Born August 1, 1910 in New York, New York to Yiddish comedy star, Bessie Zwerling, Walter Scharf was as much a show business baby as George M. Cohan.
He started playing music at an early age, helping his uncle play the piano in theaters for silent films. At 17, he became one of the orchestrators of George Gershwin’s
Born August 1, 1910 in New York, New York to Yiddish comedy star, Bessie Zwerling, Walter Scharf was as much a show business baby as George M. Cohan.
He started playing music at an early age, helping his uncle play the piano in theaters for silent films. At 17, he became one of the orchestrators of George Gershwin‘s Broadway smash hit musical, Girl Crazy. As a session musician in the early years of recording, he worked with Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey. He took his earnings and studied at New York University, which included spending a year and a half studying in Berlin, witnessing the rise of the Nazis in 1932 before returning to New York and becoming singer Helen Morgan’s accompanist. He later worked as pianist and arranger for singer Rudy Vallee.
Scharf began working in Hollywood in 1933, arranging for Al Jolson at Warner Bros., Alice Faye at 20th Century-Fox, and Bing Crosby at Paramount. He orchestrated the original version of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas for the film Holiday Inn (1942), and from 1942 to 1946 he served as head of music for Republic Pictures.
His first film composition was for the 1933 short, Poppin’ the Czork starring Milton Berle. He would eventually amass 131 composing film credits and 291 overall credits for orchestrating and conducting in addition to composing, receiving 10 Oscar nominations for composing along the way.
Although he never won an Oscar, he did win a Golden Globe for the song “Ben” for which he received his tenth and final Oscar nomination the year after winning his second Emmy for his famed TV work for The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.
Scharf’s first full-length film score was for 1937’s You Can’t Have Everything. His first Oscar nomination was for 1941’s Mercy Island. His major credits included those for 1943’s The Fighting Seabees for which he received his sixth Oscar nomination, 1945’s The Cheaters, 1946’s I’ve Always Loved You, 1949’s Yes Sir, That’s My Baby, 1952’s Hans Christian Andersen for which he received his seventh Oscar nomination, 1955’s The Court Jester, 1957’s The Joker Is Wild, 1961’s Pocketful of Miracles, 1963’s My Six Loves, 1964’s Where Love Has Gone, 1964’s Funny Girl for which he received his eighth Oscar nomination, 1969’s If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory for which he received his ninth Oscar nomination, 1973’s Walking Tall, and 1982’s Twilight Time.
Scharf also composed music for dozens of television dramas including Ben Casey, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible, and the 1979 miniseries From Here to Eternity and Blind Ambition. Despite his long Hollywood career, he was best known for his music for the National Geographic Society and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau documentaries, which he scored between 1965 and 1975. He also composed the symphonic work, The Legend of the Living Sea, for a Cousteau museum exhibit aboard the RMS Queen Mary in 1971.
Walter Scharf died of heart failure at his home in Brentwood on February 24, 2003. He was 92.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
THE CHEATERS (1945), directed by Joseph Kane
Scarf’s Oscar nomination was for the scoring he did between the Beethoven music and the Christmas carols that dominate this largely forgotten Christmas fable. Originally intended as a vehicle for John Barrymore and Carole Lombard, the property was shelved after the untimely deaths of both stars in 1942. Sold to Republic by Paramount, it was filmed with Joseph Schildkraut in the role intended for Barrymore and fourth billed Ona Munson in the role intended for Lombard, Billie Burke and Eugne Pallette head the eccentric family whose lives are upended by Schildkraut’s reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN (1952), directed by Charles Vidor
Once again, Scharf’s Oscar nomination was for the score that supported the songs, this time those of Frank Loesser including “Anywhere I Wander”, “Wonderful Copenhagen”, and Thumbelina” in this tale of the great storyteller nominated for six Oscars in total, Loesser himself being nominated for Best Song for “Thumbelina”. Danny Kaye played Andersen with Farley Granger as his apprentice, Joey Walsh, Roland Petit and Zizi Jeanmaire billed as “Jeanmaire The Famous French Ballerina” in principal supporting roles. The bestselling cast recording made from the film featured Jane Wyman opposite Kaye in lieu of Jeanmaire.
THE COURT JESTER (1956), directed by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
There were eight songs in this classic comedy, none of them written by Scharf, who worked with fellow composer Victor Schoen on the film’s score. Danny Kaye had what is generally considered his best screen role as the title character supported by a great cast led by Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, Angela Lansbury, Cecil Parker, and Mildred Natwick. The highlight of the film is the “Vessel with the Pestle (or The Pellet with the Poison)” routine involving Kaye and Natwick. The film features Rathbone’s last swordfight. It is the only film in which childhood friends Johns and Lansbury appeared on screen together.
POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES (1961), directed by Frank Capra
Scharf’s score once again did not include the songs which except for the title song consisted of well-known existing ones including numerous Christmas carols. Capra’s remake of his 1933 classic, Lady for a Day, couldn’t hold a candle to the original version despite an all-star cast that included Gleen Ford in the gangster role originated by Warren William and Bette Davis as Apple Annie, the role that earned May Robson an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Also in the cast were Hope Lange, Peter Falk, Arhtur O’Connell, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, and Ann-Margret. Capra was so frustrated by the outcome that he never made another film.
IF IT’S TUESDAY, THIS MUST BE BELGIUM (1969), directed by Mel Stuart
This delightful comedy about a bus full of Amereican tourists on an 18-city tour of Europe featured a jaunty score by Scarf with more modern songs on the soundtrack than was customary in Scharf’s films. Pop sensation Donovan wrote the title song. The marvelous cast headed by Suzanne Pleshette and Ian McShane featured among others, Vittorio De Sica, Mildred Natwick, Peggy Cass, Joan Collins, Senta Berger, Robert Vaughn, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Patricia Routledge, Anita Ekberg, Virna Lisi, Luke Halpin, Murray Hamilton, Michael Constantine, and Donovan himself as a singer in a youth hostel.
WALTER SCHARF AND OSCAR
Mercy Island (1941) – nominated – Best Score, Dramatic
Johnny Doughboy (1942) – nominated – Best Score, Musical
Hit Parade of 1943 (1943) – nominated – Best Score, Musical
In Old Oklahoma (1943) – nominated – Best Score, Dramatic or Comedy
Brazil (1944) – nominated – Best Score, Musical
The Fighting Seabees (1944) – nominated – Best Score, Dramatic or Comedy
Hans Christian Andersen (1952) – nominated – Best Score, Musical
Funny Girl (1964) – nominated – Best Score, Musical (Original or Adaptation)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) – nominated – Best Score, Musical (Original or Adaptation)
Ben (1972) – nominated – Best Song, “Ben”
Brentwood on February 24, 2003. He was 92.
