Frank Skinner
- Known for
- Sound
- Born
- December 31, 1897
- Died
- October 8, 1968 (aged 70)
- Birthplace
- Meredosia, Illinois, USA
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.
Known For
Filmography
The Ride to Hangman's Tree
Movie · Music, Original Music Composer
Let's Kill Uncle
Movie · Music
The Appaloosa
Movie · Music
Madame X
Movie · Original Music Composer
Shenandoah
Movie · Original Music Composer
Bullet for a Badman
Movie · Original Music Composer
Captain Newman, M.D.
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Ugly American
Movie · Original Music Composer
Back Street
Movie · Original Music Composer
Midnight Lace
Movie · Original Music Composer
Portrait in Black
Movie · Original Music Composer
Imitation of Life
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Restless Years
Movie · Original Music Composer
Kathy O'
Movie · Music
Step Down to Terror
Movie · Music
This Happy Feeling
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Perfect Furlough
Movie · Original Music Composer
Once Upon a Horse...
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Tattered Dress
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Midnight Story
Movie · Music
Tammy and the Bachelor
Movie · Original Music Composer
My Man Godfrey
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Night Runner
Movie · Music
The Tarnished Angels
Movie · Original Music Composer
Interlude
Movie · Original Music Composer
Battle Hymn
Movie · Music
Man of a Thousand Faces
Movie · Original Music Composer
Star in the Dust
Movie · Music
The Rawhide Years
Movie · Music
Never Say Goodbye
Movie · Original Music Composer
Away All Boats
Movie · Original Music Composer
Written on the Wind
Movie · Original Music Composer
Lady Godiva of Coventry
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Shrike
Movie · Music
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
Movie · Music
Six Bridges to Cross
Movie · Original Music Composer
Foxfire
Movie · Original Music Composer
All That Heaven Allows
Movie · Original Music Composer
Revenge of the Creature
Movie · Music
One Desire
Movie · Original Music Composer
Chief Crazy Horse
Movie · Music
The Black Shield of Falworth
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Far Country
Movie · Original Music Composer
Magnificent Obsession
Movie · Original Music Composer
Sign of the Pagan
Movie · Original Music Composer
Taza, Son of Cochise
Movie · Music
Destry
Movie · Music
Thunder Bay
Movie · Original Music Composer
Desert Legion
Movie · Music
The Man from the Alamo
Movie · Music
Wings of the Hawk
Movie · Music
The Stand at Apache River
Movie · Music
Forbidden
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Mississippi Gambler
Movie · Original Music Composer
No Room for the Groom
Movie · Music
The Black Castle
Movie · Music
Because of You
Movie · Original Music Composer
Sally and Saint Anne
Movie · Music
Lost in Alaska
Movie · Music
The World in His Arms
Movie · Music
Bonzo Goes to College
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Strange Door
Movie · Music
Francis Goes to the Races
Movie · Music
The Mark of the Renegade
Movie · Music
Week-End with Father
Movie · Music
The Raging Tide
Movie · Original Music Composer
Bright Victory
Movie · Original Music Composer
Comin' Round the Mountain
Movie · Music
Iron Man
Movie · Music
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Movie · Music
Bedtime for Bonzo
Movie · Original Music Composer
Hollywood Story
Movie · Original Music Composer
Francis
Movie · Music
Katie Did It
Movie · Music
Louisa
Movie · Music
Harvey
Movie · Music
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in the Foreign Legion
Movie · Music
Spy Hunt
Movie · Music
Shakedown
Movie · Music
The Sleeping City
Movie · Original Music Composer, Music Director
Winchester '73
Movie · Music
The Desert Hawk
Movie · Original Music Composer
One Way Street
Movie · Original Music Composer
Comanche Territory
Movie · Music
The Lady Gambles
Movie · Original Music Composer
Tulsa
Movie · Original Music Composer
Abandoned
Movie · Music
Free For All
Movie · Music
The Gal Who Took the West
Movie · Music
Johnny Stool Pigeon
Movie · Music
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
Movie · Music
Bagdad
Movie · Original Music Composer
Sword in the Desert
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Naked City
Movie · Original Music Composer
Family Honeymoon
Movie · Original Music Composer
Mexican Hayride
Movie · Music
For the Love of Mary
Movie · Original Music Composer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
Movie · Original Music Composer
Hazard
Movie · Music
Tap Roots
Movie · Original Music Composer
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Egg and I
Movie · Original Music Composer
I'll Be Yours
Movie · Music
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
Movie · Music
Ride the Pink Horse
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Exile
Movie · Original Music Composer
Black Angel
Movie · Original Music Composer
Canyon Passage
Movie · Music Director, Original Music Composer
She-Wolf of London
Movie · Music
Her Adventurous Night
Movie · Music
The Dark Mirror
Movie · Music
Girl on the Spot
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Suspect
Movie · Music Director, Original Music Composer
Here Come the Co-Eds
Movie · Music
Secret Agent X-9
Movie · Original Music Composer
Frontier Gal
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Jungle Captive
Movie · Music
Pillow of Death
Movie · Music
Strange Confession
Movie · Music
Blonde Ransom
Movie · Original Music Composer
Destiny
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Curse
Movie · Music
In Society
Movie · Music
House of Frankenstein
Movie · Music
Reckless Age
Movie · Original Music Composer
South of Dixie
Movie · Original Music Composer
Jungle Woman
Movie · Music
The Mummy's Ghost
Movie · Music
Hi, Beautiful
Movie · Original Music Composer
Follow the Boys
Movie · Original Music Composer
This Is the Life
Movie · Orchestrator
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
Movie · Original Music Composer
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Movie · Music
White Savage
Movie · Music
Hers to Hold
Movie · Music
It Ain't Hay
Movie · Music
Crazy House
Movie · Orchestrator
Keep 'Em Slugging
Movie · Original Music Composer
Fired Wife
Movie · Original Music Composer
All by Myself
Movie · Original Music Composer
Captive Wild Woman
Movie · Music
Gung Ho!
Movie · Original Music Composer
We've Never Been Licked
Movie · Original Music Composer
Top Man
Movie · Original Music Composer
Saboteur
Movie · Original Music Composer
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Tomb
Movie · Music
Who Done It?
Movie · Music
Nightmare
Movie · Music
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
Movie · Original Music Composer
Tough as They Come
Movie · Original Music Composer
Pittsburgh
Movie · Music
Arabian Nights
Movie · Original Music Composer
Invisible Agent
Movie · Music
There's One Born Every Minute
Movie · Original Music Composer
Mug Town
Movie · Original Music Composer
Eagle Squadron
Movie · Music
Eyes of the Underworld
Movie · Original Music Composer
Between Us Girls
Movie · Music
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
Movie · Original Music Composer
Lady in a Jam
Movie · Original Music Composer
Broadway
Movie · Original Music Composer
Mississippi Gambler
Movie · Music
The Black Cat
Movie · Music
The Flame of New Orleans
Movie · Music
Nice Girl?
Movie · Music, Orchestrator
Hold That Ghost
Movie · Music
Hellzapoppin'
Movie · Original Music Composer
Riders of Death Valley
Movie · Original Music Composer
Moonlight in Hawaii
Movie · Orchestrator
Man-Made Monster
Movie · Music
Horror Island
Movie · Music
Keep 'Em Flying
Movie · Original Music Composer
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
Movie · Original Music Composer
Back Street
Movie · Original Music Composer
Appointment for Love
Movie · Music
Badlands of Dakota
Movie · Music
The Wolf Man
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Invisible Man Returns
Movie · Original Music Composer
Seven Sinners
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Hand
Movie · Music
It's a Date
Movie · Songs
When the Daltons Rode
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Invisible Woman
Movie · Original Music Composer
Black Friday
Movie · Original Music Composer
La Conga Nights
Movie · Original Music Composer
Hired Wife
Movie · Music Score Producer
The House of the Seven Gables
Movie · Music
Green Hell
Movie · Original Music Composer
One Night in the Tropics
Movie · Orchestrator, Music
South to Karanga
Movie · Music Score Producer
My Little Chickadee
Movie · Music Score Producer
Tower of London
Movie · Original Music Composer, Orchestrator
Destry Rides Again
Movie · Original Music Composer
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
Movie · Music
First Love
Movie · Music
Son of Frankenstein
Movie · Orchestrator, Original Music Composer
The Witness Vanishes
Movie · Original Music Composer
Charlie McCarthy, Detective
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Sun Never Sets
Movie · Original Music Composer
Ex-Champ
Movie · Original Music Composer
One Hour to Live
Movie · Music
The House of Fear
Movie · Music
The Big Guy
Movie · Music
Mad About Music
Movie · Music
That Certain Age
Movie · Music
Wives Under Suspicion
Movie · Original Music Composer
The Rage of Paris
Movie · Original Music Composer
One Hundred Men and a Girl
Movie · Music