Sol Kaplan
Encyclopedia
Sol Kaplan was a prolific film and television music composer.
Born in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, Kaplan worked as a successful concert pianist, including performing at Carnegie Hall
in 1941. That same year, Kaplan composed his first film score. He went on to write music for dozens of films including the 1953 films Titanic
and Niagara. His film career was disrupted during the 1950s when he was blacklisted
after being uncooperative in testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. For Star Trek
, Kaplan scored two episodes, "The Enemy Within
" and "The Doomsday Machine". Jeff Bond notes, "Although he wrote only two scores for the series, New York composer Sol Kaplan's music was tracked endlessly throughout the show's first two seasons."
Kaplan was married to the actress Frances Heflin
(sister of actor Van Heflin
). Their son is the film director Jonathan Kaplan
; they also had two daughters, Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan Ahern. Sol Kaplan died of lung cancer
in 1990.
by HUAC after John Garfield
mentioned during his testimony that Kaplan was a friend of his. Kaplan had never been publicly identified as a Communist; Garfield denied being a Communist; yet Kaplan was fired from Twentieth Century Fox, where he had been under contract for a year. Kaplan protested that many top studio executives were friends of Garfield, including the man firing him, and he was reinstated on a week-to-week "probation" basis. His testimony took place on April 8, 1953. During it, he challenged the committee to produce his accusers, and invoked the Bill of Rights
in refusing to cooperate. On Kaplan's return to work after his testimony, he was told he might be able to keep his job if he would appear privately before Congressman Clyde Doyle
. Kaplan refused, and was fired the same day.
Born in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Kaplan worked as a successful concert pianist, including performing at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in 1941. That same year, Kaplan composed his first film score. He went on to write music for dozens of films including the 1953 films Titanic
Titanic (1953 film)
Titanic is a 1953 American drama film directed by Jean Negulesco. Its plot centers on an estranged couple sailing on the maiden voyage of the , which took place in April 1912.-Plot:...
and Niagara. His film career was disrupted during the 1950s when he was blacklisted
Hollywood blacklist
The Hollywood blacklist—as the broader entertainment industry blacklist is generally known—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political beliefs or...
after being uncooperative in testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. For Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, Kaplan scored two episodes, "The Enemy Within
The Enemy Within (TOS episode)
"The Enemy Within" is an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It was first broadcast on October 6, 1966. It is the fifth episode of the first season, and was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Leo Penn....
" and "The Doomsday Machine". Jeff Bond notes, "Although he wrote only two scores for the series, New York composer Sol Kaplan's music was tracked endlessly throughout the show's first two seasons."
Kaplan was married to the actress Frances Heflin
Frances Heflin
Mary Frances Heflin was an American actress.-Life and career:Heflin was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Fanny Bleecker and Dr. Emmett Evan Heflin, a dentist. She was the sister of Academy Award-winning actor Van Heflin...
(sister of actor Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
). Their son is the film director Jonathan Kaplan
Jonathan Kaplan
Jonathan Kaplan is an American film producer and director.Kaplan was born in Paris, France. He is the son of film composer Sol Kaplan and actress Frances Heflin; the nephew of actor Van Heflin. He is the brother of actresses Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan...
; they also had two daughters, Nora Heflin and Mady Kaplan Ahern. Sol Kaplan died of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in 1990.
Partial filmography
- The Tell-Tale HeartThe Tell-Tale Heart (1941 film)The Tell-Tale Heart is a 1941 American drama film directed by Jules Dassin. The screenplay by Doane R. Hoag is based on the 1843 short story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe....
(1941) - Tales of ManhattanTales of ManhattanTales of Manhattan is a 1942 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier. Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart worked on the six stories in this film.-Cast:...
(1942) - Hollow TriumphHollow TriumphHollow Triumph, also known as The Scar in the United Kingdom, is a film noir released in 1948. It was directed by Steve Sekely and stars Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett.-Plot:...
(1948) - Port of New York (1949)
- TrappedTrapped (1949 film)Trapped is a semidocumentary film noir directed by Richard Fleischer, written by George Zuckerman and Earl Felton. The drama features Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt, and others....
(1949) - The Secret of Convict LakeThe Secret of Convict LakeThe Secret of Convict Lake is a 1951 black-and-white western film starring Glenn Ford and Gene Tierney. It was directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Frank P. Rosenberg, with music by Sol Kaplan...
(1951) - I'd Climb the Highest MountainI'd Climb the Highest MountainI'd Climb the Highest Mountain is a 1951 religious drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Henry King and produced by Lamar Trotti from a screenplay by Henry King and Lamar Trotti based on the novel by Corra Harris...
(1951) - RawhideRawhide (1951 film)Rawhide is a 1951 western film made by Twentieth Century-Fox. It was directed by Henry Hathaway and produced by Samuel G. Engel from a screenplay by Dudley Nichols. The music score was by Sol Kaplan and the song "A Rollin' Stone" by Lionel Newman. The cinematography was by Milton R...
(1951) (with Lionel NewmanLionel NewmanLionel Newman was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He was the brother of Alfred Newman and Emil Newman, uncle of Randy Newman, David Newman and Thomas Newman, and grandfather of Joey Newman....
) - Diplomatic CourierDiplomatic CourierDiplomatic Courier is a 1952 film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Tyrone Power and Patricia Neal.-Cast:*Tyrone Power as Mike Kells*Patricia Neal as Joan Ross*Hildegard Knef as Janine Betki*Stephen McNally as Col. Mark Cagle...
(1952) - Destination GobiDestination GobiDestination Gobi is a 1953 Technicolor war film in which Sam McHale heads a group of US Navy men, sent to Mongolia for weather observation. McHale must lead his men across the treacherous Gobi desert to the freedom of the seacoast...
(1953) - Salt of the EarthSalt of the EarthSalt of the Earth is an American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics....
(1954) - Seven Wonders of the World (1955) (with Jerome MorossJerome MorossJerome Moross was an American-born composer for the stage, and a composer, conductor and orchestrator for motion pictures.-Biography:...
, Emil Newman, David RaksinDavid RaksinDavid Raksin was an American composer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With over 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music." One of his earliest film assignments was as assistant to Charlie Chaplin in the composition of the score...
) - The Spy Who Came in from the ColdThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
(1965) - Judith (1966)
- Over the EdgeOver the Edge (film)Over the Edge is a drama film directed by Jonathan Kaplan released in 1979. Due to the negative publicity surrounding a wave of recent youth gang films, Over the Edge had a limited theatrical release in late 1979...
(1979)
Appearance before HUAC
Sol Kaplan had scored more than 30 Hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. He was subpoenaedSubpoena ad testificandum
A subpoena ad testificandum is a court summons to appear and give oral testimony for use at a hearing or trial. The use of a writ for purposes of compelling testimony originated in the Ecclesiastical Courts of the High Middle Ages, especially in England...
by HUAC after John Garfield
John Garfield
John Garfield was an American actor adept at playing brooding, rebellious, working-class character roles. He grew up in poverty in Depression-era New York City and in the early 1930s became an important member of the Group Theater. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, eventually becoming one of Warner...
mentioned during his testimony that Kaplan was a friend of his. Kaplan had never been publicly identified as a Communist; Garfield denied being a Communist; yet Kaplan was fired from Twentieth Century Fox, where he had been under contract for a year. Kaplan protested that many top studio executives were friends of Garfield, including the man firing him, and he was reinstated on a week-to-week "probation" basis. His testimony took place on April 8, 1953. During it, he challenged the committee to produce his accusers, and invoked the Bill of Rights
Bill of rights
A bill of rights is a list of the most important rights of the citizens of a country. The purpose of these bills is to protect those rights against infringement. The term "bill of rights" originates from England, where it referred to the Bill of Rights 1689. Bills of rights may be entrenched or...
in refusing to cooperate. On Kaplan's return to work after his testimony, he was told he might be able to keep his job if he would appear privately before Congressman Clyde Doyle
Clyde Doyle
Clyde Gilman Doyle was a United States Representative from California. He was born in Oakland, Alameda County, California. He attended public schools in Oakland, Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. He graduated from the College of Law of the University of Southern...
. Kaplan refused, and was fired the same day.
External links
- Sol Kaplan's Obituary at NYTimes.com.