Mahlon Merrick

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Mahlon Merrick (born January 28, 1900 in Farmington , Iowa , † August 7, 1969 in Hollywood , California ) was an American film composer and filmmaker who was nominated in 1945 for an Oscar in the category "Best Score in a Musical Film" .

A number of his works appeared under the pseudonym Gene LaGrande , some also under the name Lou Kosloff . His work includes musical compositions, marches, TV background and themed music, an opera and a symphony. It is best known for The Gillette Look Sharp March , which is based on Merrick's The Look Sharp march and which often heralded major sporting events in the 1950s and 1960s.

Life

Mahlon Merrick graduated from Washington State University in 1923 with a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics and was granted permission to teach. After brief teaching in schools in Redmond and Washington , he then devoted himself to his efforts to build a music career. He got the taste for it while playing in a dance orchestra to finance his studies. So he made the decision to study with Leo Sowerby at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. After completing his studies, he began to play saxophonist in the Davenport Hotel in the old Italian gardens in Spokane . However, his path soon led him to Hollywood. He worked for Meredith Willson as arranger and later music director and for radio stations. There he often appeared under the stage name Claude Sweeten . As early as 1935 he became the musical director of Jack Benny and his shows. He directed the orchestra until the end of 1965.

For his second work on a film, Merrick received an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Film Music" (musical film) for the feature film Sensations for Millions, with Eleanor Powell , Dennis O'Keefe and WC Fields in his last role. The main plot of the film serves to show revue and variety acts that are due to the unusual ideas of a Broadway dancer , which helps a small advertising agency to achieve sensational success. However, the Oscar was awarded to Carmen Dragon and Morris Stoloff and the film musical Es tanzt die Goddess .

The Western Texas Police, established in 1949, clears up with Jon Hall and Frances Langford , in which a deputy marshal has to fight gangsters who want to take their land from farmers, as a planned railroad construction through this area promises substantial profits, was also a success.

From 1951 to 1965 Merrick composed the music for all 85 episodes of the television show The Jack Benny Program , in addition he worked as a composer for 47 episodes of the series The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show in 1956/1957 . In 1952 he worked as a conductor on the science fiction drama Red Planet Mars by Harry Horner with Peter Graves and Andrea King , in which an American scientist is able to connect, which is not only , with the planet Mars has harrowing political and economic, but also psychological consequences. Until 1965 Merrick worked mainly for television productions.

After Merrick moved to Palm Springs , California in 1965 , he made a guest appearance the following year at his former university in Washington, where the premiere of his Cougar March song , which he had composed especially for his alma mater , took place.

Mahlon Merrick, who was married twice, died of cancer at the age of 69.

Filmography (selection)

- Music Department -

  • 1943: The Girl from Monterrey
  • 1944: Sensations for Millions (Sensations of 1945)
  • 1949: Texas Police clean up (Deputy Marshal)
  • 1951–1965: The Jack Benny Program (TV series, 143 episodes)
  • 1952: Red Planet Mars
  • 1953, 1954: The Abbott and Costello Show (TV series, 20 episodes)
  • 1955: Shower of Stars - Time Out for Ginger (TV series)
  • 1955, 1956: Private Secretary (TV series, 2 episodes)
  • 1957: Panic! (TV series, 5 episodes)
  • 1957: Blondie (TV series, 19 episodes)
  • 1958: Bozo: The World's Most Famous Clown
  • 1965: The Jack Benny Hour (TV special)

- as a composer -

  • 1943: Silver Skates
  • 1949: Alaska Patrol
  • 1949: Miss Mink of 1949
  • 1950: The Lawless
  • 1950: The Du Pont Story
  • 1951: The Fist of Retribution (Passage West)
  • 1953: Omnibus - The Horn Blows at Midnight (TV series)
  • 1955–1957: The Bob Cummings Show (TV series, 17 episodes)
  • 1956, 1957: The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (TV series, 47 episodes)
  • 1960: Maggie (TV movie)
  • 1999: Hurricane ( The Hurricane ; Text / Music: Gillette Look Sharp March from 1944)

- as an actor -

  • 1953: Omnibus - The Horn Blows at Midnight (TV series, as orchestra conductor and performer: Dancing in the Dark )
  • 1956: The Jack Benny Program - don Invites Gang to Dinner (as himself)
  • 1958: Shower of Stars - Jack Benny Celebrates His 40th Birthday (TV series, as himself)
  • 1960: The Jack Benny Program - Christmas Show (Music: That's How Santa Claus Will Look This Year )
  • 1963: The Jack Benny Program - The Frankie Avalon Show (TV series, speaker)

Awards

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The 17th Academy Awards | 1945 at oscars.org (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d Guide to the Mahlon Merrick Papers 1953-1967 Cage 361 at ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu (English)
  3. ↑ a b c 1950s TV Themes - Composer List Mahlon Merrick at classicthemes.com (English), accessed on February 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ The Gillette singing parrot?, How are you fixed for blades' Promotional song
  5. ^ Look Sharp - Be Sharp played by the Boston Pops Orchestra
  6. ↑ GilletteCo History Posts Tagged Mahlon Merrick Sharpie the Parrot Gillette 'Spokesbird' at gillettehistory.wordpress.com (English)
personal data
SURNAME Merrick, Mahlon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES LaGrande, Gene; Kosloff, Lou; Sweets, Claude
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film composer and filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH January 28, 1900
PLACE OF BIRTH Farmington , United States
DATE OF DEATH 7th August 1969
Place of death Hollywood , California , United States