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Heinz Roemheld (Milwaukee, May 1, 1901 – Huntington Beach, California, February 11, 1985) was an American composer.
Born Heinz Eric Roemheld in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was one of four children of German immigrant Heinrich Roemheld and his wife Fanny Rauterberg Roemheld. Heinrich was a pharmacist, but all the members of the family were musical. Heinz's brother Edgar (1898-1964) became a conductor, while sister Irmgard (1904-1995) became a well-known Milwaukee music teacher and radio broadcaster.
Roemheld was a child prodigy who began playing the piano at the age of 4. He graduated from the Milwaukee College of Music at 19, and performed in theaters to earn money to study piano in Europe. In 1920, he went to Berlin, where he studied with Hugo Kaun, Ferruccio Busoni, and Egon Petri. While he was there, he appeared in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic.
When he returned to America, Roemheld became involved in music for silent films, both as a pianist and as a conductor. In 1925, he was sent back to Berlin as head of Universal Pictures theaters there, but had to leave in 1929 due to the rise of Nazism.
Back in America, Roemheld moved to Los Angeles and became a prominent cinema composer. He scored some scenes in Gone with the Wind, including the burning of Atlanta, although he was not credited on-screen. In 1942, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score for Yankee Doodle Dandy. Among the more than 400 other films for which he composed music were Gentleman Jim, The Lady From Shanghai, The Invisible Man, and Shine On, Harvest Moon.
After World War II, Roemheld once again returned to Germany to become Chief of the Film, Theatre, and Music Section of the Information Central Division of The American Armies in Europe. He continued writing for several major film studios until the late 1950s, and after briefly working in television, he retired in 1964 to concentrate on his classical composition. He is best known for the song "Ruby" from the movie Ruby Gentry (1952), which has become a standard.
He married a former Miss Milwaukee, Emeline Defnet (1901-1980), from whom he was later divorced. They had two daughters, Mary Lou Roemheld, who was married for years to game show host Jack Narz, and Ann, who married game show host Bill Cullen.
Roemheld died on February 11, 1985, at a convalescent home in Huntington Beach after contracting pneumonia three weeks earlier.
Academy Awards
Best Original Musical Score
Known For
Dracula
(1931)
Conductor and Music Supervisor
King Kong vs. Godzilla
(1963)
Music
The Black Cat
(1934)
Music
The Tall T
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Invisible Man
(1933)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Ride Lonesome
(1959)
Original Music Composer
Jack and the Beanstalk
(1952)
Original Music Composer
The Roaring Twenties
(1939)
Original Music Composer
A Scandal in Paris
(1946)
Conductor
The Lady from Shanghai
(1947)
Original Music Composer
Drácula
(1931)
Conductor and Music Supervisor
Gentleman Jim
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Werewolf of London
(1935)
Music
Yankee Doodle Dandy
(1942)
Original Music Composer
The Strawberry Blonde
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Murders in the Rue Morgue
(1932)
Music
Full Filmography
Sound
Hell's Heroes
(1929)
Original Music Composer
A Lady Surrenders
(1930)
Music
What Men Want
(1930)
Music
Up for Murder
(1931)
Music
Dracula
(1931)
Conductor and Music Supervisor
Drácula
(1931)
Conductor and Music Supervisor
Murders in the Rue Morgue
(1932)
Music
The Invisible Man
(1933)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
Too Much Harmony
(1933)
Music
I'm No Angel
(1933)
Original Music Composer
The Sin of Nora Moran
(1933)
Original Music Composer
Mandalay
(1934)
Music
Cross Country Cruise
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Bombay Mail
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Imitation of Life
(1934)
Music
The Black Cat
(1934)
Music
Journal of a Crime
(1934)
Original Music Composer
A Modern Hero
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Sweet Adeline
(1934)
Original Music Composer
A Lost Lady
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Fashions of 1934
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Housewife
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Four Frightened People
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Desirable
(1934)
Original Music Composer
British Agent
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Easy to Love
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Merry Wives of Reno
(1934)
Original Music Composer
Happiness Ahead
(1934)
Music
Ready for Love
(1934)
Original Music Composer
As the Earth Turns
(1934)
Music
Flirtation Walk
(1934)
Music
Peter Ibbetson
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Living on Velvet
(1935)
Music
The Gilded Lily
(1935)
Music
The Bride Comes Home
(1935)
Music
The Girl from 10th Avenue
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Front Page Woman
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Dangerous
(1935)
Original Music Composer
The Payoff
(1935)
Original Music Composer
The Irish in Us
(1935)
Original Music Composer
The Last Outpost
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Mary Jane's Pa
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Storm Over the Andes
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Bright Lights
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Maybe It's Love
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Mary Burns, Fugitive
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Four Hours to Kill!
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Stranded
(1935)
Original Music Composer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Dr. Socrates
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Enter Madame
(1935)
Original Music Composer
We're in the Money
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Hands Across the Table
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Love in Bloom
(1935)
Original Music Composer
I Found Stella Parish
(1935)
Original Music Composer
The Good Fairy
(1935)
Music Director
Gold Diggers of 1935
(1935)
Music
Broadway Gondolier
(1935)
Music
The Glass Key
(1935)
Original Music Composer
East of Java
(1935)
Original Music Composer
3 Kids and a Queen
(1935)
Original Music Composer
Private Worlds
(1935)
Music and Original Music Composer
Page Miss Glory
(1935)
Music
The Devil Is a Woman
(1935)
Music
Stormy
(1935)
Music
Werewolf of London
(1935)
Music
Two Against the World
(1936)
Music
The Mandarin Mystery
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Road Gang
(1936)
Original Music Composer
The White Angel
(1936)
Original Music Composer
The Story of Louis Pasteur
(1936)
Music
The Golden Arrow
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Satan Met a Lady
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Two in a Crowd
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Cain and Mabel
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Three Smart Girls
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Tough Guy
(1936)
Original Music Composer
The Voice of Bugle Ann
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Her Master's Voice
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Rose of the Rancho
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Hearts Divided
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Dracula's Daughter
(1936)
Original Music Composer
The Case of the Black Cat
(1936)
Music
Gold Diggers of 1937
(1936)
Music
Give Me Your Heart
(1936)
Music
Postal Inspector
(1936)
Original Music Composer
Kid Galahad
(1937)
Original Music Composer
Draegerman Courage
(1937)
Original Music Composer
It's Love I'm After
(1937)
Original Music Composer
West of Shanghai
(1937)
Original Music Composer
The Perfect Specimen
(1937)
Original Music Composer
The Adventurous Blonde
(1937)
Music
Stand-In
(1937)
Original Music Composer
Alcatraz Island
(1937)
Original Music Composer
Call It a Day
(1937)
Music
Night Key
(1937)
Music
The Outer Gate
(1937)
Original Music Composer
The Young in Heart
(1938)
Original Music Composer
Four's a Crowd
(1938)
Original Music Composer
I Met My Love Again
(1938)
Original Music Composer and Music Director
Love, Honor and Behave
(1938)
Original Music Composer
A Slight Case of Murder
(1938)
Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew… Detective
(1938)
Music
Comet Over Broadway
(1938)
Music
Hollywood Hotel
(1938)
Music
Men Are Such Fools
(1938)
Original Music Composer
Gold Diggers in Paris
(1938)
Music
The Roaring Twenties
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Invisible Stripes
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew... Reporter
(1939)
Original Music Composer
A Child Is Born
(1939)
Original Music Composer
King of the Underworld
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
(1939)
Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
(1939)
Original Music Composer
The Mad Empress
(1939)
Music
You Can't Get Away with Murder
(1939)
Music
Brother Orchid
(1940)
Original Music Composer
Lady with Red Hair
(1940)
Original Music Composer
Brother Rat and a Baby
(1940)
Original Music Composer
It All Came True
(1940)
Original Music Composer
My Love Came Back
(1940)
Music
No Time for Comedy
(1940)
Music
The Man Who Talked Too Much
(1940)
Music
Blues in the Night
(1941)
Original Music Composer
The Strawberry Blonde
(1941)
Original Music Composer
The Wagons Roll at Night
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Flight from Destiny
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Riders of Death Valley
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Law of the Tropics
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Out of the Fog
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Thieves Fall Out
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Honeymoon for Three
(1941)
Music
Four Mothers
(1941)
Original Music Composer
Affectionately Yours
(1941)
Music
Invisible Ghost
(1941)
Music
Yankee Doodle Dandy
(1942)
Original Music Composer
Gentleman Jim
(1942)
Original Music Composer
The Male Animal
(1942)
Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Tomb
(1942)
Music
Black Dragons
(1942)
Music
Always in My Heart
(1942)
Music
The Hard Way
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Thank Your Lucky Stars
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Find the Blackmailer
(1943)
Original Music Composer
Janie
(1944)
Original Music Composer
Make Your Own Bed
(1944)
Original Music Composer
Too Young to Know
(1945)
Original Music Composer
A Scandal in Paris
(1946)
Conductor
O.S.S.
(1946)
Music
The Lady from Shanghai
(1947)
Original Music Composer
The Flame
(1947)
Original Music Composer
Curley
(1947)
Original Music Composer
Christmas Eve
(1947)
Music
Station West
(1948)
Original Music Composer
I, Jane Doe
(1948)
Original Music Composer
On Our Merry Way
(1948)
Original Music Composer
My Dear Secretary
(1948)
Original Music Composer
The Fuller Brush Man
(1948)
Original Music Composer
The Girl from Manhattan
(1948)
Music and Original Music Composer
Here Comes Trouble
(1948)
Music
Mr. Soft Touch
(1949)
Original Music Composer
The Lucky Stiff
(1949)
Original Music Composer
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
(1949)
Original Music Composer
Union Station
(1950)
Original Music Composer
The Good Humor Man
(1950)
Original Music Composer
The Fuller Brush Girl
(1950)
Original Music Composer
Chicago Calling
(1951)
Original Music Composer
Insurance Investigator
(1951)
Original Music Composer
Ruby Gentry
(1952)
Original Music Composer
Loan Shark
(1952)
Original Music Composer
The Big Trees
(1952)
Original Music Composer
Jack and the Beanstalk
(1952)
Original Music Composer
The Moonlighter
(1953)
Music
Captain Lightfoot
(1955)
Music
Female on the Beach
(1955)
Original Music Composer
The Square Jungle
(1955)
Original Music Composer
There's Always Tomorrow
(1956)
Original Music Composer
The Creature Walks Among Us
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Pillars of the Sky
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Away All Boats
(1956)
Original Music Composer
The Mole People
(1956)
Original Music Composer
Miami Exposé
(1956)
Music
World in My Corner
(1956)
Music
The Tall T
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Land Unknown
(1957)
Original Music Composer
The Monster That Challenged the World
(1957)
Original Music Composer, Music Director, and Conductor
Decision at Sundown
(1957)
Original Music Composer and Conductor
This Is Russia!
(1957)
Music
The Girl in the Kremlin
(1957)
Music
The Night Runner
(1957)
Music
Step Down to Terror
(1958)
Music
Ride Lonesome
(1959)
Original Music Composer
King Kong vs. Godzilla
(1963)
Music
Let's Kill Uncle
(1966)
Music
Writing
Crew