David Snell (composer)

David L. Snell (10 September 1897 – 27 March 1967) was a pianist, conductor, composer and music director. He composed the music for over 170 shorts, series or feature films.

Early years

David L. Snell was born on 10 September 1897 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He became a pianist, and studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Wisconsin College and the Meyer Conservatory of Music.
He formed his own orchestra, and was the musical director for several stage productions.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer music director

Snell joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's music department in 1937, turning out music for a range of films from low-cost "B" movies to expensive features.
He would spend his entire film career with MGM.
He was conductor, composer, and music director for MGM for twenty-one years.'
The work could be high pressure. In November 1938 Franz Waxman had just five days to put together the fifty-minute score for ''A Christmas Carol'' so it could be released in time for the holiday season. Snell helped out, writing the opening and closing credit cues and half a dozen other cues based on themes provided by Waxman.

Snell wrote music for many full-length films, shorts and B-movie series such as '' Dr. Kildare'', '' Maisie'' and ''The Thin Man''.

His songs include ''Under The Stars,'' ''Downstream Drifter,'' ''Come Back Little Girl Of Mine'' and ''Once Over Lightly.''

Snell's scores often showed first-rate craftmanship, but his work has generally been ignored, perhaps because in most cases he chose to simply underscore the dialog as opposed to contributing complementary musical ideas.
However, for the 1947 ''Lady in the Lake'', based on the Raymond Chandler novel and set around Christmas time, Snell chose to use a choir singing ''a cappella'' without musical accompaniment, providing an austere and effective "black and white" score to accompany the stark black and white cinematography.
The moody music echoed Christmas carols.

David L. Snell died at home in Glendale, California on March 27, 1967.

Filmography

Snell is credited as composer in many films, including:

* 1935 ''Prince, King of Dogs'' (Documentary short, uncredited)
* 1935 ''Windy'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1937 '' A Family Affair''
* 1937 ''Bars and Stripes'' (Short)
* 1937 ''Candid Cameramaniacs'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1937 ''Carnival in Paris'' (Short)
* 1937 ''Dangerous Number''
* 1937 ''Equestrian Acrobats'' (Documentary short, uncredited)
* 1937 ''Madame X''
* 1937 '' Married Before Breakfast''
* 1937 ''My Dear Miss Aldrich''
* 1937 ''Some Time Soon'' (Short, musical score)
* 1937 ''Song of Revolt'' (Short, musical score)
* 1937 '' The Thirteenth Chair''
* 1937 ''You're Only Young Once''
* 1938 '' Aladdin's Lantern'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Anaesthesia'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Billy Rose's Casa Mañana Revue'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Bravest of the Brave'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Captain Kidd's Treasure'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Electrical Power'' (Documentary short, as Dave Snell)
* 1938 ''Football Thrills of 1937'' (Documentary short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Grid Rules'' (Documentary short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Hollywood Goes to Town'' (Short documentary)
* 1938 ''Joaquin Murrieta'' (Short)
* 1938 '' Judge Hardy's Children''
* 1938 '' Love Finds Andy Hardy'' (musical score by)
* 1938 ''Men of Steel'' (Short, musical score)
* 1938 ''Music Made Simple'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Nostradamus'' (Short)
* 1938 ''Once Over Lightly'' (Short, musical score)
* 1938 '' Out West with the Hardys''
* 1938 '' Party Fever'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''Passing Parade'' (Short)
* 1938 ''Snow Gets in Your Eyes'' (Short, musical score by)
* 1938 ''Strange Glory'' (Short)
* 1938 ''That Mothers Might Live'' (Short)
* 1938 ''The Canary Comes Across'' (Short)
* 1938 ''The Forgotten Step'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 '' The Great Heart'' (Short)
* 1938 ''The Historical Mystery: Miracle of Salt Lake'' (Documentary short)
* 1938 '' The Little Ranger'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''The Magician's Daughter'' (Short)
* 1938 ''The Man on the Rock'' (Short)
* 1938 ''The World Is Ours'' (Short, music score)
* 1938 ''They Live Again'' (Documentary short)
* 1938 ''Tracking the Sleeping Death'' (Short)
* 1938 ''What Do You Think?'' (Number Three, Short, uncredited)
* 1938 ''What Do You Think?: Tupapaoo'' (Short, as Dave Snell)
* 1938 '' Young Dr. Kildare''
* 1939 '' Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever''
* 1939 ''Angel of Mercy'' (Short)
* 1939 ''Blackmail''
* 1939 '' Burn 'Em Up O'Connor''
* 1939 ''Calling Dr. Kildare''
* 1939 '' Captain Spanky's Showboat'' (Short)
* 1939 ''Dancing Co-Ed''
* 1939 ''Football Thrills of 1938'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1939 ''Happily Buried'' (Short)
* 1939 '' Henry Goes Arizona''
* 1939 ''Heroes at Leisure'' (Documentary short)
* 1939 ''Ice Antics'' (Short)
* 1939 '' Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President''
* 1939 ''Judge Hardy and Son''
* 1939 ''Marine Circus'' (Documentary short, uncredited)
* 1939 ''Miracle at Lourdes'' (Short)
* 1939 '' Prophet Without Honor'' (Short)
* 1939 ''Radio Hams'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1939 ''Somewhat Secret'' (Short)
* 1939 '' Stronger Than Desire''
* 1939 ''The Giant of Norway'' (Short)
* 1939 ''The Greener Hills'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1939 '' The Hardys Ride High''
* 1939 '' The Secret of Dr. Kildare''
* 1939 ''The Story of Alfred Nobel'' (Short)
* 1939 ''The Story of Dr. Jenner'' (Short)
* 1939 ''The Story That Couldn't Be Printed'' (Short)
* 1939 '' The Women''
* 1939 ''These Glamour Girls''
* 1939 ''They All Come Out'' (uncredited)
* 1939 ''Thunder Afloat''
* 1939 ''Yankee Doodle Goes to Town'' (Short)
* 1940 ''20 Mule Team''
* 1940 ''A Way in the Wilderness'' (Short)
* 1940 '' Andy Hardy Meets Debutante''
* 1940 ''Dr. Kildare Goes Home'' (musical score)
* 1940 ''Dr. Kildare's Crisis''
* 1940 ''Dr. Kildare's Strange Case''
* 1940 ''Football Thrills of 1939'' (Short)
* 1940 '' Gallant Sons''
* 1940 ''Gold Rush Maisie''
* 1940 ''Hollywood: Style Center of the World'' (Documentary short)
* 1940 '' Phantom Raiders''
* 1940 ''Sky Murder''
* 1940 ''Stuffie'' (Short)
* 1940 '' The Big Premiere'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1940 ''The Ghost Comes Home''
* 1940 ''The Golden Fleecing''
* 1940 ''The Hidden Master'' (Short)
* 1940 '' The Man from Dakota''
* 1940 '' Third Finger, Left Hand''
* 1940 ''Wyoming''
* 1941 ''Billy the Kid''
* 1941 '' Down in San Diego''
* 1941 ''Football Thrills of 1940'' (Short)
* 1941 '' Love Crazy''
* 1941 ''Main Street on the March!'' (Short)
* 1941 '' Maisie Was a Lady''
* 1941 '' Murder in 3-D'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1941 '' Ringside Maisie''
* 1941 ''Shadow of the Thin Man''
* 1941 '' Tarzan's Secret Treasure''
* 1941 '' The Penalty''
* 1941 '' The People vs. Dr. Kildare''
* 1941 '' The Wild Man of Borneo''
* 1941 ''Unholy Partners''
* 1941 '' Washington Melodrama''
* 1942 ''Acro-Batty'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1942 '' Born to Sing'' (uncredited)
* 1942 ''Flag of Mercy'' (Short)
* 1942 ''Football Thrills of 1941'' (Short)
* 1942 ''Grand Central Murder''
* 1942 ''Jackass Mail''
* 1942 '' Kid Glove Killer''
* 1942 ''Melodies Old and New'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1942 '' Nazi Agent'' (uncredited)
* 1942 ''Northwest Rangers''
* 1942 '' Pacific Rendezvous''
* 1942 '' Sunday Punch'' (uncredited)
* 1942 ''Tarzan's New York Adventure''
* 1942 '' The Courtship of Andy Hardy''
* 1942 ''The Greenie'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1942 '' The Omaha Trail''
* 1942 '' The Vanishing Virginian''
* 1942 '' The War Against Mrs. Hadley'' (musical score)
* 1942 '' Tish''
* 1942 ''Victory Vittles'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1942 ''What About Daddy?'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1943 ''First Aid'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1943 ''The Man from Down Under''
* 1943 ''The Youngest Profession''
* 1944 '' Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble''
* 1944 '' Barbary Coast Gent''
* 1944 '' Gentle Annie''
* 1944 ''Maisie Goes to Reno''
* 1944 ''Rationing''
* 1944 ''See Here, Private Hargrove''
* 1944 ''Twenty Years After'' (Short)
* 1945 '' Between Two Women''
* 1945 ''Dangerous Partners''
* 1945 ''Keep Your Powder Dry''
* 1945 ''The Hidden Eye''
* 1945 ''The Thin Man Goes Home''
* 1945 '' Twice Blessed'' (uncredited)
* 1945 ''What Next, Corporal Hargrove?''
* 1946 '' Bad Bascomb''
* 1946 ''Love Laughs at Andy Hardy''
* 1946 '' The Cockeyed Miracle''
* 1946 ''The Show-Off''
* 1946 ''Up Goes Maisie''
* 1947 ''Dark Delusion''
* 1947 '' Killer McCoy''
* 1947 ''Lady in the Lake''
* 1947 '' Merton of the Movies''
* 1947 ''Song of the Thin Man''
* 1947 ''The Mighty McGurk''
* 1947 ''Undercover Maisie''
* 1948 '' A Southern Yankee''
* 1948 ''Alias a Gentleman''
* 1948 ''It Can't Be Done'' (Short, uncredited)
* 1948 ''My Old Town'' (Short, uncredited)

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, David L.
1897 births
1967 deaths
American film score composers
American male film score composers
American male conductors (music)
Musicians from Milwaukee
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music alumni
20th-century American conductors (music)
20th-century American composers
20th-century American pianists
American male pianists
20th-century male pianists
Classical musicians from Wisconsin
20th-century American male musicians