Ralph Rainger
Encyclopedia
Ralph Rainger was an American
composer of popular music principally for films.
, Rainger embarked on a legal career before escaping to Broadway
where he became Clifton Webb
's accompanist.
His first hit "Moanin' Low," with lyrics by Howard Dietz
, was written for Webb's co-star Libby Holman
in the 1929 revue
The Little Show
. Moving to Hollywood, Rainger teamed up with lyricist Leo Robin
to produce a string of successful film songs.
In the years that followed, Rainger wrote or collaborated on such hit songs as "I Wished on the Moon
", "Love in Bloom
" (comedian Jack Benny
’s theme song), "Faithful Forever", "Easy Living
", "June in January
", "Blue Hawaii
", and with Leo Robin
on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory
", sung by Bob Hope
in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938
.
Rainger paid one year's tuition fees to the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg in advance so that Schönberg could pay for the transportation of his belongings to Los Angeles from Paris in 1933.
Rainger's career was tragically cut short by a fatal plane crash near Palm Springs
, California
, in 1942. He was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 28
, a DC-3 airliner that was involved in a midair collision with a U.S. Army Air Corps bomber. Rainger was 41 years old when he died; he was survived by a wife, Elizabeth ("Betty"), an 8-year-old son, and two daughters, ages 5 and 1.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer of popular music principally for films.
Biography
Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Rainger embarked on a legal career before escaping to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
where he became Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb
Clifton Webb was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for his Oscar-nominated roles in such films as Laura, The Razor's Edge, and Sitting Pretty...
's accompanist.
His first hit "Moanin' Low," with lyrics by Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist.-Biography:Dietz was born in New York City and studied journalism at Columbia University...
, was written for Webb's co-star Libby Holman
Libby Holman
Libby Holman was an American torch singer and stage actress who also achieved notoriety for her complex and unconventional personal life.-Early life:...
in the 1929 revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
The Little Show
The Little Show
The Little Show is a musical revue with lyrics by Howard Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. This was the first of 11 musicals that featured the songs of Dietz and Schwartz. The revue opened on Broadway in 1929.-History:...
. Moving to Hollywood, Rainger teamed up with lyricist Leo Robin
Leo Robin
Leo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938.-Biography:Robin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and...
to produce a string of successful film songs.
In the years that followed, Rainger wrote or collaborated on such hit songs as "I Wished on the Moon
I Wished on the Moon
"I Wished on the Moon" is a song composed by Ralph Rainger, with lyrics by Dorothy Parker, for the The Big Broadcast of 1936. It was introduced by Bing Crosby.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald and Gordon Jenkins on Decca, a 1955 release...
", "Love in Bloom
Love in Bloom (song)
"Love in Bloom" is a popular song with music by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin, published in 1934. It was introduced in the film She Loves Me Not by Bing Crosby and Kitty Carlisle. The song was first recorded by Bing Crosby, for whom it was a hit in 1934. It also became the theme song of...
" (comedian Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
’s theme song), "Faithful Forever", "Easy Living
Easy Living (song)
"Easy Living" is a jazz standard written by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin for the film Easy Living directed by Mitchell Leisen.The song has been recorded by many jazz performers including Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Anita O'Day, and Miles Davis...
", "June in January
June in January
"June in January" is a popular song with music by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin, published in 1934.The song was introduced in the movie Here Is My Heart. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1934, but since has become a popular standard, recorded by many artists...
", "Blue Hawaii
Blue Hawaii (song)
Blue Hawaii is a popular song written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger for the 1937 Paramount Pictures film Waikiki Wedding, starring Bing Crosby and Shirley Ross...
", and with Leo Robin
Leo Robin
Leo Robin was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938.-Biography:Robin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and...
on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory
Thanks for the Memory
"Thanks for the Memory" is a popular song, with music composed by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Shep Fields and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross...
", sung by Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938
The Big Broadcast of 1938 is a Paramount Pictures film featuring W.C. Fields and Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of Big Broadcast movies that were variety show anthologies...
.
Rainger paid one year's tuition fees to the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg in advance so that Schönberg could pay for the transportation of his belongings to Los Angeles from Paris in 1933.
Rainger's career was tragically cut short by a fatal plane crash near Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1942. He was a passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 28
American Airlines Flight 28
American Airlines Flight 28 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight that crashed on October 23, 1942 in Chino Canyon, near Palm Springs, California after being struck by a United States Army Air Forces B-34 bomber...
, a DC-3 airliner that was involved in a midair collision with a U.S. Army Air Corps bomber. Rainger was 41 years old when he died; he was survived by a wife, Elizabeth ("Betty"), an 8-year-old son, and two daughters, ages 5 and 1.
Film credits
- For a complete film score list, see: Songwriters Hall of Fame; Ralph Rainger film scores
- 1930 - Tom SawyerTom Sawyer (1930 film)Tom Sawyer is a 1930 American drama film directed by John Cromwell. The screenplay by Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt, and Sam Mintz is based on the 1876 novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain....
- 1930 - The Virtuous SinThe Virtuous SinThe Virtuous Sin is a 1930 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is based on the play The General by Lajos Zilahy.-Plot:...
- 1932 - The Big BroadcastThe Big BroadcastThe Big Broadcast is a musical comedy film produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by Frank Tuttle, and starring Bing Crosby, Stuart Erwin, and Leila Hyams, with George Burns and Gracie Allen in supporting roles...
- 1932 - A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway concerning events during the Italian campaigns during the First World War. The book, which was first published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant in the ambulance...
- 1932 - This Is the NightThis Is the Night (film)This Is the Night is a 1932 comedy film made by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Frank Tuttle.The film stars Lili Damita, Charles Ruggles, Roland Young, Thelma Todd, and Cary Grant....
- 1933 - A Bedtime StoryA Bedtime StoryA Bedtime Story is a 1933 romantic comedy film starring Maurice Chevalier. Chevalier plays a Parisian playboy who finds himself obliged to care for an abandoned baby...
- 1933 - From Hell to Heaven
- 1933 - She Done Him WrongShe Done Him WrongShe Done Him Wrong is a Pre-Code 1933 Paramount Pictures comedy romance film starring Mae West and Cary Grant. Others in the cast include Owen Moore, Gilbert Roland, Noah Beery, Sr., Louise Beavers and Rochelle Hudson....
- 1933 - International House
- 1933 - Three-Cornered MoonThree-Cornered MoonThree-Cornered Moon is a 1933 film directed by Elliot Nugent, and written by Ray Harris and S.K. Lauren, based on play by Gertrude Tonkonogy Friedberg. The film reached No...
- 1934 - Kiss and Make-UpKiss and Make-UpKiss and Make-Up is a 1934 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant as a doctor who specializes in making women beautiful. Helen Mack and Genevieve Tobin play his romantic entanglements. The film was based on the play Kozmetika by István Békeffi. All of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1934 were cast in...
- 1934 - Come on MarinesCome on MarinesCome on Marines is a 1934 film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Richard Arlen and Ida Lupino.-Cast:*Richard Arlen as Lucky Davis*Ida Lupino as Esther Smith-Hamilton*Roscoe Karns as Spud McGurke*Grace Bradley as Jojo La Verne*Fuzzy Knight as Wimpy...
- 1934 - BoleroBoleroBolero is a form of slow-tempo Latin music and its associated dance and song. There are Spanish and Cuban forms which are both significant and which have separate origins.The term is also used for some art music...
- 1934 - All of MeAll of Me (1934 film)All of Me is a 1934 drama film starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, and George Raft. The film was written by actor Thomas Mitchell and Sidney Buchman from Rose Porter's play Chrysalis, and directed by James Flood.-Cast:*Fredric March as Don Ellis...
- 1934 - Little Miss MarkerLittle Miss MarkerLittle Miss Marker is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alexander Hall. The screenplay was written by William R. Lipman, Sam Hellman, and Gladys Hellman after a short story by Damon Runyon. The film stars Shirley Temple, Adolphe Menjou, and Dorothy Dell in a story about a little girl held...
- 1934 - Search for BeautySearch for BeautySearch for Beauty is a 1934 Pre-Code film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino. They play a pair of champion Olympic swimmers who become the face of a health magazine, which over their objections is turned into a "skin" rag....
- 1934 - Six of a KindSix of a KindSix of a Kind is a 1934 comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a whimsical and often absurd Road movie about three couples who decide to share their expenses on a trip to Hollywood.-Cast:*Charles Ruggles*Mary Boland*George Burns*Gracie Allen...
- 1935 - The Devil Is a Woman
- 1935 - The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a Paramount Pictures production, directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies...
- 1935 - Ruggles of Red GapRuggles of Red GapRuggles of Red Gap was serialized beginning December 26, 1914 in the Saturday Evening Post and became a best selling novel in 1915 by Harry Leon Wilson, adapted for the Broadway stage as a musical the same year, and made into a movie several times, most famously in 1935.In the comedy Western film...
- 1936 - The Big Broadcast of 1937The Big Broadcast of 1937The Big Broadcast of 1937 is a 1936 Paramount Pictures production directed by Mitchell Leisen, and is the third in the series of Big Broadcast movies. The musical comedy stars Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Ray Milland, Benny Fields, Frank Forest and...
- 1936 - Rhythm on the RangeRhythm on the RangeRhythm on the Range is a 1936 Paramount Pictures musical film directed by Norman Taurog.-Plot:Doris Halliday is the daughter of wealthy banker Robert Halliday. She is about to marry a man she doesn't love, so the family will become richer...
- 1936 - Rose of the RanchoRose of the RanchoRose of the Rancho is a 1914 Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film cost $16,988 to make, and grossed $87,028.-Plot:Esra Kincaid takes land by force and, having taken the Espinoza land, his sights are set on the Castro rancho...
- 1936 - PoppyPoppyA poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime....
- 1936 - Palm Springs
- 1936 - Three Cheers for Love
- 1937 - King of Gamblers
- 1937 - The Big Broadcast of 1938The Big Broadcast of 1938The Big Broadcast of 1938 is a Paramount Pictures film featuring W.C. Fields and Bob Hope. Directed by Mitchell Leisen, the film is the last in a series of Big Broadcast movies that were variety show anthologies...
, including the Academy Award winning song "Thanks for the MemoryThanks for the Memory"Thanks for the Memory" is a popular song, with music composed by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Shep Fields and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross...
" - 1937 - Blossoms on Broadway
- 1937 - Hills of Old Wyoming
- 1937 - Ebb Tide
- 1937 - Swing High, Swing LowSwing High, Swing Low (film)Swing High, Swing Low is a 1937 American romantic musical film starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray.This is the second film adaptation, after The Dance of Life and before When My Baby Smiles at Me , of the popular Broadway play Burlesque, by George Manker Watters and Arthur Hopkins.-Cast:*...
- 1937 - Waikiki WeddingWaikiki WeddingWaikiki Wedding is a 1937 musical film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby. Bing plays the part of Tony Marvin, a PR man charged with extolling the virtues of Hawaii. The female lead is Shirley Ross....
- 1937 - Souls at SeaSouls at SeaSouls at Sea is a 1937 seafaring film starring Gary Cooper and George Raft. The movie features Frances Dee, Harry Carey, Robert Cummings, George Zucco, Joseph Schildkraut, Paul Fix, and Tully Marshall, and was directed by Henry Hathaway. The title of this film was spoofed in the Laurel and Hardy...
- 1938 - Her Jungle LoveHer Jungle LoveHer Jungle Love is a 1938 adventure film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Dorothy Lamour.-Cast:* Dorothy Lamour - Tura* Ray Milland - Bob Mitchell* Lynne Overman - Jimmy Wallace* J. Carrol Naish - Kuasa...
- 1938 - Artists and Models Abroad
- 1938 - Romance in the DarkRomance in the DarkRomance in the Dark is a 1938 film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Gladys Swarthout, John Boles, John Barrymore, and Claire Dodd....
- 1938 - The TexansThe TexansThe Texans is a 1938 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by James P. Hogan, and starring by Joan Bennett, Randolph Scott. The screenplay was written by William Wister Haines, Bertram Millhauser and Paul Sloane and is based on the story North of '36 by Emerson Hough.Most of the exterior scenes...
- 1939 - Gulliver's TravelsGulliver's TravelsTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
, including the Academy Award nominated song "Faithful Forever" - 1939 - $1000 a Touchdown
- 1941 - Cadet Girl
- 1941 - A Yank in the R.A.F.
- 1941 - Tall, Dark and Handsome
- 1941 - Rise and Shine
- 1941 - New York TownNew York TownNew York Town is a 1941 romantic comedy film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Fred MacMurray, Mary Martin, Akim Tamiroff and Robert Preston...
- 1942 - Footlight SerenadeFootlight SerenadeFootlight Serenade is a 1942 musical comedy film directed by Gregory Ratoff, starring Betty Grable, John Payne and Victor Mature-Plot:Tommy Lundy is an arrogant ex-champion boxer who tries for an acting career on Broadway. He falls in love with his costar , who's secretly married to actor John...
- 1942 - True to the Army
- 1942 - My Gal SalMy Gal SalMy Gal Sal is a 20th Century Fox musical starring Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature. The film is a biopic of 1890s composer and songwriter Paul Dresser and singer, Sally Elliot. The story it was based on was written by Paul Dresser's brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser...