Fred Steiner facts for kids

Frederick Steiner (born February 24, 1923 – died June 23, 2011) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He wrote music for many TV shows, radio programs, and movies.

Fred Steiner is famous for creating the main theme music for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and Perry Mason. He also played a big part in the music for the original Star Trek TV show. He composed or conducted music for 29 episodes. Later, he added music to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). He also helped compose music for the movie The Color Purple (1985), which was nominated for an Oscar. He also worked on music for Return of the Jedi.

Steiner was very busy in television during the 1950s and 1960s. He wrote music for popular shows like Hogan's Heroes, Have Gun – Will Travel, The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, and Rawhide.

Early Life and Music Journey

Fred Steiner was born in New York City on February 24, 1923. His father, George Steiner, was also a film composer. Fred started playing the piano when he was six years old. By age 13, he was also studying the cello and music theory.

People thought Fred was a child prodigy, meaning he was very talented at a young age. He always wanted to compose music for films and radio, just like his dad. After high school, he earned a scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He studied music composition there and graduated in 1943.

Composing for Radio

Right after college, Fred Steiner began writing music for radio shows in New York. Some of his early work included Suspense and CBS Radio Workshop. He also composed music for short films that encouraged people to buy war bonds during World War II.

In 1945, Steiner became the first music director for This is Your FBI. This was a radio crime drama, and he composed music for 47 episodes. As radio became less popular, Steiner decided to move to television. He moved to Los Angeles in 1947.

Creating TV Show Music

Fred Steiner wrote music for many television series. He worked on many episodes of the original Star Trek. He even wrote an article for the Library of Congress about how music was made for Star Trek in the 1960s.

One of Steiner's most famous pieces is "Park Avenue Beat". This is the main theme music for the Perry Mason TV show. It was used from 1957 to 1966. The song was even covered by the Blues Brothers for a movie soundtrack. Steiner said he made the theme jazzy because he imagined the lawyer Perry Mason as a flashy character.

Steiner also composed the main theme for The Bullwinkle Show and Follow That Man. He contributed music to episodes of Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, and Amazing Stories.

Working on Feature Films

Fred Steiner composed original music for several movies. These include Run for the Sun (1956), Time Limit (1957), and The Sea Gypsies (1978). He also helped other composers by arranging or adding music to films like The Man with the Golden Arm (1956) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).

He was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Music, Original Score" for the movie The Color Purple (1985). He shared this nomination with many other talented composers.

Studying Film Music

In 1981, Steiner earned a special degree called a doctorate in musicology from the University of Southern California. His main project was about the early work of film composer Alfred Newman.

Before Steiner's work, not many people studied film music in an academic way. He was one of the first to combine the study of music with the study of film. He wrote many articles about film music for different journals.

Personal Life

Fred Steiner passed away on June 23, 2011, at his home in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. He was 88 years old and had suffered a stroke.

He was married to Shirley Steiner for 64 years. He is also survived by his two daughters, Wendy Waldman and Jillian Sandrock. He had a sister, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Fred Steiner para niños

• The Film Music Society