Jay Blackton (March 25, 1909 – January 8, 1994) was an American composer and conductor. In 1956 he won an Academy Award in the category Best Scoring of a Musical Picture for the film Oklahoma! and was also nominated for Guys and Dolls.[2] He was the music director, orchestrator or arranger for more than 25 Broadway productions and national tours.[3]
Born Jay Schwartzdorf in New York City, he studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School. He began his career in opera, as an assistant conductor at New York Opera Comique and then as the conductor at St. Louis Municipal Opera from 1937 to 1942.[4] In 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein hired him to orchestrate and conduct Oklahoma! on Broadway, and he followed this engagement as music director and often orchestrator or arranger of such musicals as Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, Guys and Dolls, Hello, Dolly! and George M!. In addition, he toured with Bob Hope and others.[4]
Blackton died in January 1994 of heart failure at the Granada Hills Community Hospital in Granada Hills, California, at the age of 84.[1][4]
Selected filmography
- The Merry Widow (1952)
- Oklahoma! (1955; co-won with Robert Russell Bennett and Adolph Deutsch)
- Guys and Dolls (1955; co-nominated with Cyril J. Mockridge)
- Androcles and the Lion (1967)
References
- ^ a b c "Jay Blackton, 84, Music Director Who Won Oscar for 'Oklahoma!'". The New York Times. January 11, 1994. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "The 28th Academy Awards (1956) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
- ^ "Jay Blackton". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c Oliver, Myrna (January 10, 1994). "Jay Blackton; Won Oscar for 'Oklahoma!'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
External links
- Jay Blackton at IMDb
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