Reginald Hazeltine Bassett (September 3, 1878 – April 24, 1951) was an American composer and orchestrator who led a prolific career in film. He contributed music to over one hundred major movies from the 1920s to the 1940s. He is virtually unknown because he worked under a film studio system that not only controlled the copyrights to his music but also allowed others to take screen credit for his work.
Reginald Hazeltine Bassett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernard Hazeltine Bassett September 3, 1878 |
| Died | April 24, 1951 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | American, 10th generation |
| Other names | Rex Bassett, R.H. Bassett, R. Bassett |
| Occupation(s) | Film composer, arranger, orchestrator |
| Years active | 1908–1943 |
| Spouse | Alyse Lourdes Hunt 1905–1906 (divorce) Rosina E. McIntosh1912–1916 (divorce) Estelle Carlton Day1927–1951 (death) |
Bassett worked collaboratively on film score compositions with other Hollywood composers from Ira Gershwin to Hugo Friedhofer:
In any event, Friedhofer talks at length about Bassett in his oral history, mentioning the scores on which he worked with him (including Intermezzo and Gone With the Wind) and Bassett's association with Forbstein's predecessor at Warner Bros., Lou Silvers.[1]
Extant filmography
editMusic department
edit- Delicious (1931) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Igloo (1932) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Bird of Paradise (1932) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- My Lips Betray (1933) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Flying Down to Rio (1933) (music arranger) (uncredited)
- Midnight (1934) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Call It Murder (USA: reissue title)
- Chained (1934) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Sequoia (1934) (orchestrator) (uncredited)... aka Malibu
- The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger (1935) (composer: additional music) (uncredited) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka David Copperfield (USA: short title)
- The Night Is Young (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- The Casino Murder Case (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Baby Face Harrington (1935) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Uncivil Warriors (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- One Frightened Night (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Mad Love (1935) (composer: title music) (uncredited); aka The Hands of Orlac (UK)
- Undersea Kingdom (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Adventure in Manhattan (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Manhattan Madness (UK)
- The Garden of Allah (1936) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Legion of Terror (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Theodora Goes Wild (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Stampede (1936) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Two-Fisted Sheriff (1937) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- S.O.S. Coast Guard (1937) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- The Secret of Treasure Island (1938) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka The Secret of a Treasure Island (USA: poster title)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka Robin Hood (Australia: TV title)
- City Streets (1938) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939) (orchestrator) (uncredited); aka Escape to Happiness (UK); aka Intermezzo (USA: short title)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (USA: complete title)
- Gone with the Wind (1939) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- The Yearling (1946) (orchestrator) (uncredited)
- Batman and Robin (1949) (composer: stock music) (uncredited); aka The Adventures of Batman and Robin; aka The New Adventures of Batman and Robin
- Beyond the Purple Hills (it) (1950) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- The Big Gusher (1951) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- The Rough, Tough West (1952) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
- Saginaw Trail (1953) (composer: stock music) (uncredited)
Family
editReginald Hazeltine Bassett was born September 3, 1878, in Oakland, California, to the marriage of James Madison Bassett (1830–1903) and Carrie Hazeltine (maiden; 1958–1943). He was married three times.
- Bassett first married on January 22, 1905, in Monterey, California, to Alyse Lourdes Hunt (maiden; 1880–1969), her first of four marriages. They divorced July 25, 1906, in San Francisco.
- Bassett married again on April 19, 1912, in Oakland, California, to Rosina E. McIntosh (maiden; 1891—1973), her first of two marriages. They divorced in 1916 in San Francisco.
- Bassett then married on July 25, 1927, in Santa Ana, California, to Estelle Carlton Day (maiden; 1885–1951), her third marriage. Estelle predeceased Reginald by eighty-two days.[2]
References
edit- ^ Winters, Brian (2006). "Korngold's merry men: Music and authorship in the Hollywood studio system". Oxford University Research Archive. Oxford University. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ McCarty, Clifford (2000). Film Composers in America (A filmography, 1911- 1970--2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 534. ISBN 0-19-511473-6.