Louis Levy

Personal Info

Known For Sound

Gender Male

Birthday 1894-11-20

Deathday 1957-08-18 (62 years old)

Place of Birth London, England, UK

Also Known As L. Levy

Louis Levy

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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.

Known For

Sound

1957
No Time for Tears

as Music Director

1957
Let's Be Happy

as Music Director

1956
Moby Dick

as Conductor

1956
It's Great to be Young!

as Music Director

1956
Now and Forever

as Music Director

1956
Yield to the Night

as Music Director

1955
The Dark Avenger

as Conductor

1955
The Dam Busters

as Music Director

1954
Isn't Life Wonderful!

as Music Director

1954
Duel in the Jungle

as Music Director

1954
Happy Ever After

as Music Director

1954
The Weak and the Wicked

as Music Director

1953
South of Algiers

as Music Director

1953
1952
24 Hours of a Woman's Life

as Music Director

1952
Where's Charley?

as Music Director

1952
So Little Time

as Music Director

1951
Young Wives' Tale

as Music Director

1951
Captain Horatio Hornblower

as Music Director

1951
Laughter in Paradise

as Music Director

1951
The Franchise Affair

as Music Director

1950
Stage Fright

as Music Director

1950
Murder Without Crime

as Music Director

1950
Portrait of Clare

as Music Director

1949
The Queen of Spades

as Music Director

1949
Obsession

as Conductor

1949
Man on the Run

as Music Director

1946
Caravan

as Music Director

1944
Fanny by Gaslight

as Music Director

1944
Two Thousand Women

as Music Director

1944
Love Story

as Music Director

1944
Time Flies

as Music Director

1944
Give Us the Moon

as Music Director

1943
The Adventures of Tartu

as Music Director

1943
Dear Octopus

as Music Director

1943
The Man in Grey

as Music Director

1942
The Young Mr. Pitt

as Music Director

1942
Uncensored

as Music Director

1941
Gasbags

as Original Music Composer

1941
1940
For Freedom

as Music

1940
1940
An Englishman's Home

as Music Director

1940
Girl in the News

as Music Director

1940
Neutral Port

as Music Director

1940
Night Train to Munich

as Original Music Composer

1940
Night Train to Munich

as Music Director

1940
Girl in the News

as Original Music Composer

1939
Ask a Policeman

as Music Director

1939
A Girl Must Live

as Music Director

1939
Goodbye, Mr. Chips

as Music Director

1939
The Lambeth Walk

as Music Director

1938
The Lady Vanishes

as Original Music Composer

1938
Crackerjack

as Music Director

1938
Sailing Along

as Music Director

1938
Alf's Button Afloat

as Music Director

1938
The Citadel

as Original Music Composer

1938
The Lady Vanishes

as Music Director

1938
Bank Holiday

as Music

1938
Everything Happens to Me

as Music Director

1937
The Gap

as Music

1937
Young and Innocent

as Original Music Composer

1937
Gangway

as Music Director

1937
Take My Tip

as Music Director

1937
Sabotage

as Music

1937
Young and Innocent

as Music Director

1937
Sabotage

as Music Director

1937
Command Performance

as Music Director

1937
Non-Stop New York

as Original Music Composer

1937
Non-Stop New York

as Music Director

1937
Doctor Syn

as Music Director

1936
Everything Is Thunder

as Original Music Composer

1936
Secret Agent

as Music Director

1936
All In!

as Music Director

1936
East Meets West

as Music Director

1936
First Offence

as Music Director

1936
1936
Seven Sinners

as Original Music Composer

1936
Tudor Rose

as Music Director

1936
Seven Sinners

as Music Director

1935
The 39 Steps

as Original Music Composer

1935
My Heart Is Calling

as Music Director

1935
Boys Will Be Boys

as Original Music Composer

1935
1935
Oh, Daddy!

as Music Director

1935
Foreign Affaires

as Original Music Composer

1935
Car of Dreams

as Music Director

1935
Bulldog Jack

as Music Director

1935
The 39 Steps

as Conductor

1935
The 39 Steps

as Music Director

1935
Heat Wave

as Music Director

1934
The Man Who Knew Too Much

as Music Director

1934
Dirty Work

as Music Director

1934
Little Friend

as Music Director

1934
A Cup of Kindness

as Music Director

1934
My Old Dutch

as Music Director

1934
Road House

as Music Director

1934
Forbidden Territory

as Original Music Composer

1934
Evergreen

as Music Director

1934
Man of Aran

as Music Director

1934
It's a Boy

as Music Director

1933
The Ghoul

as Original Music Composer

1932
Baroud

as Music Director

1932
Lord Babs

as Music Director

1932
Love on Wheels

as Music Director

1932
The Faithful Heart

as Music Director

1932
The Midshipmaid

as Music Director

1932
Jack's the Boy

as Music Director

1932
After the Ball

as Music Director

1932
White Face

as Music Director

1932
Rome Express

as Music Director

1931
Michael and Mary

as Music Director

1931
1931
No Lady

as Music

1930
Bed and Breakfast

as Music Director

1930
Just for a Song

as Music Director

1928
Balaclava

as Music Director

1927
The Arcadians

as Music Arranger

1925
She

as Music

Writer

1942
Back-Room Boy

as Musical

1933
Waltz Time

as Writer

1915

Crew

1935

Producer

1945
I'll Be Your Sweetheart

as Associate Producer

Actor

1937
O-Kay for Sound

as Conductor