Biography
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Louis Levy (20 November 1894 – 18 August 1957) was an English film composer and music director, who worked in particular on Alfred Hitchcock and Will Hay films. He was born in London and died in Slough, Berkshire.
As a child Louis Levy played the violin, beginning with a toy violin that his father bought him at the age of seven. He later became the pupil of Guido Papini but due to his parents' limited means, ended his studies with Papini and began a period of self-study. This led to him gaining a scholarship at the London College of Music. Papini refused to allow Levy to study under anyone else, so resumed his tuition, this time free of charge.
He started his career in 1910 arranging and performing music for silent films. In 1916 he became musical director for the New Gallery Cinema in London. In 1921, he went to the Shepherd’s Bush Pavilion as Music Chief and is credited with being the first to develop the theme song in movies.
At the beginning of talkies, he joined the Gaumont British studios at Shepherd’s Bush, where he became the head of the music department for all Gainsborough Pictures productions from 1933 onwards. The rich sounds emanating from his large orchestra are all the more impressive when one realises that electrical sound industry was barely ten years old. He worked in particular on Alfred Hitchcock and Will Hay films.
He later had a long running BBC radio series Music From the Movies, which started in 1936 and went on until the 1950s.
At this time, through the sheer necessity of having to produce so much music he employed several talented arrangers, among them Peter Yorke ) and Bretton Byrd, who was his chief music editor at Gaumont British.
Filmography
all 124
Movies 124
Director 88
Writer 2
Producer 1
No Time for Tears (1957)
Let's Be Happy (1957)
It's Great to be Young! (1956)
Now and Forever (1956)
Moby Dick (1956)
Yield to the Night (1956)
The Dam Busters (1955)
The Dark Avenger (1955)
Isn't Life Wonderful! (1954)
Duel in the Jungle (1954)
Happy Ever After (1954)
The Weak and the Wicked (1954)
Will Any Gentleman...? (1953)
South of Algiers (1953)
24 Hours of a Woman's Life (1952)
Where's Charley? (1952)
So Little Time (1952)
Young Wives' Tale (1951)
Laughter in Paradise (1951)
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
The Franchise Affair (1951)
Portrait of Clare (1950)
Murder Without Crime (1950)
Stage Fright (1950)
Obsession (1949)
Man on the Run (1949)
The Queen of Spades (1949)
Caravan (1946)
I'll Be Your Sweetheart (1945)
Love Story (1944)
Two Thousand Women (1944)
Give Us the Moon (1944)
Time Flies (1944)
Fanny by Gaslight (1944)
The Adventures of Tartu (1943)
Dear Octopus (1943)
The Man in Grey (1943)
The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)
Uncensored (1942)
Back-Room Boy (1942)
Gasbags (1941)
Neutral Port (1940)
Night Train to Munich (1940)
Girl in the News (1940)
Busman's Honeymoon (1940)
An Englishman's Home (1940)
Shipyard Sally (1939)
A Girl Must Live (1939)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Ask a Policeman (1939)
The Lambeth Walk (1939)
Everything Happens to Me (1938)
The Citadel (1938)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Crackerjack (1938)
Alf's Button Afloat (1938)
Sailing Along (1938)
Young and Innocent (1937)
Non-Stop New York (1937)
The Gap (1937)
Doctor Syn (1937)
Gangway (1937)
O-Kay for Sound (1937)
Sabotage (1937)
Take My Tip (1937)
Command Performance (1937)
All In! (1936)
Everything Is Thunder (1936)
Tudor Rose (1936)
East Meets West (1936)
Seven Sinners (1936)
Secret Agent (1936)
It's Love Again (1936)
First Offence (1936)
Foreign Affaires (1935)
The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1935)
Bulldog Jack (1935)
Boys Will Be Boys (1935)
The 39 Steps (1935)
Heat Wave (1935)
Oh, Daddy! (1935)
Car of Dreams (1935)
My Heart Is Calling (1935)
Dirty Work (1934)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Road House (1934)
Little Friend (1934)
Forbidden Territory (1934)
My Old Dutch (1934)
It's a Boy (1934)
A Cup of Kindness (1934)
Man of Aran (1934)
Evergreen (1934)
The Ghoul (1933)
Sleeping Car (1933)
Waltz Time (1933)
The Midshipmaid (1932)
After the Ball (1932)
Baroud (1932)
Rome Express (1932)
There Goes the Bride (1932)
Love on Wheels (1932)
Jack's the Boy (1932)
White Face (1932)
The Faithful Heart (1932)
Lord Babs (1932)
Michael and Mary (1931)
No Lady (1931)
Bed and Breakfast (1930)
Just for a Song (1930)
Balaclava (1928)
The Arcadians (1927)
She (1925)
Information
Known ForSound
GenderMale
Birthday1894-11-20
Deathday1957-08-18 (62 years old)
Birth PlaceLondon, United Kingdom
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom
Also Known AsL. Levy
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