Biography
Frank Skinner (December 31, 1897 – October 9, 1968) was an American film composer and arranger. Skinner was born in Meredosia, Illinois. A graduate of the Chicago Musical College (now known as the Chicago Conservatory of Music), 16-year-old Frank found employment in vaudeville and began playing in local areas with his brother Carl Skinner of Meredosia Illinois on drums. They were billed as the Skinner Brothers dance band. From there they began playing on the steamboats that went up and down the Illinois River. It was during this time that he began writing and arranging music for dance bands. This work brought him to New York, where from 1925 to 1935 he arranged about 2000 popular songs for Robbins Publishing. By the time he left Manhattan for Hollywood, he had written two books on arranging for dance bands. After a short period at MGM, working on musical settings for The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Skinner was hired by Universal Studios. Over the course of his 30 years there, he composed music for more than 200 films. Although he continued to work on musicals, he quickly mastered the art of dramatic scores, eventually earning five Academy Award nominations (1938–43). He died in Beverly Hills, California, leaving behind his wife Dolly Repine Skinner. His distinctive approach to scoring horror films, such as Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Wolf Man (1941), has been characterized as a ‘passion for chromatic lines … mirrored contours … [and] restrained, yet ominously mythical orchestrations’ (Marcello). He gained new recognition in the 1950s for his lush romantic scores, including those for such Douglas Sirk films as Magnificent Obsession (1954) and Written on the Wind (1956). Despite many changes in the film industry, his book Underscore (1950) has survived as an excellent introduction to film music composition. In 2014, Dallas pre-swing orchestra, The Singapore Slingers released a fifteen-track CD homage to Skinner's arrangements.
Sound 207
1960s
- 1967
The Ride to Hangman's Tree
Music, Original Music Composer
- 1966
Let's Kill Uncle
Music
The Appaloosa
Music
Madame X
Original Music Composer
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
The Ugly American
Original Music Composer
- 1961
Back Street
Original Music Composer
- 1960
Midnight Lace
Original Music Composer
1950s
- 1959
- 1958
The Restless Years
Original Music Composer
The Perfect Furlough
Original Music Composer
Kathy O'
Music
Step Down to Terror
Music
Once Upon a Horse...
Original Music Composer
This Happy Feeling
Original Music Composer
- 1957
The Tarnished Angels
Original Music Composer
Interlude
Original Music Composer
Man of a Thousand Faces
Original Music Composer
The Midnight Story
Music
The Night Runner
Music
The Tattered Dress
Original Music Composer
Battle Hymn
Music
- 1956
The Rawhide Years
Music
Star in the Dust
Music
Never Say Goodbye
Original Music Composer
- 1955
All That Heaven Allows
Original Music Composer
One Desire
Original Music Composer
Foxfire
Original Music Composer
The Shrike
Music
Chief Crazy Horse
Music
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
Music
Six Bridges to Cross
Original Music Composer
Revenge of the Creature
Music
- 1954
Sign of the Pagan
Original Music Composer
Magnificent Obsession
Original Music Composer
Taza, Son of Cochise
Music
- 1953
Forbidden
Original Music Composer
Wings of the Hawk
Music
The Man from the Alamo
Music
Desert Legion
Music
The Mississippi Gambler
Original Music Composer
- 1952
Because of You
Original Music Composer
The Black Castle
Music
The World in His Arms
Music
Bonzo Goes to College
Original Music Composer
Lost in Alaska
Music
Sally and Saint Anne
Music
No Room for the Groom
Music
- 1951
Week-End with Father
Music
The Raging Tide
Original Music Composer
The Strange Door
Music
Iron Man
Music
Bright Victory
Original Music Composer
Comin' Round the Mountain
Music
The Mark of the Renegade
Music
Hollywood Story
Original Music Composer
Francis Goes to the Races
Music
Bedtime for Bonzo
Original Music Composer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Music
- 1950
Katie Did It
Music
The Sleeping City
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Shakedown
Music
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion
Music
The Desert Hawk
Original Music Composer
Spy Hunt
Music
Louisa
Music
Comanche Territory
Music
One Way Street
Original Music Composer
Francis
Music
1940s
- 1949
Bagdad
Original Music Composer
Free For All
Music
Abandoned
Music
The Gal Who Took the West
Music
Sword in the Desert
Original Music Composer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
Music
The Lady Gambles
Original Music Composer
Johnny Stool Pigeon
Music
- 1948
Mexican Hayride
Music
Family Honeymoon
Original Music Composer
For the Love of Mary
Original Music Composer
Hazard
Music
- 1947
The Exile
Original Music Composer
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
Music
The Egg and I
Original Music Composer
I'll Be Yours
Music
- 1946
Her Adventurous Night
Music
She-Wolf of London
Music
Girl on the Spot
Original Music Composer
- 1945
Frontier Gal
Original Music Composer
Pillow of Death
Music
Strange Confession
Music
Secret Agent X-9
Original Music Composer
The Jungle Captive
Music
Here Come the Co-Eds
Music
The Suspect
Music Director, Original Music Composer
- 1944
The Mummy's Curse
Music
Hi, Beautiful
Original Music Composer
House of Frankenstein
Music
In Society
Music
Reckless Age
Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Ghost
Music
South of Dixie
Original Music Composer
This Is the Life
Orchestrator
- 1943
Crazy House
Orchestrator
Top Man
Original Music Composer
Fired Wife
Original Music Composer
We've Never Been Licked
Original Music Composer
Hers to Hold
Music
All by Myself
Original Music Composer
White Savage
Music
Keep 'Em Slugging
Original Music Composer
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Original Music Composer
- 1942
Mug Town
Original Music Composer
Pittsburgh
Music
Nightmare
Music
Who Done It?
Music
The Mummy's Tomb
Music
Eyes of the Underworld
Original Music Composer
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Original Music Composer
Between Us Girls
Music
There's One Born Every Minute
Original Music Composer
Lady in a Jam
Original Music Composer
Eagle Squadron
Music
Broadway
Original Music Composer
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Original Music Composer
- 1941
Hellzapoppin'
Original Music Composer
Keep 'Em Flying
Original Music Composer
Appointment for Love
Music
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
Original Music Composer
The Flame of New Orleans
Music
Riders of Death Valley
Original Music Composer
The Black Cat
Music
Man-Made Monster
Music
Horror Island
Music
Nice Girl?
Music, Orchestrator
Back Street
Original Music Composer
- 1940
The Invisible Woman
Original Music Composer
One Night in the Tropics
Orchestrator, Music
The Mummy's Hand
Music
Hired Wife
Music Score Producer
When the Daltons Rode
Original Music Composer
South to Karanga
Music Score Producer
La Conga Nights
Original Music Composer
The House of the Seven Gables
Music
It's a Date
Songs
My Little Chickadee
Music Score Producer
Green Hell
Original Music Composer
The Invisible Man Returns
Original Music Composer
1930s
- 1939
Charlie McCarthy, Detective
Original Music Composer
The Big Guy
Music
Destry Rides Again
Original Music Composer
Tower of London
Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
First Love
Music
One Hour to Live
Music
The Witness Vanishes
Original Music Composer
The House of Fear
Music
The Sun Never Sets
Original Music Composer
Ex-Champ
Original Music Composer
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
Music
- 1938
That Certain Age
Music
Mad About Music
Music
- 1937
One Hundred Men and a Girl
Music
Other crew 7
1960s
- 1964
Kitten with a Whip
Additional Music
1950s
- 1958
Ride a Crooked Trail
Additional Music
- 1952
1940s
- 1949
Red, Hot and Blue
Additional Music
- 1944
Phantom Lady
Additional Music