Lee Zahler (born Leo Zahler, August 14, 1893 – February 21, 1947) was an American

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 ...

and musical director of films, starting in the 1920s and well into the 1940s. Songwriter and orchestrator Zahler provided both the musical score and an original theme song for the first talking serial, ''

King of the Kongo This is a list of the rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo, known commonly as the Manikongos (KiKongo: Mwenekongo). Mwene (plural: Awene) in Kikongo meant a person holding authority, particularly judicial authority, derived from the root -''wene'' whi ...

'', produced by

Mascot Pictures Mascot Pictures Corporation was an American film company of the 1920s and 1930s, best known for producing and distributing film serials and B-westerns. Mascot was formed in 1927 by film producer Nat Levine. In 1935, it merged with several ot ...

in 1929. Zahler was then hired by independent producer

Larry Darmour Lawrence J. Darmour (1895–1942) was an American film producer, operator of Larry Darmour Productions from 1926, and a significant figure in Hollywood's low-budget production community. Career Darmour was born in Flushing, Queens, New York. Aft ...

as musical director for the Darmour studio. Beginning in 1936 Darmour began releasing his productions through

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

, and Zahler remained with Darmour until Darmour's death in 1942. Columbia retained Lee Zahler's services, and he continued to compose music for Columbia serials. Zahler's '' agitato'' scores for ''

Holt of the Secret Service Holt or holte may refer to: Natural world *Holt (den), an otter den * Holt, an area of woodland Places Australia * Holt, Australian Capital Territory * Division of Holt, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives in Vic ...

'' (1941) and ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' (1943) are perhaps most familiar to serial fans. The only Columbia serial of the 1940s that didn't involve Lee Zahler was ''

Brenda Starr, Reporter ''Brenda Starr, Reporter'' (often referred to simply as ''Brenda Starr'') is a comic strip about a glamorous, adventurous reporter. It was created in 1940 by Dale Messick for the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, and continued by others until 2011. ...

'' (1945); it was produced by

Sam Katzman Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman's specialty was producing low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financi ...

at the

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

plant, with the music conducted by Monogram's musical director

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 ...

. In 1944 Lee Zahler became a musical director for the

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the second-most populous country after India, representing 17.4% of the world population. China spans the e ...

studio, where he furnished the music for 26 feature films through 1946. Then he became head of the music department for independent producer

Edward Finney Edward Francis Finney (1903–1983) was an American film producer and director.Pitts p.174 He is best known as the man who introduced cowboy singer Tex Ritter to the moviegoing public. Biography Finney was educated at the City College of New ...

;''Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures'', 1947 edition, p. 547. Zahler scored Finney's feature '' Queen of the Amazons'' (1946). Lee Zahler died on February 21, 1947; his last film was the Columbia serial '' Jack Armstrong'' (1947).

Personal life

Lee Zahler's life took a devastating turn in 1940 when his 14-year-old son Gordon was seriously injured in a high-school-gymnastics accident. Gordon broke his neck and became paralyzed from the neck down, and his father was determined to pay any and all medical expenses. This forced the Zahler family into debt and ultimately cost the elder Zahler his marriage. After Lee Zahler's death, Gordon Zahler turned the family finances around by repurposing his father's music for the new field of television. Over many years, Lee Zahler had accumulated a library of hundreds of musical themes, with appropriate music for any occasion. This library passed to Gordon, whose Zahler Music Library profitably sold stock music for TV productions including ''

The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok ''The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok'' is an American Western television series that ran for eight seasons from April 15, 1951, through September 24, 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from June 5, 1955, throug ...

'', ''

Cavalcade of America ''Cavalcade of America'' is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented musicals, such as an adaptation of ''Show Boat'', and condensed biographies of popular Composer, composers. It was ...

'', '' Private Secretary'', ''Your Funny, Funny Films'', '' The New 3 Stooges'', and ''

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

''. As late as 1975 Lee Zahler was still getting screen credit (for the

Al Adamson Albert Victor Adamson Jr. (July 25, 1929 – June 21, 1995) was an American Filmmaking, filmmaker and actor known as a prolific director of B movie horror and exploitation films throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The son of silent film veterans Vict ...

western tribute ''

Blazing Stewardesses ''Blazing Stewardesses'' is a 1975 American sex comedy film directed by Al Adamson. Its title is derived from the 1975 film '' The Naughty Stewardesses'' and the 1974 film ''Blazing Saddles''. Producer Sam Sherman intended the film to be a fond ...

'').

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1929) * ''

Dark Skies ''Dark Skies'' is an American UFO conspiracy theory–based science fiction television series. It 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 epis ...

'' (1929) * '' Air Eagles'' (1931) * '' Defenders of the Law'' (1931) * '' Love Bound'' (1932) *'' Behind Jury Doors'' (1932) * '' The Man from Arizona'' (1932) * '' Cannonball Express'' (1932) * '' Dance Girl Dance'' (1933) * '' The Flaming Signal'' (1933) * '' The Big Bluff'' (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 and Wheeler Oakman.Pitts, p. 329 It is also known by the alternative title of ''Mystery at Monte Carlo''. ...

'' (1933) *'' Secret Sinners'' (1933) * '' The Woman Who Dared'' (1933) * '' Cheating Blondes'' (1933) * '' Her Splendid Folly'' (1933) * '' The Fugitive'' (1933) * ''

The Trail Beyond ''The Trail Beyond'' is a 1934 Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring John Wayne, Noah Beery Sr., and Noah Beery Jr. The motion picture was based on the novel ''The Wolf Hunters'' by James Oliver Curwood, which was also adapt ...

'' (1934) * '' Frontier Days'' (1934) * '' Ticket to a Crime'' (1934) * '' When Lightning Strikes'' (1934) * '' The Perfect Clue'' (1935) * '' Adventurous Knights'' (1935) * '' The Man from Guntown'' (1935) * '' Western Courage'' (1935) * '' Mutiny Ahead'' (1935) * ''

Skybound Skybound may refer to: Brands, companies, organizations, groups * Skybound Entertainment, U.S. entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert * Skybound Games, a videogames subsidiary of Skybound Entertainment * Skybound Comics, ...

'' (1935) * '' The Last of the Clintons'' (1935) * '' Circus Shadows'' (1935) * '' Everyman's Law'' (1936) * '' Rio Grande Ranger'' (1936) * '' Idaho Kid'' (1936) * ''

The Speed Reporter ''The Speed Reporter'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Bernard B. Ray and starring Richard Talmadge, Luana Walters and Richard Cramer. It was produced as a second feature by the independent company Reliable Pictures.Pitts p.307 Plot ...

'' (1936) * '' The Lion's Den'' (1936) * '' The Fugitive Sheriff'' (1936) * '' Desert Justice'' (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'' (1938) * '' Whispering Enemies'' (1939) * '' Frontiers of '49'' (1939) * '' Passport to Alcatraz'' (1940) * ''

Fugitive from a Prison Camp ''Fugitive from a Prison Camp'' is a 1940 American thriller film directed by Lewis D. Collins and starring Jack Holt, Marian Marsh and Robert Barrat. Plot After an innocent man is picked up following a police raid, a sheriff tries to demonstrat ...

'' (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 Plot The winner of a Midwest beauty contest receives a screen test in Hollywood and takes her sister a ...

'' (1942) * '' The Underdog'' (1943) * ''

I Accuse My Parents ''I Accuse My Parents'' is a 1944 United States, American exploitation film dealing with juvenile delinquency. Produced by Producers Releasing Corporation, PRC, the film was used to teach morals, specifically that parents should take an interes ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Lady Confesses ''The Lady Confesses'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Sam Newfield. Plot While on the verge of being divorced, Norma Craig disappears. Seven years later, when her husband, Larry Craig, plans to marry a girl Vicki McGuire, Norma returns ...

'' (1945) * '' Outlaws of the Plains'' (1946) * '' Jack Armstrong'' (1947, last film)

References

External links

* *The Music of Lee Zahler 1893 births 1947 deaths Composers 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