George Duning

American musician and film composer (1908–2000)

George Duning
BornFebruary 25, 1908
Richmond, Indiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 27, 2000(2000-02-27) (aged 92)
San Diego, California, U.S.
GenresFilm score
Occupation(s)Composer
Musical artist

George Duning (February 25, 1908 – February 27, 2000)[1] was an American musician[2] and film composer. He was born in Richmond, Indiana, and educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music,[1] where his mentor was Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

Early career

In the 1940s, Duning played trumpet and piano for the Kay Kyser band,[1] later arranging most of the music for Kyser's radio program, Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge. It was during the Kyser band's appearance in Carolina Blues (1944) that Duning's work was noticed, leading to a contract with Columbia Pictures. Duning joined the Navy in 1942 and served as a conductor and arranger with Armed Forces Radio.

Film and TV career

Morris Stoloff signed Duning to Columbia Pictures in 1946, where he worked almost exclusively through the early 1960s, collaborating most often with director Richard Quine.

Prominent Duning scores are two of the best examples of western genre – the original 3:10 to Yuma, and Cowboy – and those he composed for films as diverse as Picnic, The World of Suzie Wong, The Devil at Four O'Clock, Bell, Book and Candle, and Toys in the Attic.[1]

Duning shared music adaptation credit with Nelson Riddle for the successful 1957 film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth.

During his career Duning worked on more than 300 film and television scores. His notable television work includes Tightrope, Star Trek, The Big Valley, and Naked City, as well as TV miniseries such as Top of the Hill (1980), The Dream Merchants (1980), and Goliath Awaits (1981).

The quality of Duning's work remained consistently and remarkably high in any medium. His last feature film was The Man with Bogart's Face (1980). Duning retired in 1981.[3] Nominated five times for an Academy Award, Duning never won.[4]

Duning was an active citizen of the music industry, serving on the ASCAP Board of Directors from 1972 to 1985, and as ASCAP Vice President from 1978 to 1979. He also served on the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was active in numerous other music industry organizations. In addition to his Academy Award nominations, Duning was honored with awards from The Film Music Society, DownBeat Magazine, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and his home state of Indiana (1993 Indiana Composer of the Year).

Academy Award nominations

Golden Globes nominations

  • The World of Suzie Wong
  • All the King's Men
  • Cry for Happy (best song)

Partial filmography

TV shows

  • Alcoa Theatre (1957–1960)
  • Naked City (1958–1959)
  • Tightrope! (1959–1960)
  • Dennis the Menace (1959–1963)
  • The Farmer's Daughter (1963 TV Series: 4, Episodes)
  • Breaking Point (1963 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • No Time for Sergeants (1964 TV Series: 5, Episodes)
  • Wendy and Me (1965 TV Series: 30, Episodes)
  • Vacation Playhouse (1965 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Laredo (1965 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • The Long, Hot Summer (1965 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Journey Into Fear (1966 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • The Time Tunnel (1967 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • The Big Valley (1965–1967 TV Series: 58, Episodes)
  • Cimarron Strip (1967 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Judd, for the Defense (1967 TV Series: 1, Episodes
  • Star Trek (1967–1968 TV Series: 3, Episodes)
  • The Second Hundred Years (1967–1968 TV Series: 18, Episodes)
  • Daniel Boone (1968 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Then Came Bronson (1969 TV Series: 4, Episodes)
  • Lancer (1970 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • The Silent Force (1970 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Getting Together (1971)
  • Mannix (1967–1971 TV Series: 3, Episodes)
  • The Partridge Family (1971–1974 TV Series: 23, Episodes)
  • The Dream Merchants (1980 TV Series: 2, Episodes)
  • Disneyland (1978–1982 TV Series: 3, Episodes)
  • Zorro and Son (1983 TV Series: 5, Episodes)
  • Law & Order (1997 TV Series: 1, Episodes)
  • Star Trek: New Voyages (2004 TV Series: 1, Episodes)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 114/5. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ "Space Age Musicmaker: George Duning". Spaceagepop.com. February 27, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  3. ^ Burlingame, Jon (February 25, 2008). "The Film Music Society". The Film Music Society. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  4. ^ George Duning at IMDb

External links

  • v
  • t
  • e
1980s
1990s
  • "He's Comin' Back (The Devil)" – Music and Lyrics by Chris LeVrar (1990)
  • "Addams Groove" – Music by MC Hammer; Lyrics Felton C. Pilate II (1991)
  • "High Times, Hard Times" – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Jack Feldman (1992)
  • "Addams Family Whoomp!" – Music and Lyrics by Ralph Sall, Steve Gibson, and Cecil Glenn (1993)
  • "Marry the Mole" – Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman (1994)
  • "Walk into the Wind" – Music by David Stewart; Lyrics by Terry Hall (1995)
  • "(Pussy Pussy Pussy) Whose Kitty Cat Are You?" – Music and Lyrics by Marvin Montgomery (1996)
  • The entire song score from The Postman – Music and Lyrics by Jeffrey Barr, Glenn Burke, John Coinman, Joe Flood, Blair Forward, Maria Machado, and Jono Manson (1997)
  • "I Wanna Be Mike Ovitz!" – Music and Lyrics by Joe Eszterhas and Gary G-Wiz (1998)
  • "Wild Wild West" – Music and Lyrics by Stevie Wonder, Kool Moe Dee, and Will Smith (1999)
2000s
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