Leith Stevens

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Leith Stevens (September 13, 1909 – July 23, 1970) was an American music

Leith Stevens was born in Mount Moriah, Missouri,^[1] He was a child prodigy pianist who accompanied operatic vocalist and early audio recording artist Madame Schumann-Heink.

During

As early as 1934, Stevens was active in radio broadcasting. Radio highlights in an April 28, 1934, newspaper listed "Romantic songs have been chosen by Charles Carlile, tenor, for his broadcast with Leith Stevens' orchestra over WBBM at 5:45."[2]

Stevens worked as an

Stevens' piano concerto in C minor was his first work to be used in cinema, for the 1947 Hollywood film Night Song.^[3] In the film's plot, the concerto was the work of a fictional composer played by Dana Andrews. Arthur Rubinstein played the concerto on the piano, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Eugene Ormandy. The music is tonal, with a horizontal (as distinct from vertical) compositional approach, with sophisticated harmonies and challenging virtuoso passages for the piano. The work is influenced by Delius, Rachmaninov, and Gershwin, and is both impressionist and romantic.^{[citation needed]}

He also co-wrote the Oscar-nominated title song from the 1956 movie Julie starring Doris Day. His other film scores included the following:

He also provided uncredited contributions to the Frank Capra film classic It's a Wonderful Life.

The James Dean Story

Stevens composed and conducted the music accompanying the film The James Dean Story. In 1957, Capitol Records released the eponymous album containing this music, and its anonymous sleeve notes state, "Here is the music direct from the soundtrack of The James Dean Story, a different kind of motion picture. This is a film in which there are no actors, there is no fiction. It is, instead, the story of a young man in search of himself - a story of a lonely boy growing into a lonely manhood, of a quest for discovery and meaning, of a great talent and zest for creative expression, and of a tragic end which brought more questions than answers." The sleeve notes continue, "The life of James Dean is presented on the screen through the means of a new technique - dramatic exploration of a still photograph. Together with tape recordings, existing motion picture material, and the people with whom he lived and worked, these photographs create the presence of the living character. If there are supporting roles in this picture, the parts must be credited to the people of Fairmount, Indiana, where Dean lived as a boy; to the nine million faces of New York City, where he struggled for recognition as an artist and as an individual; and to the men and women of Hollywood who shared in the development of his career."

The sleeve notes describe the music as "...unusual and exciting as the motion picture itself. Leith Stevens, the composer, captures a haunting reflection of the violent yet strangely understandable uncertainties of modern youth. Stevens, whose musical scores have distinguished such films as

, the nation's newest singing sensation, sings the theme song “Let Me Be Loved” by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans."

Television

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Stevens' television work was extensive, including composing, arranging and conducting music for 36

Music Supervisor for six popular television series, including Mannix, Mission: Impossible, "Mr. Novak," (TV series), The Odd Couple, The Brady Bunch, The Immortal, and Love, American Style

. Stevens scored episodes for:

Year	Title	Info	On CD?
1967	Hondo	Episode(s): "Massacre"	NO

Personal life and death

Stevens died at the age of 60 years due to a heart attack after learning that his wife had died in a car accident.^[4]

Discography

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With Chet Baker and Bud Shank

• Theme Music from "The James Dean Story" (World Pacific, 1956)

References

1. ISBN 978-0-7864-2834-2
   . P. 253.
2. Newspapers.com.
3. Newspapers.com.
4. ^ "Leith Stevens of Paramount Dies After Wife's Fatal Crash". New York Times. New York, New York City. July 24, 1970. p. 31. Retrieved January 21, 2021.

• Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924-1984. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1999.
  ISBN 0-7864-0351-9

External links

• Leith Stevens at
  IMDb