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Gilbert (Herschel) papers
PASC-M.0268
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Description
The collection consists of manuscript scores (holographs or copies) and open reel tapes of music composed by Herschel Gilbert
for television series and motion pictures, and includes some related materials such as parts, cues, lyrics sheets, and sketches.
Background
Herschel Burke Gilbert was born in 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Following early studies on the violin, he attended Milwaukee
State Teachers College, then the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied conducting with Albert Stoessel and composition
with Bernard Wagenaar and Vittorio Giannini. In 1942 he came to Hollywood from New York to work as a violist and arranger
for the Harry James Orchestra, during which time he also studied with composer Ernst Toch. In the mid-'40s he began orchestrating
and arranging for Dmitri Tiomkin (It's a Wonderful Life) and other studio composers, then going on to compose his own music
for a number of feature films in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. He was nominated for three Academy Awards: "The Thief" (1952;
score); "The Moon is Blue" (1953; title song); and "Carmen Jones" (1954; score for a musical). Additional film scores included
"Mr. District Attorney" (1947), "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950), "The Bold and the Brave" (1956), "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"
(1957), and many others. Around 1951 he started composing for television, the medium for which he is perhaps best remembered.
In 1958 he joined Dick Powell's Four Star Television company later becoming the company's Executive Music Director. Of particular
note from this period is his title theme and music for "The Rifleman" television series. Other series for which he composed
scores or themes included "Wanted: Dead or Alive", "Johnny Ringo", "Burke's Law", "Gunsmoke", "Gilligan's Island", and "The
Big Valley", among others. He became music director for CBS Television Network in 1964 and retired in 1966, forming Laurel
Records, a label focusing on the music of contemporary composers. In the course of his career, he served as President of the
Film Music Society, the Screen Composers Guild, and the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC), and also
served with the LA chapters of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences.
Extent
206.5 Linear Feet
(409 boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Portions of collection unprocessed. Material in the 2018 Addition series is unavailable for access. Please contact Special
Collections reference (spec-coll@library.ucla.edu) for more information.