Paul Smith (film and television composer)

For other people of the same name, see Paul Smith (disambiguation).

Paul Smith
Born	Paul J. Smith (1906-10-30)October 30, 1906 Calumet, Michigan
Died	Glendale, California
Cause of death	Alzheimer's Disease
Occupation	American film composer
Years active	1940-1985

Paul J. Smith (October 30, 1906 - January 25, 1985) was an American music composer.

Biography

He was born in Calumet, Michigan on October 30, 1906. Upon graduating high school, Smith studied music at The College of Idaho from 1923 to 1925 before he was accepted into the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois. His musical genius in theory and composition earned him a scholarship in music theory to study at Julliard. However, it is unclear if he ever pursued this invitation. Smith spent much of his life working at Disney as composer for many of its films' scores, animated and live-action alike, movie and television alike (from 1962 to 1963, he also composed music for Leave It to Beaver). In Fantasia, he is one of the studio employees in the orchestra. He also composed the scores for several of the True-Life Adventures episodes. His addition to this series would be his most influential mark in music and become a fundamental part of the education for generations of American students. His main collaborator and partner was Hazel "Gil" George. She wrote the song title for The Light in the Forest with him and Lawrence Edward Watkin. Smith also did the stock music for the Blondie series of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Score with Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Pinocchio as his first and only Oscar win.

Death

He died on January 25, 1985 in Glendale, California, from Alzheimer's Disease at age 78.

In 1994, he was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend.

Animation scores

• Thru the Mirror, 1936
• Don Donald, 1937
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
• The Practical Pig, 1939
• Pinocchio, 1940
• Bone Trouble, 1940
• Fantasia, 1940 (violinist in orchestra)
• Fire Chief, 1940
• Pluto's Playmate, 1941
• Canine Caddy, 1941
• A Gentleman's Gentleman, 1941
• Donald Gets Drafted, 1942
• Bambi, 1942 (orchestrator)
• Saludos Amigos, 1943
• Fall Out Fall In, 1943
• Victory Through Air Power, 1943
• The Old Army Game, 1943
• Home Defense, 1943
• Donald's Off Day, 1944
• Tiger Trouble, 1945
• The Three Caballeros, 1945
• The Eyes Have It, 1945
• Californy'er Bust, 1945
• Hockey Homicide, 1945
• Song of the South, 1946 (cartoon segments)
• Fun and Fancy Free, 1947
• Mail Dog, 1947
• Melody Time, 1948 (Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed)
• So Dear to My Heart, 1949
• Toy Tinkers, 1949
• Cinderella, 1950
• Trailer Horn, 1950
• Puss Cafe, 1950
• Motor Mania, 1950
• Pests of the West, 1950
• Food For Feudin', 1950
• Hook, Lion and Sinker, 1950
• Camp Dog, 1950
• Hold That Pose, 1950
• Lion Down, 1951
• Dude Duck, 1951
• Test Pilot Donald, 1951
• Lucky Number, 1951
• R'Coon Dawg, 1951
• Get Rich Quick, 1951
• Cold Turkey, 1951
• Fathers Are People, 1951
• Out of Scale, 1951
• No Smoking, 1951
• Two-Gun Goofy, 1952
• Susie the Little Blue Coupe, 1952
• The Little House, 1952
• Trick or Treat, 1952
• Father's Day Off, 1953
• The Simple Things, 1953

Live-action scores (not counting TV)

• Glamour Girl, 1948
• The Strange Mrs. Crane, 1948
• Love Happy, 1949 (conductor)
• In Beaver Valley, 1950 includes "Jing-a-Ling", lyrics added by Don Raye
• Pecos River, 1951
• About Face, 1952
• Water Birds, 1952
• The Living Desert, 1953
• The Vanishing Prairie, 1954
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 1954
• The Great Locomotive Chase, 1956
• Secrets of Life, 1956
• Westward Ho, the Wagons!, 1956
• Perri, 1957
• The Light in the Forest, 1958
• The Shaggy Dog, 1959
• Pollyanna, 1960
• Swiss Family Robinson, 1960
• The Parent Trap, 1961
• Moon Pilot, 1962
• Bon Voyage!, 1962
• Search of the Castaways, 1962
• Miracle of the White Stallions, 1963
• Yellowstone Cubs, 1963
• Ida the Offbeat Eagle, 1964
• The Three Lives of Thomasina, 1964

External links

• Paul Smith at the Internet Movie Database