Leo Erdody (December 17, 1888 – April 5, 1949) was an American film composer of Hungarian descent. He studied music in Germany, and later went to Hollywood, scoring his first film in 1921. He later joined

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoestr ...

and scored several films for them. For his work on '' Minstrel Man'', he was a nominee for an

Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...

Early life and career

Erdody was born in Chicago on December 17, 1888. His father was a conductor in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

. It was possible that Leo had noble ancestry, which is why he occasionally billed himself solely by his surname. Erdody studied in Berlin under teachers including

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

and

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a prominent staple of the standard v ...

. He worked in Europe for an early part of his career, but soon returned to the United States. Erdody's first work as composer was the 1928 film '' Lilac Time''. In 1941, he scored the film '' Under Fiesta Stars''. He joined

in 1942 and scored several films for them, creating music for '' Tomorrow We Live'', ''

Overland Stagecoach ''Overland Stagecoach'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Fred Myton. The film stars Robert Livingston as the Lone Rider, Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones, and Dennis Moore as Sheriff Smoky Moo ...

'', ''

Queen of Broadway ''Queen of Broadway'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Rusty McCullough and George Wallace Sayre. The film stars Rochelle Hudson, Buster Crabbe, Paul Bryar, Emmett Lynn, Donald Mayo and Isabelle LaMal. The f ...

'', ''

Hitler – Dead or Alive ''Hitler – Dead or Alive'' is a 1942 American propaganda war film directed by Nick Grinde. The plot of ''Hitler – Dead or Alive'' was inspired by true events but takes a quasi-comic tone. Plot In 1939, during the early days of World War ...

'', and '' Baby Face Morgan'' that year. In 1943, he scored several films including ''

Jive Junction ''Jive Junction'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and written by Irving Wallace, Walter Doniger and Malvin Wald. The film stars Dickie Moore, Tina Thayer, Gerra Young, John Michaels, Jack Wagner and Jan Wiley. The fil ...

'', ''

Western Cyclone ''Western Cyclone'' is a 1943 American Producers Releasing Corporation Western film of the "Billy the Kid" series directed by Sam Newfield. The film is also known as ''Frontier Fighters'' (cut American reissue title). Plot On a western la ...

'', ''

Wild Horse Rustlers ''Wild Horse Rustlers'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars Robert Livingston as the Lone Rider and Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy Jones", with Lane Chandler, Linda Lei ...

'', and ''

Isle of Forgotten Sins ''Isle of Forgotten Sins'' is an American South Seas adventure film released on August 15, 1943 by PRC, with Leon Fromkess in charge of production, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer (also credited with original story) and featuring top-billed John Carr ...

''. Erdody had a noted collaboration with director Edgar G. Ulmer, with Erdody scoring several of Ulmer's films, including ''

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" (french: Barbe bleue, ) is a French folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in '' Histoires ou contes du temps passé''. The tale tells the ...

'', '' Strange Illusion'', and '' Detour''. In 1944, Erdody, along with composer

Ferde Grofé Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé, known as Ferde Grofé (March 27, 1892 April 3, 1972) (pronounced FUR-dee GROW-fay) was an American composer, arranger, pianist and instrumentalist. He is best known for his 1931 five-movement tone poem, '' Grand ...

, received

nominations for their work on '' Minstrel Man''. He continued scoring films for another four years. His final film was the Sam Newfield-directed ''

Miraculous Journey ''Miraculous Journey'' is a 1948 film about seven airplane passengers who find themselves stranded in an African jungle after their plane crashes. It was directed by Sam Newfield, under the pseudonym of Peter Stewart. The film stars Rory Calhoun ...

''.

Death

Erdody died of

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis, which ...

in 1949, in

Los Angeles 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 wor ...

. His death was noted to have occurred "very suddenly". It was noted that Erdody's death was a "tragedy" for Edgar G. Ulmer and that Ulmer "didn't really get over it ever."

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1942) * ''Dead Men Walk'' (1943) * '' Detour'' (1945) * ''

Gas House Kids ''Gas House Kids'' is a 1946 American comedy-drama film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Robert Lowery, Billy Halop and Teala Loring. It was followed by two sequels, '' Gas House Kids Go West'' and '' Gas House Kids in Hollywood'', both r ...

'' (1946) * '' I Ring Doorbells'' (1946) * ''

Lady at Midnight ''Lady at Midnight'' is a 1948 American mystery film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Richard Denning, Frances Rafferty, and Claudia Drake.Langman p.150 The film's sets were designed by the art director Edward C. Jewell. It was shot at th ...

'' (1948)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Erdody, Leo 1888 births 1949 deaths Musicians from Chicago American people of Hungarian descent American film score composers American male film score composers 20th-century American male musicians