Leroy Shield
Encyclopedia
Leroy Shield was an American
film score
and radio
composer
.
, Shield was an employee of RCA Victor's National Broadcasting Company
, for which he composed and conducted on-air musical pieces. Starting approximately 1922 (seven years before the Victor Talking Machine was bought by RCA and became RCA Victor), Shield was a Victor house musician, conducting and providing piano accompaniment on many hundreds of popular and USF (foreign language and ethnic recordings for issue in the United States) Victor recordings. He also worked as a part-time employee for the Hal Roach
film studio, composing countless background themes that became associated with such Roach comedy series as Laurel and Hardy
, Our Gang
, ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd
, and Charley Chase
. One of his compositions for the 1930 Our Gang 1930 short Teacher's Pet
, "Good Old Days," became the theme song of the series. His 1930 song "Beautiful Lady" was used as the theme song for the Pitts and Todd
films.
. Shield continued to work for NBC in various musical capacities, including composition and conducting. He also authored two tone poems (Glouchester and The Great Bell) and the classical Union Pacific Suite.
After touring with Toscanini
during the early 1950s, Shield retired in 1955. He died on January 9, 1962 in Vero Beach, Florida
.
(named after the Laurel and Hardy
film) transcribed and recorded compositions by Shield. These recordings drew praise from cartoonist R. Crumb (who rendered a portrait of Shield for the CD cover). These recordings led to a renewed appreciation of the composer's work.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Career
A native of Waseca, MinnesotaWaseca, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,388 households, and 2,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,215.6 people per square mile . There were 3,563 housing units at an average density of 929.5 per square mile...
, Shield was an employee of RCA Victor's National Broadcasting Company
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, for which he composed and conducted on-air musical pieces. Starting approximately 1922 (seven years before the Victor Talking Machine was bought by RCA and became RCA Victor), Shield was a Victor house musician, conducting and providing piano accompaniment on many hundreds of popular and USF (foreign language and ethnic recordings for issue in the United States) Victor recordings. He also worked as a part-time employee for the Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
film studio, composing countless background themes that became associated with such Roach comedy series as Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
, ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd
Pitts and Todd
Pitts and Todd were a comedy duo from the 1930s, put together by Hal Roach as the female counterpart to Laurel and Hardy. The duo consisted of actresses Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd.-History:...
, and Charley Chase
Charley Chase
Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
. One of his compositions for the 1930 Our Gang 1930 short Teacher's Pet
Teacher's Pet (1930 short)
Teacher's Pet is a 1930 two-reel comedy short; part of the Our Gang series. It was produced by Hal Roach, directed by Robert F. McGowan, and originally released to theatres by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on October 11, 1930. It was the 101st Our Gang short to be released.-Plot:It is the first day of...
, "Good Old Days," became the theme song of the series. His 1930 song "Beautiful Lady" was used as the theme song for the Pitts and Todd
Pitts and Todd
Pitts and Todd were a comedy duo from the 1930s, put together by Hal Roach as the female counterpart to Laurel and Hardy. The duo consisted of actresses Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd.-History:...
films.
Later career and death
Due to a series of miscommunications, Shield's requests for scoring assignments from the Roach organization were repeatedly declined after 1936, going instead to Marvin HatleyMarvin Hatley
Thomas Marvin Hatley , professionally known simply as Marvin Hatley, was an American film composer and musical director, best known for his work for the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940....
. Shield continued to work for NBC in various musical capacities, including composition and conducting. He also authored two tone poems (Glouchester and The Great Bell) and the classical Union Pacific Suite.
After touring with Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th century, he was renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
during the early 1950s, Shield retired in 1955. He died on January 9, 1962 in Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
.
Legacy
In 1992, the Dutch musical group The Beau HunksThe Beau Hunks
The Beau Hunks are a Dutch revivalist music ensemble who have performed and recorded the vintage works of composers Leroy Shield, Raymond Scott, Edward McDowell, Ferde Grofé, and others. They have been referred to as a "documentary orchestra," because they perform note-perfect renditions of music...
(named after the Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
film) transcribed and recorded compositions by Shield. These recordings drew praise from cartoonist R. Crumb (who rendered a portrait of Shield for the CD cover). These recordings led to a renewed appreciation of the composer's work.
External links
- Leroy Shield, Composer
- Discography of Leroy Shield on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)