Bert Shefter (May 15, 1902 – June 29, 1999) was a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n-born film

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

who worked primarily in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Biography

He was born in

Poltava Poltava (, ; , ) is a city located on the Vorskla, Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Poltava Oblast as well as Poltava Raion within the oblast. It also hosts the administration of Po ...

, Russian Empire (now Ukraine.) After emigrating to the USA he attended the Carnegie Institute, Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music & the Damrosch Institute, NYC. He began his musical career as a duo-pianist with

Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was of Austrian-Jewish heritage. He was recognized ear ...

(known as "Shefter & Gould".) They performed in theaters and on the radio between 1930–1936. He developed his skills as a conductor, and began appearing both as solo pianist and conductor on stage. He was the guest conductor at Carnegie Hall during the 1946–1947 season. He formed his own orchestra, and appeared on New York radio including some broadcasts over the NBC Network. He also conducted his orchestra on recordings for several record labels and for the "

Muzak Muzak is an American brand of background music played in retail stores and other public establishments owned by Mood Media. The name ''Muzak'', a blend of music and the popular camera brand name Kodak, has been in use since 1934 and has been ...

" store music service. His first work in film music was as

musical director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

for the production '' One Too Many'' in 1950. In the late 1950s, Shefter struck up an alliance with fellow film composer

Paul Sawtell Paul Sawtell (born Sawatzki, 3 February 1906 – 1 August 1971) was a film score composer active in the United States. Paul Sawatzki was born 3 February 1906 in Gilwe, German Reich (now Poland). Sawtell began his career with RKO, and eventually ...

and they produced many film scores together.Larson, Randall D. (2012)
''Musique Fantastique: 100 Years of Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror Film Music (2nd Edition),''
Chapter 8. Creature Features. Most notably they provided the music to classic science fiction and horror films including '' Kronos'' (1957), ''

It! The Terror from Beyond Space ''It! The Terror from Beyond Space'' is an independently made 1958 American science fiction horror film, produced by Robert Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith ( Shirley Patterson), and Kim Spalding. ...

'' (1958), ''

Return of the Fly Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

'' (1959), '' The Lost World'' (1960), ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden ...

'' (1961, in cooperation with producer

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen; June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

), and ''

Jack the Giant Killer "Jack the Giant Killer" is a Cornish fairy tale and legend about a man who slays a number of bad giants during King Arthur's reign. The tale is characterised by violence, gore and blood-letting. Giants are prominent in Cornish folklore, Breto ...

'' (1962). In 1965 they composed some scores for the director

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American filmmaker. He was primarily known for writing and directing a successful series of sexploitation films featuring campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women, wh ...

, such as the cult classic ''

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! ''Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'' is a 1965 American exploitation film directed by Russ Meyer and co-written by Meyer and Jack Moran. It follows three go-go dancers who embark on a spree of kidnapping and murder in the California desert. The f ...

'' and ''

Motorpsycho Motorpsycho may refer to: * Motorpsycho (band) Motorpsycho is a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. Their music can generally be defined as progressive or psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from alternative, jazz, post-rock, po ...

''. The last score they provided was for the Mexican film ''

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...

'' in 1970 shortly before Sawtell's retirement.

Later years

He retired in 1975 and died in 1999 at the age of 97 in West Hollywood, CA.

Selected filmography

* '' The Great Jesse James Raid'' (1953) * '' The Big Chase'' (1954) * '' Kronos'' (1957) * '' Hell Ship Mutiny'' (1957) * ''

Ambush at Cimarron Pass ''Ambush at Cimarron Pass'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Jodie Copelan and starring Scott Brady and Clint Eastwood (third billed, later first billed upon reissue). The film also features Margia Dean, Irving Bacon, Frank Gerstle, ...

'' (1958) * ''

'' (1959) * ''

The Big Circus ''The Big Circus'' is a 1959 American drama film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Victor Mature as a circus owner struggling with financial trouble and a murderous unknown saboteur. It was produced and cowritten by Irwin Allen, later kno ...

'' (1959) * '' The Sad Horse (1959)'' * '' The Lost World'' (1960) * ''

'' (1961) * ''

'' (1962) * '' The Last Man on Earth'' (1964) * ''

Curse of the Fly A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...

'' (1965) * ''

'' (1965) * '' ''Motorpsycho'''' (1965) * ''

The Last Shot You Hear ''The Last Shot You Hear'' is a 1969 British thriller film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Hugh Marlowe, Zena Walker, Patricia Haines, and William Dysart. The screenplay was by Tim Shields based on William Fairchild's 1959 play ''Th ...

'' (1969) * ''

'' (1970) * '' The Gatling Gun'' (1971)

References

External links

* 1902 births 1999 deaths Musicians from Poltava American film score composers American male film score composers Russian male composers 20th-century Russian classical musicians 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Mass media people from Poltava {{composer-stub