Frank Skinner is an American composer and arranger from Meredosia, Illinois. Born in 1897 and dying in 1968, he is best known for his long career in film music, especially at Universal Studios, where he works for around 30 years and composes music for more than 200 films.

Early life and training

Skinner graduates from the Chicago Musical College, later known as the Chicago Conservatory of Music. At 16, he begins working in vaudeville and performs locally with his brother Carl on drums in a group billed as the Skinner Brothers dance band. The pair also play on steamboats on the Illinois River, and during this period Skinner starts writing and arranging music for dance bands.

Work as an arranger

His arranging work takes him to New York, where between 1925 and 1935 he arranges about 2,000 popular songs for Robbins Publishing. Before moving to Hollywood, he also writes two books on arranging for dance bands.

Hollywood film career

Skinner spends a short period at MGM, where he works on the musical settings for The Great Ziegfeld in 1936, before being hired by Universal Studios. There he develops a reputation for dramatic scoring as well as musicals. He receives five Academy Award nominations between 1938 and 1943.

Notable scores and style

His horror film scores for Son of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man are among his best-known works. In the 1950s, he also gains attention for more romantic scores, including Magnificent Obsession and Written on the Wind. His approach to horror scoring is noted for chromatic lines, mirrored contours and restrained orchestration.

Writing

Skinner’s book Underscore, published in 1950, remains a respected introduction to film music composition.

Later life

He dies in Beverly Hills, California, in 1968.