombed in the Corridor of Immortality at Home of Peace Cemetery.

Selected film credits

*''

The Squall ''The Squall'' is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce and Loretta Young, and based on the 1926 play ''The Squall'' by Jean Bart. Plot In Hungary, a beautiful, young ...

'' (1929) *''

The Widow from Chicago ''The Widow from Chicago'' is a 1930 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring Alice White, Edward G. Robinson, Neil Hamilton, and Frank McHugh. It was released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of War ...

'' (1930) *'' The Maltese Falcon'' (1931) *'' The Millionaire'' (1931) *''

Bought! ''Bought'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film produced and released by Warner Bros. and directed by Archie Mayo. The movie stars Constance Bennett and features Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett and Dorothy Peterson. It is based on the 1930 novel ' ...

(1931) *''

The Star Witness ''The Star Witness'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by William A. Wellman. The film stars Walter Huston, Frances Starr, Grant Mitchell, and Chic Sale. ''The Star Witness'' wa ...

'' (1931) *'' The Heart of New York'' (1932) *'' Union Depot'' (1932) *'' The Man Who Played God'' (1932) *''

The Cabin in the Cotton ''The Cabin in the Cotton'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. The screenplay by Paul Green is based on the novel of the same title by Harry Harrison Kroll. The film perhaps is best known for a line of dialogue ...

'' (1932) *''

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime-drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a wrongfully convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The f ...

'' (1932) *'' 42nd Street'' (1933) *''

Gold Diggers of 1933 ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline M ...

'' (1933) *''

Footlight Parade ''Footlight Parade'' is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and featuring Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly. The film was written by Manuel Seff and Ja ...

'' (1933) *''

The Working Man ''The Working Man'' is a 1933 pre-Code American comedy film directed by John G. Adolfi and starring George Arliss and Bette Davis. The screenplay by Charles Kenyon and Maude T. Howell is based on the story ''The Adopted Father'' by Edgar Fra ...

'' (1933) *''

Ex-Lady ''Ex-Lady'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy/drama film directed by Robert Florey. The screenplay by David Boehm is a remake of the Barbara Stanwyck film '' Illicit (1931),'' both crediting a story (actually a play) by Edith Fitzgerald and R ...

'' (1933) *''

Bureau of Missing Persons ''Bureau of Missing Persons'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film with comic overtones directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Bette Davis, Lewis Stone, Pat O'Brien and Glenda Farrell . The screenplay by Robert Presnell is based on the book ' ...

'' (1933) *''

British Agent ''British Agent'' is a 1934 American romantic espionage film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Leslie Howard and Kay Francis. It is based on ''Memoirs of a British Agent'', the 1932 autobiography of R. H. Bruce Lockhart, who worked for ...

'' (1934) *''

Fog Over Frisco ''Fog Over Frisco'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle. The screenplay by Robert N. Lee and Eugene Solow was based on the short story ''The Five Fragments'' by George Dyer. Plot Arlene Bradford (Bette Davis) is ...

'' (1934) *''

The Big Shakedown ''The Big Shakedown'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film starring Charles Farrell and Bette Davis, and directed by John Francis Dillon. The screenplay is based on the story "Cut Rate" by Niven Busch and Samuel G. Engel. The film also stars ...

'' (1934) *'' Jimmy the Gent'' (1934) *''

Fashions of 1934 ''Fashions of 1934'' is a 1934 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by William Dieterle with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley. The screenplay by F. Hugh Herbert and Carl Erickson was based on the story ''The Fash ...

'' (1934) *'' Broadway Hostess'' (1935) *'' Front Page Woman'' (1935) *''

The Girl from 10th Avenue ''The Girl from 10th Avenue'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green. The screenplay by Charles Kenyon is based on the 1914 play ''Outcast'' by Hubert Henry Davies. The film was released in the United Kingdom as ''Men on Her M ...

'' (1935) *'' Special Agent'' (1935) * ''

Times Square Playboy ''Times Square Playboy'' is a 1936 American romance film directed by William C. McGann and starring Warren William, June Travis and Barton MacLane. It is also known by the alternative title of ''His Best Man''. The film's art direction was by E ...

'' (1936) *'' The Golden Arrow'' (1936) *''

It's Love I'm After ''It's Love I'm After'' is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the story "Gentlemen After Midnight" by Maurice Hanline, with a screenplay by Casey ...

'' (1937) *''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' (1938) *''

Dark Victory ''Dark Victory'' is a 1939 American melodrama film directed by Edmund Goulding, starring Bette Davis, and featuring George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, and Cora Witherspoon. The screenplay by Ca ...

'' (1939) *''

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' is a 1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the play '' Elizabeth the Queen'' by Maxwell Anders ...

'' (1939) *'' The Letter'' (1940) *'' Footsteps in the Dark'' (1941) *''

Meet John Doe ''Meet John Doe'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Frank Capra, written by Robert Riskin, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The film is about a "grassroots" political campaign created unwittingly by ...

'' (1941) *'' Sergeant York'' (1941) *'' The Maltese Falcon'' (1941) *''

Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Wood ...

'' (1942) *''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George To ...

'' (1942) *''

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 ...

'' (1942) *'' Casablanca'' (1942) *''

Destination Tokyo ''Destination Tokyo'' is a 1943 black and white American submarine war film. The film was directed by Delmer Daves in his directorial debut,McGee, Scott"Articles: 'Destination Tokyo' (1944)."'' TCM.com'', 2019. Retrieved: August 15, 2019. and t ...

'' (1943) *'' Mr. Skeffington'' (1944) *''

To Have and Have Not ''To Have and Have Not'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1937 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book follows Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain out of Key West, Florida. ''To Have and Have Not'' was Hemingway's second novel set in th ...

'' (1944) *''

The Corn Is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'' (1945) *'' Mildred Pierce'' (1945) *''

The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...

'' (1946) *'' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' (1948) *'' Winter Meeting'' (1948) *''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similar ...

'' (1948) *'' Johnny Belinda'' (1948)

References

External links

* (Date of death, February 12, 1948, on IMDB is incorrect.) *
The Royal Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri.Newman Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri (changed to Paramount Theatre in 1947).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbstein, Leo F. 1892 births 1948 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians American film score composers American male conductors (music) Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery Classical musicians from Missouri American male film score composers Musicians from St. Louis