David Snell
Personal Info
Known for
Sound
Gender
Male
Birthday
1897-09-10
Day of Death
1967-03-27 (69 years old)
Place of Birth
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
David Snell
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David L. Snell (10 September 1897, Milwaukee, Wisconsin – 27 March 1967, Glendale, California) was a pianist, conductor, composer and music director. He composed the music for over 170 shorts, series or feature films.
Snell studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Wisconsin College and the Meyer Conservatory of Music. He formed his own orchestra, and was the musical director for several stage productions.
He joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's music department in 1937, turning out music for a range of films from low-cost "B" movies to expensive features. He would spend his entire film career with MGM. He was conductor, composer, and music director for MGM for twenty-one years. The work could be high pressure. In November 1938 Franz Waxman had just five days to put together the fifty-minute score for A Christmas Carol so it could be released in time for the holiday season. Snell helped out, writing the opening and closing credit cues and half a dozen other cues based on themes provided by Waxman.
Snell wrote music for many full-length films, shorts and B-movie series such as Dr. Kildare, Maisie and The Thin Man. His songs include Under The Stars, Downstream Drifter, Come Back Little Girl Of Mine and Once Over Lightly. His scores often showed first-rate craftsmanship, but his work has generally been ignored, perhaps because in most cases he chose to simply underscore the dialog as opposed to contributing complementary musical ideas. However, for the 1947 Lady in the Lake, based on the Raymond Chandler novel and set around Christmas time, Snell chose to use a choir singing a cappella, providing an austere and effective "black and white" score to accompany the stark black and white cinematography. The moody music echoed Christmas carols.
David L. Snell died in 1967.
Known For
Acting
(1982)
Q
as Attorney
(1982)
Hanky Panky
as Clerk in Club
Crew
(1967)
Accident
Musician
(1948)
Alias a Gentleman
Music
(1948)
My Old Town
Music, Music Director
(1947)
Killer McCoy
Original Music Composer
(1947)
Dark Delusion
Music
(1947)
Song of the Thin Man
Music
(1947)
Undercover Maisie
Original Music Composer
(1946)
Lady in the Lake
Original Music Composer
(1946)
Up Goes Maisie
Original Music Composer
(1946)
(1946)
Bad Bascomb
Music
(1945)
Twice Blessed
Music Director
(1945)
Dangerous Partners
Original Music Composer
(1945)
The Hidden Eye
Music
(1945)
Between Two Women
Original Music Composer
(1944)
(1944)
(1944)
Twenty Years After
Music
(1944)
(1944)
Maisie Goes to Reno
Original Music Composer
(1944)
Gentle Annie
Music
(1944)
Rationing
Music
(1943)
The Man from Down Under
Music Score Producer
(1943)
Swing Fever
Music Director
(1942)
Grand Central Murder
Original Music Composer
(1942)
Kid Glove Killer
Original Music Composer
(1942)
(1942)
(1942)
Nazi Agent
Music
(1942)
Sunday Punch
Original Music Composer
(1942)
Jackass Mail
Music
(1942)
We Must Have Music
Music
(1942)
Acro-Batty
Music
(1942)
Tarzan's New York Adventure
Original Music Composer
(1942)
The Vanishing Virginian
Music Score Producer
(1942)
Flag of Mercy
Music
(1941)
(1941)
Washington Melodrama
Music
(1941)
(1941)
Third Dimensional Murder
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Ringside Maisie
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Love Crazy
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Billy the Kid
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Football Thrills of 1940
Original Music Composer
(1941)
(1941)
Maisie Was a Lady
Original Music Composer
(1940)
Gallant Sons
Music
(1940)
(1940)
Dr. Kildare's Crisis
Original Music Composer
(1940)
(1940)
The Golden Fleecing
Music
(1940)
Wyoming
Music
(1940)
Phantom Raiders
Music
(1940)
20 Mule Team
Music
(1940)
(1940)
(1940)
(1940)
(1940)
The Ghost Comes Home
Original Music Composer
(1940)
Sky Murder
Original Music Composer
(1940)
Gold Rush Maisie
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Thunder Afloat
Music
(1939)
The Hardys Ride High
Music
(1939)
Judge Hardy and Son
Original Music Composer
(1939)
(1939)
Calling Dr. Kildare
Music
(1939)
These Glamour Girls
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Henry Goes Arizona
Music
(1939)
Blackmail
Music
(1939)
The Women
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Angel of Mercy
Original Music Composer
(1939)
(1939)
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Radio Hams
Music
(1939)
(1939)
Stronger Than Desire
Music
(1939)
Somewhat Secret
Music
(1939)
(1939)
The Giant of Norway
Music
(1939)
(1939)
Heroes at Leisure
Music
(1939)
The Story of Dr. Jenner
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Captain Spanky's Show Boat
Music Arranger
(1938)
(1938)
(1938)
(1938)
(1938)
Young Dr. Kildare
Music
(1938)
The Forgotten Step
Music
(1938)
(1938)
Hollywood Goes to Town
Sound Director
(1938)
The Magician's Daughter
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Nostradamus
Music
(1938)
The Man on the Rock
Music
(1938)
The Great Heart
Music
(1938)
(1938)
It's in the Stars
Music
(1938)
Once Over Lightly
Music
(1938)
Bravest of the Brave
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Party Fever
Music
(1938)
Joaquin Murrieta
Music
(1938)
Snow Gets in Your Eyes
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Anaesthesia
Music
(1938)
(1938)
Grid Rules
Music
(1938)
(1938)
Love Finds Andy Hardy
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Judge Hardy's Children
Original Music Composer
(1937)
(1937)
My Dear Miss Aldrich
Music
(1937)
You're Only Young Once
Original Music Composer
(1937)
A Family Affair
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Carnival in Paris
Music
(1937)
Madame X
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Song of Revolt
Music
(1935)
Mad Love
Original Music Composer
(1934)
The Thin Man
Orchestrator
(1933)
Hold Your Man
Additional Music
(1932)
Faithless
Original Music Composer