Heinz Roemheld
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.
Photos
Movies (216)
Let's Kill Uncle
1966 · Music
King Kong vs. Godzilla
1963 · Music
Lad: A Dog
1962 · Music
Ride Lonesome
1959 · Original Music Composer
Step Down to Terror
1958 · Music
This Is Russia!
1958 · Music
Decision at Sundown
1957 · Conductor, Original Music Composer
The Land Unknown
1957 · Original Music Composer
The Monster That Challenged the World
1957 · Conductor, Original Music Composer, Music Director
The Tall T
1957 · Original Music Composer
The Night Runner
1957 · Music
The Mole People
1956 · Original Music Composer
Pillars of the Sky
1956 · Original Music Composer
Miami Exposé
1956 · Music
Away All Boats
1956 · Original Music Composer
World in My Corner
1956 · Music
The Creature Walks Among Us
1956 · Original Music Composer
There's Always Tomorrow
1956 · Original Music Composer
The Square Jungle
1955 · Original Music Composer
Female on the Beach
1955 · Original Music Composer
Captain Lightfoot
1955 · Music
Phffft
1954 · Additional Music
The Moonlighter
1953 · Music
Ruby Gentry
1952 · Original Music Composer
Loan Shark
1952 · Original Music Composer
Jack and the Beanstalk
1952 · Original Music Composer
The Big Trees
1952 · Original Music Composer
Chicago Calling
1951 · Original Music Composer
Insurance Investigator
1951 · Original Music Composer
Valentino
1951 · Original Music Composer
Union Station
1950 · Original Music Composer
The Fuller Brush Girl
1950 · Original Music Composer
Kill the Umpire
1950 · Original Music Composer
The Good Humor Man
1950 · Original Music Composer
Miss Grant Takes Richmond
1949 · Original Music Composer
Mr. Soft Touch
1949 · Original Music Composer
The Lucky Stiff
1949 · Original Music Composer
My Dear Secretary
1948 · Original Music Composer
The Girl from Manhattan
1948 · Music, Original Music Composer
Station West
1948 · Original Music Composer
The Fuller Brush Man
1948 · Original Music Composer
I, Jane Doe
1948 · Original Music Composer
Here Comes Trouble
1948 · Music
The Woman from Tangier
1948 · Original Music Composer
On Our Merry Way
1948 · Original Music Composer
The Lady from Shanghai
1947 · Original Music Composer
The Flame
1947 · Original Music Composer
Christmas Eve
1947 · Music
Curley
1947 · Original Music Composer
The Chase
1946 · Music Director
A Scandal in Paris
1946 · Conductor
O.S.S.
1946 · Music
Too Young to Know
1945 · Original Music Composer
Janie
1944 · Original Music Composer
Make Your Own Bed
1944 · Original Music Composer
Find the Blackmailer
1943 · Original Music Composer
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943 · Music
Background to Danger
1943 · Additional Music
The Hard Way
1943 · Original Music Composer
Gentleman Jim
1942 · Original Music Composer
The Mummy's Tomb
1942 · Music
Yankee Doodle Dandy
1942 · Original Music Composer
Always in My Heart
1942 · Music
The Male Animal
1942 · Original Music Composer
Black Dragons
1942 · Music
Blues in the Night
1941 · Original Music Composer
Law of the Tropics
1941 · Original Music Composer
Manpower
1941 · Additional Music
Riders of Death Valley
1941 · Original Music Composer
Underground
1941 · Additional Music
Out of the Fog
1941 · Original Music Composer
Affectionately Yours
1941 · Original Music Composer
Thieves Fall Out
1941 · Original Music Composer
The Wagons Roll at Night
1941 · Original Music Composer
Invisible Ghost
1941 · Music
The Strawberry Blonde
1941 · Original Music Composer
Flight from Destiny
1941 · Original Music Composer
Honeymoon for Three
1941 · Music
Four Mothers
1941 · Original Music Composer
Lady with Red Hair
1940 · Original Music Composer
No Time for Comedy
1940 · Music
The Man Who Talked Too Much
1940 · Music
My Love Came Back
1940 · Music
Brother Orchid
1940 · Original Music Composer
It All Came True
1940 · Original Music Composer
Brother Rat and a Baby
1940 · Original Music Composer
Invisible Stripes
1939 · Original Music Composer
The Mad Empress
1939 · Music
A Child is Born
1939 · Original Music Composer
The Roaring Twenties
1939 · Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
1939 · Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter
1939 · Original Music Composer
You Can't Get Away with Murder
1939 · Original Music Composer
Nancy Drew... Reporter
1939 · Original Music Composer
King of the Underworld
1939 · Original Music Composer
Comet Over Broadway
1938 · Music
Nancy Drew… Detective
1938 · Music
Four's a Crowd
1938 · Original Music Composer
The Young in Heart
1938 · Original Music Composer
Men Are Such Fools
1938 · Original Music Composer
Gold Diggers in Paris
1938 · Original Music Composer
Love, Honor and Behave
1938 · Original Music Composer
A Slight Case of Murder
1938 · Original Music Composer
Hollywood Hotel
1938 · Music
I Met My Love Again
1938 · Original Music Composer, Music Director
The Adventurous Blonde
1937 · Music
West of Shanghai
1937 · Original Music Composer
Stand-In
1937 · Original Music Composer
The Perfect Specimen
1937 · Original Music Composer
Alcatraz Island
1937 · Original Music Composer
It's Love I'm After
1937 · Original Music Composer
The Outer Gate
1937 · Original Music Composer
Kid Galahad
1937 · Original Music Composer
Draegerman Courage
1937 · Original Music Composer
Mountain Justice
1937 · Music
Night Key
1937 · Music
Call It a Day
1937 · Music
Marked Woman
1937 · Original Music Composer
Gold Diggers of 1937
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Mandarin Mystery
1936 · Original Music Composer
Three Smart Girls
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Case of the Black Cat
1936 · Music
Two in a Crowd
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Luckiest Girl in the World
1936 · Sound
Cain and Mabel
1936 · Original Music Composer
Give Me Your Heart
1936 · Music
Postal Inspector
1936 · Original Music Composer
Earthworm Tractors
1936 · Musical
Satan Met a Lady
1936 · Original Music Composer
Two Against the World
1936 · Music
The White Angel
1936 · Original Music Composer
Hearts Divided
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Golden Arrow
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Law in Her Hands
1936 · Music
Dracula's Daughter
1936 · Original Music Composer
I Married a Doctor
1936 · Original Music Composer
Big Brown Eyes
1936 · Additional Music
Snowed Under
1936 · Original Music Composer
Road Gang
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Preview Murder Mystery
1936 · Additional Music
The Story of Louis Pasteur
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Voice of Bugle Ann
1936 · Original Music Composer
Tough Guy
1936 · Original Music Composer
Her Master's Voice
1936 · Original Music Composer
Rose of the Rancho
1936 · Original Music Composer
The Bride Comes Home
1935 · Music
Dangerous
1935 · Original Music Composer
East of Java
1935 · Original Music Composer
I Found Stella Parish
1935 · Original Music Composer
Mary Burns, Fugitive
1935 · Original Music Composer
Peter Ibbetson
1935 · Original Music Composer
Stormy
1935 · Music
3 Kids and a Queen
1935 · Original Music Composer
Dr. Socrates
1935 · Original Music Composer
Hands Across the Table
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Last Outpost
1935 · Original Music Composer
Page Miss Glory
1935 · Music
We're in the Money
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Irish in Us
1935 · Original Music Composer
Bright Lights
1935 · Original Music Composer
Broadway Gondolier
1935 · Music
Front Page Woman
1935 · Original Music Composer
Stranded
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Glass Key
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Girl from 10th Avenue
1935 · Original Music Composer
Werewolf of London
1935 · Music
The Devil Is a Woman
1935 · Music
Mary Jane's Pa
1935 · Original Music Composer
Love in Bloom
1935 · Original Music Composer
Private Worlds
1935 · Music, Original Music Composer
Four Hours to Kill!
1935 · Original Music Composer
Storm Over the Andes
1935 · Original Music Composer
Gold Diggers of 1935
1935 · Music
Living on Velvet
1935 · Music
The Good Fairy
1935 · Music Director
Maybe It's Love
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Lives of a Bengal Lancer
1935 · Original Music Composer
The Payoff
1935 · Original Music Composer
Enter Madame
1935 · Original Music Composer
Sweet Adeline
1934 · Original Music Composer
Father Brown, Detective
1934 · Original Music Composer
Flirtation Walk
1934 · Music
Ready for Love
1934 · Original Music Composer
Imitation of Life
1934 · Music
Happiness Ahead
1934 · Music
Madame du Barry
1934 · Original Music Composer
A Lost Lady
1934 · Original Music Composer
British Agent
1934 · Original Music Composer
Desirable
1934 · Original Music Composer
Housewife
1934 · Original Music Composer
The Black Cat
1934 · Music
A Modern Hero
1934 · Original Music Composer
Merry Wives of Reno
1934 · Original Music Composer
Journal of a Crime
1934 · Original Music Composer
As the Earth Turns
1934 · Music
Fashions of 1934
1934 · Original Music Composer
Mandalay
1934 · Music
Madame Spy
1934 · Original Music Composer
Four Frightened People
1934 · Original Music Composer
Cross Country Cruise
1934 · Original Music Composer
Easy to Love
1934 · Original Music Composer
Bombay Mail
1934 · Original Music Composer
The Sin of Nora Moran
1933 · Original Music Composer
The Invisible Man
1933 · Original Music Composer, Conductor
I'm No Angel
1933 · Original Music Composer
Too Much Harmony
1933 · Music
Secret of the Blue Room
1933 · Music
The Doomed Battalion
1932 · Music
Murders in the Rue Morgue
1932 · Music
Up for Murder
1931 · Music
Drácula
1931 · Conductor, Music Supervisor
Dracula
1931 · Music Supervisor, Conductor
A Lady Surrenders
1930 · Music
What Men Want
1930 · Music
Captain of the Guard
1930 · Songs
Hell's Heroes
1929 · Original Music Composer
TV shows (0)
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