Heinz Roemheld
Personal Info
Known for
Sound
Gender
Male
Birthday
1901-05-01
Day of Death
1985-02-11 (83 years old)
Place of Birth
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Heinz Roemheld
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Crew
(1966)
Let's Kill Uncle
Music
(1963)
(1959)
Ride Lonesome
Original Music Composer
(1958)
Step Down to Terror
Music
(1957)
The Monster That Challenged the World
Conductor, Original Music Composer, Music Director
(1957)
This Is Russia!
Music
(1957)
(1957)
The Tall T
Original Music Composer
(1957)
The Land Unknown
Original Music Composer
(1957)
Decision at Sundown
Conductor, Original Music Composer
(1957)
The Night Runner
Music
(1956)
Miami Exposé
Music
(1956)
There's Always Tomorrow
Original Music Composer
(1956)
World in My Corner
Music
(1956)
The Creature Walks Among Us
Original Music Composer
(1956)
Pillars of the Sky
Original Music Composer
(1956)
Away All Boats
Original Music Composer
(1956)
The Mole People
Original Music Composer
(1955)
The Square Jungle
Original Music Composer
(1955)
Captain Lightfoot
Music
(1955)
Female on the Beach
Original Music Composer
(1954)
Phffft
Additional Music
(1953)
The Moonlighter
Music
(1952)
Ruby Gentry
Original Music Composer
(1952)
Loan Shark
Original Music Composer
(1952)
Jack and the Beanstalk
Original Music Composer
(1952)
The Big Trees
Original Music Composer
(1951)
Chicago Calling
Original Music Composer
(1951)
Insurance Investigator
Original Music Composer
(1951)
Valentino
Original Music Composer
(1950)
Union Station
Original Music Composer
(1950)
The Good Humor Man
Original Music Composer
(1950)
The Fuller Brush Girl
Original Music Composer
(1950)
Kill the Umpire
Original Music Composer
(1949)
Mr. Soft Touch
Original Music Composer
(1949)
The Lucky Stiff
Original Music Composer
(1949)
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
Original Music Composer
(1948)
Station West
Original Music Composer
(1948)
I, Jane Doe
Original Music Composer
(1948)
Here Comes Trouble
Music
(1948)
On Our Merry Way
Original Music Composer
(1948)
My Dear Secretary
Original Music Composer
(1948)
The Fuller Brush Man
Original Music Composer
(1948)
The Girl from Manhattan
Music, Original Music Composer
(1947)
The Lady from Shanghai
Original Music Composer
(1947)
The Flame
Original Music Composer
(1947)
Curley
Original Music Composer
(1947)
Christmas Eve
Music
(1947)
It Had to Be You
Music
(1946)
A Scandal in Paris
Conductor
(1946)
O.S.S.
Music
(1946)
The Chase
Music Director
(1945)
Too Young to Know
Original Music Composer
(1944)
Janie
Original Music Composer
(1944)
Make Your Own Bed
Original Music Composer
(1943)
The Hard Way
Original Music Composer
(1943)
(1943)
Find the Blackmailer
Original Music Composer
(1942)
The Mummy's Tomb
Music
(1942)
Black Dragons
Music
(1942)
Always in My Heart
Music
(1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Original Music Composer
(1942)
Gentleman Jim
Original Music Composer
(1942)
The Male Animal
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Blues in the Night
Original Music Composer
(1941)
The Strawberry Blonde
Original Music Composer
(1941)
The Wagons Roll at Night
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Flight from Destiny
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Invisible Ghost
Music
(1941)
Riders of Death Valley
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Out of the Fog
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Thieves Fall Out
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Law of the Tropics
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Underground
Additional Music
(1941)
Manpower
Additional Music
(1941)
Affectionately Yours
Original Music Composer
(1941)
Honeymoon for Three
Music
(1941)
Four Mothers
Original Music Composer
(1940)
Brother Orchid
Original Music Composer
(1940)
No Time for Comedy
Music
(1940)
(1940)
Lady with Red Hair
Original Music Composer
(1940)
Brother Rat and a Baby
Original Music Composer
(1940)
It All Came True
Original Music Composer
(1940)
My Love Came Back
Music
(1939)
The Roaring Twenties
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Invisible Stripes
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Original Music Composer
(1939)
King of the Underworld
Original Music Composer
(1939)
A Child Is Born
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
Original Music Composer
(1939)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
Original Music Composer
(1939)
The Mad Empress
Music
(1939)
You Can't Get Away with Murder
Original Music Composer
(1938)
The Young in Heart
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Hollywood Hotel
Music
(1938)
Men Are Such Fools
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Four's a Crowd
Original Music Composer
(1938)
I Met My Love Again
Original Music Composer, Music Director
(1938)
Love, Honor and Behave
Original Music Composer
(1938)
A Slight Case of Murder
Original Music Composer
(1938)
Gold Diggers in Paris
Original Music Composer
(1938)
(1938)
Comet Over Broadway
Music
(1937)
Kid Galahad
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Draegerman Courage
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Night Key
Music
(1937)
It's Love I'm After
Original Music Composer
(1937)
West of Shanghai
Original Music Composer
(1937)
The Perfect Specimen
Original Music Composer
(1937)
(1937)
Stand-In
Original Music Composer
(1937)
The Outer Gate
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Alcatraz Island
Original Music Composer
(1937)
Call It a Day
Music
(1936)
Big Brown Eyes
Additional Music
(1936)
Earthworm Tractors
Musical
(1936)
The Mandarin Mystery
Original Music Composer
(1936)
The White Angel
Original Music Composer
(1936)
The Golden Arrow
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Satan Met a Lady
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Two in a Crowd
Original Music Composer
(1936)
(1936)
Cain and Mabel
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Road Gang
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Three Smart Girls
Original Music Composer
(1936)
(1936)
Tough Guy
Original Music Composer
(1936)
The Voice of Bugle Ann
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Give Me Your Heart
Music
(1936)
Her Master's Voice
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Dracula's Daughter
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Postal Inspector
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Gold Diggers of 1937
Original Music Composer
(1936)
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Original Music Composer
(1936)
I Married a Doctor
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Rose of the Rancho
Original Music Composer
(1936)
Hearts Divided
Original Music Composer
(1936)
The Preview Murder Mystery
Additional Music
(1936)
The Law in Her Hands
Music
(1936)
(1935)
The Devil Is a Woman
Music
(1935)
Peter Ibbetson
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Living on Velvet
Music
(1935)
Stormy
Music
(1935)
The Gilded Lily
Music
(1935)
The Bride Comes Home
Music
(1935)
The Girl from 10th Avenue
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Front Page Woman
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Dangerous
Original Music Composer
(1935)
The Payoff
Original Music Composer
(1935)
The Irish in Us
Original Music Composer
(1935)
The Last Outpost
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Mary Jane's Pa
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Bright Lights
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Maybe It's Love
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Mary Burns, Fugitive
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Four Hours to Kill!
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Stranded
Original Music Composer
(1935)
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Dr. Socrates
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Werewolf of London
Music
(1935)
Enter Madame
Original Music Composer
(1935)
We're in the Money
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Storm Over the Andes
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Hands Across the Table
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Love in Bloom
Original Music Composer
(1935)
I Found Stella Parish
Original Music Composer
(1935)
The Good Fairy
Music Director
(1935)
Gold Diggers of 1935
Music
(1935)
Broadway Gondolier
Music
(1935)
The Glass Key
Original Music Composer
(1935)
East of Java
Original Music Composer
(1935)
3 Kids and a Queen
Original Music Composer
(1935)
Private Worlds
Music, Original Music Composer
(1935)
Page Miss Glory
Music
(1934)
As the Earth Turns
Music
(1934)
Mandalay
Music
(1934)
Cross Country Cruise
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Imitation of Life
Music
(1934)
The Black Cat
Music
(1934)
Journal of a Crime
Original Music Composer
(1934)
A Modern Hero
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Sweet Adeline
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Fashions of 1934
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Housewife
Original Music Composer
(1934)
A Lost Lady
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Four Frightened People
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Desirable
Original Music Composer
(1934)
British Agent
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Easy to Love
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Merry Wives of Reno
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Flirtation Walk
Music
(1934)
Bombay Mail
Original Music Composer
(1934)
Happiness Ahead
Music
(1934)
Ready for Love
Original Music Composer
(1933)
The Invisible Man
Original Music Composer, Conductor
(1933)
Too Much Harmony
Music
(1933)
I'm No Angel
Original Music Composer
(1933)
(1933)
The Sin of Nora Moran
Original Music Composer
(1932)
(1931)
Up for Murder
Music
(1931)
Dracula
Music Supervisor, Conductor
(1931)
Drácula
Conductor, Music Supervisor
(1930)
A Lady Surrenders
Music
(1930)
What Men Want
Music
(1930)
Captain of the Guard
Songs
(1929)
Hell's Heroes
Original Music Composer