Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ray Heindorf (August 25, 1908 – February 3, 1980) was an American songwriter, composer, conductor, and arranger. Born in Haverstraw, New York, Heindorf worked as a pianist in a movie house in Mechanicville in his early teens. In 1928, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a musical arranger before heading to Hollywood. He gained his first job as an orchestrator at MGM, where he worked on Hollywood Revue of 1929, and subsequently went on the road playing piano for Lupe Vélez. After completing this engagement, he joined Warner Bros., composing and/or arranging and conducting music exclusively for the studio for nearly forty years. Heindorf, along with Georgie Stoll at MGM, were jazz aficionados well known in the black entertainment community for employing minority musicians in their studio music departments. He undertook the musical direction of Judy Garland's comeback film A Star is Born (1954) and made a cameo appearance as himself in the premiere party sequence where Jack Carson's character congratulates him on a great score. Among Heindorf's other screen credits are 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1935, The Great Lie, Knute Rockne All American, Kings Row, Night and Day, Tea for Two, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Jazz Singer, No Time for Sergeants, The Helen Morgan Story, Marjorie Morningstar, Damn Yankees, Auntie Mame, Finian's Rainbow, and his final musical for Jack L. Warner, 1776. Between 1943 and 1969 he was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards, 17 nominations for Best Score and 1 nomination for Best Song. Heindorf won three, in the category of Best Score of a Musical, for Yankee Doodle Dandy, This is the Army, and The Music Man. His wins for the former two films made him the first to accomplish consecutive wins in a musical category. Heindorf died in Tarzana, California, aged 71, and reputedly was buried with his favorite conducting baton.
Sound 102
1970s
- 1972
- 1971
O'Hara, United States Treasury: Operation Cobra
Original Music Composer
1950s
- 1959
-30-
Original Music Composer
Up Periscope
Music Supervisor
- 1958
- 1957
The Helen Morgan Story
Original Music Composer
- 1956
Miracle in the Rain
Music
- 1955
Pete Kelly's Blues
Original Music Composer
- 1954
Lucky Me
Music Director
- 1953
- 1952
Where's Charley?
Music
- 1951
Come Fill the Cup
Music Director, Original Music Composer
- 1950
Tea for Two
Music Director
The Damned Don't Cry
Music Director
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
Music Director
Backfire
Music Director
1940s
- 1949
It's a Great Feeling
Music, Original Music Composer
- 1948
Adventures of Don Juan
Music Supervisor
April Showers
Original Music Composer
- 1947
My Wild Irish Rose
Original Music Composer
Love and Learn
Music Arranger
- 1946
Cinderella Jones
Orchestrator
- 1945
Rhapsody in Blue
Original Music Composer
- 1944
- 1943
The Hard Way
Music Arranger
- 1942
The Male Animal
Orchestrator
- 1941
Blues in the Night
Orchestrator
Affectionately Yours
Orchestrator
The Great Lie
Orchestrator
Flight from Destiny
Music Arranger
Honeymoon for Three
Orchestrator
Four Mothers
Orchestrator
- 1940
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Orchestrator
My Love Came Back
Music
Castle on the Hudson
Music Arranger
1930s
- 1939
Four Wives
Orchestrator
Angels Wash Their Faces
Orchestrator
Daughters Courageous
Orchestrator
- 1938
Boy Meets Girl
Music
Men Are Such Fools
Orchestrator
Gold Diggers in Paris
Original Music Composer
Hollywood Hotel
Music
- 1937
Ready, Willing and Able
Music Arranger
- 1936
Stage Struck
Music Arranger
The Singing Kid
Music Arranger
Colleen
Music Arranger
- 1935
Dangerous
Original Music Composer
Broadway Gondolier
Music Arranger
Alibi Ike
Orchestrator
Go Into Your Dance
Orchestrator
Gold Diggers of 1935
Music Arranger
Sweet Music
Music Arranger
- 1934
Murder in the Clouds
Original Music Composer
Flirtation Walk
Music Arranger
Desirable
Original Music Composer
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
Orchestrator
Fashions of 1934
Music Arranger
- 1933
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum
Orchestrator
- 1932
Central Park
Music
Three on a Match
Music Arranger
Big City Blues
Original Music Composer
Crooner
Original Music Composer
The Greeks Had a Word for Them
Orchestrator
- 1931
Arrowsmith
Orchestrator
Acted in 3
1950s
- 1954
- 1951
1940s
- 1949
It's a Great Feeling
Ray Heindorf (uncredited)
Other crew 2
1930s
- 1934
Hi, Nellie!
Additional Music
- 1933
Picture Snatcher
Additional Music
Appearances2
1950s
- 1951
The Screen Director
Self (uncredited)
1920s
- 1929
The Song Writers' Revue
Himself