Saul Chaplin facts for kids

Saul Chaplin (born February 19, 1912 – died November 15, 1997) was a talented American composer and musical director. He was born Saul Kaplan in Brooklyn, New York. Saul Chaplin helped create music for movies, TV shows, and stage plays for many years. He won three Oscars for his work on famous movie musicals. These movies include An American in Paris (1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and West Side Story (1961).

Saul Chaplin's Early Life and Career

Saul Chaplin studied accounting at New York University. After college, he joined ASCAP, a group that protects music creators. He started writing songs for plays and vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with many different acts.

Chaplin also wrote songs for New York's famous Tin Pan Alley. This was an area where many songwriters and music publishers worked. While in New York, Chaplin teamed up with Sammy Cahn. They wrote songs for short movies made by Warner Brothers. Sometimes, they were known simply as "Cahn and Chaplin."

Moving to Hollywood and Big Hits

Cahn and Chaplin later moved to Hollywood. There, they wrote music for two films for Universal Pictures. Chaplin then went to work for Columbia Pictures. He helped create music for movies like Cover Girl and The Jolson Story.

While working on The Jolson Story, Chaplin and Al Jolson wrote a very popular song. It was called The Anniversary Song and sold millions of copies.

Working at MGM and Winning Awards

In the late 1940s, Chaplin started working at MGM, a major movie studio. He worked on many famous films there. Some of these include On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). He also worked on High Society (1956) and Merry Andrew (1958).

Chaplin was honored for his work in 1985. He was added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This was for helping to create hit songs like Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. He won three Academy Awards for his movie music. These awards were for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, An American in Paris, and West Side Story. He was also nominated for his work on Kiss Me Kate and High Society.

Becoming an Associate Producer

In the early 1960s, Chaplin started working as an associate producer. This meant he helped manage the making of films. He worked on many important movies during this time. These include Can-Can (1960) and West Side Story (1961). He also worked on The Sound of Music (1965) and Man of La Mancha (1972).

In 1994, he wrote a book about his life. It was called The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me. In his book, he shared stories about making movies. He also wrote about his friendships with many famous artists. These included Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.

Saul Chaplin's Family Life

Saul Chaplin was married twice. His first wife was Ethel Schwartz. They had a daughter named Judith. Judith later married Harold Prince. Saul and Ethel divorced in 1950. In 1968, Chaplin married Betty Levin. Betty worked on the movie The Sound of Music as a script supervisor.

Saul Chaplin's Passing

In late 1997, Saul Chaplin had a fall. He was 85 years old. He passed away on November 15, 1997, due to his injuries. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Selected Film Work