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
Harvey
(1950)
Music
The Naked City
(1948)
Original Music Composer
The Wolf Man
(1941)
Music
Winchester '73
(1950)
Music
Imitation of Life
(1959)
Original Music Composer
Saboteur
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Shenandoah
(1965)
Original Music Composer
The Dark Mirror
(1946)
Music
Son of Frankenstein
(1939)
Original Music Composer and Orchestrator
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
(1948)
Original Music Composer
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
(1951)
Music
Bend of the River
(1952)
Music
Magnificent Obsession
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Hellzapoppin'
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Destry Rides Again
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Full Filmography
Sound
One Hundred Men and a Girl
(1937)
Music
The Rage of Paris
(1938)
Original Music Composer
That Certain Age
(1938)
Music
Mad About Music
(1938)
Music
Wives Under Suspicion
(1938)
Original Music Composer
One Hour To Live
(1939)
Music
Tower of London
(1939)
Original Music Composer and Orchestrator
The Witness Vanishes
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Son of Frankenstein
(1939)
Original Music Composer and Orchestrator
Destry Rides Again
(1939)
Original Music Composer
The Big Guy
(1939)
Music
Charlie McCarthy, Detective
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Ex-Champ
(1939)
Original Music Composer
First Love
(1939)
Music
The House of Fear
(1939)
Music
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
(1939)
Music
The Sun Never Sets
(1939)
Original Music Composer
South to Karanga
(1940)
Music Score Producer
La Conga Nights
(1940)
Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Hand
(1940)
Music
It's a Date
(1940)
Songs
My Little Chickadee
(1940)
Music Score Producer
Hired Wife
(1940)
Music Score Producer
Seven Sinners
(1940)
Original Music Composer
The Invisible Man Returns
(1940)
Original Music Composer
Black Friday
(1940)
Original Music Composer
One Night in the Tropics
(1940)
Orchestrator and Music
Green Hell
(1940)
Original Music Composer
The Invisible Woman
(1940)
Original Music Composer
The House of the Seven Gables
(1940)
Music
When the Daltons Rode
(1940)
Original Music Composer
Hellzapoppin'
(1941)
Original Music Composer
The Flame of New Orleans
(1941)
Music
Keep 'Em Flying
(1941)
Original Music Composer
The Black Cat
(1941)
Music
Moonlight in Hawaii
(1941)
Orchestrator
Hold That Ghost
(1941)
Music
Nice Girl?
(1941)
Orchestrator and Music
Horror Island
(1941)
Music
Never Give a Sucker an Even Break
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Man-Made Monster
(1941)
Music
Riders of Death Valley
(1941)
Original Music Composer
The Wolf Man
(1941)
Music
Appointment for Love
(1941)
Music
Tough as They Come
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Arabian Nights
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror
(1942)
Music
The Mummy's Tomb
(1942)
Music
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
(1942)
Original Music Composer
There's One Born Every Minute
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Pittsburgh
(1942)
Music
Who Done It?
(1942)
Music
Nightmare
(1942)
Music
Saboteur
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Ride 'Em Cowboy
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Eagle Squadron
(1942)
Music
Mug Town
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Invisible Agent
(1942)
Music
Keep 'Em Slugging
(1943)
Original Music Composer
White Savage
(1943)
Music
Gung Ho!
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Captive Wild Woman
(1943)
Music
Crazy House
(1943)
Orchestrator
All by Myself
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Fired Wife
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Hers to Hold
(1943)
Music
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
(1943)
Original Music Composer
It Ain't Hay
(1943)
Music
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
(1943)
Music
South of Dixie
(1944)
Original Music Composer
House of Frankenstein
(1944)
Music
The Mummy's Ghost
(1944)
Music
In Society
(1944)
Music
Destiny
(1944)
Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Curse
(1944)
Music
Jungle Woman
(1944)
Music
Reckless Age
(1944)
Original Music Composer
Strange Confession
(1945)
Music
Here Come the Co-eds
(1945)
Music
Pillow of Death
(1945)
Music
The Suspect
(1945)
Music Director and Original Music Composer
Frontier Gal
(1945)
Original Music Composer
The Jungle Captive
(1945)
Music
Secret Agent X-9
(1945)
Original Music Composer
Canyon Passage
(1946)
Original Music Composer and Music Director
She-Wolf of London
(1946)
Music
Black Angel
(1946)
Original Music Composer
Her Adventurous Night
(1946)
Music
The Dark Mirror
(1946)
Music
I'll Be Yours
(1947)
Music
Ride the Pink Horse
(1947)
Original Music Composer
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
(1947)
Music
The Egg and I
(1947)
Original Music Composer
Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman
(1947)
Original Music Composer
The Exile
(1947)
Original Music Composer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
(1948)
Original Music Composer
Mexican Hayride
(1948)
Music
For the Love of Mary
(1948)
Original Music Composer
Tap Roots
(1948)
Original Music Composer
Family Honeymoon
(1948)
Original Music Composer
The Naked City
(1948)
Original Music Composer
Sword in the Desert
(1949)
Original Music Composer
Bagdad
(1949)
Original Music Composer
Abandoned
(1949)
Music
Johnny Stool Pigeon
(1949)
Music
Tulsa
(1949)
Original Music Composer
The Gal Who Took the West
(1949)
Music
The Lady Gambles
(1949)
Original Music Composer
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
(1949)
Music
Free For All
(1949)
Music
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion
(1950)
Music
One Way Street
(1950)
Music
Comanche Territory
(1950)
Music
Louisa
(1950)
Music
The Desert Hawk
(1950)
Original Music Composer
Winchester '73
(1950)
Music
Katie Did It
(1950)
Music
The Sleeping City
(1950)
Music Director and Original Music Composer
Shakedown
(1950)
Music
Harvey
(1950)
Music
Spy Hunt
(1950)
Music
Francis
(1950)
Music
The Mark of the Renegade
(1951)
Music
The Strange Door
(1951)
Music
Hollywood Story
(1951)
Music
Comin' Round the Mountain
(1951)
Music
Iron Man
(1951)
Music
Bright Victory
(1951)
Original Music Composer
Bedtime for Bonzo
(1951)
Music
Francis Goes to the Races
(1951)
Music
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
(1951)
Music
The Raging Tide
(1951)
Original Music Composer
Week-End with Father
(1951)
Music
The Black Castle
(1952)
Music
The Duel at Silver Creek
(1952)
Music
Sally and Saint Anne
(1952)
Music
Lost in Alaska
(1952)
Music
Bend of the River
(1952)
Music
No Room for the Groom
(1952)
Music
The World in His Arms
(1952)
Music
Bonzo Goes to College
(1952)
Music
Because of You
(1952)
Original Music Composer
Thunder Bay
(1953)
Original Music Composer
Forbidden
(1953)
Original Music Composer
Wings of the Hawk
(1953)
Music
The Stand at Apache River
(1953)
Music
Desert Legion
(1953)
Music
The Man from the Alamo
(1953)
Music
The Mississippi Gambler
(1953)
Music
Destry
(1954)
Music
Taza, Son of Cochise
(1954)
Music
Sign of the Pagan
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Magnificent Obsession
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Saskatchewan
(1954)
Original Music Composer
The Far Country
(1954)
Original Music Composer
The Black Shield of Falworth
(1954)
Original Music Composer
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
(1955)
Music
Chief Crazy Horse
(1955)
Music
Foxfire
(1955)
Original Music Composer
One Desire
(1955)
Original Music Composer
6 Bridges to Cross
(1955)
Original Music Composer
Lady Godiva of Coventry
(1955)
Original Music Composer
All That Heaven Allows
(1955)
Original Music Composer
The Shrike
(1955)
Music
Revenge of the Creature
(1955)
Music
Star in the Dust
(1956)
Music
Written on the Wind
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Away All Boats
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Never Say Goodbye
(1956)
Original Music Composer
The Rawhide Years
(1956)
Music
Man of a Thousand Faces
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Battle Hymn
(1957)
Music
The Night Runner
(1957)
Music
The Midnight Story
(1957)
Music
Interlude
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Tarnished Angels
(1957)
Original Music Composer
My Man Godfrey
(1957)
Original Music Composer
Tammy and the Bachelor
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Tattered Dress
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Restless Years
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Kathy O'
(1958)
Music
This Happy Feeling
(1958)
Original Music Composer
The Perfect Furlough
(1958)
Original Music Composer
Step Down to Terror
(1958)
Music
Imitation of Life
(1959)
Original Music Composer
Portrait in Black
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Midnight Lace
(1960)
Original Music Composer
Back Street
(1961)
Original Music Composer
The Ugly American
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Captain Newman, M.D.
(1963)
Original Music Composer
Bullet for a Badman
(1964)
Original Music Composer
Shenandoah
(1965)
Original Music Composer
Let's Kill Uncle
(1966)
Music
Madame X
(1966)
Original Music Composer
The Appaloosa
(1966)
Music
The Ride to Hangman's Tree
(1967)
Music
Crew