Jeff Alexander (born Myer Goodhue Alexander; July 2, 1910 – December 23, 1989) was an American

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, and

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 Defi ...

of film, radio and television scores.

Early years

Born in Seattle, Washington, Alexander began performing in his teens as a singer and dancer in vaudeville productions. He then began playing piano and composing big band music.

Radio

In 1939, he moved to New York City, where he arranged and composed music for radio programs, including

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

's '' Camel Caravan'' (as "Myer Alexander"), "The Lucky Strike Show" and " Amos 'n' Andy". He directed the orchestra for ''Songs of George Byron'', ''Arthur's Place'', ''Thirty Minutes to Play'', '' The Bill Goodwin Show'', and the ''Borden Show''. He directed the chorus for ''The Star Theater'', ''Great Moments in Music'' and (billed as Myer Alexander) the Goodman program. His Goodman group was called "the world's only Swing Chorus".

Career

Film

In 1947, he moved to Los Angeles and began writing film and, later, television scores. His first film project was the score for '' Shall We Dance'', and he scored many of Elvis Presley's films, including '' Jailhouse Rock'' (1957), '' Kid Galahad'' (1962), '' Double Trouble'' (1967), '' Clambake'' (1967) and '' Speedway'' (1968). He also composed the scores to over 30 films, including '' The Tender Trap'' (1955), '' Ransom!'' (1956), '' The Wings of Eagles'' (1957), '' The Sheepman'' (1958), '' Party Girl'' (1958), '' Ask Any Girl'' (1959), '' The Mating Game'' (1959), ''

The Gazebo ''The Gazebo'' is a 1959 American black comedy CinemaScope film about a married couple who are being blackmailed. It was based on the 1958 play of the same name by Alec Coppel and directed by George Marshall. Helen Rose was nominated for the Aca ...

'' (1959), '' All the Fine Young Cannibals'' (1960), '' The George Raft Story'' (1961), '' The Rounders'' (1965), ''

Day of the Evil Gun ''Day of the Evil Gun'' is a 1968 American traditional Western (genre), Western starring Glenn Ford, Arthur Kennedy (actor), Arthur Kennedy, and Dean Jagger. It was directed by Jerry Thorpe. Plot Angie Warfield and her two children are kidnapp ...

'' (1968), '' Support Your Local Sheriff!'' (1969) and '' Dirty Dingus Magee'' (1970).

Television

Alexander's many television credits include being musical director for '' Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' and music for '' Family Affair'', '' My Three Sons'', '' The Mothers-In-Law'', '' Julia'', and ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...

''. He wrote the song "

Come Wander With Me "Come Wander with Me" is the final episode to be filmed of the American television series ''The Twilight Zone''. ("The Bewitchin' Pool", however, was the last to be broadcast.) This episode introduced Bonnie Beecher in her television debut. Openi ...

" for an episode of '' The Twilight Zone'' in 1964; it was later used in the 2003 film '' The Brown Bunny''.

Compositions

Although credited to Axel Stordahl, it was Alexander who arranged " The House I Live In" for

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, recorded in 1945. In 1956, Alexander contributed the tone poems "Yellow" and "Brown" to the album '' Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color''. He also composed a

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

and other classical pieces.

Other

In 1944, Alexander and Lyn Murray, along with business manager Eugene Loewenthal, formed Murray-Alexander Associates in New York City. The business provided vocal groups, orchestras, and arrangements. Alexander was a founder of the organization Screen Composers of America.

Death

Alexander died of cancer, aged 79, at his home in

Whidbey Island, Washington Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...

on December 23, 1989. He was survived by his daughter, Jill.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Jeff 1910 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) American film score composers American music arrangers American television composers Deaths from cancer in Washington (state) Imperial Records artists American male film score composers Male television composers Musicians from Seattle 20th-century American male musicians